PENSION FRAUD – A man is on trial for allegedly hiding his father's death for nearly three years and continuing to collect his pension throughout. The 49-year-old is accused of transporting the body to a vineyard close to Remerschen and fraudulently claiming around a 120,000 euros. Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of two years and eight months. The verdict is expected in June.
TRIPARTITE MEETINGS – Luxembourg's government is sitting down this afternoon with employer groups and the country's main trade unions to lay the groundwork for a Tripartite summit at the beginning of June. The country's statistics office and Energy Commissioner will also be presenting the latest economic figures. Prime Minister Luc Frieden has said the central focus will be the economic consequences of the Iran war while unions have already signalled they want the minimum wage on the agenda.
ROAD ACCIDENT – Emergency services attended a road accident in the early hours of this morning on the route between Manternach and Roodt-sur-Syre, where a car overturned. One person was injured
BETTEL ISRAEL – Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel has called out what he sees as a double standard in Europe's response to conflicts in the Middle East. Speaking at the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels yesterday, he said the bloc reacts with outrage to events in Ukraine, but closes its eyes when it comes to Palestine and Lebanon, and that, he said, is unacceptable.
BELGIUM STRIKES – Belgian trade unions have brought much of the country to a standstill with a national general strike against the government of Prime Minister Bart De Wever. Workers are protesting against planned cuts to social benefits and pensions, as well as rising energy prices. Police are advising people to avoid driving into Brussels, particularly around Gare du Nord and Gare du Midi. Public transport is largely suspended. All flights at Charleroi Airport have been cancelled, and around half of departures and arrivals at Brussels Zaventem are also affected.
HANTAVIRUS OUTBREAK – The Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, which suffered a Hantavirus outbreak, has now been fully evacuated and is making its way from the Canary Islands back to the Netherlands for a thorough disinfection. Three passenger infections have been confirmed – a French, an American and a Spanish national. The Spanish passenger is in quarantine at a hospital in Madrid but is not yet showing symptoms, according to Spanish health authorities.
IRAN WAR – Defence ministers from around 40 countries are holding a video conference, at the initiative of France and Britain, on the possible deployment of naval forces in the Strait of Hormuz to protect shipping. The passage has been largely blocked since the outbreak of the Iran war, contributing to persistently high energy prices. Any deployment, however, would only begin once hostilities in the region have ended.
EUROVISION SONG CONTEST – The Eurovision Song Contest gets under way in Vienna this evening with the first semi-final. 15 countries are competing, with 10 to progress to Saturday's grand final. Luxembourg's entry, Eva Marija, performs in the second semi-final on Thursday. RTL will be broadcasting the show live from nine o'clock tonight.
CANNES FILM FESTIVAL – The Cannes Film Festival opens officially tomorrow, though tonight's ceremony will see director Peter Jackson honoured with an honorary Palme d'Or for his body of work, most notably the Lord of the Rings trilogy. , which brought him 17 Academy Awards. This year's jury is headed by South Korean director Park Chan-Wook.
CYCLING – The Giro d'Italia resumes today after yesterday's rest day with stage four, 138km kilometres through Calabria. Astana's Guillermo Silva leads the overall classification.
FOOTBALL – Benfica have suffered a blow in the race for second place in the Portuguese league, drawing 2-2 with Braga on the penultimate matchday. That result, for now, leaves them outside the Champions League places.
And in the Premier League, Tottenham's relegation fears deepened last night after a 1-1 draw with Leeds. Leeds are now safe, but Spurs remain in the relegation zone, locked in a battle with West Ham for survival with one matchday remaining.
While the day might start off with promisingly clear skies, clouds are forecast to gather throughout the day, resulting in the odd rain shower here and there.
Temperatures are still unseasonably cool, starting at 3-5°C in the morning, and rising no higher than 13°C in the afternoon.
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