ABORTION RIGHTS – Planning Familial is calling for abortion rights to be extended from 12 to 14 weeks. Luxembourg’s family planning organisation made the demand at its annual general meeting last night, where it also revealed it had received 1,250 abortion-related requests last year.
PARLIAMENT DEBATES – Luxembourg's parliament meets today, with MPs debating a legislative proposal that would entitle everyone to paid leave for blood donations. Meanwhile, LSAP politician and former health minister Paulette Lenert is set to be nominated as a candidate for the vacant position on the Council of State.
DEFENCE SPENDING – Luxembourg is set to significantly increase its defence spending, reaching 2.3% of gross national income by 2029. Defence Minister Yuriko Backes says spending will rise by 0.1 percentage points each year, taking the budget to 1.67 billion by 2029. Investment will focus on air and missile defence capabilities.
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE – The number of resident jobseekers in Luxembourg rose by 8.3% year-on-year to over 20,000 in April, with the sharpest increases among highly qualified candidates and those aged 30 to 44. The unemployment rate remains steady at 6.3%.
EUROVISION VOTES – Luxembourg's Eurovision votes went to Romania and Bulgaria in the grand final, with Romania topping the scoreboard on 22 points and Bulgaria coming in second on 20. Bulgaria went on to win the contest with DARA's 'Bangaranga', while Luxembourg failed to reach the final, placing 12th in the second semi-final, and receiving the highest support from Denmark, for a total of 13 points.
GERMANY BUILDING COLLAPSE – Rescue teams in the German city of Görlitz have found the body of a 25-year-old Romanian tourist, two days after a historic building partially collapsed. Two people remain missing. A gas explosion is thought to be the cause.
PORTUGAL CHILDREN – Portuguese police are trying to trace the parents of two young children, aged three and five, found alone by a roadside near the resort of Comporta. The children, believed to be French nationals, are safe. No missing persons report has been filed, and authorities have not ruled out abandonment.
AIR FRANCE CRASH – A French appeals court is today delivering its verdict in the trial over the 2009 Air France crash that killed nearly 230 people when a Rio-to-Paris flight went down over the Atlantic. Both Airbus and Air France were cleared of the charge of involuntary manslaughter in the original trial.
NATO TALKS – NATO foreign ministers are gathered in the Swedish city of Helsingborg for two days of talks covering Ukraine, Iran, and how Europe can take greater responsibility for its own defence ahead of the alliance's summit in Ankara in July.
FOOTBALL – Aston Villa have won the UEFA Europa League, beating Freiburg 3-0 in the final in Istanbul. Two goals just before half-time put the English side in control, and Morgan Rogers added a third after the break to seal it. It's Villa's first major European trophy since they won the European Cup back in 1982.
CYCLING – Ecuador's Jhonatan Narvaez has won stage 11 of the Giro d'Italia. Alfonso Eulalio holds the overall lead, 27 seconds ahead of Jonas Vingegaard.
For today, any early fog patches will soon clear to give a pleasant mix of sunny spells and some cloud. Through the evening, the cloud will gradually break up further, leaving lengthy sunny periods. It stays dry throughout the day, with a light wind swinging from westerly to northerly. After a cool spell recently, temperatures will feel warmer, reaching highs of 20 to 23 degrees, and up to 24 along the Moselle.
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