TAX RELIEF – Cross-border workers have been granted temporary relief in the Luxembourg–Germany dispute about overtime taxation. Germany’s Federal Fiscal Court has questioned the legality of taxing Luxembourg workers overtime retrospectively. As reported by the Trier-based newspaper Trierischer Volksfreund, the issue is once again under scrutiny after a cross-border commuter from Saarland was required to pay back taxes on his Luxembourg overtime to the Merzig tax office. A final decision on the thorny issue is expected from the court by summertime.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING – The Ministry of Housing has announced that applications for affordable housing can now be submitted via MyGuichet, a change intended to make the process faster and more efficient. In a statement yesterday, the Ministry said the move marks an important step towards simplifying the process. The centralised platform allows public developers to access all applications. There are currently about 8,900 registered applications. The housing stock stands at around 3,500 units, though that figure is expected to rise to roughly 4,300 once the registration of all homes is completed in the coming weeks.
MISSING PERSON APPEAL – Police have issued a missing person appeal for 16-year-old Eléa Catherine Klein, missing since 1pm on Monday. The teenager is between 1.60 and 1.70 metres tall and has shoulder-length blonde curly hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information on Elea’s whereabouts should contact the police at Remich-Mondorf on (+352) 244 77 1000 or via email at Police.REMICHMONDORF@police.etat.lu
CHILD KEPT IN VAN FOR OVER A YEAR – In France, a father who kept his child in a van for more than a year could face 30 years in jail, a French prosecutor said. Police in the eastern village of Hagenbach discovered the nine-year-old boy, lying in the foetal position in the van, following reports from neighbours about a noise coming from the vehicle. The 43-year-old father, who has been remanded in custody, faces charges of confining the boy and depriving him of care, prosecutor Nicolas Heitz said.
BBC TO AXE JOBS – The BBC is to cut up to 2,000 jobs, in a bid to trim £500 million from its operating costs of £5 billion “over the next two years”, the director-general said, affecting almost one in 10 jobs. The job cuts will be the biggest round of redundancies at the broadcasting corporation in almost 15 years, ITV News and The Press Association (PA) news agency reported. In 2011, the BBC announced it would cut 2,000 jobs over the next five years and relocate some staff away from London.
MIDDLE EAST WAR – The conflict in the Middle East could push millions more towards hunger as its economic fallout reverberates further around the globe, the World Bank’s chief economist warned in an AFP interview yesterday. “You have about 300 million people who suffer from acute food insecurity already”, Indermit Gill said. “That’ll go up by about 20 percent very, very quickly”, as knock-on effects grow. Gill spoke on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund-World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington. The blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil supply route, has sent fertilizer prices soaring since they rely on oil-based inputs.
FOOTBALL – Harry Kane praised Luis Diaz’s late “moment of magic” which delivered the killer blow as Bayern Munich eliminated Real Madrid to reach the Champions League semi-finals last night. Holding a 2-1 first-leg advantage, Bayern fell behind three times on the night in the first half as record 15-time champions Real produced a familiarly strong performance on the European stage. The tie was level at 4-4 on aggregate when Diaz struck in the 89th minute to put Bayern in front, before Michael Olise added another in stoppage time.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said yesterday that Iran will participate in the 2026 World Cup despite the Middle East war. “Iran is coming for sure. We hope that by then the situation will be a peaceful situation, that would definitely help”, Infantino told an economic conference organised by broadcaster CNBC. Iran’s participation in the global tournament being co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico had been thrown into doubt by the conflict launched by the United States and Israel.
BASKETBALL – The NBA fined Charlotte star LaMelo Ball $35,000 yesterday for “unnecessary and reckless contact” with Miami’s Bam Adebayo during the Hornets’ play-in win over the Heat. One day after the Hornets ousted Miami from the play-in tournament with a nail-biting 127-126 overtime triumph, Ball was fined and assessed a flagrant 2 foul for the controversial play early in the second quarter. Ball fell to the court after a shot attempt was blocked and reached out to grab at Adebayo’s foot, sending him crashing to the court.
It will be a pleasant spring day across the country, with a mix of sunshine and passing clouds. There are some light showers forecast around midday. We’ll see morning temperatures of between 6 and 8°C with highs later of 15–18°C.
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