ARCELOR MITTAL RELOCATIONS – The Luxembourg government says there’s no immediate need for emergency talks over ArcelorMittal’s threatened relocations. Labour Minister Marc Spautz has confirmed that both he and the Economy Minister will, however, join the next round of negotiations on 20 March. According to the government, Prime Minister Luc Frieden has appealed to the steel giant to keep their headquarters in Luxembourg.
POL GREISCH RIP – Luxembourg’s theatre world is mourning the loss of actor and playwright Pol Greisch, who has died at the age of 95. He performed on Luxembourg stages for over six decades and twice won the National Literature Prize.
ASH WEDNESDAY – Today is Ash Wednesday, marking the start of both the Christian Lent season and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. In Germany, it’s a traditional occasion when political parties meet to discuss current topics and also criticise political opponents. Chancellor Friedrich Merz will attend a CDU rally in Trier this evening, ahead of next month’s Rhineland-Palatinate state elections. Here, the end of carnival is marked when a traditional straw man is burned and thrown from the Moselle Bridge in Remich.
JOB MARKET – Luxembourg is facing a paradox in its jobs market: more than 21,000 people are currently out of work, the highest figure since 2021, yet employers say they can’t find the right talent. Recruitment experts say the real problem isn’t a shortage of candidates, but companies demanding impossibly narrow skill sets, slow hiring processes, and the growing practice of posting jobs with no real intention of filling them.
BUERGBRENNEN EVENTS – This Sunday, communities across Luxembourg will mark Buergbrennen – an ancient tradition where villages light large bonfires to symbolically drive away winter and welcome spring. Almost every village holds its own celebration, with torchlight processions and the burning of a straw effigy dating back to pre-Christian times. For a full list of events across the country, check here.
FRANCE MURDER – French police have arrested nine suspects, including a parliamentary aide over the death of 23-year-old Quentin Deranque, who was beaten at a far-right rally in Lyon last week. The killing has sharply raised tensions between France’s far right and hard left ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
UKRAINE PEACE TALKS – Talks in Geneva between Russia and Ukraine, mediated by the United States, have ended their first day without any significant breakthrough. President Zelensky reiterated that Ukraine will never agree to cede its eastern territories to Moscow.
US & FRANCE AVALANCHES – Three people have been killed in avalanches in the French Alps, with avalanche risk rated very high following heavy snowfall. In California, 10 skiers remain missing after being swept away at the Castle Peak resort. Six others have been rescued.
JESSE JACKSON RIP – Veteran US civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson, one of the nation’s most influential Black voices, died peacefully Tuesday morning at the age of 84, his family said. Jackson, a Baptist minister, had been a civil rights leader since the 1960s, when he marched with Martin Luther King Jr. and helped fundraise for the cause.
FOOTBALL – In the Champions League, Real Madrid beat Benfica 1-0, Dortmund defeated Bergamo 2-0, PSG edged Monaco 3-2, and Galatasaray thrashed Juventus 5-2. Four more matches are played this evening: Bruges vs Atletico Madrid, Piraeus plays Leverkusen, Qarabag vs Newcastle, and the Norwegians of Bodø/Glimt take on Inter Milan.
OLYMPICS – And Luxembourg skier Gwyneth Ten Raa is competing in the Olympic slalom this morning, starting 65 th out of 95. The top 30 will then ski the second run this afternoon The favourite is the American skier Mikaela Shiffrin. Norway continues to lead the overall medal table with 31, including 14 gold medals. Italy has 9, and the USA and the Netherlands each have 6 medals. Medal events today are in the ski slalom, as well as cross-country skiing, short track, and biathlon.
We start off with an intermittent cloud cover that could bring some snowfall in the morning – only around 2 cm - especially in the South. In the evening, clouds will take over the sky, and we can expect a mix of rain and snow. Temperatures start at -2°C, and should go up to no more than 3–5°C in the afternoon.
Be sure to catch our full bulletin on the hour, every hour, and headlines at half past the hour on RTL Today Radio. You can also access the news via Alexa, and on RTL Play.
