ROYAL TOUR – Grand Duke Guillaume and Grand Duchess Stéphanie begin their Joyous Entry tour today in Esch-sur-Alzette. Traffic restrictions will be in place throughout the day in the town. Several streets in Belval and the town centre will be partially closed or have limited access. The municipality is encouraging visitors to use public transport or travel on foot where possible.
CHILD HIT BY CAR – A child was injured after being struck by a car in Bettembourg yesterday on Rue Marie-Thérèse shortly after 2:30pm, according to police. Emergency responders treated the pedestrian at the scene before transporting them to hospital, with support from an ambulance from Kayl. The child’s condition has not yet been confirmed.
NIEDERANVEN RAINBOW PATH – A 60m long rainbow that was painted on a cycle path in Niederanven just two weeks ago has been vandalised. The path was put in place as a sign of diversity, respect, and solidarity. The rainbow also sparked heavy online backlash, including homophobic comments and over 440 reactions – mostly from non-residents. Andy Maar, of the Rosa Lëtzebuerg association, says these reactions online are nothing new. "It's always frustrating to see such negative comments online, one would think we would have progressed past this in the year 2026", he said.
ASTI CALLS FOR EXCEPTIONAL REGULARISATION – The Support Association for Immigrant Workers (ASTI) is calling for the government to offer regular status to immigrants living and working in Luxembourg without the right documentation. ASTI responded to two draft immigration reform bills, broadly welcoming changes to free movement rules but criticising gaps, including the lack of an emergency committee and unclear definitions around “burden on the social system.” The group warned that proposed asylum measures go too far, citing automatic detention for those refusing identification and expanded police search powers without suspicion.
MIDDLE EAST WAR – Israel and Lebanon extended their ceasefire by three weeks, US President Donald Trump said yesterday. Trump announced the extension as he met with ambassadors of the two countries. It comes despite recent Israeli strikes in Lebanon and fresh rocket fire from Hezbollah. Iranian media reported blasts over the capital Tehran, a first since the ceasefire in the Middle East war came into effect two weeks ago. It was not clear what caused the explosions, though an Israeli security source told AFP that their country was not currently striking Iran.
META CUTTING JOBS – Meta plans to cut about 10% of its workforce, or roughly 8,000 jobs, a source told AFP. The move comes as co-founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg makes a priority of delivering "superintelligence" in a costly AI race against rivals including Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI. The news comes as Meta is set to report quarterly earnings next week.
TRUMP SOCIAL MEDIA POST – India has criticised as inappropriate a post by Donald Trump that labelled the south Asian country a "hellhole." The comments come ahead of a planned visit next month to India by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who would seek to turn the page on recent tensions between the normally friendly powers. The post also accused Indian immigrants in the tech industry of not hiring white native-born Americans and inaccurately alleged that Indian immigrants lack English proficiency.
JAPAN WILDFIRES – Wildfires are spreading towards a northern Japan town, media reports and the government said. Flames from raging wildfire were spreading towards the centre of a town today, with authorities urging more than 2,500 people to evacuate their homes. As of Friday morning, fires in the mountainous areas of Iwate region had burned over 400 hectares (988 acres) since breaking out two days ago, government spokesman Minoru Kihara told reporters.
FOOTBALL – Barcelona will have to cope without teen star Lamine Yamal for the title run-in. With the 18–year–old out injured for the rest of the season, Barcelona visit Getafe on Saturday in La Liga looking for ways to protect a nine-point lead on Real Madrid in the Spanish title race. The Spain international hopes to return from his hamstring injury sustained against Celta Vigo on Wednesday to play at the World Cup this summer.
WORLD CUP – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran’s football team will be allowed to attend the World Cup, distancing the government from suggestions Italy could replace them, while noting that some members of the Iranian delegation could still be barred over alleged ties to the IRGC. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Rubio denied that Washington had asked the Iranian team not to come to the World Cup.
AMERICAN FOOTBALL – New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said on Thursday he is taking an indefinite break to seek counseling following controversy over his links to a female journalist. Vrabel, who is married, has denied any impropriety after the publication of photos showing him embracing and holding hands with The Athletic NFL reporter Dianna Russini while poolside at an adults-only resort in Arizona last month. Russini, who is also married, also denied wrongdoing. She subsequently resigned from her job as The Athletic launched an investigation into the incident.
It's going to be another sunny spring day in Luxembourg with clear blue skies and bright sunshine throughout the day and just a slight breeze. Temperatures are starting off at 2–4°C this morning warming up to highs of 20 to 22°C this afternoon.
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