LUXEMBOURG-BRUSSELS RAIL LINK – Prime Minister Luc Frieden met his Belgian counterpart Bart De Wever yesterday, reaffirming a commitment to modernise the rail link between the two capitals. By 2030, the journey from Luxembourg City to Brussels is expected to take just over two hours. The two leaders also signed an agreement on the GovSat military satellite, and highlighted joint defence projects including a shared reconnaissance battalion.
FUEL PRICE INCREASE – Fuel prices continue to climb. From today, Diesel will cost €2.077 a litre, increasing by 7.1 cents. Heating oil has also gone up by a similar amount to €1.532 a litre.
PARLIAMENT TODAY – Several parliamentary committees meet today. The Finance Committee will discuss the Spuerkeess bank’s decision to close accounts held by the International Criminal Court, with Prime Minister Frieden present. The Higher Education Committee will examine conflicts of interest at the University of Luxembourg. And the Foreign Affairs Committee receives Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk, the Ukrainian human rights activist honoured in 2022.
WINTER RETURNS – After an unseasonably warm 18°C this week, Luxembourg is heading for a sharp cold snap, with rain from Wednesday, possible snow by the weekend, and temperatures falling as low as -4°C on Saturday. Motorists are reminded that winter or all-season tyres remain mandatory.
IRAN WAR – Contradictory statements have emerged over possible negotiations between Washington and Tehran. President Trump said talks with a senior Iranian official had been productive but Iran denied this, calling the reports false information designed to calm oil and financial markets. Trump yesterday extended his ultimatum for strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure by five days. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait say they shot down a number of Iranian drones and missiles, as Israel struck targets in Iran and Hezbollah positions in Lebanon.
EU-AUSTRALIA AGREEMENT – The EU and Australia have signed a free trade agreement aimed at cutting customs duties and reducing European dependence on China for critical raw materials. Signing in Canberra, Commission President von der Leyen said the deal was all the more important given what she called the United States’ aggressive tariff policy. The agreement still requires ratification by both parliaments.
EU MERCOSUR AGREEMENT – Separately, the EU’s long-delayed trade deal with the Mercosur bloc is set to provisionally enter into force on the first of May, after Paraguay became the last South American member to ratify it.
BILL COSBY SEX ABUSE – Former US actor Bill Cosby has been ordered to pay nearly $19 million in damages to a woman he allegedly drugged and raped. More than 60 women have brought cases against the former television star, who has previously served a prison sentence for sexual offences.
COLOMBIA PLANE CRASH – At least 66 people have been killed and around 40 injured after a military aircraft crashed in Colombia shortly after takeoff. The cause is not yet known.
RACING – Luxembourg driver Dylan Pereira claimed a podium finish at the Nürburgring after four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen was disqualified from a GT endurance race won by his team.
ATHLETICS – Keely Hodgkinson‘s said she was in the “shape of her life” after wrapping up world indoor 800m gold. The 24-year-old British runner left the competition for dead in an impressive gun-to-tape performance in Torun, Poland, on Sunday that saw her win in a blistering 1min 55.30sec. Luxembourg’s own Patrizia van der Weken finished eighth in the 60m final.
We will have another cool morning and a mild afternoon, under cloudy skies. With winds reaching up to 50km/h, a windy cloudy day lies ahead with the odd clear spell. Temperatures will start at 3–5°C in the morning, rising to highs of 13–15°C in the afternoon.
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