PROPERTY PRICES – Property sale prices are continuing to slowly edge downward, with houses now listed at under €6000 per square metre and apartments below €8000. According to a report from the real-estate platform ‘At Home’, rents remain high, with the average monthly cost of a flat holding at around €1870 .
PARLIAMENT CYBERSECURITY – Luxembourg’s Chamber of Deputies has disconnected all of its IT systems from the internet – including its website and messaging services – with expectations that it will last until at least next Thursday morning. According to a statement, this is a precautionary measure. The step was necessary in order for technical teams to deal with a confirmed risk.
UNIONS FUEL – The trade union front comprising the OGBL and the LCGB has called on the government to take urgent action on rising fuel prices, by introducing immediate measures to counter the impact on families, noting that some countries have already introduced price caps, lowering VAT, or rolling out targeted support for the most affected households and sectors.
MOON MISSION – NASA’s Artemis Two mission has lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida, carrying four astronauts. The agency says the launch proceeded without incident. Among the crew is Christina Koch, the first woman ever to take part in a lunar mission. The crew will not land on the Moon, but will orbit it for ten days, venturing some 370,000 km from Earth - further than any human being has ever travelled.
IRAN WAR – President Trump has told the American people he is close to achieving what he called his strategic objectives in Iran, and predicted the regime in Tehran would be struck very hard within the next two to three weeks. Mr Trump pledged that Iran would never acquire a nuclear weapon, but offered little in the way of specific detail. He also declined to accept any American responsibility for keeping the Strait of Hormuz open for international oil and gas shipments, a matter of growing concern as fuel shortages mount in several countries.
Iran’s President Peseschkian, meanwhile, addressed an open letter to the American people, describing the conflict as absurd and deeply costly for the United States.
NATO’s Secretary General, Mark Rutte, is to travel to Washington next week to meet President Trump. The visit had been arranged in advance, but now takes on added significance after Trump suggested he was considering withdrawing the United States from the alliance, accusing NATO members of failing to support American operations against Iran.
MIGRANT DEATHS – At least 38 people have died in the Mediterranean attempting to reach Europe, 19 bodies recovered from the Aegean Sea and a further 19 off the Italian island of Lampedusa, where 58 survivors were brought to safety. The International Organisation for Migration says more than 660 people have already died on those routes since the start of the year.
UKRAINE WAR – Russia’s Defence Ministry claims its forces have now brought the entire Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine under their control, four years after Moscow’s formal annexation of the area. Overnight, Russia launched a further wave of drones and missiles, killing at least four civilians. President Zelensky said Russia had rejected any Easter ceasefire.
HOLY WEEK – In Rome, Pope Leo has begun his first Holy Week as pontiff. Today, on Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday, as a sign of humility he will wash the feet of a dozen Roman priests during mass. Tomorrow, on Good Friday, he is expected to personally carry the cross at all 14 stations of the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum - the first pope to do so in many years.
GYMNASTICS OPEN – The Luxembourg Open in artistic gymnastics gets under way today at the Belair sports hall in Luxembourg City, with gymnasts from 23 nations competing across junior and senior categories. Team events and the all-around take place today, with the apparatus finals scheduled for tomorrow.
FOOTBALL – Italy’s Sport Minister Andrea Abodi has said the head of the country’s football federation should step down after the national team failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup, this time failing in a penalty shoot-out against Bosnia and Hercegovina.
GOLF– Tiger Woods has been granted permission by a Florida judge to travel abroad for inpatient treatment, following his arrest last week on suspicion of driving under the influence. The golf legend has also stepped down as captain of the United States’ 2027 Ryder Cup team.
There’s something for everyone, today. The day starts off intermittently sunny and cloudybut the coverage should increase by morning’s end. In the afternoon, don’t discount the possibility of a few bits of rain here and there, especially in the North. The temperature isn’t anything to write home about: it starts between -2 and 0°C, and goes up to a maximum of 11°C.
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