I.M. Pei
One of the world’s best known architects, I.M. Pei, who designed the glass pyramid in front of the Louvre in Paris, the Bank of China tower in Hong Kong and the Mudam museum in Luxembourg, has died at the age of 102. Reported by Deutsche Welle, Reuters and the Telegraph.
May to set her PM exit date after Brexit vote
The UK prime minister, Theresa May, said she would set out a timetable for electing her successor after the next Brexit vote is held in the House of Commons in early June. Reported by the BBC, Financial Times and Guardian.
Trump unveils immigration reform
Donald Trump proposed an overhaul of the US immigration system to favour highly skilled workers over the current preference for family reunification. Reported by Deutsche Welle, the Financial Times and Reuters.
737 Max patch ready, says aircraft maker
Boeing said it completed a software upgrade for its 737 Max jets, which have been grounded since software problems were linked to two fatal crashes. The patch needs to be reviewed by regulators. Reported by the BBC, CNBC and Seattle Times.
Brussels fines banks for forex collusion
The European Commission fined five banks--Barclays, Citigroup, JPMorgan, MUFG and Royal Bank of Scotland--a collective €1.07bn for running a foreign currency trading cartel, reported the Financial Times and Reuters. “The fines would normally have been 10% higher, but was reduced after the banks admitted their involvement,” wrote Deutsche Welle.
Clock in, says EU top court
The European Court of Justice ruled that employers in the EU need to track the number of hours that their employees work, in order to comply with labour rules, reported Deutsche Welle, Euro Topics and Politico.
Trump resort revenue slumps
Net operating income at Donald Trump’s Doral Miami golf resort has plunged 69% in two years, according to the Washington Post.
Later today
Urban development: City leaders will unveil a public contest on ideas for redeveloping the site currently housing Josy Barthel stadium. EU: Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, holds a “citizens dialogue” on the future of Europe in Echternach (in German with English and French interpretation) at 7:30pm.
Looking ahead
Saturday 18 May: A spring Stroossemaart (street market) takes place in the City-Centre and Gare districts from 8am to 6pm. Saturday 18 May: The British Ladies Club annual carboot sale, in Kirchberg, from 9am to 4pm. Saturday 18 May: This year’s Duck Race starts at 12noon. Monday 20 May: The Indian Business Chamber of Luxembourg holds a conference on “The Brexit effect: Luxembourg as a platform for global business” in Kirchberg at 6pm.
Here are 10 science & technology stories you may have missed
Bullet trains: The Japanese railway firm JR East will begin testing high speed trains that could reach speeds up to 400kmh, per Ars Technica. Slow traffic: Fluid dynamics modelling has explained “phantom traffic jams”, which, apparently, “are caused by the collective behavior of all drivers”, per Nautilus. Self-driving cars: Researchers are trying to instill a sense of fear in artificial intelligence systems in order to make them better drivers, per Science magazine. Audio intelligence: Researchers developed a technique to help speech recognition software from getting tricked, per Nature. Taste tests: Robots, using sensors and artificial intelligence software, are monitoring the quality and authenticity of cuisine in China, per the South China Morning Post. Cybersecurity: This guy told The Cut how he hacked the online dating app Tinder so men didn’t realise they were talking with another man. Hungry for rival’s data: The FBI arrested a California executive after he allegedly hacked into a competitor’s computer system to steal customer data; the customers were students and the data was school lunch menu preferences, wrote The Register. Bad update: Dutch police preemptively detained several people under house arrest and out on bail after a software update caused its ankle monitoring system to crash, per ZDNet. Space: Nasa wants to put the first woman on the moon by 2024, wrote The Verge. “Planetary Defense”: Scientists and US government officials ran an exercise simulating a chance that an asteroid would collide with Earth, per the MIT Technology Review (it was only a drill!)
Cheers!
English-speaking countries led an international survey in how many times their citizens get drunk each year: 55 times in the UK, 50 in the US and 48 in Canada. The global average was 33. It was 16 in Chile. Reported by the Guardian, Independent and Telegraph.
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Aaron Grunwald