EU agrees Belarus sanctions
European leaders on Monday evening agreed to ban Belarus’ state airline from EU airports as well as economic measures targeting companies and individuals accused of financing president Alexander Lukashenko. Brussels called for the immediate release of journalist and activist Roman Protasevich and his partner, who were removed from a Ryanair flight between Athens and Vilnius that was forced to land in Minsk on Sunday. Commission president Ursula von der Leyen called the incident a “state hijacking” and an “attack on European sovereignty”. A €3bn EU investment package for Belarus will remain on hold. EU airlines were urged to avoid Belarus airspace. The International Civil Aviation Organization is meeting on Thursday to discuss an investigation. Sources: FT, DW, Reuters, CNBC.
G7 support for global minimum tax
The Group of Seven (G7) countries--Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US--could reach an agreement to introduce a global minimum corporate tax rate of 15% this week, making it more difficult for multinational companies to shift profits to low tax jurisdictions. The proposal by the US was scaled back from an earlier suggested rate of 21%. An agreement by the G7 would facilitate talks at G20 and OECD level. Sources: FT, Reuters.
Liberty Steel puts three UK plants up for sale
UK steel magnate Sanjeev Gupta is looking to sell three production sites in England to pay off lender Credit Suisse. His firm GFG Alliance (and its steel unit Liberty) continues to struggle following the collapse of its main financial backer, Greensill. GFG’s finances are under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office. The group also owns the Dudelange steel plant in Luxembourg. Sources: FT, The Guardian, BBC, Sky News.
Italian bank Aigis ordered into liquidation
Also on the heels of the Greensill collapse, Italy’s central bank ordered Milan-based Aigis Banca into liquidation, a specialised lender to SMEs exposed to the UK finance firm. Rival Banca Ifis bought the bank’s assets and liabilities for the symbolic price of €1. The securities linked to Greensill were excluded from the transaction. Sources: FT, Reuters.
Investigation opened into cable car crash
Prosecutors in Milan have opened an investigation into involuntary homicide and negligence after a cable car crash near Lago Maggiore on Sunday killed 14 people and left a 5-year-old child seriously injured. A cable had snapped and an emergency brake failed causing the cable car to crash into a mast and plunge 20 metres to the ground. Sources: BBC, AP.
UN calls for release of Mali president
President Bah Ndaw and prime minister Moctar Ouane of Mali on Monday were seized by the military. Ndaw and Ouane were overseeing an 18-month transition to civilian rule following a military coup against then president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita last year. The UN mission in Mali, known as Minusma, called for the release of the president and PM. Luxembourg participates in Minusma by providing satellite communications capacity. On 15 May, 20 Luxembourg soldiers deployed to Mali as part of an EU training mission. Sources: The Guardian, BBC, France 24.
US journalist detained in Myanmar
An American citizen and editor of news outlet Frontier Myanmar was detained by authorities in Yangon as he was boarding a flight home to the US. Frontier said it has not been able to contact Danny Fenster since he was prevented from leaving the country that is in uproar since the military seized power in February. Dozens of journalists have been arrested as part of crackdowns against the media. Sources: France 24, CNN, The Guardian.
Florida signs bill against ‘deplatforming’ of politicians
Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida--an ally of former US president Donald Trump--on Monday signed a bill into law that allows tech companies to be penalised for banning political candidates. Companies like Twitter, Facebook or YouTube could be fined as much as $250,000 per day. The text exempts companies owning and operating a theme park in a nod to Florida’s Disney World attraction. Critics say the law is unconstitutional. Sources: BBC, CBS, NBC.
Taiwan excluded from WHO meeting
The World Health Organization excluded Taiwan from an annual meeting that started on Monday. Taiwan had been trying to gain observer status, supported by lobbying from western countries, including the US. It criticised the WHO for capitulating to China, which says Taiwan can only take part if it accepts it is part of “one China”. Sources: Reuters, CNBC, Al Jazeera.
Bettel says covid-19 app could be ready by mid-June
A mobile application allowing users to register that they have been vaccinated against the coronavirus or tested negative could see the light of day in Luxembourg by mid-June, prime minister Xavier Bettel (DP) said on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels on Monday. The app would then be included in the EU’s Digital Green Certificate scheme when this goes live in July. Source: RTL.
Latest Luxembourg covid-19 update
Only nine people tested positive for the coronavirus on Sunday, out of 978 tests carried out (1.05% positivity rate). Because of the public holiday on Monday, the health ministry did not communicate any further data, such as the number of people in hospital, reproductive number or active infections. Source: Health ministry.
India passes 300,000 covid-19 deaths
After posting more than 4,400 covid-19 fatalities on Monday, India became the third country after the US and Brazil to surpass more than 300,000 official deaths. The real death toll is thought to be much higher as record keeping and access to health care in rural areas is limited. And deaths are set to rise further as the number of daily new infections remains high. Around 220,000 cases were posted on Monday alone. Sources: CNN, France 24, DW.
Kevin Spacey to return to acting
Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey has landed the part of a detective in a drama about a man wrongfully accused of paedophilia. It will be his first role since more than 20 men alleged sexual misconduct by Spacey, accusations the actor denies. Spacey was dropped from Netflix series House of Cards in the wake of the allegations and hasn’t appeared on the big screen since 2018. Sources: The Guardian, BBC, Variety.
Eurovision, drugs and rock’n’roll
Italy’s Eurovision winner Måneskin has been cleared of claims that the band took drugs at the competition. The European Broadcasting Union said no drug use took place and members of the band tested negative in a voluntary drugs test. Footage from the event had shown lead singer Damiano David bending his head over a table leadig to speculation he had snorted cocaine or another substance. Sources: Deadline, BBC, The Guardian.
Former F1 boss Max Mosley dies aged 81
Max Mosley, the president of Formula 1’s governing body FIA between 1993 and 2009, has died aged 81. Mosley led F1 safety reforms following the death of racer Ayrton Senna in 1994. He was also a campaigner for celebrity privacy laws and received £60,000 in damages after News of the World published a story about his sex life. Sources: The Guardian, BBC, Sky News.
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Cordula Schnuer.