SPD wins in Rhineland-Palatinate
Luxembourg’s German neighbours voted in regional elections on Sunday, with the Social Democrats (SPD) securing more than a third of votes in Rhineland-Palatinate. This means minister president Malu Dreyer is likely to stay in office as the party’s top candidate. Dreyer first became the Land’s first woman minister president in 2013. The SPD has been in a coalition together with the Liberal (FDP) and Green parties since 2016. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU lost in the regional elections, which also took place in Baden-Württemberg. Sources: ARD, ZDF, Trierischer Volksfreund.
Silicon Valley’s Stripe valuation soars to $95bn
Digital payments provider Stripe has become the most valuable private company to come out of Silicon Valley after the latest financing round produced $600m of new equity, bringing its valuation to $95bn. Stripe’s valuation has more than doubled since last year. Founded by Irish brothers Patrick and John Collison, the decade-old company said it would expand operations in Europe, particularly Ireland. The Ireland Strategic Investment Fund has invested $50m in Stripe. Sources: FT, Reuters, MarketWatch, CNBC.
India mulls cryptocurrency ban
India could propose a bill banning cryptocurrencies, criminalising possession, issuance, mining, trading and transferring of crypto assets. Holders of cryptocurrencies would have six months to liquidate after which fines would be issued. India would become the first country to make holding cryptocurrencies illegal. The ban would form part of government plans to build a framework for an official digital currency, prohibiting private virtual currencies. Sources: Reuters, CNBC.
Protesters killed in Myanmar clashes
Dozens of protesters were killed in Myanmar’s largest city Yangon on Sunday. Protesters had attacked Chinese businesses in the city, claiming China was supporting the military junta who usurped the country’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Martial law was imposed in several districts. UN special envoy Christine Schraner Burgener condemned the bloodshed. Sources: The Guardian, BBC, Reuters, France24.
Backlash against London police over vigil break-up
London’s Metropolitan Police has come under fire after pushing and detaining people at a vigil commemorating Sarah Everard who was murdered earlier this month. A police officer has been charged with kidnapping and killing the 33-year-old. Thousands of women on Saturday arrived at Clapham Common, near where Everard disappeared, defying pandemic restrictions. Footage later emerged of officers violently dragging women away and making arrests. Home Secretary Priti Patel has called for an independent investigation into how police handled the protest. Met Police chief Cressida Dick has said she wouldn’t resign from her post. Sources: The Guardian, BBC, CNN.
UK government to open Scotland HQ
The UK government plans to open a secondary cabinet office in Glasgow as well as moving 500 new foreign office jobs to the city in an effort to bring Scotland’s two governments closer together. Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon and her party, the SNP, are pushing for a second independence referendum after national elections in May. In a 2014 referendum Scots voted 55%-45% to remain in the UK but support for independence has grown since Brexit, which a majority of voters rejected. Sources: Reuters, Independent, Glasgow Evening Times.
Rioters hijack protest in Liège
Nine police officers were hospitalised with another 27 injured in violent clashes in Liège, Belgium, on Saturday. Rioters broke away from a peaceful protest organised against police violence after the forceful arrest of a black woman. Around 200 youths threw stones at police, looted shops and smashed up other businesses. Around a dozen people, including one minor, were arrested. An investigation is ongoing. Sources: Politico, Brussels Times, dpa, Paperjam.
Netherlands, Ireland suspend AstraZeneca vaccine
The Netherlands and Ireland on Sunday became the latest countries to suspend using the AstraZeneca vaccine after reports of blood clotting in patients, joining Norway, Iceland, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Austria and Italy. The European Medicines Agency on 11 March said there was no evidence the vaccine had caused the clotting and AstraZeneca on Sunday said analysis of 17m people inoculated with the vaccine showed no increased risk. Sources: Irish Times, Independent, BBC, FT.
Timmermans admits EU vaccine mistakes
EU Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans in an interview admitted the commission and member states had made mistakes when buying coronavirus vaccines. He said he would agree to a review to establish what the commission did right or wrong at the end of the pandemic but insisted the approach for joint procurement and fair distribution is the right one. Source: Tagesspiegel.
France must avoid lockdown, says PM
France’s prime minister Jean Castex on Sunday said the country must avoid another lockdown. Pressure on hospitals has been growing with patients dispatched from Paris to regions less affected by the pandemic. But Jérôme Salomon, the head of the national health agency, also on Sunday said that current rules weren’t enough and that if another lockdown was necessary, “we will do it.” Sources: France24, Reuters, Rfi.
Latest Luxembourg covid-19 update
Over the weekend, the health ministry confirmed 374 new coronavirus infections out of 20,303 tests carried out on Friday and Saturday. Eight people died after testing positive for Sars-CoV-2, bringing the pandemic death toll to 689. On Saturday, 93 patients were being treated in hospital for complications caused by the coronavirus, with another 25 people being treated in intensive care. Source: Health ministry.
Film festival closes
Jasmila Žbanić’s Quo Vadis, Aida--about the build-up to the 1995 Srebrenica massacre--won this year’s Grand Prix at the Luxembourg City Film Festival. Swiss film Nemesis won the Documentary Award. Around 4,000 people attended festival screenings with another 20,000 bookings to watch selected films online. Source: Delano.
Oscar nominations announced on Monday
Luxembourg film fans will want to follow today’s Academy Award nominations. Several co-productions are vying for a nod, including documentary Collective, uncovering government fraud in Romania, and drama Deux, which is France’s entry in the best foreign language film category. Animated feature Wolfwalkers could also be among this year’s nominees, which will be announced at 1.19pm GMT+1. Source: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
World’s biggest volcano is waking up
Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, the world’s biggest volcano, is slowly waking up from its slumber, which began after it last erupted in 1984. The Hawaii Volcano Observatory recorded some 200 small magnitude earthquakes below Mauna Loa over the past week. The volcano makes up for around half of Big Island’s land mass. The observatory said an eruption isn’t imminent but warned eruption plans should be revisited. Sources: Forbes, Hawaii Tribune Herald, Sputnik.
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Cordula Schnuer