J&J halts Europe vaccine roll-out
Johnson & Johnson has halted shipments of its coronavirus vaccine to Europe amid a US probe into rare cases of blood clots, similar to those linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine. J&J this week was due to begin shipping 55m vaccine doses to the EU. Luxembourg was expecting 2,400 doses this week and another 2,400 by the end of April. US authorities had called for a pause on using the vaccine while reviewing six reported thrombosis cases out of more than 6.8m doses administered. The European Medicines Agency is probing whether regulatory action might be necessary. It had recommended authorising the jab on 11 March. Sources: FT, France 24, Euronews, Reuters.
Biden proposes Russia summit
US president Joe Biden on Tuesday told Russia’s Vladimir Putin to reduce tensions on the border with Ukraine. He also proposed a meeting in a third country to address a raft of issues, including arms control, the Iran nuclear deal and climate change. Russia has said the recent build-up of troops on its western border was a three-week military exercise. Sources: Reuters, FT, CNBC.
US to pull out troops from Afghanistan
Biden administration officials also on Tuesday said the US would pull out its remaining 2,500 troops from Afghanistan by 11 September 2021 without imposing any further conditions on the country. This pushes back a 1 May deadline set by Donald Trump. An intelligence report, however, has warned of risks of Taliban insurgencies against Afghanistan’s government. Both sides have yet to reach a peace deal. Sources: Washington Post, New York Times, AP.
100 days to go until Tokyo Olympics
The delayed 2020 Olympics in Tokyo are set to launch in 100 days from Wednesday, on 23 July. International fans are banned from stadiums and athletes have been told to arrive late and leave early as the pandemic continues. Polls suggest as many as 80% of the Japanese population want the games cancelled or postponed over virus fears. Sources: AP, CBS, Reuters, France 24.
Toshiba CEO steps down
The CEO of electronics company Toshiba, Nobuaki Kurumatani, is stepping down amid upheaval over a buyout offer by European equity group CVC. Members of the board had opposed the plans and another private equity group, KKR, is reportedly preparing a rival offer. Kurumatani had served as head of CVC’s Japan operations before becoming Toshiba CEO. Sources: Bloomberg, FT, Reuters.
Apple backs emissions disclosure rules
Iphone maker Apple on Tuesday called for US authorities to require companies to disclose far-reaching emissions information. The Securities and Exchange Commission last month said it would seek input from companies on how they might report their carbon footprint. In a tweet, Apple vice president Lisa Jackson backed so-called scope 3 reporting, which covers direct and indirect emissions along the value chain, including emissions caused by other parties using the company’s products. Source: Reuters.
Denmark charges six people in cum-ex scandal
Danish prosecutors have charged three US and three UK nationals as part of an ongoing investigation into the cum-ex dividend tax scandal, which the country says swindled its treasury of a total of 12.7bn Danish kroner (€1.7bn). Denmark already in January had charged two UK nationals and is seeking up to 12 years in prison for all eight defendants. Sources: FT, BBC, Bloomberg.
Merkel pushes for more pandemic powers
Members of Angela Merkel’s cabinet on Tuesday approved plans for federal coronavirus measures in regions where the seven-day infection rate exceeds 100 per 100,000 inhabitants. If approved by parliament, this “emergency break” would replace a patchwork of measures decided by the country’s 16 Bundesländer. Regional leaders had previously agreed on a tiered restrictions plan, but some have taken more flexible approaches in implementing it than others. The federal rules would force the Länder to apply uniform restrictions. Sources: DW, Bloomberg, ZDF.
Wiseler remains only CSV candidate
Claude Wiseler, a member of parliament for the CSV, is the only candidate running for election as the party’s president on 24 April. Wiseler put forward not only himself but an entire leadership team to end internal struggles that have plagued Luxembourg’s biggest group in parliament and opposition force. His proposal needs to be confirmed by party members. Source: Paperjam.
Latest Luxembourg covid-19 update
Out of 10,412 tests carried out on Monday, 179 were positive (1.72%), the health ministry said on Tuesday. The number of active infections was at 3,273 with the reproductive number at 0.95. Five people died after testing positive for Sars-CoV-2, bringing the pandemic death toll to 777. 103 people were receiving hospital care (up from 99 the previous day), with another 33 patients in intensive care (up from 29). Source: Health ministry.
Police issue 360 fines
Luxembourg police between 29 March and 11 April issued 360 fines for violations of the country’s covid-19 laws. Around 270 people received fines for violating the 11pm to 6am curfew. In 27 cases, police reported individuals and businesses to authorities, for example for exceeding limits on private and public gatherings and breaking other rules. Source: Police.
DIY Wolfwalkers
For its Oscars campaign, Luxembourg co-production Wolfwalkers--vying for an Academy Award in the best animated feature category--has released stills from the movie for members of the academy to colour in as well as a video tutorial on how to draw the film’s main characters. Wolfwalkers is the only hand-drawn film in the running. Vanity Fair has the stills for download. Source: Vanity Fair.
Bitche, please!
The town of Bitche in the north-east of France, around 130km from Luxembourg City, has received an apology from Facebook after the social media site closed its official page over the use of offensive language. City officials created a new page with the name Mairie 57230, the town’s post code, but the original has since been restored. Sources: The Guardian, CNN, Wort.
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Cordula Schnuer