Plan to reopen terraces in Luxembourg
Bars, cafés and restaurants should be able to start serving outdoor seating areas on 7 April, from 6am to 6pm. Service is limited to two people per table, except members of the same household. Food and drink must be consumed while seated. Xavier Bettel, the prime minister (DP), said the authorisation would be withdrawn if the infection rate spikes and parliament must still approve the government’s plan. Sources: Delano, Paperjam and 100,7.
Latest Luxembourg covid-19 update
Out of 11,861 PCR tests conducted on 23 March, 353 Luxembourg residents tested positive. That is a rate of 56.38 per 100,000 inhabitants (compared to 47.44 on 16 March). The reproduction rate was 1.06, above the target threshold of 1.00 (compared to 1.08). There were 121 covid-19 patients in hospital (compared to 113), including 17 in intensive care (compared to 25). Two people died due to the coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the national total to 728. A cumulative 77,997 vaccine doses have been administered, including 18,687 people who have received two doses. Sources: Delano and health ministry.
Lockdown changes in neighbouring countries
Belgium: To combat a recent rise in covid-19 cases, the government reimposed several restrictions. Schools will be closed 29 March-2 April; non-essential shops and hairdressers will be closed 25 March-25 April. Sources: AP and EUobserver. France: Three departments--Rhône (which includes Lyon), Aube (in Champagne) and Nièvre (in Burgundy)--were added to the areas already under limited lockdown, which include the Paris region and much of northern France. Sources: AFP and RFI. Germany: Chancellor Angela Merkel reversed Monday’s decision to extend Germany’s lockdown through Easter, calling the decision a “mistake”. Sources: DW and The Guardian.
Astrazeneca revises vaccine data
Astrazeneca said its covid-19 jab was in fact 76% effective in a US clinical trial, down from the 79% efficacy rate it reported on Monday. Sources: CNBC, Financial Times, The Guardian and Reuters.
Latest on vaccine export restrictions
EU-UK: Tensions cooled between Brussels and London as they issued a joint statement saying the EU and UK would work together to “create a win-win situation”. Sources: BBC and RTE. European Commission: Earlier Brussels outlined plans to tighten rules on exporting vaccines outside of the EU, based on the concepts of “reciprocity” and “proportionality”. Sources: CNBC and Politico. Italy: Police found a stockpile of 29m Astrazeneca doses during a search requested by the European Commission. Sources: Financial Times and Reuters. India: Delhi has temporarily paused all exports of the Astrazeneca vaccine made in Pune, as cases surge in the country. Sources: BBC and The Guardian.
‘Double mutant’ virus detected in India
Public health officials in India found more than 200 cases of a ‘double mutant’ coronavirus. Sources: BBC, DW, Reuters and Times of India.
Blinken calls for cooperative Nato stance on China
Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, told Nato that “there’s no question that China's coercive behaviour threatens our collective security and prosperity”. But Blinken said the US wanted to work with Beijing on issues such as climate change and public health, and that Washington would not force European allies to choose sides. Sources: AFP, CNBC, DW and Reuters.
North Korea launches ballistic missiles
Pyongyang has reportedly fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan, its first such test since Joe Biden became US president. North Korea is banned from using ballistic missiles under a UN Security Council resolution. Sources: BBC, CNBC, DW and The Guardian.
Suez Canal still blocked
The Ever Given, a massive container ship which ran aground in the Suez Canal, was partially refloated yesterday but still remains stuck, meaning the canal remains closed. Sources: Bloomberg, CNBC, Financial Times and The Guardian.
Ryanair optimistic about summer flights
Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair, said the airline would restore 50% of its pre-crisis schedule from April to June and 80% of flights by July. Sources: Financial Times, The Guardian, Irish Times and RTE.
Want direct flights to US?
The Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce is running a survey to gauge the interest in direct flights between the grand duchy and US. If you’d like to weigh in, click here.
Luxembourg hotel voucher scheme extended
The tourism ministry said that the €50 domestic accommodation vouchers meant to expire on 18 April would remain valid until 15 September. Sources: Delano and Paperjam.
Luxembourg electric car subsidies extended
The environment ministry extended the financial aid package on electric, hybrid and hydrogen vehicles (which can total up to €8,000 for fully electric cars) and for bicycles until 31 March 2022. Sources: Delano and Paperjam.
Lombard potentially in €700m ‘spac’ deal
A blank cheque vehicle backed by London-based Kingswood Group is reportedly in exclusive talks to take over Lombard, the wealth management group with a significant presence in Luxembourg. Sources: Investment Week, Pitchbook, Sky News and Wealth Manager.
Mertz quits union post
Laurent Mertz is stepping aside as secretary general, the number two role, at Aleba, although he will remain with the Luxembourg financial sector trade union. Sources: L’essentiel and Paperjam.
Banks providing massive amounts of fossil fuel financing
The world’s 60 biggest banks have provided $3.8trn in fossil fuel financing since the Paris climate agreement was signed, a group of NGOs reported. Sources: CNBC, Financial Times, The Guardian and Irish Times.
Facebook stops espionage campaign against Uighur dissidents
Facebook said it blocked a group of hackers based in China who were trying to spy on Uighurs activists living abroad. Sources: AFP, BBC, Financial Times and Reuters.
Pay Tesla with bitcoin
Tesla customers in the US can currently buy their car using bitcoin. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said drivers outside the US will be able to do so “later this year.” Sources: BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC and Sky News.
Siblings admit to stealing and selling Stanford laptops
A sister (who worked at Stanford University) and brother pled guilty to overordering and then illicitly selling some 800 Apple laptops worth $4m. Patricia Castaneda and Eric Castaneda will be sentenced on 7 June. Sources: CBS SF, Mercury News, The Register and Stanford Daily.
Agenda
Thursday 25 March, 10am-11am: Chinalux webinar on the Belt and Road Initiative “in 2021 and beyond”. Thursday 25 March, 6:30pm: Paperjam Club 10x6 conference on finance in post-Brexit Luxembourg. Thursday 25 March, 6:30pm: Astrid Lulling, former MEP, discusses her autobiography, “My life as a woman in politics”, with the Former Members Association. Tuesday 30 March, 5pm: Luxembourg-Poland Chamber of Commerce and Luxreal’s “inbound and outbound real estate investments between Poland & Luxembourg” conference. Wednesday 31 March, 6pm-7:30pm: Nicolas Schmit, Luxembourg’s European commissioner, speaks on “The European pillar of Social Rights Action Plan: a new step towards a stronger social Europe” at this Bridge Forum Dialogue conference.
How to make young kids help out more
If you want your children to be more helpful around the house, start with small, easy-to-accomplish tasks, say experts that spoke with NPR.
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Aaron Grunwald