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Police patrols in Luxembourg were carrying out checks on Tuesday to ensure people are adhering to restriction of movement measures. Fines could start being imposed for any breach. Police Lëtzebuerg video screengrab. 

Bettel seeks state of emergency powers

We reported yesterday on prime minister Xavier Bettel’s address to parliament announcing his intention to put the grand duchy on state of emergency footing, which could last up to 3 months. Police in Luxembourg are also carrying out checks to ensure people are adhering to restriction of movement measures. Delano is reporting from the ground and also updating coverage of the most important news about covid-19 in Luxembourg and the region.

US stimulus package

The Trump administration is seeking a stimulus package worth between $850 billion and over $1 trillion to combat the economic impact from the spread of coronavirus, Reuters,  CBS, and ABC report. The package might include up to $550 billion in direct payments or tax cuts and up to $300 billion in assistance to small businesses, CNBC reports, with The Wall Street Journal suggesting that $1,000 direct payments could be made to individual Americans. The coronavirus outbreak has now hit all 50 US states. A Reuters poll shows that 48% of US adults consider the coronavirus an “imminent threat” to the country.

EU suspends travel

The European Union has suspended all travel into the Schengen zone by non-EU nationals for at least 30 days, CNN, and the BBC report. Permanent residents, medical workers, diplomats and cross-border commuters are exempted, according to The Guardian. The latter point was pressed on European Commission president by Luxembourg prime minister Xavier Bettel. She said “we have to keep cross-border transport of supplies going, in particular that of medical products,” The Washington Post reports. Politico has a good explainer of what the restrictions imply.

Tennis, football postponed

The French Open and Euro 2020 tournaments have been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. But the decision by the Fédération Française de Tennis on Tuesday to move the French Open from May to September has sparked controversy as that means it starts just a week after the US Open finishes, The Guardian reports. Uefa made the decision to move Euro 2020 to next summer during a video conference with other stakeholders on Tuesday, the BBC reports.

Rolling coverage

With coronavirus news moving fast, we recommend rolling coverage from The Guardian, CNBC, the BBC and Aljazeera to keep up to date with global developments. Some media outlets, such as The Washington Post have suspended parts of their paywall to open up coverage of important coronavirus news.

Biden sweeps to victory

Former vice president Joe Biden “crushed” rival Bernie Sanders in three Democratic presidential primaries on Tuesday. Reuters cites Edison Research polls showing that Biden’s victories in Florida, Illinois and Arizona “were powered by a broad coalition of voters of every ideology and demographic.” Voting in Ohio was postponed at the last minute by governor Mike DeWine. Fox News has an analysis of what voters were concerned about. The Washington Post reckons the “emphatic wins raised further questions about the viability of the [Bernie Sanders] campaign”.

Manchester bomber’s brother guilty

The brother of the man who launched a suicide bomb attack on Manchester Arena in May 2017 has been found guilty of the murder of the 22 victims who died, Sky News, the BBC and ITV News report. The Guardian says Hashem Abedi acted as “quartermaster, chauffeur and technician” to his brother Salman.

Brady calls time on Patriots

In a move that has been predicted for some time, iconic quarterback Tom Brady has confirmed that he is leaving the New England Patriots, for whom he played 20 seasons and won six Super Bowls. Various media, including ESPN and CBS sports say Brady has agreed to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a contract worth $30 million per season.

Fooling facial recognition

The BBC has a video report on London’s Dazzle Club, whose members paint their faces in an effort to fool facial recognition cameras and then meet up for a monthly walk to protest against surveillance.

Lonesome pine is tree of year

A 350-year old pine tree near the village of Chudobin in the Czech Republic has been named European tree of the year, The Guardian reports. The tree, dubbed “Guardian of the Flooded Village” beat the 242-year old Criatian entry, “Ginkgo from Daruvar” and the Russian Federation’s “Lonely Poplar” from the steppes of Kalmykia into second and third place respectively.

Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Duncan Roberts