Bettel defends LGBT rights
Luxembourg prime minister Xavier Bettel on Thursday, together with 16 other EU leaders, signed an open letter in defence of the LGBTI community. The letter, reportedly drafted and promoted by Bettel and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sánchez, arose following outrage at Hungary's new anti-LGBT+ law, which bans the portrayal of homosexuality and sex reassignment in schools and in media addressed at minors. The letter comes just days before International Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Pride Day on 28 June. “Hate, intolerance and discrimination have no place in our Union,” Bettel tweeted. The publication of the letter was timed to coincide with a two-day EU summit in Brussels. Reuters, Euronews and Politico have more.
Biden infrastructure deal depends on further spend
US president Joe Biden proclaimed that “we have a deal” following a meeting with a cross-party group of senators at the White House on Thursday to discuss a $1.2tn infrastructure bill. But while the bill, watered down from Biden’s original ambition, still has to pass the House of Representatives, it is also dependent on getting a further $6tn of spending approved for climate change, education, paid leave and childcare benefits. Biden, backed by speaker Nancy Pelosi, has made it clear that he will only sign the infrastructure bill if it is brought to him “in tandem” with the so-called reconciliation bill. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones both jumped to highs on the news. Forbes, CNBC, Reuters and the BBC have details and analysis.
US admires Luxembourg’s space defence capabilities
Kelli L. Seybolt, US deputy undersecretary of the Air Force’s international affairs office, is in Luxembourg for two days to meet with government officials and representatives of satellite company SES. She met with defence minister François Bausch to discuss expanding Satcom cooperation. “Luxembourg has some really great capabilities, particularly with space,” Seybolt told Delano in an exclusive interview. “And that’s an area that’s not a low cost-of-entry sport.”
Giuliani barred from practicing law in New York
The New York supreme court has ruled that Rudy Giuliani should be suspended from practicing law in the state after it found “uncontroverted evidence” that the former NYC mayor had made “demonstrably false and misleading statements to courts, lawmakers and the public at large” while representing former US president Donald Trump. The Guardian, CNBC and the FT report.
Chinese ride-hailing giant set for IPO
Didi Global Inc, the largest ride-hailing company in China, has unveiled plans to debut on the New York Stock Exchange. Didi’s filings show that it anticipates listing shares at between $13 and $14, which values the company at more than $60 billion. If it meets its expected target of over $4 billion, the IPO could be one of the largest of 2021. CNBC, Reuters and The Wall Street Journal have details.
Unmarked graves found at former Canadian school site
An indigenous nation in Canada says it has found 751 unmarked graves at the site of the former Marieval Indian Residential School, which was operated by the Catholic Church from 1899 to 1997 in Saskatchewan. An estimated 6,000 children died while attending compulsory boarding schools in the 19th and 20th centuries. The BBC, The New York Times and CNN have more.
House prices increase to slow
House prices are expected to rise by 9% in 2021 and 5% in 2022 respectively, according to forecasts from national statistics body Statec. This compares to the “atypical” increase of 14.5% in 2020. Delano reports.
Miami building collapse
At least one person has died and 99 are still unaccounted for after the partial collapse of a 12-story residential building in Miami, Florida on Thursday. The block in the town of Surfside, was built in 1980. CNN, Fox Business, the BBC and NBC News have more.
A “plague of sea lions”
The BBC has footage of a report about a “plague of sea lions” in the Chilean town of Tome, during which a sea lion opens a gate and crashes into an interview with a local man.
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Duncan Roberts