Your Weekly RecapHere's 5 things you need to know at the end of this week

• Big changes in 2023
• Calls for Affordable Housing
• Mandatory Schooling until 18
• China’s Covid Surge
• Deadly Blizzard in the US

© AFP

1. We prepared for big changes in 2023.

• There will be two elections in Luxembourg in 2023: municipal elections on 11 June and legislative elections on 8 October

• At least two wage indexations will take place, possibly a third depending on certain economic factors

• The rent freeze and the tax credit for teleworking expenses will end on December 31, 2022

The minimum social wage will increase by 3.2% in January 2023, affecting around 67,530 employees and pensions will increase by 2.2% in January 2023.

For more information, read the full article, it also includes a helpful salary calculator, to figure out your new gross salary.

© RTL

2. Green Party called for investment in affordable housing.

• Semiray Ahmedova said policies in the past have benefited investors rather than people in need of housing.

• The MP said the free market has evolved in the wrong direction, and criticised the sale of public housing.

• She called for particular investment in public rental housing

Fewer homes are being built, sold, and receiving mortgages, contributing to the current housing crisis, she said.

The reform of the rent and lease law will be reviewed in January or February.

© Democratic Party

3.The ‘mandatory school until 18’ law was sent back to the drafting table.

• The draft law rejected due to vagueness and inconsistencies

• The draft law proposed making schooling mandatory until age 18

• The State Council had 9 formal objections to the draft law

Who does it apply to? It was not clear which children the proposal would apply to and there were inconsistencies about when children would be required to start school.

The draft law outlined sanctions for children who do not attend school, but did not specify what those would be nor did it provide alternatives for youth who begin working at age 16 and leave school early.

© AFP

4. A surge in Covid infections in China put the rest of the world on alert.

• Italy and the US implemented mandatory Covid tests for Chinese tourists, following others like Japan and India.

• A flight from China to Italy saw 52% of passengers testing positive for Covid

• China is experiencing the largest surge in infections globally

1 million people could die in China due to Covid in the next few months. Xi Jinping has called for measures to protect lives in the country.

Warning of new variants: As China lifted its zero-Covid measures, health experts warned of a “potential breeding ground” for new variants to emerge.

© AFP

5. The ‘Blizzard of the Century’ killed at least 61 people across the United States.

• The city of Buffalo, New York, turned into a “war zone” with more than 32 weather-related deaths and 124 cm of snow on the ground.

• Thousands were trapped on roadways, with some dying in their cars due to carbon monoxide poisoning. Nationwide, the latest death toll is 61 people.

• Almost 20,000 flights were cancelled, including nearly 4,700 on Tuesday.

Emergency funds: Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for New York state, freeing up funds to help it recover from the disaster.

And: Ukraine said it was hoping for a peace summit with Russia.

• Ukraine said it planned to hold a peace summit with Russia in February 2023 with UN Secretary-General António Guterres acting as a mediator.

• Russia’s attendance at the summit would be conditional on facing a war crimes tribunal

• NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg previously said he believed Russia is prepared for a long war with Ukraine and unfortunately a fresh barrage of Russian strikes on Thursday, made a peace summit unlikely.

Climate Change

• Once hunted to the brink of extinction, king penguins that densely congregate on the remote Possession Island each year now face a new threat: climate change. 🐧

• Experts were taking a closer look at the link between extreme cold events, such as the recent, deadly blizzard in the US, and climate change. ❄️

And in case you missed it

• “Ukrainkrich” was named the Luxembourgish word of the year for 2022.

• We took a thorough look at crime in Luxembourg, in an excellent, fact-based piece of journalism by RTL Today’s Alannah Meyrath.

• https://today.rtl.lu/news/luxembourg/a/2007381.htmlBenedict XVI, who in 2013 became the first pontiff to resign in six centuries, died on New Year’s Eve.

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