Two Swedes shot dead in Brussels, preliminary coalition talks complete and Luxembourg loses to Slovakia

Luxembourg

COALITION NEGOTIATIONS - The preliminary talks of the coalition negotiations came to an end yesterday. After talks on business growth, labour market stability, housing and environmental sustainability, work now continues in specialised task forces. Their ambition is to have the coalition agreement ready after the All Saints' holidays.

YELLEN LUXEMBOURG - US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Luxembourg Finance Minister Yuriko Backes engaged in significant discussions on international tax reforms, the Ukraine war, and the role of China yesterday. This marked the first time a representative from President Joe Biden's administration has travelled to the Grand Duchy.

VOTING POPULATION - According to a new study, without naturalisation reforms, fewer than half of Luxembourg residents would have the right to vote. The study, based on the 2021 STATEC census, has found that, without the option to obtain citizenship through naturalisation, the right to vote would be restricted to less than half of the population.

World

BRUSSELS SHOOTING -  Belgian police on Tuesday arrested a man suspected of having gunned down two Swedish nationals in an attack in Brussels, a spokesman for the federal prosecutors' service said. The attack happened ahead of Sweden’s Euro 2024 qualifier with Belgium in the city, which was abandoned at half-time. Fans were asked to stay in the stadium for more than an hour, before they were led to safety. The security alert in Belgium has been set to the highest level.

BIDEN ISRAEL - President Biden will visit Israel tomorrow, before holding talks with other Middle Eastern leaders in Jordan to try to stop the current fighting with Hamas descending into a wider conflict. The United States has said it will also develop a plan with Israel to let humanitarian aid into Gaza, in a way that doesn’t benefit Hamas. It’s killed more than 1400 Israelis, while more than 2500 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, where a ground offensive is expected imminently.

EU GAZA - The European Union is launching an air bridge to Gaza. This week, two flights with aid are to take off from Egypt. This was announced by EU Commission President Von der Leyen last night. Aid agencies estimate there is only enough water and food for 24 hours. The situation in the Middle East is also the subject of a special EU summit today. The heads of state and government will have a video conference at 5.30pm. They will discuss aid for Palestinian civilians and the protection of EU citizens in the conflict region.

PUTIN CHINA - Intense fighting continues in Ukraine, especially in the east of the country. There is talk of missile and drone attacks. Exact numbers of victims were not named. Meanwhile, Russian President Putin is in China today. He is meeting his Chinese counterpart Xi Jingping on the sidelines of an international economic summit, overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas war. The summit in Beijing is about the infrastructure project of the "New Silk Road".

Sport

FOOTBALL - The Luxembourg national football team lost 1-0 to Slovakia last night. A qualification for the European Championship is now very difficult. There is still a chance for Luxembourg but they have to win their last two games. With Bosnia & Herzegovina visiting the Stade de Luxembourg next, manager Luc Holtz will need to get his team to bounce back from here. Elsewhere, Portugal beat Bosnia & Herzegovina 5-0, Iceland won 4-0 to Liechtenstein, Ireland won 4-0 to Gibraltar, the Netherlands beat Greece 1-0 and Austria beat Azerbaijan 1-0.

DOPING BAN - Kenyan marathon runner Titus Ekiru has been slapped with a 10-year ban for doping and trying to obstruct the investigation. The 31-year-old tested positive for prohibited substances after winning the Milan marathon in May 2021 and the Abu Dhabi event in November that year. Kenya has seen a surge in doping cases which have stained the reputation of the athletics powerhouse.

OLYMPIC SPORTS - Cricket will feature as one of five new sports at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles after being approved on Monday in a vote of the International Olympic Committee's session. The IOC's executive board last week accepted a proposal by LA organisers for cricket's Twenty20 format, together with baseball/softball, flag football, squash and lacrosse, to be included.

Weather

Expect some wintery lows of 4°C this morning. And don't bet on the afternoon to turn the tide as the maximum temperatures forecast are a meagre 13°C before dropping back down to 6°C in the evening. Despite the lack of warmth, the day should be a dry one as no rain is on the horizon. But, you should still count on some clouds covering the sky throughout the day.

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