AMPACET STRIKE - Ampacet employees are continuing their protest for improved labour conditions outside the premises of the American plastics company in Dudelange. In a briefing, the OGBL union said they have yet to receive any message from Ampacet management, despite the fact that the strike has been going on for 8 days.
LIBERTY STEEL - The future is also uncertain for the Liberty Steel plant in Dudelange. After more than a year of paying employees despite little work, Liberty Steel seems to be looking for government help. Economy minister Lex Delles and Labour Minister Georges Mischo met union leaders yesterday and said they would seek a meeting with Liberty Steel managers to find out clear future plans for the plant. Currently around 160 employees are still being paid, but production is at a standstill.
BETTEL CRITICISM - Luxembourg’s new top diplomat faces criticism for vague responses and a perceived lack of clarity in addressing key issues like trade relations and the Israel-Hamas conflict. Xavier Bettel, in his new role as Foreign Minister, briefed MPs yesterday about his approach to foreign affairs and the challenging geopolitical situation. For example, the new coalition wants to do more trade with China, but was vague about how the government could meet the supply chain law, which ensures human rights are respected in trading.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR - Israel has moved ground forces into the south of Gaza in its war on Hamas, despite global concern over mounting civilian deaths and fears the conflict will spread elsewhere in the Middle East. Dozens of Israeli tanks as well as armoured personnel carriers and bulldozers entered the south of the territory near the city of Khan Yunis. The president of the Red Cross Mirjana Spoljaric, in a visit to Gaza yesterday said people’s suffering was intolerable and called for the protection of civilians. According to the Hamas-run health ministry, the death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to close to 16,000 people with 42,000 wounded. It added that among the victims, 70 percent were women and children.
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EU INTERIOR MINISTERS - EU Interior ministers are meeting in Brussels today to discuss the impact of the war in the Middle East on security in Europe. Last weekend, an Islamist stabbed a tourist in Paris. Among other things, the suspect said he could not stand Muslims being killed in Palestine” and accused France of being “an accomplice to what Israel is doing” in the Gaza Strip. Another topic will be the European asylum policy.
UKRAINE WAR - Ukrainian President Zelensky is speaking to the American Senate today via video conference. He is expected to request further aid in the war against Russia. The promised military aid package is in danger as the Republicans want to reduce them or even stop them altogether.The United States is the most important military partner of Kyiv.
COP28 - And as COP28 talks are ongoing, scientists are warning the world may cross the crucial 1.5C global warming threshold in seven years. As fossil fuel CO2 emissions continue to rise, scientists are urging countries at the COP28 talks to “act now” on coal, oil and gas pollution. They estimated that there is a 50 percent chance warming will exceed the Paris deal’s goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius over multiple years by around 2030.
GTA TRAILER - Rockstar Games have released the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI -- the most hotly anticipated game of the decade. The trailer shows Vice City, in the state of Leonida, in a major upgrade from the graphics in GTA V, released 10 years ago. Set to “Love Is A Long Road” by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, the video contains all that people across the globe have come to love -- or hate -- about GTA: high-octane chases in fast cars, a vast open world rendered in rich detail, scantily clad women, and numerous references poking fun at social media
https://today.rtl.lu/news/world/a/2127628.html
ICE HOCKEY - Ice Hockey’s governing body says neck guards will become compulsory in all international ice hockey federation events. This includes the Olympics and the men’s and women’s world championships. American Adam Johnson died in October, when his neck was cut by a skate blade during a match in the English city of Sheffield.
FOOTBALL - The Premier League has announced it has agreed a record £6.7 billion domestic television rights deal for a four-year period starting from the 2025/26 season. The English top flight hailed the agreements shared between different broadcasters as the “largest sports media rights deals ever concluded in the UK”. Sky Sports and TNT Sports have retained their rights to show live matches, with Amazon, currently showing 20 matches per season, not part of the next cycle.
ATHLETICS - Two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge and world record holder Kelvin Kiptum have been named in Kenya’s provisional marathon team for next year’s Olympics Games in Paris. Kipchoge is bidding to become the first athlete to win three Olympic marathon golds following his successes at Rio in Tokyo. He has never raced against Kiptum, the reigning London and Chicago city marathon champion.
As temperatures clamber above freezing today, we’re in for a day of grey skies, clouds and rain showers throughout the day. The morning’s temperatures start off at 1 -3°C, rising as high as 6°C by the afternoon.
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