Luc Frieden in Brussels, CFL costs rise, language diversity, and Hunter Biden indictment

Luxembourg

FRIEDEN IN BRUSSELS - After meeting with President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsol on Thursday, Prime Minister Luc Frieden stated that the European Union represents peace, stability, prosperity and freedom, and must be strengthened. Frieden said the new government, and Luxembourg's members of parliament, clearly showed solidarity with the EU and would pursue policy accordingly. Frieden also took the opportunity to advertise the Luxembourg market, saying it will remain attractive for European institutions.

VIOLENT COLLISION - Two cars were involved in a violent collision on Thursday evening shortly after 7 p.m. on the N7 between Mersch and Colmar-Berg. According to the first information on the spot, two people were seriously injured in the impact. With one of the cars hitting a tree after the collision. Emergency services were on site to provide first aid to the victims before transporting them to the emergency room.

CFL CLEANING COSTS - Public transport operator CFL saw its cleaning costs treble as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, rising from €54,000 to €173,000 for bus maintenance alone. The cost of cleaning CFL's trains increased too as a result of the pandemic, although the difference was less extreme. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, CFL spent around 4 million euros per year on cleaning train carriages. This amount increased by half a million euros in 2020 and 2021 due to enhanced sanitary measures and the use of larger amounts of disinfectant, according to Minister of Mobility Yuriko Backes, who was providing a response to a parliamentary question submitted by the Pirate Party.

LANGUAGE DIVERSITY - Substantial population growth and a significant diversification in the Grand Duchy's linguistic fabric are notable hallmarks of the past decade - according to a recently published report by Statec, Luxembourg's national statistics institute. Amid a 25.7% surge in population growth since the 2011 census, the country's linguistic profile has undergone a similarly profound transformation - including a minimal number of newcomers familiar with Luxembourgish. While Luxembourgish is still spoken by nearly half of those who responded to the census - its prevalence dipped from 55.8% to 48.9%. Portuguese emerged as the second most spoken language, surpassing French, English, and Italian, closely followed by German.

FERNY NICKLAUS-FABER - The former CSV MP and Luxembourg City municipal councillor, Ferny Nicklaus-Faber, has passed away at the age of 86. Ferny Nicklaus-Faber was born in Luxembourg City in 1937. She was elected to the municipal council in her birthplace for the first time in 1993, and also served as an MP in the Chamber of Deputies from 1994 to 2004.

World

ISRAEL/GAZA CONFLICT - Israel pressed on with its offensive in and around Gaza's main cities on Friday, more than two months after Hamas's deadly attack sparked a war that has claimed thousands of lives and left the Palestinian territory in ruins. Early Friday, the health ministry reported another 40 dead in strikes near Gaza City, and "dozens" more in Jabalia and Khan Yunis.

UN SECURITY COUNCIL - The UN Security Council meets today regarding Gaza, under acute pressure from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and will vote on urging an immediate ceasefire after weeks of ruinous war. In a letter to the council on Wednesday, Guterres took the extraordinary step of invoking the UN charter's Article 99, which states that the secretary-general may bring to the attention of the council "any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.".

HUNTER BIDEN - Hunter Biden was indicted late Thursday on multiple counts of tax evasion, the second time this year President Joe Biden's troubled son has been charged by a special counsel investigating his personal and business dealings. The indictment shows Biden was charged with nine counts of failing to file and pay taxes, tax evasion and filing false tax returns. The new charges serve up more acute embarrassment for Joe Biden as he wages an uphill battle for re-election and fends off a Republican bid to impeach him on grounds that he benefitted from his son's overseas business dealings.

Sport

FOOTBALL - Lionel Messi and Argentina will get the chance to avenge their previous defeats to Chile in the 2015 and 2016 Copa America finals after being grouped with their old rivals in the draw for next year's tournament. Reigning Copa America champions Argentina will defend their title in the United States next summer in an expanded 16-team tournament which features 10 South American teams and six qualifiers from the CONCACAF region.

Kevin Muscat has stepped down as coach of Japanese side Yokohama F. Marinos, the club announced, with reports on Friday linking fellow Australian Harry Kewell to the job. Tough-tackling former international Muscat has been in charge since July 2021 and won the J-League last year, before finishing second in the just-concluded season. The 50-year-old replaced Ange Postecoglou at Yokohama when the now-Tottenham coach left to take over at Celtic.

BASKETBALL - The Los Angeles Lakers, fueled by 30 points from ageless LeBron James, routed New Orleans 133-89 on Thursday to book a title showdown with upstarts Indiana in the inaugural NBA in-season tournament. James, who will celebrate his 39th birthday on December 30, was ruthlessly efficient, connecting on nine of his 12 attempts from the floor including four-of-four from three-point range. He piled up his 30 points, with five rebounds and eight assists, in less than 23 minutes on the floor.

Weather

Today begins overcast and very cloudy, with a mixture of rain and snow throughout the morning. As the day progresses, the weather will become dry - but heavy clouds and overcast are sure to remain.

Morning temperatures start at -1-1°C before making a  leap to 3-6°C in the afternoon, and will continue to rise to 4-7°C in the evening.