US school shooting, next wage indexation approaching and fuel prices drop to lowest price this year

Luxembourg

GOVERNMENT PRESSER - Prime Minister Luc Frieden sought to clarify the Luxembourg government's approach to Caritas yesterday, detailing plans for a new management structure and addressing concerns over the €60 million embezzlement scandal. In a press conference, Frieden revealed plans to establish "a new Caritas" in the coming weeks and assured that the government is committed to ensuring Caritas' activities continue with a focus on maintaining essential services for Luxembourg's most vulnerable population, in particular support for the homeless and refugees.

WAGE INDEXATION - General inflation slowing down, but consumer prices continued to rise in Luxembourg in August. This means the next wage indexation is approaching. According to Statec, an upcoming indexation of salaries planned for the 4th quarter of 2024 is likely to be triggered within the next three months.

FUEL PRICES - Already at its lowest this year, the price of SP95 petrol will fall once more, starting this Thursday at midnight. Fuel prices have already fallen significantly in August, as STATEC confirmed this Wednesday, and the trend is seemingly continuing.The price of SP95 petrol had already fallen below €1.50 on August 24, and will fall by a further two cents, sitting at €1.47 per litre from midnight. Other types of petrol will not see any changes, having already dropped recently.

BLUETONGUE DISEASE - The spread of bluetongue disease in Luxembourg continues, with the Veterinary and Food Administration announcing 166 new cases, pushing the overall count to 658. Farmers have noted an increased mortality rate, particularly among sheep and goats, compared to last August.  A mass vaccination campaign is underway.

World

US SHOOTING - Police in the US state of Georgia say a 14-year-old student is being held after a shooting in a high school, in which four people were killed – two pupils and two teachers. Police say the suspect, who surrendered to police at the Apalachee high school in the town of Winder would be charged with murder and tried as an adult.

FRANCE POLITICS - France is still waiting to learn the identity of its new prime minister almost two months after legislative elections left the country in political deadlock. Sources close to President Macron said that after weeks of consultations, Macron had narrowed contenders for prime minister down to ex-Socialist Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve from the left and conservative former minister Xavier Bertrand. It is unclear if either of them could win enough parliamentary support to form a government.

CAR SHOW - One of the world's biggest auto shows opened in Munich yesterday, with Tesla ending a 10-year absence to jostle for the spotlight with Chinese rivals as the race for electric dominance heats up. Chancellor Olaf Scholz will officially inaugurate the IAA Mobility today.

TREVI FOUNTAIN - Authorities in Rome have said they are mulling introducing a ticketing system for visitors to the iconic Trevi Fountain, in the latest attempt in Italy to tackle overtourism. The 18th-century fountain is top of the list for many visitors exploring the Eternal City. Alessandro Onorato, the city councillor responsible for tourism, told the Corriere della Sera newspaper that "a (ticket) reservation system -- free for Romans and costing a symbolic one-euro for tourists" is being considered by the municipality.

Sport

TENNIS - World number one Jannik Sinner has reached his first US Open semi-final with a four-set victory over Daniil Medvedev. Sinner will take on Britain's 25th-ranked Jack Draper for a place in the final.
Meanwhile Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro look to set up an all-American US Open women's final today after both players overcame serious tests to get to the semi-finals. Pegula knocked out world number one Iga Swiatek in a crushing one-sided quarter-final to reach the last four at a Slam for the first time. Navarro, also into her first semi-final at a major, defeated defending champion Coco Gauff in the fourth round.

ATHLETICS - Pole vault king Armand Duplantis beat 400m hurdles master Karsten Warholm in a one-off 100m exhibition race in Zurich yesterday. Pitched as "100m to settle it all, a battle of legends", Sweden's Duplantis used all his raw runway speed to win in 10.37 seconds.

CYCLING - Kaden Groves won a thrilling sprint finish to take the 17th stage of the Vuelta a Espana as Australians dominated a rain-drenched day of racing through northern Spain yesterday. Groves' fellow Australian Ben O'Connor held the overall race lead with a five-second advantage on Slovenian three-time champion Primoz Roglic.A third Australian Jay Vine held on to the polka-dot jersey for the best climber. Today’s 18th stage heads east towards the Basque country for a medium mountain stage covering 179.5km.

Weather

We're settling back into our regular deal: a very timid sun hiding under some on-off cloud. We could be getting a noticeable amount of rain from this evening to Friday morning, with the possibility of thunderstorms. The wind also returns with gusts averaging 20-30 km/h, reaching up to 55 km/h at times.
Temperatures in the morning should start around 14–16°C, and the afternoon will bring us to around 20–22°C

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