Luxembourg jobs rise, Russian envoy summoned to Brussels, and US approves weapons sale

Luxembourg 

FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE BLAZE – At 2.40am on Thursday morning, a fire broke out at a property on Route du Vin, Wintrange. The blaze was severe enough to require multiple teams of fire fighters, dispatched from centres in Schengen, Remich, Moutfort, Mondorf-les-Bains, Canach, Bettembourg, and the capital. According to police, the road was closed as far as house number 23 on Thursday morning to allow for the fire to be extinguished.

The reason for the fire has not yet been uncovered, but police have launched an investigation.

MAN CHARGED WITH TERRORIST TIKTOK THREATS – The public prosecutor's office confirmed an individual who was taken into custody over potentially threatening TikTok posts has now been charged. The man, who was arrested on Friday 22 August, was brought before an investigating judge once more on Thursday. The judge ordered the man be charged in relation to posts made on social media app TikTok which were deemed to be threatening and inciting terrorist activity.

A police investigation revealed that the suspect had publicly expressed disturbing personal motivations marked by a particular perception of Western democratic society. These elements are being thoroughly analysed as part of the ongoing investigations. The suspect was arrested following two recent posts which could constitute a threat and incitement to terrorist acts. He will remain in pre-trial detention while the investigation is ongoing. 
 
LUXEMBOURG JOBS RISE – Over the last ten years, the number of jobs in the Grand Duchy's finance sector has risen from 54,000 to 73,000. These figures were cited by the government on Thursday in response to a parliamentary question submitted by MPs Laurent Mosar and Maurice Bauer (CSV). A new report published by the Luxembourg for Finance agency this month highlighted the increase in finance jobs over the past decade.

Ministers Stéphanie Obertin and Gilles Roth, who co-authored the parliamentary response, said the increase was even more remarkable given the context of the international situation, beset by crises and uncertainty. Banking employs the largest number of people in the sector, with around 36% of the workforce in 2024. Non-Luxembourgers make up the majority of employees in the finance sector, corresponding to 82% as of last year.

World

RUSSIAN ENVOY SUMMONED TO BRUSSELS – The EU summoned Moscow's envoy in Brussels on Thursday after a massive attack on Kyiv killed at least 14 people and damaged the bloc's diplomatic mission in the city.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen addressed the press in Brussels following the strike, calling it proof "the Kremlin will stop at nothing" and vowing to uphold "maximum pressure" on Russia. The overnight drone and missile strike "was an attack also on our delegation", the European Commission president said.

"It shows that the Kremlin will stop at nothing to terrorise Ukraine, blindly killing civilians, men, women and children, and even targeting the European Union," she told reporters. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced on X that the bloc was "summoning the Russian envoy in Brussels," warning: "No diplomatic mission should ever be a target."

ZELENSKYY URGES WESTERN PRESSURE ON PUTIN – Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Western allies on Thursday to send a "strong joint signal" to Vladimir Putin, after Russia killed 23 people in one of its deadliest attacks on Kyiv since the start of the war. Russia has rained down aerial strikes on Ukrainian cities despite US President Donald Trump's push for a ceasefire and even as Moscow talks up the importance of ending the conflict ignited by its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The latest attack saw Russian missiles and drones rip through buildings in the Ukrainian capital, blasting a five-storey crater in an apartment block and leaving four children among the dead, authorities said. In an virtual meeting after the strikes, Zelenskyy urged European allies to "keep the pressure" on the Russian president to bring him to the negotiating table, his office said in a statement. "Putin has not done what he said. It's time to move. We need a strong joint signal," Zelensky said, adding: "Only at the level of leaders can the war truly be ended."

US APPROVES WEAPONS SALE TO UKRAINE  – The United States on Thursday announced the approval of an $825 million sale of 3,350 Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM) air-launched missiles and related equipment to Ukraine. Kyiv will make the purchase with funding from Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway and a loan guarantee from the United States, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement.

"This proposed sale will improve Ukraine's capability to meet current and future threats by further equipping it to conduct self-defense and regional security missions," DSCA said. And it "will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe," the agency added.

UN CHIEF CONDEMNS HORRORS OF GAZA – UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday condemned the "endless catalogue of horrors" in Gaza after nearly two years of war, while the territory's civil defence reported dozens killed by Israel. Israel, whose military is preparing to conquer Gaza City, is under mounting pressure at home and abroad to end its offensive in the Palestinian territory, where the United Nations has declared a famine.

The vast majority of Gaza's population of more than two million people has been displaced at least once during the war, with aid groups on the ground warning against expanding the military campaign. "Gaza is piled with rubble, piled with bodies and piled with examples of what may be serious violations of international law," Guterres told journalists on Thursday, calling for accountability.

Sport

TENNIS – Reigning men's champion Jannik Sinner swatted Australia's Alexei Popyrin aside 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 to stretch his Grand Slam winning streak on hard courts to 23 matches. The Italian top seed has made a convincing start in his bid to become the first man to repeat as US Open champion since Roger Federer won five in a row from 2004-2008. "I'm very happy that I managed these matches as good as I could," said Sinner, who dropped only four games in his opening win before blasting past the 36th-ranked Popyrin. "I am aiming to improve on the serve but the rest (of my game) I am quite comfortable with."

Seven-time Olympic gold medallist Simone Biles was among the crowd at the Arthur Ashe Stadium as third seed Coco Gauff suffered an error-strewn public unravelling that left her sobbing into her towel at one point in a calamitous first set. But the 21-year-old American clawed her way through that nadir and regrouped to complete a 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 victory to advance to the third round. Gauff later revealed that the sight of Biles, who withdrew from several events at the Tokyo Olympics to prioritise her mental health, before making a triumphant comeback at last year's Paris Games, had inspired her. "I mean she's the greatest, one of the greatest athletes," Gauff said after her victory.

RUGBY – The Women's Rugby World Cup heads into its second week on the back of impressive off-field numbers, with organisers adamant the tournament's momentum can be maintained despite several mismatches in the first round of pool matches. More than 85,000 spectators watched the opening eight group games, with host nation England's 69-7 thrashing of the United States attracting a peak television audience of 2.4 million in the United Kingdom. France's 24-0 win over Italy also broke records with 3.2 million watching on TF1 in France. Tournament favourites England have made 13 changes, with injured captain Zoe Aldcroft missing, but they will still be expected to hammer Samoa, who lost their Pool A opener 73-0 to Australia. Reigning world champions New Zealand, meanwhile, face Japan with the Black Ferns having won 95-12 when the teams last met.

Weather

The day starts off relatively dry, but the afternoon will likely bring some rain. Throughout the day, we could feel wind gusts reaching up to 50 km/h. The temperature will start off around 11–13°C, going up to around 20°C in the afternoon.

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