BETTEL INTERVIEW - Prime Minister Xavier Bettel has told RTL television that we are living in crazy times. He was speaking in a bumper New Year’s Day interview, which looked back at the past year, and offered his thoughts on upcoming events in 2023. Bettel hopes that 2023 will be easier than its predecessor, highlighting a need for stability. With ten months to go until the elections, the PM has promised to stay in Luxembourg in the event he is re-elected, rather than casting his eye towards a top job at the European level - such as the EU Council presidency, which goes up for grabs in 2024.
WINTER SALES - For anyone looking for a bargain, winter sales will start today, a day before those in neighbouring Belgium and France. Shops will exceptionally be open on three Sundays during the sales period - 8, 15, and 22 January.
FIRST BABY - The first baby of the year in Luxembourg is called Liv. Little Liv was born on 1 January 2023 at exactly midnight and 21 minutes. She is 48 centimetres long and weighs 3,200 grams, as was confirmed at the maternity hospital in Luxembourg City. Liv and her mother Anaïs from Messancy are doing well.
POPE BENEDICT XVI - Tens of thousands of people are expected to pay their respects to former Pope Benedict XVI when his lying in state begins at the Vatican later today. He died on New Year’s Eve at the age of 95, eight years after he stood down because of ill health. His body will be displayed for three days in an open casket at St Peter’s Basilica, with people allowed to pay their respects until 7pm each evening.
UKRAINE ATTACKS - Russia has been attacking the Ukrainian capital overnight with another wave of explosive drones. Authorities in Kyiv say more critical infrastructure has been hit. It comes after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky wished for victory and a return to normal for Ukraine in 2023.
BRAZIL LULA - Brazil’s new president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says he will rebuild the country from what he called terrible ruins he has inherited from the previous president Jair Bolsanaro. He spoke after being sworn in as president for the third time on Sunday. Lula said his government would work to undo a legacy of economic decline, surging poverty and funding cuts in health, education and science.
FRANCE COVID - France has started testing passengers arriving from China in order to track potential Covid variants. The French Health Minister Francois Braun said that the control on will allow authorities to very precisely check different variants. France joins other states including the United Kingdom, Italy and the United States in testing arrivals from China, four weeks after Beijing scrapped its “zero-Covid” containment policy of lockdowns and mass testing.
MEXICO PRISON - Gunmen have attacked a prison in northern Mexico, leaving 14 people dead and allowing 24 inmates to escape. An unknown number of gunmen, suspected to be members of a drug cartel opened fire on the facility. According to authorities, the men arrived outside the Chihuahua state prison in armoured vehicles and began firing on the guards, killing 10 prison guards and security agents.
SKI JUMPING - The Norwegian ski jumper Halvor Egner Granerud won the jump of the Four Hills ski jumping series in Garmish-Partenkirchen yesterday. The 26-year-old put together two jumps of 140 and 142 metres, putting him 6.4 points ahead of Slovenia’s Anze Lanisek and 9 points ahead of David Kubacki from Poland. Tomorrow is the qualification of the third jump, in Innsbruck.
FOOTBALL THEIS - The Luxembourgish football community is in mourning: Dan Theis, former star player of AS Jeunesse Esch and coach of the U19 national team, has died at the age of 55. Theis had been in hospital for months following a bicycle accident. He played no less than 34 games for the national team.
DARTS WORLD CUP - At the Darts World Cup in London, the current number 1 in the world is out. Welshman Gerwyn Price was surprisingly eliminated by the German player Gabriel Clemens in the quarter-final with 1-5. Clemens, who comes from the Saarland is the first German to make it to the semi-finals of the Darts World Cup. He will play against Michael Smith from England this evening. Belgian player Dimitri van den Bergh will play against Michael Van Gerwen from the Netherlands in the 2nd semi- final.
The very early morning will be cloudy before the rain rolls in for the rest of the day. Come evening, the rain clouds should disperse, but the possibility of sporadic showers still remains. Morning temperatures will start off at a mild 8-11°C, rising to 10°C in the afternoon.
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