CROSS BORDER TAX - The Luxembourg government admitted to having relayed “incomplete and inaccurate” information regarding taxation on overtime carried out in Luxembourg. A new double taxation agreement between Germany and Luxembourg came into force on the 1st of January 2024, with additional, significant changes agreed on the 11th of January. The agreement implies a tax increase for any German cross-border workers who work overtime in the Grand Duchy. Luxembourg’s Ministry of Finance states that it is in close contact with its German counterparts regarding how the double taxation agreement will be applied, but declined to supply details on how this would unfold.
PARIBAS PROFITS - BGL BNP Paribas recorded a 577.6 million euro profit for 2023. This extraordinary increase - up by 41% compared to 2022 - is largely down to the bank selling off its historic headquarters. When removed from the calculations, the actual increase in profit was around eight percent. The Luxembourg government, which became a shareholder of the bank as a result of the financial crisis in 2008, will consequently receive 120.5 million euros in dividends from BGL. The state also has a small stake in the bank’s parent company BNP Paribas through which it will receive between 55 and 60 million euros in dividends for the last year.
FUEL PRICES - Motorists in Luxembourg will soon feel the pinch at the pump as petrol and diesel prices are set to rise sharply starting Friday. Diesel prices climbed by 4.2 cents per litre, reaching €1.599 per litre. Similarly, petrol prices saw an increase, with SP95 rising by 2.5 cents to €1.653 per litre, and SP98 climbing by 2.5 cents to €1.886 per litre. Additionally, heating oil prices for 10ppm also saw an uptick, rising by 3.4 cents to €1.052 per litre.
MISSING PERSON - The Grand Ducal police have launched an appeal for witnesses following the disappearance of a 13-year-old girl nearly a week ago. Amy Jane Mondot, aged 13, was reported missing on the 29th of March. She is described as being between 1.30 - 1.40 metres tall, with brown hair and wearing glasses. She was last seen wearing a black jacket, with white Nike trainers and a black backpack. Police say she could be staying in Germany. Anyone with information on Amy’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact Esch police.
ISRAEL/GAZA - President Joe Biden warned Israel of a sharp shift in his policy over the Gaza war on Thursday amid growing frustration with Benjamin Netanyahu and mounting domestic pressure in a US election year. A tense phone call between the two leaders appeared to yield at least some results, as Netanyahu’s office announced within hours it would temporarily allow more aid to flow into Gaza. Biden has stood solidly behind Israel and its prime minister since Hamas’s October 7th attacks, and his criticism of civilian deaths in Gaza has not stopped Washington from supplying military hardware to its key ally.
STRASBOURG ATTACK- A French court on Thursday sentenced Audrey Mondjehi to a 30-year jail term for helping an Islamist militant who killed five people in a 2018 attack on a Christmas market in the eastern city of Strasbourg. The 42-year-old was the main defendant among four accused of helping Cherif Chekatt, who shot and stabbed shoppers at the market and was killed by police after a 48-hour manhunt. Prosecutors said Mondjehi, who is of Ivory Coast origin, helped Chekatt obtain a gun for the attack in a square in front of Strasbourg cathedral on December 11th, 2018.
TAIWAN EARTHQUAKE - Nine people were freed from a winding cave in Taiwan’s mountainous east, while two others were located but feared dead, as rescuers pressed on with their search Friday for those still missing after the island’s biggest earthquake in 25 years. The official death toll from Wednesday’s magnitude-7.4 quake still stood at 10, but the government in Hualien county, the hardest-hit area, said two more people on a hiking trail were found with “no signs of life”, though their deaths could not be immediately verified.
F1 - Max Verstappen went fastest on Friday in first practice for the Japanese Grand Prix, edging out Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez at Suzuka. The triple world champion, who failed to finish the race in Australia a fortnight ago, clocked a lap time of 1min 30.056sec -- 0.181sec quicker than the Mexican. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who won in Australia after returning from appendicitis surgery, was third-fastest at 1min 30.269sec.
FOOTBALL - Cole Palmer scored twice deep into stoppage time to complete a hat-trick as Chelsea stunned Manchester United 4-3 on Thursday, all but ending their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League. Erik ten Hag’s men appeared set for a vital win after storming back from 2-0 down to lead 3-2 in a breathless game containing a combined 47 shots. But boyhood United fan Palmer turned the game on its head, levelling from the penalty spot in the 100th minute and then netting the winner moments later in a frantic end to the game at Stamford Bridge.
Today we’ll be having the ‘Burg Special™: Big serving of clouds with a bit of rain on the side (most likely in the afternoon). The wind should be generally calm, with the occasional gust reaching 40-50 km/h. You know the drill, prepare accordingly. Thermometers will stay between 9-11°C in the morning and should go up to around 16-18°C in the afternoon, which is pretty decent if you ask me. Expect a slight drop as the evening goes on.
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