CARITAS FRAUD - A person has turned themselves into police following a fraud investigation at the charity Caritas. After an initial interrogation by police, the alleged perpetrator has been arrested. The investigation is ongoing – in particular to clarify how a total of more than €60 million euros could be embezzled within a short amount of time. Caritas’ General Director, Marc Crochet, said he was completely dumbfounded by the revelations and feels utterly “conned.” The case will be discussed in the Chamber tomorrow. Prime Minister Luc Frieden and the relevant ministers will question representatives of Caritas as well as ministers from the Family, Education and Budget Control commission.
BETTEL ROMANIA - Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel is on an official working visit to Romania today and tomorrow. Today, he is meeting members of the Luxembourg army. A Luxembourg contingent of 27 soldiers is currently stationed in Romania, part of the so-called Forward Land Forces (FLF), a multi-national battalion of NATO forces. Tomorrow Bettel will continue to Bucharest, where he will meet his counterpart Luminita Theodora Odobescu.
SHORT-TIME WORK - 52 companies have been given the authorisation to implement short-time work in August, potentially affecting over 7,000 employees in 52 companies. Affected employees either work reduced hours or are not required to report to work at all. For the hours worked, employees receive their standard hourly wage. Conversely, for the hours not worked, employers must provide compensation amounting to at least 80% of the employees’ usual hourly wage.
US ELECTION - US Vice-President Kamala Harris says she has secured the support of enough delegates to win the Democratic presidential candidacy, just one day after Joe Biden stepped out of the race and endorsed her. She is now expected to be officially confirmed in a roll call vote in early August. In his first comments since abandoning the re-election campaign, President Biden has acknowledged the decision had been a shock, but said it was the “right thing to do”.
CROATIA SHOOTING - Croatia is in a state of shock after a gunman opened fire in a nursing home, killing at least six people in a rare instance of gun violence in the Balkan country. Five residents and one employee were dead after the gunman entered the private nursing home in the eastern town of Daruvar and went on a killing spree. The Croatian national police chief Nikola Milina said the man had a previous police record for disturbing public order and domestic abuse.
CHIMPANZEES LANGUAGE - Scientists have found that like humans, wild chimpanzees engage in snappy, turn-taking conversations, where they wait just a fraction of a second for their turn to ‘speak’. The animals communicate mostly with gestures including hand movements and facial expressions. The findings are published in the journal Current Biology.
OLYMPICS 2024 - President Emmanuel Macron said France was ready to host the Paris Olympics as he visited the Athletes’ Village yesterday, four days before the Games begin. The Games return to the French capital for the first time since 1924, largely using temporary venues constructed in the centre of the city.
Meanwhile, as the Israeli team set off for Paris, France’s foreign minister said they were welcome at the Games after a member of the French parliament sparked outrage by urging them to stay away because of the conflict in Gaza.
In other Olympic news, Team USA have named basketball superstar LeBron James as their male flagbearer for Friday’s opening ceremony on the river Seine.
Tadej Pogacar has pulled out of the Games, citing tiredness after winning his third Tour de France title on Sunday.
FOOTBALL - Aston Villa have signed Belgium midfielder Amadou Onana from Everton in a deal worth a reported £50 million. Onana agreed a five-year contract with Villa.
And French Ligue 1 club Marseille has announced the arrival on loan of Danish midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur. Marseille have not specified the financial terms, but several sports media have reported a compulsory purchase option of around 13 million euros.
There’s a little bit of everything on today’s weather menu, although the day will largely be punctuated by rain showers.
We’ll get off to a cloudy start with possible scattered showers throughout the morning. By the afternoon, we’ll have intermittent sunshine, with rain and potential thunderstorms, with winds of up to 55 km/h. However, by the evening things are set to dry out somewhat. Temperatures start off at 15-17°C in the morning, with highs of 21-23°C in the afternoon.
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