BETTEL SUMMITS - The meeting of the 27 EU heads of state and government on Thursday and Friday in Brussels will in all likelihood be Bettel’s last EU summit as prime minister of Luxembourg. He said it was a strange feeling and that it has been an honour for him. He added that he has learned a lot in the last 10 years, and that with the experience and that knowledge, he would like to make himself useful in the new government.
TURMES FUTURE - Acting Minister for Energy, Claude Turmes, made an appearance on RTL Radio yesterday to discuss, among other things, the ramifications of the ongoing energy crisis. During the interview, he revealed that he will not be a candidate in the upcoming European elections. Once the new government is sworn in, Turmes intends to take a three-month break to allow things to settle, while the electoral defeat is under scrutiny within his party, the Greens. https://today.rtl.lu/news/luxembourg/a/2130830.html
CAR ACCIDENT - On early Friday morning, at around 1am, a car overturned on Route d’Arlon in Belair, according to the Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps (CGDIS). The accident left one person injured. The Luxembourg City emergency services were at the scene to provide assistance. The circumstances leading to the accident remain to be determined.
EU GAZA - EU leaders have called for the establishment of humanitarian corridors and pauses in fighting to get aid into Gaza. After hours of talks, leaders expressed their gravest concern for civilians there but didn’t call for a ceasefire, as demanded by some countries. EU countries have long been divided in their approach to Israel and the Palestinians. Luxembourg is among the countries calling for a ceasefire but countries such as Germany and Austria rejected that wording and the final EU statement is a compromise, condemning the Hamas attacks and emphasising Israel’s right to defend itself in line with international law. Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said he did not care about the wording. He said the main thing is that the war stops.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR - The Israeli strikes have killed more than 7,000 people, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Just 74 trucks of food, water and medicine have been permitted to enter Gaza, home to 2.4 million people, since the conflict began. Before the conflict, around 500 trucks entered daily, according to the UN. Israel has cut supplies of food, water and power to Gaza and insisted no fuel can be imported as it could be used by Hamas.
MAINE SHOOTING - The suspect in the Maine shooting is still at large. Police, the FBI and coastguards are actively searching for the main suspect, Robert Card, who is thought to have killed 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in the deadliest mass shooting this year in America. The rampage in the small northeastern town of Lewiston also left 13 people wounded, three of them in critical condition.
KEQIANG DIES - Former Chinese premier Li Keqiang, a reform-minded bureaucrat once tipped as the country’s future leader, has died. He had a heart attack on Thursday and passed away in Shanghai just after midnight. He was 68.
BEATLES RELEASE - Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr will release what they say is the last song featuring all four Beatles next week. The track, called “Now and Then” was written and performed by John Lennon and later developed alongside the other band members, including George Harrison. The track has now been finished,decades after the original recording – using new technology
FOOTBALL - Yesterday was the third group match day in the Europa League. Union St Gilloise won 2-1 at home against Linz, Liverpool beat Toulouse 5-1 and Marseilles beat Athens 3-1.
Tonight is the start of the 9th matchday in the Bundesliga. Mainz are playing Bochum and in the English Premier League Tottenham are playing Crystal Palace tonight.
RUGBY - It’s the Final weekend of the World Cup. Argentina play England for a third-place play off tonight while defending champions South Africa and New Zealand battle it out on Saturday, bidding to become the first team to win the Rugby World Cup four times.
The day starts under very cloudy skies and rain showers. As the day progresses, clouds make way for a few glimpses of sun. However, the probability of rain continues until the early evening. Anticipate some hefty wind to ‘scoot’ us into the weekend: southwesterly winds of 20-30 km/h with possible gusts of up to 40-50 km/hr. Morning temperatures of 7-10°C increase to 10-13°C in the afternoon.
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