MURDER TRIAL - In the Niederkorn murder trial, the Luxembourg City court has sentenced the main defendant to 18 years in prison with eight years suspended. The man, 74 at the time of the crime in 2022, used a shotgun to fatally shoot two people in public. The prosecution had sought a 20-year sentence, asserting that the defendant had “murdered the victims in cold blood.”
AXE FIGHT - An altercation in Pétange turned violent on Wednesday evening, leaving one person injured after being struck with an axe, according to police reports. The victim was taken to hospital for further treatment and the suspect was arrested.
DIESEL PRICE - It has been an eventful week in the realm of fuel prices, and today brings yet another change to Diesel: this time, a 3 cent increase, making it €1.45 per liter. The heating fuel price has also gone up to 90 cents per liter.
SKULLS FOUND - The three human skulls found stowed in plastic bags at an abandoned house in Bertrange on 16 October are at least 50 years old according to the National Health Laboratory (LNS).The public prosecutor’s office launched an investigation into the remains which were found by builders. It has now been discovered that there had been a cemetery in that area. Therefore, the public prosecutor’s office has decided to close the case.
DUBAI CHOCOLATE - The trendy “Dubai chocolate,” once only available across borders or online, is now being made right here in Luxembourg. Known for its rich pistachio filling and crispy Kadaif noodles, this chocolate has recently captivated dessert lovers worldwide and become a huge social media trend. Since 1 November, the Luxembourg-based Chocolate House has begun offering its own version of Dubai chocolate.
US ELECTION - President-elect Donald Trump has announced that Susie Wiles, one of his two campaign managers, will be his White House chief of staff. The appointment is one of the first of what is expected to be a flurry of staffing announcements as Trump sets up for a return to the White House on January 20.
In a first effort to convince Donald Trump to keep backing Kyiv, NATO chief Mark Rutte says that North Korea’s involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine poses a direct threat to the United States. Trump’s victory for the US presidency has set nerves jangling in Europe that he could pull the plug on vital Washington military aid for Ukraine
Global stocks mostly rose yesterday, with US indices hitting fresh records as a Federal Reserve interest rate cut extended a post-election rally. The central bank voted unanimously to reduce interest rates by 25 basis points to between 4.50 and 4.75 percent.
EU MEETING - EU leaders are meeting today to confront the challenges of Donald Trump’s return, discussing Mario Draghi’s proposal to invest billions into Europe and push economic reforms essential to Europe’s global competitiveness. The strong message from Draghi is to deepen the bloc’s cooperation overall by forming a capital markets union and creating single markets for telecoms, defence and energy.
GERMANY POLITICAL CRISIS - Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz is facing pressure to quickly call elections after his coalition collapsed. The centre-left chancellor has vowed to cling on in a minority government for now, and to ask for a confidence vote in January that would likely lead to snap elections in March. But the conservative opposition is pressing to hold the key vote next week, at a time when Germany is suffering economic distress and global volatility.
IRELAND POLITICAL CRISIS - Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris will travel to the official residence of Irish president Michael D Higgins, to seek the dissolution of Ireland’s Dail parliament with the aim of holding a general election on 29 November. Harris will likely dissolve the Dail in the afternoon. The upcoming election marks the end of the historic coalition between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail which was formed in 2020.
LIAM PAYNEDEATH - Argentine prosecutors have announced that One Direction star Liam Payne consumed cocaine, alcohol and a prescription antidepressant before falling to his death from a Buenos Aires hotel balcony last month. The prosecutor’s office added that three people were charged with supplying him with drugs and one of them was also charged with abandoning a person in a vulnerable state.
FOOTBALL - The former coach of the Luxembourg women’s national football team, Romain Jean, has died following a heart attack during Wednesday’s Bayern Munich vs. Benfica match at Allianz Arena. Jean, who served as the first coach of the Luxembourg women’s national football team from 2006 to 2012, was a well-known figure in the Luxembourg football community.
And some results from last night’s Europa League games on the 4th matchday: Hoffenheim and Lyon drew 2-2, Lazio won 2-1 against Porto, Union St Gilloise and AS Rome drew 1-1 and Frankfurt beat Prague 1-0.
BASKETBALL - The women’s national basketball team has a strong performance in the European Championship qualifier yesterday where they beat Montenegro 71 to 49. The Luxembourgish team now stands in 1st place with 6 points after three matches. The team is playing against Switzerland on Sunday at the Coque, here in Kirchberg.
Waking up today to a cold, hazy morning which will probably develop into a cold, overcast afternoon. And it seems the fog is not going anywhere for now – as the weekend is set to bring some more of that misty, damp fog. And yes, it’s going to be chilly, with temperatures starting at 3-5°C early on, going slightly up towards the 8-10°C range as the day advances.
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