COALITION TALKS - Today is the 3rd day today of coalition talks at Senningen Castle. CSV leader Luc Frieden and the delegations of both the CSV and DP are meeting representatives from Adem, the Red Cross and Caritas. The fight against poverty has been identified as one of the 5 focal points for the coalition. Yesterday, the political representatives met various experts on state finances and the economic perspectives. There is no date yet for the end of the talks.
RYANAIR COLLISION - Passengers travelling from Luxembourg to London Stansted on 4 October came back down to earth with more than just a slight bump after the plane collided with a vehicle on the runway. Video footage shared on social media showed the moments leading up to the collision. The driver is shown attempting to reverse the vehicle at the last minute, but it was not enough to avoid the aircraft’s wing. No passengers were injured but the aircraft has not left Stansted airport.
QUEEN 50 YEARS AGO - On this day tomorrow, the 14 October fifty years ago, the rock band Queen performed in Luxembourg. Founded in 1970, Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon were on stage as part of their very first tour, the Queen 1 Tour at the Blow Up club in Limpertsberg. The cost for a ticket was 55 Luxembourg francs.
World
ISRAEL GAZA WAR - Israel has told the United Nations that all Palestinians in the northern portion of the Gaza strip must leave for the south of the territory in the next 24 hours. The Israeli army has massed at the boundary to the Gaza strip, ahead of a widely expected ground incursion targeting Hamas fighters.
Ongoing fighting has forced more than 400,000 Palestinians from their homes. Palls of smoke hung over Gaza at dawn today after a second night of Israeli bombardment. Residents are without power or water. Palestinian health officials say at least 45 people were killed when an airstrike brought down a block of flats.
The United Nations has issued an emergency appeal for nearly 300 million dollars to deal with the most urgent needs of the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and also in the Gaza strip.
The US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is in Jordan in the next stage of what is his most extensive Middle East tour since taking office. Blinken arrived in Oman for meetings with King Abdullah and the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. His primary objective will be to help contain the conflict in Gaza.
The world is watching the terrible human suffering caused by the Hamas attack and the Israeli response in the Gaza Strip with alarm. The question also arises as to what impact the war and further escalations will have on the world economy, particularly on oil prices. Luxembourg’s Energy Minister Claude Turmes sees a clear risk that the war in the Middle East will push up the oil price.
POLAND ELECTIONS - Ahead of Sunday’s elections in Poland, petrol is being sold by the state energy giant Orlen at budget prices in what experts called “an election present”. For analysts this is just one example of an economy managed for political gain by a government that is putting off difficult choices for later. Since the populist Law and Justice (PiS) party came to power in 2015, Poles have enjoyed high social welfare benefits while the government has made enormous investments in infrastructure and defence. The opposition has made economic worries part of its election campaign, while the government has focused on national security, sovereignty and migration.
Sports
FOOTBALL - Gerson Rodrigues has been called up as Luxembourg is hit by injuries ahead of the European qualifiers. The international men’s football team face Iceland in Reykjavik today, followed by Slovakia on Monday, with a place at Euro 2024 on the line. The Red Lions are currently in third place in Group J with six of ten matches played, but could overtake Slovakia if they can win both fixtures this week.
IOC CRICKET - Leaders of the International Olympic Committee are meeting in Mumbai today to consider which new sports to add to the Games in 2028. The host city Los Angeles has recommended 5 sports including cricket and a non-contact version of American football, called flag football.
RUGBY - Teams are gearing up for a big weekend as the quarter finals get underway in the World Cup. Saturday’s matches see New Zealand play Ireland and Wales against Argentina. On Sunday, in addition to the France v South Africa match, England are playing Fiji.
Here we are, on the traditionally unlucky date of Friday the 13th. Despite its ominous reputation, and a smattering of clouds, the good news is that the first truly spooky day of October should be completely dry. Indeed, the clouds are here, hanging overhead but offering zilch-nada-zero in the way of rain. The sun is also likely to make an appearance throughout a mostly warm day. Morning temperatures start at 12-15ºC, reaching 21-24ºC in the afternoon.
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