NEW GOVERNMENT - Today Luxembourg officially gets a new government. The 15 ministers meet at the Grand Duke’s palace this morning to be sworn in. Then they go onto the ministries, where the traditional handover of power takes place. New ministers are handed a symbolic key from their predecessors.
The new Prime Minister Luc Frieden held a press conference yesterday to supply details of the coalition agreement. Frieden, who was joined by Deputy Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and CSV president Claude Wiseler said that after five weeks of intensive discussions, the CSV and the DP negotiated an agreement which will seek to strengthen Luxembourg’s standings and that of its citizens. The first government council will take place on Monday to approve the coalition agreement and on Wednesday the prime minister will make a government declaration in the Chamber.
FLOOD WARNINGS - Meteolux has issued yellow alert flood warnings for both southern and northern Luxembourg, with heavy rain forecast across the day. The warning is valid for the south until this evening, and the north until at noon. Areas along the Moselle river have already experienced issues, with flooding in Schengen causing road closures between the Schengen Bridge and the French border. However, current levels of the rivers and streams are starting to stabilise again this morning and are even dropping slightly.
RECESSION - The European Commission has confirmed that Luxembourg is entering a recession, projecting a real GDP growth decline of 0.6% in 2023. However, a recovery is anticipated, with GDP expected to rebound to 1.4% in 2024 and further increase in 2025.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR - The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Hamas leaders fled Gaza’s biggest hospital shortly before the army entered the site. Israel insists that there is a Hamas command centre at Al-Shifa hospital, but has yet to provide conclusive evidence. On Thursday, Israeli troops searching the area said they found a body of a woman, who was taken hostage last month.
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ERDOGAN IN GERMANY - Turkish President Erdogan starts his visit to Berlin in the evening. He will be received by German President Steinmeier, followed by dinner and talks with the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Various subjects are to be discussed, such as the migration agreement with the EU, as well as current conflicts, notably the Middle East. Erdogan represents a clear pro-Palestinian position, and recently referred to Israel as a terrorist state.
SEAN COMBS ACCUSED - Superstar rapper and music industry mogul Sean Combs (also known as Puff Daddy or Diddy) is being sued by the singer Cassie, who accuses him of rape and physical abuse. The hip-hop artist subjected the R&B singer, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, to more than a decade of coercion by physical force and drugs as well as a 2018 rape, she said in her suit, filed in federal court in Manhattan. In a statement, Combs’ lawyer “vehemently” denied the allegations, calling them “offensive and outrageous.”
FOOTBALL - The Red Lions beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 4-1 in yesterday’s European Championship qualification match, here at the Stade de Luxembourg. It won’t be enough for automatic qualification after Slovakia secured their spot at Euro 2024 with a 4-2 victory over Iceland, but Luxembourg can now go into the playoffs in March. They’ve secured third place in Group J after a qualification campaign that comes to an end against Liechtenstein on Sunday.
The Under 21s will play in the Euro qualifiers against Ukraine today. The match is at 7 o’clock in Murcia, Spain. On Monday, it’s off to Serbia.
FORMULA 1 - It’s the Las Vegas Grand Prix this weekend. The race itself is scheduled to start at 10pm local time on Saturday night, 7am our time on Sunday morning.
Flood warnings persist across Luxembourg, with a yellow alert for the north set to expire as early at noon and for the south at midnight. Unbelievably, the afternoon holds the promise of a rare cameo from the sun.
The day will start off with light, intermittent rain and very cloudy to overcast skies. However, no rain is expected for the afternoon, as Luxembourg’s persistent layer of clouds will dissipate and allow the sun to peek through. Temperatures will range from 2-5°C at the start of the day, rising to 5-8°C in the afternoon.
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