METEOLUX ALERT - Meteolux has placed Luxembourg under yellow alert as a cold snap will affect the whole country today. Meteolux forecasts temperatures that could go down to -8°C. Motorists are advised to be extra careful on the roads as the probability of ice forming is high. As a reminder, when conditions can be considered wintery, winter tyres are mandatory in Luxembourg.
MARKET REOPENS - Luxembourg’s Christmas market near the Monument of Remembrance will reopen on Tuesday, following a fire on Sunday. According to Mayor Lydie Polfer, there is no evidence pointing towards arson. The fire, which destroyed three stands and several trees, is believed to have been caused by a technical issue.
FRANCE VERDICT - A French court will issue verdicts for eight suspects charged in the 2016 terror attack in Nice, where an allegedly radicalised Islamist attacker ran his truck into a crowd celebrating the July 14 national holiday. 86 people lost their lives. The perpetrator was shot. Prosecutors are seeking up to 20 years in prison for the suspects, on charges of association with terrorists and helping with the preparations for the attacks.
UKRAINE CONFERENCE - France is hosting an international donor conference for Ukraine today. It is designed to raise material and money to repair Ukraine’s damaged infrastructure as well as organising concrete direct aid to help the Ukrainian population through the winter. Among other things, ministers will look at, how the Ukrainian electricity network can be kept running and better protected against Russian attacks. Luxembourg is represented by Prime Minister Xavier Bettel.
And from the front, massive bombings are reported in the east and south of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Zelensky has asked for further gas and weapon deliveries.
CRYPTO ARREST - Disgraced cryptocurrency tycoon Sam Bankman-Fried has been arrested in the Bahamas at the request of the United States, according to US officials seeking to charge him after the spectacular collapse of his FTX platform. The arrest comes on the eve of Bankman-Fried’s scheduled appearance at a US Congress hearing in which he was to testify under oath about the crypto exchange’s overnight collapse.
EU PARLIAMENT BRIBES - Leaders of the EU Parliament have accused foreign powers of trying to corrupt European democracy, as a probe into alleged bribes from World Cup host Qatar has widened. Searches have been carried out at the homes of several MEPs in Belgium and around a million euros in cash has been recovered. Belgian prosecutors said 600,000 euros were found at the home of one suspect, 150,000 euros at the flat of an MEP and several hundred thousand euros in a suitcase in a hotel room.
POLICE PROTEST - Belgian police unions have announced a month without traffic sanctions. From Thursday, police officers joining the protest against the Belgian government will not issue any parking or traffic fines from 15 December to 15 January. They will also reduce the number of breathalyser tests for suspected drunk drivers, while officers at airports may also strike as part of the protests
WORLD CUP - The semi-finals kick off today. Argentina will play against Croatia tonight.Tomorrow it’s France against Morocco.The final is at midday on Sunday. FOOTBALL PELE - Doctors treating the Brazilian football legend Pele have said his health is improving but no date has been set for his release from hospital. Pele, considered by many the greatest footballer of all time, is in his hospital with a respiratory infection. He has also been receiving chemotherapy treatment since having a colon tumor removed last year.
OLYMPICS 2024 - The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee have backed moves to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics provided they do not participate under their countries’ colours or flags. The two countries have been isolated from international sport ever since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February.
It’s so cold that we’ve even got a yellow alert for the whole country! Winter is officially upon us, and what better way to continue our week than with temperatures that are positively glacial. Morning temperatures will start off at freezing -8 to -5°C, rising to HIGHS of 1°C in the afternoon, before dropping back to a cold -4 to -1°C in the evening.
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