NEW GOVERNMENT - It’s a busy week in Luxembourg politics as the new government starts its work. The first government council takes place today, to approve the coalition agreement. Several media, including RTL, have already released the details of the accord. Tomorrow, the Chamber sits and the new MPs will be sworn in. The new Chamber president will be determined, most likely CSV president Claude Wiseler. New Prime Minister Luc Frieden will make the government declaration on Wednesday and this will be followed by parliamentary debates in the Chamber on Thursday.
FLOOD WARNING - A yellow alert still remains for potential flooding in the south – specifically along the Moselle. More details on flood alerts can be found in English here.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR - Qatar, which is mediating between Israel and Hamas has suggested only very minor obstacles remain in the way of a deal to free some of the hostages Hamas has been holding for more than six weeks. About 240 Israelis were taken during the attacks by Hamas on October 7. Reports say that dozens of women and children could be released, in return for Palestinian women and children, held in Israeli jails and a 3-day pause in fighting in Gaza.
EUROPE PROTESTS - Thousands of protesters rallied across Europe at the weekend, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Several thousand people marched through central Paris on Saturday. Organisers said around 4000 people marched in Geneva, lighting candles displayed as a map of Gaza in front of the United Nations’ European headquarters. Two rallies were held in Amsterdam, one urging a ceasefire for Gaza, another demanding the release of the Hamas-held hostages. There were also rallies in Warsaw, Istanbul and London.
ARGENTINA PRESIDENT - Argentina has elected right-wing libertarian Javier Milei as its new president, rolling the dice on an outsider with radical views to fix an economy battered by massive inflation, a looming recession and rising poverty. Milei landed some 56% of the vote versus his rival Economy Minister Sergio Massa.
SHAKIRA COURT - Colombian superstar Shakira goes on trial in Barcelona today in a tax fraud case, with Spanish prosecutors seeking a jail term of over eight years for the Grammy-winning singer. They accuse the 46-year-old of defrauding the Spanish state of 14.5 million euros on income earned between 2012 and 2014, charges denied by the singer who says she only moved to Spain full time in 2015. The case centres on how much time the singer spent in Spain in that time. Shakira is expected to take the stand on the opening session of the trial.
NAPOLEON HAT - A hat belonging to Napoleon Bonaparte when he was French emperor has sold for a record of nearly two million euros at a French auction. The hat, known as a bicorne, is in Napoleon’s trademark colours -- black, with the French flag’s colours blue-white-red as insignia. According to the auctioneers, it attracted interest from collectors “the world over”. The successful buyer has remained anonymous.
FOOTBALL - Luxembourg played their final Group J qualifying match in Vaduz last night, winning against Liechtenstein 1-0. They are now in third place in their group, behind Portugal and Slovakia. They can now look ahead to March and a playoff match against Georgia, with a spot at EURO 2024 on the line.
Elsewhere, the scores for other qualifiers last night were: Belgium 5 - 0 against Azerbaijan, Sweden 2 - 0 against Estonia. Hungary won Hungary 3 - 1 over Montenegro, Serbia and Bulgaria drew 2 – 2, Scotland also drew with Norway 3 – 3. Spain beat Georgia 3-1, Bosnia & Herzegovina lost 1 - 2 to Slovakia and Portgual beat Iceland 2 - 0.
CRICKET - Australia has won the World Cup title, after winning against India on Sunday. Australia opener Travis Head smashed a magnificent century to fashion their six-wicket victory against India, who posted a below-par 240 all out and were reeled in with seven overs to spare.
FORMULA 1 - And Luxembourg has renewed its rights to broadcast Formula 1 until 2026 on RTL. The extension of the partnership with Formula 1 means RTL will continue to broadcast all practice and qualifying sessions, F1 Sprint events and Grands Prix with commentary in Luxembourgish across RTL Zwee and RTL Play for the next three seasons.
World champion Max Verstappen claimed the 18th win of his record-breaking season, overcoming a five-second penalty to power to victory in the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc overtook Red Bull’s Sergio Perez on the last lap to grab second place.
The day kicks off with a misty and foggy morning. These conditions make way for a rainy day under overcast skies, with more intense rainfall in the afternoon and the evening. A yellow alert still remains for potential flooding in the south – specifically along the Moselle. Morning temperatures are between 7°C and 9°C; climbing up to 10°C in the afternoon.
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