FLOOD WARNING – The impact of ex-hurricane Kirk, which swept over Luxembourg on Wednesday, will continue to be felt today: expect more rain, strong winds, and a high risk of flooding throughout the day. The Water Management Authority has issued a red alert for floods, effective from yesterday afternoon and in place until Friday. Water levels are still rising. In Ettelbrück, a parking lot has been flooded, and Bissen and Petange are also experiencing some flooding. Rescue services have so far only reported five flooded basements and four fallen trees on the roads.
STATE BUDGET – Finance Minister Gilles Roth on Wednesday presented the 2025 state budget to lawmakers in the Chamber of Deputies. There are some major changes – the non-qualified minimum wage will be exempt from taxes, the tax credit for single-parent families will be increased, and registration fees on home purchases will be cut in half until the end of June next year. Roth said the budget reflected a responsible and sustainable financial policy because the state deficit is projected to decrease. The opposition has criticised the budget saying there are no big announcements, only empty phrases. The budget will be voted on in December.
CARITAS SCANDAL – Prosecutors are continuing their investigation into the Caritas fraud case under the assumption that the so-called ‘fake president fraud’ was used to impersonate a high-ranking official. The ongoing investigation has uncovered more than 8,200 fraudulent transactions made in rapid succession to hundreds of bank accounts across several countries. Due to the scale and complexity of the operation, prosecutors now suspect the involvement of a criminal organisation in the affair.
LUXEMBOURG UNIVERSITY – The Times Higher Education 2025 rankings have been unveiled and the University of Luxembourg has maintained its position just among the world’s top 250. The University is described as one of Europe’s “most international” institutions, with more than 120 nationalities represented among its student body.
RACE FOR THE CURE – Think Pink Luxembourg is keeping up the fight against cancer with their sixth annual ‘Race for the Cure’ this Sunday, from 9am to 12.30pm at the Auberge de Jeunesse Echternach. For this year’s event, participants can run, walk, or jog around the lake as many times as they want. Racers will be in groups, with runners and joggers taking off at 10.30am and walkers starting immediately thereafter. The last group of walkers will depart at 12.30pm.
HURRICANE MILTON – Hurricane Milton has crashed into the Florida coast, packing furious winds and triggering life-threatening storm surges. The weather front made landfall as a Category 3 storm near Siesta Key. Milton triggered tornadoes before its arrival, with unconfirmed reports of multiple fatalities after one twister struck a senior living community on Florida’s east coast. Over a million households and businesses have lost power in the state.
EUROPE WEATHER – The remnants of Hurricane Kirk swept into western Europe on Wednesday, tearing up trees in Portugal and Spain before dumping heavy rains on France that left at least one dead. Some 64,000 people in the south of France were also left without power, while several departments reported roads cut off by floodwaters.
UKRAINE WAR – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to visit Britain, France, and Italy today, part of a whirlwind tour of European leaders aimed at securing aid ahead of pivotal US elections next month. Kyiv could be facing its toughest winter yet this year, as Russia launches fresh waves of strikes on the country’s power grid and advances across the eastern front line. Meanwhile six people were killed and 11 injured in a Russian missile strike on Odessa, in the south of Ukraine. Local authorities are also reporting that harbour structures and ships were also targeted.
NOBEL PRIZE – And the Nobel Prize in Literature will be announced today in Stockholm. Yesterday it was Chemistry, with three scientists from the UK and USA winning the prize for cracking the code behind the structure of proteins.
WILDLIFE REPORT – Human activity is continuing to drive what the charity World Wildlife Fund (WWF) calls a “catastrophic” loss of species. The Living Planet Report, a comprehensive overview of the state of the natural world, reveals global wildlife populations have shrunk by an average of 73% in the past 50 years.
FOOTBALL – The Nations League games start tonight. Matches include Italy vs Belgium, France against Israel, and England is playing Greece. Luxembourg is up against Bulgaria on Saturday.
Manchester City made a spectacular return to the Women’s Champions League on Wednesday, defeating holders Barcelona 2-0 in the opening round of group stage matches as Bayern Munich downed Arsenal 5-2.
Jürgen Klopp is back in the football business. According to German media, the star coach of Mainz, Dortmund, and Liverpool will become Red Bull’s Global Head of Soccer, beginning in January 2025. Red Bull has several clubs worldwide, including Leipzig, Salzburg, New York, Leeds, or Bragantino in Brazil.
Greek football player George Baldock has died at his home in southern Athens at the age of 31. According to Greek news reports, he was found dead in his swimming pool yesterday. Baldock had joined Panathinaikos in May after a seven-year spell with Sheffield United.
GOLF – PGA Tour stars Rory McIlroy and top-ranked Scottie Scheffler will face LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in an exhibition event in Las Vegas in December. The 18-hole, made-for television event between four of the biggest names will be staged at Shadow Creek.
TENNIS – Wimbledon has announced that it is scrapping its iconic line judges in favour of electronic line-calling from 2025, changing the face of the grass-court tournament. The technology is already being used at the Australian Open and US Open.
Expect light to moderate rain in the morning, with heaver rain showers in the afternoon. The yellow alert remains in place for now. The morning’s temperatures start off at around around 10–12°C, rising to 12–14°C in the afternoon.
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