BUSINESS BANKRUPTCIES – According to the latest data, a 30% increase in business bankruptcies in 2024 has led to over 3,300 job losses. The construction, hospitality, and commerce sectors have been hit hardest.
LUXAIR ROTTERDAM – Luxair has cancelled the Luxembourg to Rotterdam route after just three months. The airline says that challenges in securing slots at Rotterdam The Hague Airport during the summer period is the reason for the cancellation.
MURDER SENTENCE – A woman from Heispelt has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for killing her husband with a hammer in February 2022. The court ruled that her mental disorder – the defendant is schizophrenic – was a mitigating factor, sparing her a life sentence.
FEMALE WOLF - A wolf has been identified as the predator responsible for killing two sheep in the Dahl region, with genetic analysis revealing it to be a female wolf – a first for Luxembourg since the species’ reappearance in 2017.
GAZA CEASEFIRE – Israel’s security cabinet is meeting today to give final approval to a deal with Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages. If approved, the ceasefire agreement will take effect on Sunday and involve the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners. Away from the diplomacy, Israeli strikes have killed dozens of people, Gaza rescuers said on Thursday, while Israel’s military reported hitting about 50 targets across the territory over the past day.
Meanwhile the EU says it will deliver 120 million euros in new aid for war-torn Gaza, a day after the announcement of a ceasefire and hostage release deal. The new package brings the EU’s humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian territory to more than 450 million euros since 2023.
FRANCE POLITICS – French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou has survived his first vote of no confidence in parliament after the motion, brought by the leftist opposition, failed to gain traction with the far right.The challenge in the National Assembly came after Bayrou’s statement this week on his government policy agenda, in which he opened the door to fresh talks on a 2023 pension reform.
APPLE NEWS - Tech-giant Apple has temporarily disabled its AI-generated news headline feature following backlash over factual inaccuracies. It marks a setback as the company strives to demonstrate its AI capabilities with the new “Apple Intelligence” suite on its iPhone 16 lineup.
HOLLYWOOD ENVOYS – Donald Trump has named Sylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson and Jon Voight as special envoys to Hollywood to help make the entertainment industry (quote) “stronger than ever before.” The trio of stars stand out in Tinseltown, breaking ranks with the bulk of their colleagues who have long leaned to the Democrats.
DAVID LYNCH – David Lynch, the singular and surreal director of “Mulholland Drive” and television’s “Twin Peaks,” who depicted the darkness lurking beneath the wholesome surface of American life, has died. He was 78 years old and was was considered one of US cinema’s great auteurs.
TENNIS – Starting with tennis action at the Australian Open, Aryna Sabalenka has stayed on track for an Australian Open hat-trick, winning 7-6 , 6-4 after more than two hours of attritional tennis. Meanwhile Carlos Alcaraz dropped a set before muscling his way into the Australian Open last 16 earlier today. The 21-year-old third seed was a class above Nuno Borges with the Portuguese world number 33 dumped out of the tournament 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2 .
FOOTBALL – With the start of the 18th matchday in the German Bundesliga Frankfurt is playing Dortmund tonight and in France, Montepellier plays against Monaco and Lille takes on Nice.
CRICKET – Pakistan and the West Indies are promising a strong finish when they meet in the first Test in Multan today despite dragging up the rear of the World Test Championship. Pakistan are currently eighth in the 2023-25 cycle of the WTC, with their rivals in last place far behind finalists Australia and South Africa.
It may be quite cold, but we’re in for another sunny-ish day, and the temperatures are expected to rise too.
Temperatures will be cold in the morning, ranging from -3°C to -1°C, but will rise to a steady 6°C in the afternoon before dropping back below 0 in the evening.
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