FLOOD WARNINGS – The water levels of streams and rivers in the country are starting to normalise. The water levels in Bollendorf reached a peak during the course of the night, and have been falling slowly since then. The same applies to the Our in Vianden and the Alzette in Ettelbrück. The Moselle River, on the other hand, continues to rise and has been placed under orange alert. Authorities warn that the water levels on the Moselle will likely keep rising until Saturday morning, with the alert being in place until Sunday 7am.
UKRAINE DEFENCE – Since the start of the Ukraine war at the end of February 2022, Luxembourg has spent more than €250 million to support the Kiev militarily. This was repeated by Defence Minister Yuriko Backes yesterday at Germany’s Ramstein Air Base where Western allies met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Backes confirmed that Luxembourg would like to continue supporting Ukraine at the same level this year. Together with other countries, notably Estonia, Luxembourg is the lead in the so-called IT coalition, which helps to equip the Ukrainian military with IT.
FLU & COVID – Luxembourg is facing a wave of respiratory infections, with influenza cases jumping by 33% and Covid-19 infections increasing by 18%. The Ministry of Health has reminded the public that vaccination still remains an effective way to protect against seasonal flu and curb its spread.
JUDICIARY CRISIS – Luxembourg’s judiciary is grappling with a dual crisis: a shortage of both judges and courtrooms, leaving hundreds of cases stalled, according to attorney general Martine Solovieff. Solovieff explained that due to staff shortages, only major cases can be prioritised, leaving less serious ones unaddressed. She further criticised the lack of appeal in judicial careers and the slow pace of hiring, calling these “political decisions”.
HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS – As Luxembourg’s population expands, ambitious new housing developments are set to transform former industrial sites in areas such as Dudelange, Schifflange, and Esch-sur-Alzette, with plans to accommodate thousands in the future. In Luxembourg City, meanwhile, new residential areas are arising in places like Pulvermühl and around Place de L’Etoile.
EU CLIMATE – European climate scientists say last year was the hottest on record. The EU’s climate monitoring body Copernicus found temperatures were 1.6 degrees higher than the pre-industrial average. Copernicus said this was beyond what humans had ever experienced. Ocean temperatures are also at record levels.
LA FIRES – Officials in Los Angeles say more than 9000 homes and other structures have been damaged or destroyed in the wildfires sweeping the Californian city. The number of confirmed dead has now risen to at least 10. The search is ongoing for further casualties. LA police say one of the blazes in the west of the city was started deliberately. They are treating it as a crime scene. A suspect is in custody and set to be questioned.
TRUMP SENTENCING - The US Supreme Court has rejected Donald Trump’s request to delay sentencing for his hush money criminal conviction. The decision clears the way for the President-elect to be sentenced later today in New York. The judge has already indicated that Trump won’t serve any jail time.
FOOTBALL – Defending champions Bayer Leverkusen know they will need to be close to perfect to hunt down leaders Bayern Munich as the Bundesliga returns from a three-week winter break. Four points behind Bayern with 15 of 34 games played, Leverkusen reopen their title campaign at Borussia Dortmund tonight.
In France, Nantes will play against Monaco and Auxerre against Lille.
Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo struck to earn Real Madrid a 3-0 win over Real Mallorca on Thursday and set up a Spanish Super Cup final clash with rivals Barcelona on Sunday.
TENNIS - Daniil Medvedev said earlier today he has had one of his best pre-seasons ever in a bid to finally win an Australian Open, pledging to be a “disruptor” against Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
Meanwhile Novak Djokovic, who has high hopes to win the Australian Open this year has claimed that he was “poisoned” by lead and mercury in his food while he was briefly held in Melbourne in 2022 before being deported on the eve of the competition.
The forecast for today is a little less hectic, as we’re not expecting any rain, sleet or snow. It will be cloudy and quite cold, with some early fog for good measure. As for the temperature, the minimum will start around -3°C, and don’t expect much improvement on the other end: it’s only going up to around 1°C, tops. The orange weather alert is still in place and will last until 1pm on Friday for the North and 7am on Sunday for the South (primarily for the Moselle Valley).
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