LUXEMBOURG SHOOTING - A man has been taken into custody, following a shooting in the munipality of Niederkorn, which killed 2 people. According to eyewitnesses, shots were heard at around 10 am yesterday morning. The police later confirmed two deaths along with the arrest of the suspect. The authorities said the victims were neighbours of the suspect, a man aged 54 and a woman aged 62. They were killed outside their home. Initial reports suggest the shooting followed a disagreement between neighbours. It is not yet known how the shooter came to own the fire arm, nor has it yet been confirmed what type of weapon was used.
FRANCE TRANSPORT STRIKE - Unions in France have called for a nationwide transport strike today. The move comes after workers at several refineries and depots operated by energy giant TotalEnergies voted to extend their strike action. The background of the events are the high prices and the planned increase in the retirement age from 62 to 65 years. Trains between Metz-Thionville and Luxembourg will be affected, with SNCF announcing major disruptions. At 6.45 am this morning, there was a traffic jam of close to 20km on the motorway heading to Luxembourg.
UKRAINE LATEST - A new wave of Russian air strikes hit crucial infrastructure in three regions of Ukraine, after Russian kamikaze drones targeted Kyiv and resulted in the deaths of four people and several wounded and leaving “hundreds of localities” without electricity. Because the Russians are increasingly attacking from the air, Ukrainian President Zelensky has once again called for the West to supply modern air defence systems.
RUSSIA PLANE CRASH - A military plane has crashed into a residential area of the southern Russian town of Yesk, killing 13 people, including three children, while 19 people were injured. A turbine had caught fire.
GERMANY NUCLEAR - Chancellor Olaf Scholz has ordered all three of Germany’s remaining nuclear power plants to stay operational until mid-April, breaking an impasse that had caused a rift among his coalition partners as an energy crisis looms. Germany had initially planned to exit nuclear power by the end of the year, but Russia’s war in Ukraine and skyrocketing power prices since then, have forced a rethink.
FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR - It’s the opening night of the Frankfurt Book Fair; the largest book fair worldwide. This year Spain is the host country. The Spanish King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain as well as German President Steinmeier will speak at the opening.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky will address this week’s Frankfurt book fair, with organisers offering emphatic support to the country’s literary scene in the wake of Russia’s invasion.
WORLD CUP BOYCOTT - Luxembourg will join other European cities in boycotting public viewing events of the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, following allegations of human rights and environmental violations in the run-up to the tournament. In early October, a number of French cities, including Paris and Marseilles announced they would not broadcast matches in public places. London has also announced there would not be any public fan zones or screenings in the UK capital, as a result of the mayor’s opposition to the alleged human rights abuses in Qatar.
FOOTBALL BALLON D’OR - The French football star Karim Benzema and the Spanish player Alexia Putellas won the Ballon d’Or yesterday in Paris. The highest award in football. Benzema became the best player for the first time, Putellas defended her title from 2016.
The sunny and mild weather returns today, albeit with early morning mists. There are some light rain showers about throughout the morning, but the clouds will give way to sunshine by early afternoon. Morning temperatures start off at 13-15°C, rising to between 18 and 20°C in the afternoon.
For more weather and traffic updates, see here.
Be sure to catch our full bulletin on the hour, every hour and headlines at half past the hour on RTL Today Radio. You can also access the news via Alexa, and on RTL Play.
