FOOTBALL TRIAL - The six-year court battle between the F91 Dudelange football club and their former sporting director has concluded with a verdict. The verdict stipulates that a low six-figure sum will be partially awarded to the National Employment Agency (ADEM) and partially to Hellers for unfair dismissal.The court case between F91 Dudelange and their former sporting director Guy Hellers, who coached the national team from 2004 to 2010, lasted six years.
COST OF LIVING - Families in Luxembourg are struggling with the cost of living crisis with close to one in five Luxembourgers at risk of poverty last year. That’s according to a report from Eurostat which established that the threat of poverty is even more pronounced for households with children. Despite Luxembourg’s reputation for having a high standard of living and being a country of the rich, the elevated cost of living is becoming an increasingly prominent source of financial precarity for more and more people living in the country.
CITY ATTACK - Police were called to Place Hamilius in the capital on Wednesday evening following a report of a brawl, only to discover a man had been assaulted and robbed at knifepoint. At the scene, officers found out that a man had in fact been held at knifepoint by two strangers, who then hit him on the head with a glass bottle and robbed him of his money.The perpetrators had fled the scene by the time police arrived. An investigation has been launched.
CROPS AT RISK - Owners of Luxembourg’s orchards and vineyards are hoping for a dry period with no rain as they approach the harvest. The rain has helped to ripen many fruits such as plums and mirabelle plums, but without dry weather, the produce may rot before it is picked. Other crops, such as apricots, do not flourish under excessive rain, as the overabundance of moisture can make the trees sick. Vegetable crops, such as lettuce, may also be prone to sickness with too much rain.
TRUMP COURT - Former president Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges that he conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 election and defraud the American people.Trump, the front runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, entered his plea during a nearly 30-minute hearing at the same Washington courthouse where hundreds of his supporters have been convicted for their roles in the attack on the US Capitol. Speaking to reporters at Reagan National airport before leaving Washington on his private plane, Trump said the cases brought against him were “persecution of a political opponent.”
NAVALNY TRIAL - Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny faces trial again today to hear whether he has been found guilty of a series of extremism charges that could see him spend 20 more years behind bars. He is already serving a nine-year sentence in a maximum-security prison for “embezzlement”, a charge that his supporters say was trumped up in retaliation for challenging President Vladimir Putin. Navalny has a huge following on social media, where he has posted videos exposing alleged corruption among Russia’s elite and mobilised massive anti-government protests.
NIGER COUP - Niger’s newly installed junta said it would respond immediately to any “aggression or attempted aggression” against it by West African countries, three days before the expiry of an ultimatum to restore order given by the regional bloc ECOWAS. Meanwhile the elected Niger President Mohamed Bazoum has called on the United States for help. He says the coup, if successful will have devastating consequences for his country, the region and the world.
LIZZO ALLEGATIONS - Lizzo has hit back at allegations she weight-shamed her staff, calling the accusations in a lawsuit leveled by former dancers “as unbelievable as they sound."Three of the pop star’s former dancers filed the suit in Los Angeles, with accusations of labor law violations including descriptions of what their lawyers deem shaming and sexual harassment.
FOOTBALL - Hesperange remains the only Luxembourg club who is still playing internationally. After the exit of F91 Dudelange from the European Conference league, two clubs also had to say goodbye yesterday evening. Niederkorn equalized against the Danes of Midtjylland 0-2 after 90 minutes. FC Differdange was even 3-1 ahead in Maribor in Slovenia but was then beaten after extra time. Swift Hesper now plays in the third qualifying round, on Thursday against Struga from North Macedonia.
WOMEN’S WORLD CUP - Germany’s shock exit and the United States’ plodding performances were just two of the surprises of a wild Women’s World Cup group stage, with England and Japan now leading the charge when the knockouts begin tomorrow. It has been the story of the World Cup: the lower-ranked teams have dramatically closed the gap on the sides traditionally regarded as the best. Last year’s European finalists Germany became the highest-profile victim yet, dumped out in the group stage for the first time in their history on Thursday, with debutants Morocco progressing.South Africa, Jamaica and Nigeria are also into the last 16; Brazil, Italy and Olympic champions Canada are all out.
BOXING - Mixed martial arts star Francis Ngannou will have heavyweight legend Mike Tyson in his corner when he faces World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in the boxing ring in Saudi Arabia on October 28. Ngannou and Tyson confirmed the partnership in a statement released on Thursday by Riyadh Season -- the annual entertainment and sports festival that will kick off this year with the Ngannou-Fury bout.
Well, it’s still autumn weather at the end of the week, but we’ll have a few more hours of sunshine compared to previous days, and no strong breezes. Friday is mostly cloudy with occasional moments of sunshine as well as light showers. All in all still very grey, but winds are calm. Temperatures are expected to range between 18 and 20°C.
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