WAGE INDEXATION - STATEC has said the annual inflation rate of national consumer prices was 4.8% at the end of January, necessitating a new wage indexation on February 1st, so today. This means that wages and pensions will be raised by 2.5% in February. Another wage indexation is already scheduled for 1 April. It had been postponed during last year’s tripartite negotiations.
ELECTIONS CSV - The national council of the CSV party will meet to nominate a leading candidate for the parliamentary elections this evening. It should be a formality, as Luc Frieden has already been proposed by the co-presidents of the party. The approximately 150 members of the conservative party still have to give the green light by a majority. Luc Frieden is currently president of the Chamber of Commerce and BIL.
BUS ACCIDENT - On Monday afternoon, a bus broke down while trying to go up a hill between Erpeldange-sur-Sûre and Friedhof. While the bus driver was trying to fix the issue, the brakes reportedly failed, and the bus started rolling down the hill with its passengers still on board. In panic, some of them tried to jump off the bus. The incident left five people injured, including two who had to be taken to hospital for treatment.
EUTHANASIA - The president of the association “My will, my path,” Jean-Jacques Schonckert, regrets that death remains a taboo subject in society. 14 years ago, Luxembourg gave its citizens the right to request euthanasia under certain conditions. In practice, however, the procedure remains rare. There were 104 cases of euthanasia registered until 2020, AND more than 20 in both 2021 and 2022. According to Schonckert, many patients, as well as doctors and nurses, still don’t know that euthanasia is legal in Luxembourg.
PANDEMIC LEARNING DEFICIT - A new report summarises the findings of 42 studies on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on children’s schooling across 15 countries. During the pandemic, pupils lost around 35% of the curriculum across the course of a year, compared to pre-Covid years. According to Luxembourg’s education ministry, competences shown by pupils in standardised tests have remained fairly stable over the past few years. However, in spite of test results, there were still learning deficits observed in Luxembourg schools.
LIICHTMESSDAG - Motorists and pedestrians alike have been advised to exercise caution this Thursday, as children across Luxembourg will be walking the streets with their homemade lanterns to celebrate “Liichtmëssdag”, or Candlemas. Luxembourg’s Road Safety association has sent out advice for parents and drivers alike ahead of the festival, which sees children visit houses in their neighbourhood on the hunt for sweets, accompanied by traditional songs and brightly coloured paper lanterns.
UKRAINE SUMMIT - Ukraine will hold a summit with the European Union in Kyiv on Friday. In his evening address to the nation, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he hoped the summit would bring a high level of cooperation and progress regarding EU accession. Ukraine became a candidate for accession in June. Kyiv also announced it expected to receive up to 140 modern battle tanks from its Western allies. France announced yesterday it will ship 12 more Caesar truck-mounted howitzers and fresh air defence equipment to Ukraine. The move comes with France yet to commit to sending Leclerc battle tanks to Ukraine, after spending weeks pressuring Berlin to supply its Leopard 2 and allow allies to re-export the German-made tanks.
FRANCE STRIKES - During the demonstrations against the pension reform yesterday in France, a record number of people were in the streets. The unions say over 2.5 million. They have already announced two more strike days for next week. The French government, however, remains stubborn and Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has said the age of retirement to 64 years is non-negotiable.
FOOTBALL TRANSFERS - Chelsea have signed World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for a British-record 121 million euros. The midfielder was named Best Young Player of the World Cup for his displays during Argentina’s successful campaign in Qatar. He has signed an eight-and-half-year deal that will run until 2031. Tuesday was the transfer deadline day so there were plenty of other moves in the world’s football clubs – such as Thorgan Hazard has signed with PSV Eindhoven on loan from Borussia Dortmund, Joao Cancelo joins Bayern Munich from Man City and Jorginho joins Arsenal from Chelsea.
ATHLETICS FARAH - British athletics great Mo Farah has said this year’s London Marathon will likely be his last as he contemplates the end of a brilliant career. He won gold in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres at both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
We have a damp start to the month. After a misty morning, expect wet, overcast conditions all day long, with winds picking up in the afternoon. Meteolux is predicting gusts of up to 40-50 km/h. Morning temperatures will start at 1-3°C, rising to 4-6°C in the afternoon.
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