UKRAINE NUCLEAR - The Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhzhia is being shelled again. Ukraine and Russia blame each other. The UN atomic watchdog, which has a team of experts at the plant, said the attacks were targeted and demanded they stop immediately. So far no radioactivity has been released from Europe’s biggest nuclear facility. Meanwhile, fighting continues in the east and south of Ukraine.
COP 27 FUND - The UN climate conference has ended with a controversial agreement, creating a compensation fund for developing nations to cover damage caused by climate change. Luxembourg will contribute 10 million euros to the fund. French President Macron will hold a climate summit next year, where aid for countries that are particularly affected by climate change should be the focus.
MOLDOVA CONFERENCE - A donor conference for Moldova is taking place in Paris today. The former Soviet republic is particularly affected by the war in Ukraine. Because of the Russian invasion, over half a million Ukrainians have already fled to Moldova. Luxembourg is represented by Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn.
EU AGRICULTURE - EU agriculture ministers are meeting in Brussels today. Claude Haagen and his EU counterparts are consulting on food safety, also in the context of the Ukraine war.
LUXEMBOURG POPULATION - Eurostat has projected that Luxembourg’s population will stop growing by 2075 and in fact, begin to decline after that date. Luxembourg’s population will reach 781,000 people by 2100, after peaking in 2075. Luxembourg’s population will still see a projected increase in population by 21%, compared to 2022. In fact Luxembourg will be one of few EU nations experiencing such rapid population growth this century. Only Malta, Sweden, Cyprus and Ireland will outgrow Luxembourg in percentage population change with net migration being the main contributor to population growth.
LUXEMBOURG PLASTIC - Luxembourg’s use of lightweight plastic bags has halved in one year. The average Luxembourg resident used 62.7 plastic bags in 2019; by 2020, that number had more than halved to 26. All shops in the Grand Duchy have been banned from distributing free single-use plastic bags and this rule change appears to have had an impact.
WORLD CUP - Qatar became the first World Cup hosts in history to lose their opening match, going down 2-0 to Ecuador on Sunday. England and Wales start their World Cup campaigns later today. England will take on Iran, while Wales face the USA in the same group. The England manager Gareth Southgate said his players will continue to take the knee before kick-off, while there have also been calls for a show of support for women in Iran. Senegal will take on the Netherlands.
FOOTBALL LUXEMBOURG - The friendly match between Luxembourg v Bulgaria yesterday ended in a 0:0 draw. FORMULA 1 VERSTAPPEN - Two-time world champion Max Verstappen claimed a record-extending 15th win this year with a “sublime” performance for Red Bull in Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Verstappen dominated from start to finish, but he was unable to assist his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez in his bid to beat Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and take second place behind him in the drivers’ title championship.
We’ve got another classic autumn day ahead ‘ with fog, rain, and wind.It will be overcast with light to moderate rain throughout the day, much like yesterday. The gusts we saw - or rather felt - on Sunday will also remain with us today, reaching up to 50km/h in the afternoon and evening. Morning temperatures will start off at 4-6 °C, rising somewhat to 5-7 °C in the afternoon.
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