SNOW ALERTS - There is an orange alert for the southern half of the country for minor flooding and local damage until Tuesday night. The northern half of Luxembourg remains under yellow alert. Météolux has also issued a yellow alert for the whole country from 7 a today 7am until 6pm for snow. A layer of snow (approximately 1 to 2 centimeters and 5 centimeters in the north) is expected to cover the country.
AGRICULTURE SUMMIT - A national agricultural summit has been announced by Prime Minister Xavier Bettel for next Thursday, January 26. The Farmers’ Alliance believe it will be an ideal place to explore solutions to current problems. Above all, the reform of the Agrarian Act is causing discussions in the sector. The Farmers’ Alliance has said it would welcome an agreement on a partnership between agriculture and politics to reduce climate emissions.
UKRAINE ATTACK - The search for missing people is continuing after a Russian missile tore into a tower block in Dnipro in Ukraine over the weekend. So far, 30 are confirmed dead and 75 people have been injured.The EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrel criticized the attack, saying it was an inhuman aggression against civilians and children. There have also been Russian attacks on the region around Kyiv and on Kharkiv. Energy infrastructures have been targeted.
NATO has meanwhile announced further military aid for Ukraine. Including heavy weapons.
WEF DAVOS - The World Economic Forum is about to get underway in Davos in Switzerland. Over 1000 representatives from economics, politics and science will discuss current issues, such as climate protection, inflation and food security. The first demonstrations against globalisation already took place at the weekend. Luxembourg is represented by Prime Minister Bettel and the Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume. Finance Minister Backes will follow tomorrow. She is still at the meeting of EU finance ministers in Brussels today.
GERMANY PROTESTS - German police say they have finished clearing climate activists from a German village being razed to make way for a coal mine expansion. In an operation that began last week, hundreds of police have removed around 300 activists from the doomed hamlet of Luetzerath in western Germany. The site, which has become a symbol of resistance to fossil fuels, had attracted thousands of protesters on Saturday, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. Organisers said that 35,000 protesters demonstrated, while police put the figure at 15,000.
EU PARLIAMENT CORRUPTION - The corruption scandal in the European Parliament continues to draw circles. The Belgian MEP Marc Tarabella has now admitted that he traveled to Qatar in February 2020 without informing the EU Parliament about the trip. His lawyer has confirmed that all the costs were paid by Qatar. The president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola will kick off the parliament’s first plenary session of 2023 in Strasbourg, by formally announcing a series of reforms.
BLUE MONDAY - Today, January 16, has been dubbed by experts as the ‘most depressing day of the year’. The term Blue Monday was coined by psychologist Dr Cliff Arnall, who worked out a formula to show how the third Monday in January is especially bad. It takes into account factors including the average time for New Year’s resolutions to fail, the bad weather, debt, the time since Christmas and motivational levels. To combat feeling low in January, health experts recommend a mix of exercise, fruit and veg and vitamin D to help raise mood and staff off January Blues.
TENNIS - The first tennis Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open has started in Melbourne. The top seed Rafael Nadal is opening his title defence against British player Jack Draper. He is hoping for a 23rd Grand Slam. The tournament favourite is Novak Djokovic, who is back, a year after he was deported for breaching Australia’s coronavirus vaccination rules. In the women’s tournament, the American 18-year old Coco Gough is hoping to win a first Grand Slam. She won the opening match against the Czech player Katerina Siniakova , 6-1, 6-4.
FOOTBALL RESULTS - Arsenal beat Tottenham 2-0 in England. This puts them at the top of the Premier League. In France, PSG lost 0-1 to Rennes. A result which leaves them just three points clear at the top of the table halfway through the season. And in Spain, FC Barcelona won the Super Cup with a 3-1 victory against Real Madrid.
SKIING - Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen has posted his second victory of the season and the 30th of his career winning the men’s World Cup slalom in Wengen on Sunday in very challenging conditions. The 28-year-old’s combined time over two legs was 20 hundredths quicker than Swiss racer Loic Meillard -- who had been fastest in the first leg -- with his fellow Norwegian Lucas Braathen third, 49 hundredths adrift.
There is a yellow alert for the whole country today for both snow, strong winds and floods. While the day starts with light rain and snow, the precipitations will become stronger during the morning. The afternoon will see additional snowfall. Morning temperatures of 0-4°C will rise slightly to 5°C in the afternoon.
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