ENERGY SUBSIDIES – Luxembourg’s tripartite talks concluded with an agreement to extend electricity, gas, and heating oil subsidies until the end of 2027. Meanwhile, the five-cent-per-litre fuel discount on petrol and diesel will only be extended until late February, completely phasing out in March 2027 to protect climate goals.
MEDICINES AGENCY – Luxembourg becomes the last EU country to get a national medicines agency. The Chamber gave unanimous approval yesterday afternoon. The agency will oversee the quality and safety of medicines and medical products.
RADIO MASTS DEMOLITION – The three old radio transmission masts in Beidweiler are to be blown up at 3pm on Friday 6 November. RTL will stream the demolition live. The masts belong to Broadcasting Center Europe, an RTL Group subsidiary, and carried French-language RTL programmes to France from 1972 until January 2023.
US G20 FOREIGN MINISTERS – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has arrived in the United States for a G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta. The two-day gathering comes amid stalemates on several fronts, from the US-Iran war to fighting in Ukraine, with oil prices still high.
FRANCE & ITALY PROTESTS – Students are to rally in several Italian cities today, calling for more school funding and housing support, with security forces preparing for possible clashes. They have been protesting for weeks, with tent camps and school occupations, as similar movements have done in France.
France itself is bracing for a tense weekend, with more than 70,000 police mobilised. "Gilets jaunes" protesters plan to bang pots and pans outside the National Assembly today, with more demonstrations tomorrow. Authorities are most concerned about Halloween night, after social media calls for unrest and violence.
ISRAEL ELECTIONS – Final results from Israel's election show Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc ahead of the opposition but short of a majority. His coalition took 53 of the 120 seats, the opposition 48, and Arab parties 19. Weeks of coalition talks lie ahead, and another election is possible.
'STAR TREK' STAR – Sir Patrick Stewart, best known as Captain Picard in Star Trek and Professor Xavier in the X-Men films, has died at the age of 86. A statement said he died at his home in Los Angeles on Wednesday, following a brief illness with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia.
FORMULA 1– Kimi Antonelli has been excused from media duties at the Mexico City Grand Prix because of a viral illness. The 20-year-old Italian is expected to be confirmed this weekend as Formula One's youngest champion and the first Italian champion in 73 years.
TENNIS – Alexander Zverev will become world number one for the first time next week. The 29-year-old German beat Tallon Griekspoor in straight sets in Vienna on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals, and will take top spot from the injured Jannik Sinner when Monday's rankings are published. He won the French and US Opens this year.
Meanwhile, in the women’s, Elena Rybakina has secured the year-end world number one ranking. She took the top spot from Aryna Sabalenka after winning the US Open last month, and has also won the Australian Open this year.
FOOTBALL – The Bundesliga kicks off Matchday 8, with Elversberg against Mainz at 8.30pm. But all eyes will be on tomorrow's clash between Bayern and Borussia Dortmund. The only unbeaten teams after seven matchdays, Bayern and Dortmund sit level on points, with Saturday's hosts ahead on goal difference. In France, Lille play Lens, and PSG are away at Le Havre.
We start the day with patches of fog along the rivers and some low cloud, but both should clear well. It will then be mostly sunny or lightly cloudy through the day, and dry everywhere.
Morning temperatures are a bit on the low side, between 4 and 6°C, but will warm up to a respectable maximum of 15°C.
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