Hurricane Ian aftermath, Ukraine annexation and a Royal Baby

Greater Region

LUXEMBOURG TRIPARTITE - The laws of the tripartite agreement are going through the Government Council today. After that, the texts will be sent to the special tripartite commission of the chamber. Deputies also had an exchange with representatives of Statec. ROYAL BABY -  Prince Guillaume, the hereditary Grand Duke and his wife Princess Stéphanie have announced they are expecting their second child. Little Prince Charles' younger sibling is due in April 2023.

World

HURRICANE IAN - A huge search and rescue effort is continuing in Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian which cut a coast to coast swathe of destruction across the US state. Helicopters and boats are being used to reach floodstricken communities. There are fears many lives were lost and an official in just one county - Charlotte - said 10 people had died there. UKRAINE ANNEXATION - President Biden has warned Russia that the United States will never recognise its claims to Ukrainian territory as Moscow prepares to announce the annexation of 4 occupied regions. President Vladimir Putin will claim that they are part of Russia at a ceremony in the Kremlin at 2 o’clock our time, where he is also expected to make a major speech. According to the Kremlin, 99% of residents voted for annexation in a referendum. The vote is internationally considered a sham.

RUSSIA MOBILISATION - Due to the partial mobilisation of the Russian military, more and more Russians are fleeing abroad. Finland has now closed its borders to Russian citizens. Restrictions include exceptions on human rights grounds, and Russians can still enter Finland to meet family, work, or study. Last weekend alone, some 17,000 Russians crossed the border into Finland.

EU ENERGY - EU energy ministers are meeting in Brussels today. Discussions will centre around a joint strategy against high energy prices. Topics include capping the gas price, limiting profits of electricity producers and the idea of a solidarity tax to relieve consumers.

Sport

CYCLING TOUR OF CROATIA - Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard has won the third stage of the Tour of Croatia. Luxembourg’s Tom Wirtgen is in 41th place. The general leader is still Italian Jonathan Milan, with one second ahead of Tour de France winner Vingegaard. WORLD CUP COVID - Coronavirus vaccinations will not be mandatory for the million-plus fans going to the World Cup in Qatar this year. But players and match officials may be forced into a secure "bio-bubble" if Covid-19 cases take off again, with the threat of expulsion from the tournament for those who breach the secure environment. The 29-day tournament will be the first major global sporting event with fans since the eruption in December 2019 of the Covid pandemic, which has since killed more than six million people.

Weather

A little misty and a little foggy this morning, but won't last long! The rest of the day is predicted to be a beautiful autumn day with some clouds here and there. The clouds will intensify in the evening. The morning's temperatures will start off at 2-4°C, rising to between 11-14°C in the afternoon.

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