Last flight to Heathrow
Luxair's service to Heathrow has finished.
The last flight from Luxembourg to Heathrow took place on Saturday. The decision to end this route had been announced at the beginning of the summer.
Luxair still flies into London City airport, where passenger volumes have risen 26% in the first half of this year.
Date 27/10/2008
Category travel
Reference http://www.station.lu/newsdetail.cfm?id=22066
Driver killed near Kayl
A man was killed in a road traffic accident in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The accident happened around 03:45 near Kayl when the car was being driven in the direction of Esch-sur-Alzette.
The vehicle with its driver and three passengers left the road shortly before the turn to Esch, into a roadside ditch where it crashed.
The 48 year-old driver was declared dead at the scene of the accident, and the three passengers were brought to hopsital by ambulance.
The police reported that the driver was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the accident.
Date 27/10/2008
Category business-daily
Reference http://www.station.lu/newsdetail.cfm?id=22065
Elderly man knocked down at pedestrian crossing
A 71 year-old man suffered serious injuries when he was knocked down at a pedestrian crossing on Saturday.
The accident happened shortly before 7pm on Friday evening in Sanem. A car hit him as he was crossing the road. He hit the windscreen and fell to the road, 3 metres from the crossing. He was brought to hospital by ambulance where he is recovering.
Date 27/10/2008
Category domestic
Reference http://www.station.lu/newsdetail.cfm?id=22064
Police catch motorway abseilers
In the early hours of Saturday morning, a police patrol on the A6 motorway near Mamer noticed some people on the parapet of a bridge near Bridel.
They discovered that three people were attempting to abseil from the bridge onto the Mamer-Kopstal road. When the police approached, the three people fled, but the police managed to catch them.
Date 27/10/2008
Category domestic
Reference http://www.station.lu/newsdetail.cfm?id=22063
LuxairTours reduce fuel surcharge
Following last week's announcement by Luxair that they are reducing the fuel sucharge on flights, LuxairTours have followed suit.
The each-way fuel surcharge has dropped by 5 euros and applies to reservations made from last Friday for all reservations in its 2008/09 Winter and 2008 Summer brochures.
For its Metropolis destinations, a reduction of 3 euros will be applied, per journey leg, except for Italy where it is 5 euros.
Date 27/10/2008
Category business-daily
Reference http://www.station.lu/newsdetail.cfm?id=22062
Mortgage rates drop by 0.5%
Luxembourg's Central Bank has decided in last week's meeting to lower the mortgage interest rate by 0.5% to 3.85%.
The move follows the general decline in interest rates made by the European Central Bank.
The decision will come into effect on 1 November.
Date 27/10/2008
Category business-daily
Reference http://www.station.lu/newsdetail.cfm?id=22061
Luxembourg signs common accord on trans-border co-operation
On Friday, a common accord was signed involving co-operation of police and customs between Luxembourg, France, Belgium and Germany.
The trans-border co-operation agreement was signed by the Ministers for the Interior and the Ministers of Justice of the four countries.
Since the signing of the Schengen Convention in 1990, police and customs cooperation has evolved in this part of Europe which is characterized by an intense movement of people and goods and important trade. Encouraged by the success of police and customs co-operation in the fight against trans-national crime, and following agreements signed between France and Luxembourg in 2001 and between Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg in 2003, the four countries decided to create together the first co-operation center in Europe for the competent authorities.
The agreement marks a new stage in co-operation between the four founding countries of the European Union to ensure security in their border areas and to enhance the fight against trafficking in human beings, drug trafficking, illegal immigration and significant damage to property.
Date 27/10/2008
Category business-daily
Reference http://www.station.lu/newsdetail.cfm?id=22060
Dementieva wins Fortis Championships
WTA Fortis Championships - tennis report
After winning her quarter-final match against France's 5th seed Amelie Mauresmo 6-4 6-0 on Friday, and her semi-final against 8th seed Sorana Cirstea (Romania) 6-2 6-2 on Saturday, top-seed Elena Dementieva of Russia did not have things her own way in yesterday's final.
She was up against 4th seed, Caroline Wozniacki from Denmark, who had beaten 7th seed Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) 6-1 7-6 on Friday and then 6th seed Li Na (China) 7-6 3-6 6-2 on Saturday.
Wozniacki took the first set in the final 6-2, before Dementieva stepped up a gear to win the next two sets 6-4 7-6.
In the doubles, 4th seeds Sorana Cirstea (Romania) and Marina Erakovic (New Zealand) beat 3rd seeds Vera Duschvina (Russia) and Marlya Koryttseva (Ukraine) 2-6 6-3 10-8.
Date 27/10/2008
Category international-sports
Reference http://www.station.lu/newsdetail.cfm?id=22059
Agriculture and Fisheries meetings in Kirchberg
The European Council is meeting today and tomorrow in Luxembourg-Kirchberg with the Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Luxembourg is being represented by Fernand Boden, Minister of Agriculture, Viticulture and Rural Development, and by Octavie Modert, Secretary of State for Agriculture, Viticulture and Rural Development.
The Fisheries meeting will discuss fish stocks in the Baltic and deep-sea fish stocks.
And the Agriculture meeting will undergo a "health check" of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and will discuss a proposal on the common organization of agricultural markets and specific provisions regarding certain products in this sector.
Date 27/10/2008
Category business-daily
Reference http://www.station.lu/newsdetail.cfm?id=22058
Asselborn visits Moscow
Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, Jean Asselborn, made a working visit to his Russian counterpart, the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, Sergei Lavrov, on Friday in Moscow.
The Luxembourg delegation was first received at the Luxembourg's Embassy in Moscow by Ambassador Gaston Stronck on Thursday evening, for an official reception where Minister Jean Asselborn met with representatives of Luxembourg companies operating in Russia.
On Friday, the Luxembourg delegation visited the Duma with Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the Committee for International Affairs; Andrei Klimov, Vice-President of the Commission for External Relations and chairman of the Benelux group, and Nikolai Barkov, director of the Committee for International Affairs. The discussions covered relations between the European Union and Russia, as well as recent geopolitical developments. On Georgia, Minister Jean Asselborn expressed the hope that international discussions in Geneva will be concluded positively by the end of this year. The minister recalled that Russia and the EU are interdependent and they need each other to find a solution to many challenges facing the international community.
The Luxembourg delegation was then received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergei Lavrov. During the meeting, the ministers exchanged views on EU-Russia relations, Georgia, the Iranian nuclear issue, the international financial crisis and the situation in the Middle East and the Balkans, among others. Minister Asselborn said that Russia is an important player in many issues of interest closely the European Union. In this context, he stressed that co-operation with Russia, not confrontation or isolation, should be the policy followed by the European Union. He expressed the hope that after the U.S. presidential elections, a new era of multilateral cooperation between the United States, Russia and the European Union will start. Regarding EU-Russia relations, the minister called for a constructive attitude of Russia on the issue of Georgia and for the early resumption of negotiations between the EU and Russia on a new agreement on partnership and cooperation.
Photos copyright MAE
Top Left: Mr Asselborn with Mr Konstantin Kosachev, President of the Committee for International Affairs
Top Right: Mr Asselborn with Mr Sergueï Lavrov, Minister for Foreign Affairs
Bottom: Mr Assemborn in front of the Kremlin in Moscow
Date 27/10/2008
Category business-daily
Reference http://www.station.lu/newsdetail.cfm?id=22057