EU and UK clash over post-Brexit bill

The EU warned London against making unilateral changes to Britain’s withdrawal agreement. The British government introduced a bill that would amend the sections dealing with Northern Ireland on Wednesday. On Thursday, Brussels said the changes would hamper future talks and it could take legal action. Separately, Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the US House of Representatives, said there would be “no chance” for UK-US trade deal if that legislation passed. However, Michael Gove, the UK’s cabinet office minister, said his government “could not and would not” pull the bill. The UK government’s internal legal advice, seen by The Guardian, is split on the move’s legality. More sources: CNBC, Deutsche Welle, Financial Times and RTE.

Fraser named in banking first

Citigroup appointed Jane Fraser as its next CEO, making her the first woman to head a major Wall Street bank. Fraser, originally from Scotland, is currently head of Citi’s consumer division. Sources: BBC, Bloomberg, Financial Times and Seeking Alpha.

UBS to ‘prefer’ sustainable investments

The Swiss bank UBS said it would advise its private banking clients to select sustainable investments over traditional placement. UBS said it was the first major financial institution to make to shift. Sources: Citywire Selector, Marketwatch, Reuters and Yahoo Finance Video.

Rio Tinto boss quits after backlash in Australia

The CEO and two senior executives at the mining giant Rio Tinto will step down after the company destroyed sacred Aboriginal caves. Sources: Financial Times, The Guardian, Marketwatch and Seeking Alpha.

Unions blast ArcelorMittal layoff plans

ArcelorMittal said it would make up to 570 staff in Luxembourg redundant, about 15% of its workforce in the grand duchy. Luxembourg’s largest trade unions, the OGBL and LCGB, called for the layoffs to be reversed and demanded tripartite negotiations. Franz Fayot, the economy minister (LSAP), called on the steelmaker to uphold its responsibilities under the country’s social model and “guarantee” the viability of its Luxembourg sites. Sources: Delano, Economy Ministry and Paperjam.

Fayot considering wealth tax

Franz Fayot, the economy minister (LSAP), said he wondered if a wealth tax, on families with very large estates, would be better than introducing an inheritance tax. Fayot said any wealth tax would have to be “intelligently structured”, unlike the one abolished in 2005. Source: RTL.

Russian hackers attack US & UK parties, says Microsoft

Microsoft said that Russian, Chinese and Iranian hackers were targeting the campaigns of the US presidential candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump and several British political parties. The technology giant said that, so far, the attacks had been unsuccessful. Sources: BBC, CNBC, Financial Times and Reuters.

Child refugees to be transferred

France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands said they would each admit some of the 400 unaccompanied minors evacuated from the Moria refugee camp. The migrant camp, on the Greek island of Lesvos, was destroyed in a fire on Wednesday, leaving thousands homeless. Sources: Bloomberg, Delano, Deutsche Welle and The Guardian.

Latest Luxembourg covid-19 cases

65 people were positive out of the 7,731 PCR tests performed in the 24 hours to Thursday afternoon. 21 patients were in hospital, none in intensive care. No coronavirus-related deaths were reported. Source: Luxembourg health ministry.

Metz mask rules

Wearing a face covering outside has been mandatory for anyone 11 years old and up in much of Metz since Thursday. The rules, meant to combat a recent spike in covid-19 cases, apply to the entire city centre and the area around Metz’s main train station after 10am. Source: Moselle prefecture.

Cargolux could land vaccines contract

Delivering a single dose of a covid-19 vaccine will require the equivalent of 8,000 Boeing 747 cargo jets, according to the International Air Transport Association. CNN reported that several carriers, including “Cargolux have been leading logistical efforts to support first responders and will likely continue to do so when vaccine deliveries ramp up.” Additional sources: The Loadstar and Sky News.

Agenda

Saturday 12-Sunday 13 September: Polo Club Luxembourg hosts an international tournament. Sunday 13 September, 11am-3pm: Indian Association Luxembourg’s Digital India Day. Monday 14-Friday 18 September: Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry’s ‘back to school’ online conference. Wednesday 16 September, 12noon-1pm: Delano Live Chat on Luxembourg politics with Simon Gray of Vital Briefing. Thursday 17 September, 6am-Friday 18 September, 3pm: Listen to Ara City Radio’s 33-hour crowdfunding campaign hosted by Sam Steen.

Here are 10 science and technology stories you may have missed

Animals: Researchers observed behaviour suggesting that dogs have an internal magnetic compass that helps them navigate, per Science magazine. Artificial intelligence: Researchers discovered more than 1,000 words and phrases that mistakenly activate smart speakers, per Ars Technica. These include “unacceptable” and “election” for Alexa, “OK, cool” for Google, “a city” for Siri and “tobacco” for Echo. Astrobiology: Nasa researchers are not entirely sure that we’ll be able to recognise alien life forms, per Wired. Astronomy: The black hole supposedly closest to Earth (1,000 light years away) may not really exists, several papers posit, per The Register. Biology: Researchers identifief the gene that makes mosquitoes attracted to warmth, but it’s not the only signal the bugs use to track humans, per Smithsonian Magazine. Environment: Researchers reckon that adding basalt dust to agricultural fields could soak up millions of tonnes of climate change causing CO2 each year, per Nature. Health and wellness: GQ explained why taking a cold shower or bath might make you feel better. Psychology: Are these strawberries red or are they green and blue? Yes, your mind is playing tricks in you, per Popular Science. Public health: Researchers are examining why the rate of premature births “plummeted” during the coronavirus lockdown in Denmark, Ireland, parts of the US and several other countries, per the New York Times. Zoology: 62m years ago, plotopterids, birds related to penguins that lived in New Zealand, were 1.5m tall, per Popular Mechanics. 

Diana Rigg

The actress Diana Rigg, best known for her performances in “The Avengers”, “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” and “Game of Thrones”, has died at the age of 82. She had been battling cancer since March. Sources: BBC, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times and Variety.

Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Aaron Grunwald