Focused testing
Phase 2 of Luxembourg’s mass testing programme will be more focused, the country’s health minister said on Thursday. While phase 1 aimed to test the entire population, the second stage will examine the virus in specific communities along with frontline healthcare workers. Free tests will continue to be offered free of charge for people returning from holiday. Delano
Youth unemployment warning
Luxembourg’s labour minister warned of an impending spike in youth unemployment this year as graduates put off registering as jobseekers. Delano
Red-listed
Luxembourg has been placed on Belgium’s red alert (from orange) list for covid-19 infections, effective of 4pm on Friday. It means anyone travelling to Belgium from Luxembourg will be subject to a 48-hour quarantine and screening. Luxembourg foreign affairs minister Jean Asselborn added on Thursday that there will be no border controls and people can still visit Belgium from Luxembourg for under 48 hours. To stay longer, people must have a good reason. Belgium health ministry.
Coronavirus update
67 people tested positive for covid-19 in Luxembourg on Thursday, out of 6,100 tests performed, health ministry figures show. The effective RT reproduction rate reached 1.14 and the positivity rate was 1.10. The EU has warned the virus epidemic is exceeding the March peak in seven member countries. While deaths rates are lower, infections are soaring again. The Guardian. In the US, coronavirus cases have exceeded 7 million, accounting for more than a fifth of the world’s total. Reuters.
Harley-Davidson leaves India
Iconic motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson has announced it is quitting India, the world’s biggest motorcycle market. The departure involves around 70 redundancies and closure of its Bawal plant. A few weeks ago, Toyota announced it wouldn’t expand further in India for fiscal reasons. Reuters.
Trump niece lawsuit
Donald Trump’s niece, Mary Trump, is suing the US president and his siblings for defrauding her out of an inheritance worth tens of millions of dollars. She accused Trump, his sister, Maryanne, and brother, Robert, of seizing control of their father’s estate and exploiting it to enrich themselves. Reuters.
Apple App challenge
Critics of tech giant Apple have formed a coalition to challenge the App Store’s fees. Spotify and “Fortnite” creator Epic Games have joined Coalition for App Fairness, a nonprofit group challenging the firm’s App Store practices of charging 15%-30% for apps that use its in-app payment system. Reuters.
Amazon and gaming
E-commerce giant Amazon became a player in the gaming market when it rolled out “Luna” on Thursday. The launch comes after Microsoft bought games developer ZeniMax for $7.5b. FT
Banned from directorships
The former chief of Cambridge Analytica, the firm which harvested Facebook data on American voters ahead of the 2016 US elections, has been banned from running limited companies in the UK for seven years. Alexander Nix was issued the ban on the grounds of “unethical services”, including bribery, honeypot stings, voter disengagement campaigns, obtaining information to discredit opponents and spreading anonymous information. FT.
EU challenges quashing of Apple ruling
The European Commission will on Friday appeal a court decision that dismissed an order for Apple to pay €14.3b in back taxes to Ireland. The landmark ruling from the EU’s second-highest court was issued in July and said Brussels had not successfully shown “the requisite legal standard” that the firm received an illegal economic advantage through fiscal arrangements with Ireland. FT
Recycled condoms racket
Police in Vietnam confiscated around 360 kilos of used condoms. The used condoms were reportedly delivered each month by an unknown person. They were boiled, dried and reshaped before being repackaged and resold. The Guardian.
Agenda
25 September: Parliament will discuss the LuxeoSys defence satellite file on Friday with representatives of the company.
25 September: European Commission appointmentsThis weekend offers a last chance to watch a film from the British and Irish Film Season, which closes on 26 September.
28 September: Hear more about the University of Luxembourg’s future plans at this talk at the British Ambassador’s residence.
30 September: Join the digital privacy apéro for tips on protecting yourself and your data from intrusive surveillance and unwanted information gathering, at Rotondes.
Today's briefing was written by Jess Bauldry.