Ireland to enter second shutdown
The Irish government said the country would re-enter lockdown in a bid to combat the growing number of covid-19 cases. Micheál Martin, the prime minister, said: “I am asking everyone to take this threat seriously.” People should work from home if they can and non-essential travel will be limited to a 5km radius. Non-essential shops are to be closed, with restaurants and pubs limited to takeaway service. However, schools and childcare centres will remain open. The measures take effect at midnight on Wednesday and last 6 weeks. Sources: AFP, BBC, Irish Times, The Guardian and RTE.
EU turns on contact tracing app network
The German, Irish and Italian contact tracing apps, collectively downloaded by 30m people, were connected by an EU ‘interoperability gateway’ on Monday. The Czech, Danish, Latvian and Spanish apps are expected to connect to the system next week. Altogether, 20 national apps will be synced up this year. However, France and Hungary have said they will not join. The grand duchy does not have a national contact tracing app, although the EU network is operated from a European Commission data centre in Luxembourg. Sources: Brussels Times, Computer Weekly, Paperjam, Techcrunch and Wired.
Latest Luxembourg coronavirus figures
Two people died due to covid-19 in Luxembourg on Sunday, bringing the total recorded since the start of the pandemic to 135. Out of 1,049 Luxembourg residents tested for covid-19 on Sunday, 112 were positive (bringing the cumulative total to 11,010). The positive rate was 17.89 per 100,000 inhabitants (down from 38.65 on Saturday). There were 59 patients in hospital (compared to 51), including 4 in intensive care (unchanged). The Rt effective reproduction rate was 1.2 (down from 1.4), above the targeted threshold of 1. Source: Luxembourg health ministry.
No right to telework in Luxembourg
The proposed right to telecommute will not be written into law, Dan Kersch, the labour minister (LSAP), said during a parliamentary hearing that was sparked by a public petition calling for such a measure. Current remote working rules will be updated, however. Sources: Delano and Paperjam.
This week’s Trump & Biden debate will feature ‘mute’ button
Donald Trump and Joe Biden will have their microphones switched off at certain times during their final US presidential election debate, to be held on Thursday. Sources: CNBC, The Guardian and NPR.
Britain and EU to “intensify talks”
Brexit negotiations between the EU and UK appeared set to restart, after breaking down last Friday. Sources: BBC, Euractiv, Deutsche Welle, Financial Times and Reuters.
UK & UK accuse Russian hackers
US prosecutors have charged 6 Russian military intelligence officers with cyberattacks on French elections, Ukraine’s power grid and a US hospital. The UK government said they planned to target the Tokyo Olympics. Sources: BBC, Deutsche Welle, Financial Times, The Guardian and Reuters.
IMF: oil prices to remain steady next year
The International Monetary Fund forecast that the price of crude oil would be $40-$50 per barrel in 2021 (it was trading around $41-$43 on Monday). Sources: CNBC and Oilprice.com.
Hedge fund in talks to buy Flybe
The regional airline Flybe, which shut down in March after a covid-19 cash crunch, could restart next year under new ownership. Sources: Financial Times, The Guardian and Sky News.
Luxembourg crémant take prizes
Local sparkling wines won 16 gold, 8 silver and 2 bronze medals at a prestigious crémant competition. Sources: Delano and Paperjam.
Agenda
Wednesday 21 October, 12noon: American chamber talk on how Brexit could be a business opportunity for some companies. Wednesday 21 October, 6pm: Delano and Paperjam Club host a US elections debate. Wednesday 21 October, 6pm: International School of Luxembourg virtual open house for families with children aged 3 to 7. Monday 26 October, 10am-3pm: The Alfi and Alrim trade associations discuss best practices for risk management professionals. Thursday 29 October, 6:30pm: Polish chamber’s monthly networking meetup.
Cross-cultural understanding
The BBC explained “Why the French love to complain” and why that could be a good thing.
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Aaron Grunwald