Top Trump advisor caught coronavirus
One of Donald Trump’s closest aides, Hope Hicks, has tested positive for covid-19. She is reportedly suffering symptoms of the illness and has quarantined herself. Hicks travelled with Trump to his election debate with Joe Biden in Ohio on Tuesday and a campaign rally in Minnesota on Wednesday. Both Trump and his wife are waiting for their own test results to come back. Trump said they would quarantine themselves in the meantime. Sources: BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Politico and Washington Post.
Update, 9am: Donald Trump confirmed that he and his wife tested positive for covid-19. More from the Financial Times and The Guardian.
Amazon reveals how many US staff caught covid-19
The retail and tech giant Amazon said 19,800 of its US frontline workers, 1.44% of the total, got covid-19. The number includes its Whole Foods supermarket chain. Sources: CNBC, Marketwatch and Reuters.
Latest covid-19 vaccine news
Amsterdam: The European Medicines Agency will begin a “rolling review”, an accelerated authorisation process, of the Astrazeneca-Oxford University covid-19 vaccine. Sources: Bloomberg and Seeking Alpha. Washington: The US Food and Drug Administration will expand its inquiry into an adverse reaction observed during a trail of the Astrazeneca-Oxford University covid-19 vaccine. Sources: Financial Times and Reuters. London: A Royal Society report said that even if a covid-19 vaccine is successfully released next spring, life will not return to normal any time soon and restrictions will need be lifted gradually. Sources: BBC and The Guardian.
Latest Luxembourg coronavirus numbers
One person died due to covid-19 on Wednesday, bringing the total number of deaths in the grand duchy since the outbreak began to 125. Out of the 6,039 Luxembourg residents tested, 86 were positive. 30 people were in hospital, including 5 in intensive care. The RT effective reproduction rate was 0.8 (below the threshold of 1). Source: Health ministry and Paperjam.
Luxembourg workforce shrank in Q2
The number of people working in Luxembourg in the second quarter of the year declined by 0.7%. Only employment in the public and construction sectors grew. Sources: Delano and Paperjam.
Tram construction on time
Luxtram said the tram line running from the place de l’Étoile to the central train station would open, as scheduled, on 13 December. Sources: Delano and 100,7.
Lawyers can keep cache clients confidential
A Luxembourg court ruled that lawyers named in the “Panama Papers” cache of tax papers do not have to provide details about their clients to the tax service. The government can appeal the case. Source: Delano.
Brexit relocations continue
Financial firms have shifted 7,500 jobs and £1.2trn in assets from the UK to the EU ahead of Brexit, an EY report found. 400 of those positions were moved in September. Sources: Bloomberg, CityAM, Reuters and Sky News.
EU sues UK over withdrawal agreement
The European Commission started legal action against the UK over Britain’s “internal markets bill” which would break part of the Brexit deal. London could end up before the European Court of Justice, in Kirchberg. Sources: AFP, BBC, Euractiv and Financial Times.
H&M to close locations
The world’s second largest clothing retailer, H&M, said it would shut around 250 of its 5,000 stores worldwide next year as shopping continues to shift online: Sources: BBC, CNN and Financial Times.
Playboy to re-list
The adult media and lifestyle company Playboy Enterprises will return to the market by merging with an already-listed vehicle. The firm went private in 2011. Playboy is looking raise roughly $101.5m in cash. Sources: CityAM, Financial Times and New York Post.
Brussels sanctions Belarus
EU leaders have agreed on sanctions against Belarus following a government crackdown on peaceful pro-democracy protestors. President Alexander Lukashenko was not among the 40 Belarus officials targeted. Sources: Deutsche Welle, The Guardian and Reuters.
Brussels warns Turkey
EU leaders told Turkey it would impose sanctions if it did stop its “provocations and pressures” resulting from Ankara’s maritime border disputes with Greece and Cyprus. Sources: BBC, Deutsche Welle and Politico.
Navalny points finger at Putin
The Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny said he blamed Vladimir Putin for poisoning him. Sources: BBC, Deutsche Welle, Financial Times and NPR.
Agenda
Monday 5 October, 12pm-2pm: Pascal Steichen of Securitymadein.lu speaks on the internet of things during an Amcham webinar. Tuesday 6 October, 3pm-4:30pm: Christine Lagarde, Pierre Gramegna, Valdis Dombrovskis and Klaus Regling are among the speakers at the Bridge Forum Dialogue’s “The economic and monetary union by stages” online conference. Friday 9 October: Sophia Karlsson is Luxembourg host of Live2Lead, John C Maxwell’s global leadership conference. Friday 9-Saturday 10 October: The Game of Code 2020 hackathon. Tuesday 13 October, 6:30pm-7:30pm: Irish chamber’s online conference on the impact of covid-19 on the hotel sector.
Here are 5 science & technology stories you may have missed
Aeronautics: An Airbus drone, that reportedly can stay aloft continuously for 25 days, crashed 90 minutes into a test flight in Australia, per The Register. Animals: Popular Science explains how cats and dogs see and smell. Biology: Researchers found evidence that crows have a form of consciousness that previously had only been detected in humans and other primates, per Smithsonian magazine. Medicine: A drug given to mice on the International Space Station helped prevent muscle and bone loss, which could help future astronauts travelling to Mars and possibly even patients on Earth, per NPR. Public health: Researchers have found some evidence (but not conclusive proof) that covid-19 was transmitted through toilet pipes in apartment buildings in Hong Kong and New York City, per Science magazine.
Appreciation of the US
Buzzfeed collected comments from Reddit on the things that non-Americans “actually like about America”.
‘Fowl’ language
A British zoo separated 5 grey parrots because they were swearing too much, per the Associated Press.
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Aaron Grunwald