The Today Radio News team brings you the latest news headlines for Friday, 8 September
Luxembourg
PRISON REPORT - The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture has urged Luxembourg authorities to stop detaining children in security units such as the Dreiborn centre, citing "unacceptable" living conditions. The committee report highlights the treatment of young offenders in Luxembourg’s detention centres, as well as poor conditions and lack of separation from adult detainees at the prison in Schrassig. Despite some positive changes, the report calls for stronger legislation to strengthen guarantees over child placement procedures, and urges authorities to improve living conditions at the Dreiborn centre and to reduce incidents of violence among the young residents.
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DEMANDS - With just one month remaining before the legislative elections, the Chamber of Commerce has presented a series of key demands aimed at bolstering national competitiveness and supporting economic growth. Among the demands are reform of the system of automatic indexation of salaries simplifying to a single indexation per year, a lowering of the corporate tax rate to the European average of 22% and the creation of a public investment fund to support entrepreneurship.
World
INDIA G20- US President Joe Biden is attending the G20 in India, promising that the summit will "deliver" despite the absence of the Chinese and Russian leaders. Biden is hoping to seize on the no-shows by the Chinese and Russian leaders to boost US influence, and show that the club of top economies remains a key forum for international issues. Deep disagreements on Russia's war in Ukraine, the phasing out of fossil fuels and debt restructuring will make any agreements at the end of the two-day meeting difficult to come by.
NORTH KOREA SUBMARINE - North Korea has launched its first "tactical nuclear attack submarine" as part of its effort to strengthen its naval force. The vessel was unveiled in a ceremony on Wednesday, presided over the by country’s leader Kim Jong Un. The South Korean military said it did not believe the submarine was ready to be operated normally.
ANNIVERSARY QUEEN'S DEATH - King Charles has expressed his gratitude for the love and support he has received since the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II. There are no formal events to mark the anniversary of his accession, other than a gun salute in Hyde Park and Tower of London and bell ringing at Westminster Abby.
RAPE SENTENCE - Actor Danny Masterson, a star of the sitcom 'That '70s Show', has been sentenced to at least 30 years in prison for raping two women at his home two decades ago. The US actor was convicted in May of drugging and then raping fellow members of the Church of Scientology between 2001 and 2003 at his house in the swanky Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles.
MERCURY PRIZE - The Mercury prize recognising the best British or Irish album of the year has been awarded to a jazz band for the first time. Ezra Collective, a quintet who met at a youth club, were honoured for their second album 'Where I’m meant to be'. It is the first time a jazz artist has won the prize since its inception in 1992 and the band beat artists such as Lankum and Loyle Carner.
Sports
FOOTBALL - The Luxembourg national football team will play against Iceland in the European Cup qualifiers at the Stade de Luxembourg this evening. The game starts at quarter to 9. The Red Lions are currently in 3rd place in their group of 6, Iceland is in 5th place. The stadium is sold out. There will be live commentary on RTL Today.
RUGBY - The Rugby World Cup starts tonight. Hosts France play New Zealand in the opening game in a highly-anticipated match-up between two of the tournament favourites. The French government has revealed plans to ensure tight security at the Rugby World Cup and avoid a repeat of last year's Champions League football final chaos for crowds of fans at the Stade de France. With tonight’s match in the same stadium, the pressure is on ministers and police to make sure everything runs smoothly just under a year before Paris hosts the 2024 Olympics.
AMERICAN FOOTBALL - In the new season of American Football in the USA, the champion of Kansas City lost the opening game at home with 20-21 against Detroit.
TENNIS - Coco Gauff is in the final of the US Open. The 19-year-old player won 6:4, 7:5 against Karolina Muchova from the Czech Republic. Gauff will face either Madison Keys and Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday’s final.
Weather
Today will be the same as yesterday. Clear skies and lots of sunshine. A yellow heat warning has been issued for the southern part of the country. This alert indicating "potential danger" will be in effect from 2pm to 7pm with temperatures hovering around 30 degrees. Temperatures across the country will start off warm at 18-21°C in the morning, rising to highs of 27-31ºC in the afternoon.
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