The Today Radio News team brings you the latest news headlines for Monday, 4 March.

Luxembourg

AGRICULTURE MEETING – Today is the first meeting between government and farmers. Both sides will try to find solutions for the troubled agricultural sector. Martine Hansen, Minister of Agriculture and Serge Wilmes, Minister of the Environment, are discussing issues such as water protection and building in green zones with farmers' representatives.

CITY FIRE – One person was injured in an apartment fire in Luxembourg City late Sunday night, prompting a response from emergency service teams from across the country. An apartment fire on Rue de Wiltz in the capital left one person injured at 11.37pm on Sunday

JOY RIDE – The police put an end to quite an unusual sight: a drunken man taking a joyride in a forklift while another followed suit in a car. Shortly before midnight on Saturday, a witness contacted the police to report that two "young men" were operating a forklift in Rue de l'Industrie in Bertrange. When questioned by the officers, the first individual claimed to have found the vehicle with the keys inside. Both were found to be under the influence of alcohol and the evening concluded with an official report and the confiscation of the car.

SCREENS DRIVING – As Luxembourg strengthens penalties for drivers using mobile phones while driving, the government has revealed the monthly count of recorded offences. In November 2023, a new law came into effect, increasing penalties for drivers caught using their mobile phones while driving. The updated sanctions include a €250 warning (previously €145) and the deduction of four points from the driving licence (against two previously). In January alone, 412 warnings were issued.

World

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – US Vice President Kamala Harris has called for an immediate six-week ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and criticised Israel for insufficient aid deliveries to Gaza. Her comments are the strongest to date by an US administration official since the conflict began.

International intermediaries and Hamas negotiators remain in Cairo for ceasefire talks but Israel is refusing to attend, unless it gets information about which of the remaining hostages are alive. Hamas says it can't do that because of the bombardment and blockade of Gaza.

FRANCE ABORTION – France is set to become the first country in the world to put the right of women to have an abortion into its constitution. A special parliamentary session is being held in Versailles to vote on the amendment.

US PRIMARIES – Nikki Haley has won the US Republican Primary in Washington DC, a first victory over Donald Trump in the race to become the party's candidate in the US Presidential elections. She won more than 60% of the votes. Trump's campaign said Haley had been rejected throughout the rest of America and she had been crowned "Queen of the Swamp" by lobbyists and DC insiders.

SPACE MISSION – Three American astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut have blasted off from Florida for a six-month mission on the International Space station. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center. Space remains a rare area of cooperation between the United States and Russia since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Sport

FOOTBALL – In Luxembourg, it was the 19th game day in the football championships. After a 2-0 victory against Mondorf, Differdange remains the table leader. With a 4-point lead over F91 Dudelange, who drew 2-2 with Kaerjeng. Hesperange is third in the table, after a 5-4 win over Wiltz.

A few results in international football over the weekend: In the Bundesliga, the table leader Leverkusen won 2-0 against Köln. And now has a 10-point lead over Bayern. Bremen beat Hoffenheim 2-1.

In England, Manchester City won the city duel against Manchester United with 3-1.

And in Italy, Napoli won 2-1 against Juventus.

ATHLETICS – Luxembourg's Patrizia van der Weken competed in the 60m event at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Glasgow on Saturday. She qualified for the final, finishing in 7th place with a time of 7.15 seconds. Her best time and national record is 7.09 seconds, which she set in January.

In other news from the world indoor championships, Devynne Charlton bettered her own 60m hurdles world record with a time of 7.65 seconds and Armand Duplantis once again ruled supreme in the pole vault of 6.05 metres.

CYCLING – Olav Kooij won the opening stage of Paris-Nice by a hair's breadth from Mads Pedersen on Sunday when the 158km hilly run came down to a mass sprint.The 22-year-old is shaping up as one of the top sprinters in the peloton after his third win of the season and also took the overall lead of the eight-day race from the Paris region to the Riviera town of Nice.

Weather

It's a very cloudy day with some light winds. There is a possibility of some sunshine, but if it does get through the thick cloud cover, it will be towards the end of the day. Morning temperatures of 4–6°C will rise towards highs of 9–12°.

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