The Today Radio news team brings you the latest headlines for Thursday, 25 April.

Luxembourg

CARGOLUX PROFITS – Cargolux has posted its result for 2023, reporting its highest ever-profits, with the exception of the pandemic years. The company unveiled its latest report to the media, showing that the cargo airline had above all experienced an increase in freight relating to e-commerce and made a profit of 286 million dollars last year.

FINANCIAL STRUGGLES – In a new report by Statec, a quarter of households with children in Luxembourg struggled to make ends meet. Among the most affected demographics were renters, single parents, or people with Portuguese nationality, Statec added, while young people under 25 were also more likely to struggle with money.

STATE BUDGET – Wednesday's debate in the Chamber focused on budget plans for 2025. Finance minister Gilles Roth issued a formal commitment to relieve taxpayers in class 1A - mostly divorced or widowed people - over the course of the next year. However, measures to cushion the rise in energy prices, including the price cap, will expire in 2025. The budget debate continues today and a vote is expected in the afternoon.

FREE CONTRACEPTION – Luxembourg's free universal contraception initiative has seen nearly 50,000 people benefit from the policy, costing the National Health Fund €4.3 million in reimbursements last year. On 1 April 2023, Luxembourg introduced free universal contraception for men and women.

WORLD IMMUNISATION WEEK – As part of World Immunisation Week, Luxembourg's health ministry has issued a reminder for people to check their vaccination status and ensure all vaccinations are up to date. Luxembourg has one of the highest vaccination rates in the EU, according to the Ministry of Health. Despite this, it is still important to ensure all vaccines are up to date, as they can lose their effectiveness over time. A recent example of the necessity of vaccination can be found in the rise in whooping cough cases this winter, particularly among young people.

World

UKRAINE AID –The United States is rushing to send ammunition, weapons and other war supplies to Ukraine, after President Joe Biden signed a much-delayed bill to support the country as it struggles to hold back Russian advances.Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky quickly expressed thanks on social media. The State Department also confirmed that the United States secretly sent long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine, fulfilling a long-standing request from Kyiv.

PORTUGAL ANNIVERSARY – Portugal marks 50 years since a military coup ended a decades-long dictatorship today, an anniversary that comes as a far-right party gains prominence. The anniversary of the Carnation Revolution -- named after the flowers protesters placed in soldiers' guns during the peaceful uprising -- comes a month after the far-right party Chega more than quadrupled its seats in parliament. The highlight of the celebrations will be a military parade through central Lisbon today.

VENICE TOURIST TAX – Venice will begin charging day trippers for entry from today, a world first aimed at easing pressure on the Italian city drowning under the weight of mass tourism. Visitors will for the first time have to buy a five-euro ticket, monitored by inspectors carrying out spot checks at key points in the UNESCO world heritage site.

Sport

FOOTBALL – Starting with national football, after the quarter final matches in the Luxembourg Cup last night, the semi final matches next Wednesday are set. Strassen will play Hesperange and Progres Niederkorn will play against Mondorf-les-Bains.

In other football news, Liverpool's Premier League title bid suffered a devastating blow in a 2-0 defeat to Everton, while Manchester United beat Sheffield 4-2.

Paris Saint-Germain could be confirmed as French Ligue 1 champions at the weekend after Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappe both scored twice in a 4-1 win at Lorient.

GOLF – LIV Golf boss Greg Norman has denied making any financial offer for Rory McIlroy to jump ship from the PGA Tour. A report in Britain last week said McIlroy was poised to switch to LIV in a staggering deal worth $850 million. But the golfer swiftly debunked the rumours in an interview with NBC's Golf Central.

MARATHON – The ING Night Marathon this year is already one for the record. Over 16,000 runners have signed up for the race through the city, taking place on Saturday, 11 May.

Weather

It’s a classic day for Luxembourg weather: morning haze and lots of clouds in the morning, followed by bouts of rain interspersed with a few sprinkles of sunshine here and there. But mostly clouds. Morning temperatures will hover around 0–2°C, getting up to 7–9°C in the afternoon.

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