The Today Radio news team brings you the latest headlines for Monday, 6 May
Luxembourg & the Greater Region
TRIER RAMPAGE - The verdict will be announced today against the man who ploughed his car through a crowd of people in Trier in December 2020. In total, 6 people lost their lives. In a first trial, the now 54-year-old man a was sentenced to life imprisonment in a closed psychiatric ward. However, this ruling was overturned due to legal errors. Among other things, the impact that alcohol would have had on the offender's mental illness was not considered.
CAR ACCIDENTS - An accident happened on the Esch motorway last night. A car overturned and flew over the guardrails. Three people were injured and rescue services from the whole area, including a rescue helicopter were in action. Earlier in the day, a 82-year-old driver crashed his vehicle into a wall at Simmerfarm near Habscht. Emergency services were immediately called to the scene, but the man was already dead upon their arrival.
EUROPEAN ELECTIONS - Most political parties in Luxembourg have launched their campaigns for the upcoming EU elections and posters have been put up across the country over the weekend. There are 78 candidates, for a total of 6 Luxembourg seats in the European Parliament. The DP, presenting itself as a pro-European party that wants to solve internal problems and improve future opportunities is running under the motto “Strengthen what protects us.” The Greens, also launching their campaign on Friday are highlighting sustainability and social responsibility as key themes. In Belval on Saturday, Fokus unveiled its program for the European elections. "Europe must deliver" is the resounding message from Fokus, highlighting issues from conflicts and climate change to the impacts of the pandemic.
World
CHINA FRANCE - Chinese leader Xi Jinping is on a state visit to France, where is he is meeting French President Macron and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Macron is set to warn China against backing Russia in the conflict over Ukraine but also seek to enlist his help in finding an end to the war. The trip is Xi's first to Europe since 2019 and will also see him visit Serbia and Hungary later in the week.
BRAZIL FLOODS - Authorities in southern Brazil are scrambling to rescue people from raging floods and mudslides in what has become the region's largest ever climate catastrophe, with at least 78 dead and over 100,000 people forced from their homes. Entire cities are underwater, with thousands of people cut off from the world by the floodwater, brought by days of torrential rains.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR - Efforts aimed at securing a truce in exchange for hostages held in Gaza are due to resume today. But hopes are not high as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that "surrendering" to a demand to end the war would amount to defeat, while Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh accused Netanyahu of sabotaging the talks. Meanwhile, Israel has now banned Qatar’s state-owned news broadcaster Al Jazeera. Israel claims the channel has collaborated with Hamas.
Sport
FORMULA 1 - Formula 1, McLaren's Lando Norris has won the first Formula One race of his career with a shock victory over world champion Max Verstappen in the Miami Grand Prix. Norris, in his 110th race for McLaren, beat Verstappen by over seven seconds with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finishing third. Verstappen, who began on pole, had won four of the opening five races of the season and leads the world championship standings.
TENNIS - Andrey Rublev has won the Madrid Open with a hard-fought 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime to secure his second title of the year, despite battling with illness. The Russian world number eight said he was "almost dead every day" and could barely sleep this week after securing a career second Masters 1000 victory.
FOOTBALL - Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen extended their season-long unbeaten run to 48 games with a 5-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday. In other matches, Mainz and Heidenheim drew 1-1 and Bochum beat Union Berlin 4-3.
In England, Liverpool won 4-2 against Tottenham. Chelsea beat West Ham 5-0.
And Sporting Lisbon became champion in Portugal.
Gerson Rodrigues, the Luxembourg striker, who joined Slovan Bratislava on loan in February, has terminated his contract before the end of the season. The club cited his behaviour as incompatible with top-level football. Gerson Rodrigues is expected to return to Dynamo Kiev, where his contract will run until June 2025 - for now.
CYCLING - Tadej Pogacar took control of the Giro d'Italia on Sunday with his maiden stage win on the Grand Tour, blitzing his rivals to the summit finish and snatching the overall leader's pink jersey. Slovenian Pogacar, who is taking part in his first ever Giro, narrowly missed out on victory on Saturday's opening stage but made it clear he is the man to beat.
Weather
Expect some light rain showers to move through the morning, providing a gentle but noticeable dampness to start the day. The temperature will remain modest, from a nighttime low around 9°C up to 15°C by day. The morning might feel particularly brisk, especially during the rain showers. And rain is virtually guaranteed for the rest of the day, with a possible break in the early evening.
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