The Today Radio news team brings you the latest headlines for Friday, 10 May.

Luxembourg 

POPE VISIT – Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich has revealed that Pope Francis is "very, very likely" to visit Luxembourg in late September. Nothing is official yet, but given the Pope's confirmed visit to Belgium, a stop in Luxembourg is likely. In an interview with Radio Latina Cardinal Hollerich said the Grand Duke has invited Pope Francis, but the logistics need to be still be discussed. The last visit to the Grand Duchy by a pope was 39 years ago.

DEFENCE SPENDING– The government has announced the purchase of 59 new military vehicles as part of its plan to upgrade the Belgo-Luxembourg battalion by 2030. Luxembourg is investing 2.6 billion euros in defence. Defence Minister Yuriko Backes said that NATO is now more than just a peacekeeping mission, as it now also needs to learn to defend its own territory. For Luxembourg, this means that it also has to adapt.

NICOTINE POUCHES– The sale of nicotine pouches is being regulated, placing them under the same regulatory framework as tobacco products. Under the new regulations, advertising nicotine pouches and free distribution will be banned from October. Sales will be restricted exclusively to adults aged 18 and above. Previously, nicotine pouches had escaped regulation under anti-tobacco laws as they do not contain tobacco.

World

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country is prepared to stand alone carrying out its military operations in the Gaza Strip, after President Biden confirmed the US had paused its delivery of munitions to Israel. Washington has concerns about its offensive in Rafah, in southern Gaza. The US National Security spokesman Jonathan Kirby says an assault on Rafah is not the right option.

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST– The Israeli singer Eden Golan has qualified for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden on Saturday. Her victory came hours after thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in the streets of Malmo, where the contest is being held, to show their support for Gaza.

FRANCE SHOOTING – A man has shot and seriously injured two officers in a police station in Paris, after he seized one of the officers’ weapons. French media reported that the officers had arrested the man and were searching him, when he grabbed one of their weapons and opened fire.

Sport

FOOTBALL – Progrès Niederkorn has won the national football cup, the Coupe de Luxembourg. Following a 1-1 draw with Swift Hesperange, even after extra time, the game went to penalties.  Hesperange missed three shots, enabling Progrès to win 3-1 on penalties.

In the Europa League this year's final is Bayer Leverkusen against Atalanta Bergamo. Last night, Leverkusen drew 2-2 at home against AS Roma in the second leg of the semi-final. Bergamo won at home 3-0 against Marseille. The final is on the 22 May, in Dublin.

In the Conference League, Florence was already a finalist and last night Olympiakos Piraeus was also able to qualify, thanks to a 2-0 victory against Aston Villa. The final is on the 29 May in Athens.

OLYMPICS – The Olympic torch relay completed its first day on French soil in Marseille yesterday, with the port city's football legend Basile Boli taking the flame in front of the iconic basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde before passing it on to a number of other celebrity sports stars on its way to Marseille's iconic Stade Velodrome. Didier Drogba, a Marseille legend, carried the torch and lit the Games' second cauldron, which is situated on the square outside the Velodrome.

CYCLING – Seppe Van den Boer won the second stage of the Flèche du Sud in yesterday in Rameldange. The Belgian was able to prevail in the sprint, and is now also the new overall leader. On the third day today, the King's Stage is a 128 km round trip.

The sixth stage of the Giro d'Italia was won yesterday by Pelayo Sanchez from Spain. Tadej Pogacar is 46 seconds ahead of Geraint Thomas overall. Today there is an individual time trial over 40km in Perugia.

Weather

The sun is out and it feels like summer is within reach! There may be a few clouds in the sky but overall it promises to be even warmer than yesterday.

The morning temperatures will start at 10–12°C before rising to highs of up to 24°C in the afternoon and expect a lovely evening at around 19–21°C.

---

Be sure to catch our full bulletin on the hour, every hour and headlines at half past the hour on Today Radio. You can also access the news via Alexa, and on RTL Play.