The Today Radio news team brings you the latest headlines for Friday, 12 July.

Luxembourg

PENSION RESERVES – Luxembourg's pension reserves increased by almost 12% in 2023, according to the latest report published by CNAP, the national pension insurance fund. In a report published on Thursday, CNAP said the reserves stood at just over 27 billion euros as of 31 December 2023 – roughly 4.25 times the annual expenses. The fund received nearly 22,000 pension demands last year. The total number of pensions paid out by the fund has increased by over 31% since 2015, while the number of pensions paid to recipients abroad has risen by over 44% in that same period.

NATO SUMMIT – At the 75th anniversary NATO summit in Washington DC, Luxembourg FM Xavier Bettel emphasised the alliance's united front and the necessity of demonstrating strength without intimidation, underscoring Luxembourg's unique challenges in meeting the two percent GDP defence spending target due to the absence of a domestic industry. The outcome of negotiations at the NATO summit were clear after the first day: all 32 member states are committed to increasing defence spending and providing long-term assistance to Ukraine, showing a unified stance against Moscow.

SWINE FEVER – Although there have been no confirmed cases of African swine fever in the Grand Duchy to date, several cases have been detected amongst pigs and wild boar in Hessen and Rhineland-Palatinate. To prevent infection amongst Luxembourg's pig and wild boar population, the Veterinary and Food Administration (ALVA) has called for compliance with precautionary measures to reduce the spread of African swine fever.

DIESEL PRICE DROP – Following a reduction in SP98 petrol prices the previous day, diesel prices in Luxembourg have now also fallen. The cost of diesel, the most popular fuel in Luxembourg, has decreased by 1.7 cents per litre, bringing the new price to €1.508 per litre. For a typical 50-litre fill-up, this translates to a total cost of €75.40. In contrast, the price of SP95 petrol remains unchanged. Additionally, heating fuel prices have also dropped by 1.4 cents, now costing €0.971 per litre.

World

ERDOGAN WARNING – At NATO’s summit in Washington DC, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned against conflict between NATO and Russia, stating that diplomacy must also be an option. The summit produced several announcements, including F-16 transfers to Ukraine and a US plan to deploy long-range missiles in Germany, with Russia warning of a response to the "very serious threat" from NATO. Erdogan said that Turkey, a rare NATO member not to join sanctions on Russia, supported the "territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine."

ISRAEL DEMAND – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded Thursday that Israel retain control of key Gaza territory along the border with Egypt as part of any accord to suspend the war with Hamas.The condition conflicts with Hamas's position that Israel must withdraw from all Gaza territory after a ceasefire. Speaking after the return of Israeli negotiators from talks with mediators in Qatar, Netanyahu said Israel needed control to stop weapons reaching Hamas from Egypt.

CHINESE TECH BAN – Germany has announced plans to phase out components from Chinese telecom giants Huawei and ZTE in its 5G networks by 2029, citing national security concerns. The ministry said that 5G networks form part of Germany's "critical infrastructure" and are important for the functioning of sectors ranging from health to transport and energy. It was the latest move by Berlin to reduce economic reliance on Beijing that some fear have left it vulnerable, and follows warnings from the EU that the firms pose a risk to the bloc.

Sport

TENNIS – Jasmine Paolini defeated Donna Vekic 3 sets to 2 to earn her place in the Wimbledon Women’s singles final on Saturday. She will face Barbara Krejčíková who triumphed over Elena Rybakina by 3 sets to 2 in the other semi-final.

Today sees the men's single's semi-finals taking place, as Daniil Medvedev takes on Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti faces off against Novak Djokovic.

OLYMPICS – The Paris Olympics already has one gold medal in the bag before it begins with 8.6 million tickets sold – a record for any Games. Paris organisers forecast that total rising to 10 million for the 26 July to 11 August sporting extravaganza, and 3.4 million for the Paralympics staged between 28 August and 8 September.

Weather

So what's in the cards for today? It's a cloudy one, with plenty of rain and even potential thunderstorms. Now before you go and mope, take this rainy day as the perfect opportunity to cancel any plans you might have never wanted to go to in the first place.

In the morning, temperatures will be between 16–19°C. By the afternoon, expect warmer (...but perhaps muggier) temperatures of 21–24°C. It'll cool down in the evening to 16–19°C.

In the case of thunderstorms, beware that sudden short heavy rains may occur!

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