The Today Radio news team brings you the latest headlines for Friday, 9 August.
Luxembourg
PENSION SHORTFALL - Luxembourg's National Pension Insurance Fund may face a significant shortfall, with expenditures possibly surpassing income as early as 2027. According to Alain Reuter, Chairman of the National Pension Insurance Administration (CNAP), the anticipated deficit would amount to approximately €100 million more in expenditures than revenue. Although this figure might seem minor relative to the fund's annual expenditure of €8 billion, it represents a substantial financial gap.
LUXAIR FACTCHECK - Luxair has clarified that a video suggesting one of its planes caught fire is misleading. The incident, caused by a malfunctioning power generator in Crete, only involved steam, not flames. A video circulating on social media, titled to suggest that a Luxair 737 plane caught fire shows an aircraft taking off from Heraklion airport in Crete, with a visible white smoke cloud. The Luxembourgish company clarified that while one of their aircraft was involved in the incident, it did not catch fire and the aircraft itself was unaffected.
BLUETONGUE DISEASE - Luxembourg has confirmed 39 cases of bluetongue disease in livestock, prompting a vaccination campaign to prevent further spread. As of Thursday morning, the Ministry of Agriculture confirmed in a press release that Luxembourg has 39 animals infected with bluetongue disease (BTV) across 28 farms. The affected animals include 25 cattle, 13 sheep, and 1 goat.The virus is not transmissible to humans, even through the consumption of meat or milk from infected animals.
WALZ LUXEMBOURGISH ANCESTRY - Tim Walz, Kamala Harris' vice-presidential candidate, has Luxembourgish roots. His great-great-grandfather, Nicolas Reiser, was born in Kehlen and this connection makes Walz part Luxembourgish. According to Luxroots, the Genealogy Center of Luxembourg, Walz’s great-great-grandfather was born in Kehlen in 1836, married Susanne Pütz from Septfontaines before emigrating to the US, where they had had 12 children.
World
MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT - The US, Qatar and Egypt have called on Israel and Hamas to resume negotiations about a Gaza ceasefire next week. Israel has agreed to attend the talks on August 15, but there’s been no response so far from Hamas. Regional tensions are skyrocketing over the war. Gaza's Hamas-controlled civil defence agency said Israeli bombardment killed more than 18 people in strikes on two schools yesterday and at least 13 people were killed elsewhere in Gaza.
UKRAINE WAR - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia needed to "feel" the consequences of its war as a major Ukrainian incursion across the Russian border stretched into a third day. Pro-Kyiv forces stormed into Russia's southwestern Kursk region on Tuesday morning, deploying around 1,000 troops and more than two dozen armoured vehicles and tanks, according to the Russian army. It appears to be the most significant Ukrainian attack into Russia since the war began, with independent analysts suggesting Kyiv's troops had advanced up to 10 kilometres into Russia.
US ELECTIONS - Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have agreed a date for their first televised debate, with the broadcaster ABC News confirming they will host the show on September 10th. Earlier Trump said he would be open to debating his Democratic rival multiple times before November’s election. He also briefly responded to doubts voiced by President Biden over whether he would concede the election peacefully if he lost. He said that of course there would be a peaceful transfer.
OLYMPICS CLOSING CEREMONY - With Tom Cruise widely predicted to engage in a death-defying stunt on the roof of the Stade de France, Sunday's Paris Olympics closing ceremony promises a memorable passing of the five rings flag to Los Angeles. Artistic director Thomas Jolly has revealed it will combine "wonder" with "dystopia", suggesting some darker elements than the joyful and impertinent tone of the opening ceremony that drew a record audience of more than a billion worldwide.
Sport
OLYMPICS 2024 – Today is the third-last day of the Olympic Games in Paris with the closing ceremony taking place on Sunday evening. In the medals table, after 12 days, the USA continues to lead, with now 103 medals, of which 30 are gold. 54 countries have won at least one gold medal so far.
One of them is Botswana. Yesterday evening, Letsile Tebogo won gold in the 200m sprint with a new African record. It is the first and so far only medal for Botswana at these games.
The men’s Olympic 100m champion, Noah Lyles has said he believes his participation at the Paris Games is over, after he tested positive for Covid. The American sprinter revealed his diagnosis after finishing 3rd in the 200m final last night, dashing his hopes of securing a sprint double.
In the women's 400 meter hurdles, there was a new world record. The American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone took 50.37seconds to win gold.
In the men's javelin throw, there was a surprise. Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem immediately threw the javelin at 92.79m on the first attempt. A new Olympic record and noone came close to that distance.
In men's basketball, the final is France against the USA today. The United States had to dig deep to erase a 17-point deficit to beat Nikola Jokic's Serbia 95-91 yesterday to keep their bid for a fifth straight Olympic men's basketball gold medal alive.
Medals today will be awarded in men's table tennis, in the canoe sprint, in sport climbing, in football with France playing Spain in the men's final, and in athletics - among others, the 4 x 100 meter relays for men and women.
Weather
Hope you didn't get too used to the sun, since we'll be seeing considerable cloud coverage today. A little bit of rain is not out of the question either, especially in the north of the country. The wind also makes a return, generally clocking at 20–30 km/h. Temperature-wise, the minimum will be a bit higher today, sitting between 15–17°C. The max will hover around the 24–26°C range.
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