The Today Radio news team brings you the latest headlines for Monday, 19 August.
Luxembourg
MPOX MEASURES - Luxembourg's Ministry of Health says it is taking strong measures to monitor and control Mpox, which has not caused any deaths in the country so far. The first cases of Mpox, or monkeypox, were detected outside of Africa this week, with cases reported in Sweden and Pakistan. According to the ministry, 61 cases of Mpox (clade II) have been declared in the country since 2022, mainly affecting adult men. The vast majority of these suffered a mild or moderate form of the disease and did not require hospitalisation. The press release further specified that Luxembourg maintains sufficient stock of the Mpox vaccine.
PIRATE PARTY RESIGNATIONS - The Pirate Party lost two municipal councillors over the weekend as both Mondercange's Steven Curfs and Vincenzo Turcarelli from Käerjeng announced their intentions to resign from the party.Both councillors said they could no longer identify with the party and did not agree with the party's current management practices.
DRUG DEATHS - Luxembourg's efforts to combat drug-related deaths have shown progress, with a decline in overdose fatalities linked to the implementation of controlled consumption rooms and expanded treatment programmes, according to Health Minister Martine Deprez said that in 2015, there were 12 deaths from drug overdoses, which went down to eight in 2022, and back up to nine in 2023.
SUPERMOON - And finally, get ready for a stunning supermoon visible until Tuesday. The moon is at its closest to Earth, appearing significantly larger and brighter than usual. But that’s not all. The supermoon is also a "Blue Moon" - a term that doesn’t describe the moon’s colour but rather signifies the third full moon in a season with four full moons.
VIANDEN POOL - Vianden's iconic outdoor swimming pool has reopened after five years. During the closure, those in charge of the site completely overhauled the technical aspects of the pool. Currently, only 500 people can enter, so visitors are advised to purchase their tickets online beforehand. Once the large pool opens to the public in 2025, the capacity will be increased to a maximum of 1,110 visitors.
World
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR - The United States top diplomat Antony Blinken will meet the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this morning, in his latest push to agree a ceasefire in Gaza and secure the release of hostages, held by Hamas. Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of obstructing the talks. Blinken will then travel to Cairo tomorrow, where ceasefire talks will resume in the coming days.
US ELECTIONS - In the United States, thousands of Democrats are descending on Chicago where the party’s National Convention will today formally endorse Kamala Harris as its presidential candidate. The Vice-President will arrive on a wave of momentum in her campaign to beat Donald Trump to the White House in November. Harris's headline convention speech on Thursday is expected to cast the election as a "fight for the future" against a second Trump term, while promising an optimistic vision for Americans struggling with high prices.
UKRAINE WAR - The Ukrainian President has said one of the aims of his country’s military incursion into Russia, is to create a buffer zone between the countries. Volodymr Zelensky said the intention was to destroy as much Russian war potential as possible.
ALAIN DELON RIP - French film legend Alain Delon has died aged 88. The actor, known for his roles in classics "Purple Noon" ("Plein Soleil", 1960) and "Le Samourai" (1967) had been suffering from cancer. French President Emmanuel Macron said Delon "played legendary roles and made the world dream" while fellow 1960s star Brigitte Bardot told AFP he left "a huge void that nothing and no one will be able to fill".
Sport
CYCLING – Poland's Katarzyna Niewiadoma won her first women's Tour de France title by just four seconds on Sunday. The 29-year-old rider summited the last gruelling Alpine ascent one minute one second behind stage winner Demi Vollering to maintain her grip on the yellow jersey.
And Kaden Groves edged a bunch sprint finish to claim victory on stage two of the Spanish Vuelta yesterday. The Belgian cyclist Wout Van Aert now leads overall. Today’s stage three remains in Portugal, taking riders just over 191km from Lousa to Castelo Branco.
FOOTBALL – In the German Cup, Köln beat Sandhausen 3-2 after extra time. The decisive goal was scored by the Luxembourgish national player Mathias Olesen. This evening Braunschweig meets Frankfurt and Koblenz is playing against Wolfsburg.
In the English Premier League, Manchester City beat Chelsea 2-0.
In the French league, it was a 1-1 draw between Montpellier and Strasbourg. Rennes beats Lyon at home 3-0.
And in Spain, Kylian Mbappe was left frustrated on his Real Madrid La Liga debut as Real Mallorca held the Spanish and European champions to a 1-1 draw in their title defence opener.
Weather
Another beautiful day lies in store, getting the week off to a shining start. While Luxembourg's valleys and low-lying areas may be blanketed in mist this morning, we'll be graced with glorious sunshine and scattered clouds as the day progresses. Temperatures start off at around 13–15°C in the morning, rising to highs of 23–25°C in the afternoon.
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