The Today Radio news team brings you the latest headlines for Tuesday, 27 August.
Luxembourg
ROADWORKS – Luxembourg motorists will be facing road closures and diversions from next Monday until the end of October. The Bridges and Roads Authority has also announced that several motorway tunnels will be closed at night for scheduled maintenance and cleaning - starting with the Gousselerbierg tunnel on the A7.
MINISTRY OF MOBILITY – A new traffic sign designed to improve cyclist safety will soon be introduced on Luxembourg's roads. According to the Ministry of Mobility, the sign will remind motorists to maintain a minimum distance of 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists. These signs will be installed primarily on roads that are part of the national cycling network and will be placed outside urban areas.
RETURNING FROM ITALY – A Luxembourg driver was caught speeding at 221 km/h last weekend while returning from Italy. The incident occurred in the Grand Est region of France on the A4 motorway near Moselle. The driver was apprehended by the Phalsbourg Rapid Intervention Team and received a fine as well as being banned for driving for six months in France.
International
"MASSIVE" AIR ATTACK – Russia fired hundreds of drones and missiles at Ukraine on Monday, killing at least four people and battering the country's already weakened energy grid, officials said.
Moscow's largest attack in weeks on Ukraine triggered widespread blackouts and came after Kyiv claimed new advances in its incursion in Russia's Kursk region.
POLITICAL IMPASSE – French President Emmanuel Macron will hold a new round of talks today for a new prime minister since elections in July gave a left-wing alliance the most seats in parliament but not enough to govern. He has ruled out naming a left-wing government to end the country's political deadlock, saying it would be a threat to "institutional stability". The pressure is on as the deadline to present a draft 2025 budget for the heavily indebted government is just over a month away.
DISAGREEMENT OVER MICROPHONES – A much-anticipated US presidential debate on 10 September between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump has been thrown into question over the subject of muted microphones. The two sides were locked in disagreement over whether each candidate's microphone would be muted when the other spoke with the Harris camp preferring the mics kept on, while Trump's side says they should be turned off. The Republican has threatened to pull out of the showdown.
A METRO FOR ALL – With the Paralympics set to begin in Paris, the city's metro system faces criticism for its limited accessibility, prompting calls for a comprehensive overhaul to better accommodate disabled visitors. The head of the Paris regional transport network has admitted that the city's metro system is near-impossible for disabled people to navigate as the French capital prepares to host the Paralympics. The Games start on Wednesday, with a lack of accessible metro transport for disabled visitors a major gripe.
The first Paris metro opened in 1900 and the network has grown into the busiest system in the European Union, with more than 300 stations spread over 16 lines carrying over four million passengers daily. But only 29 stops are wheelchair-accessible.
Sport
US OPEN – In tennis news, Dominic Thiem's Grand Slam career came to an end at the US Open on Monday on the same Arthur Ashe court where he won his only major in 2020.
The injury-plagued former world number 3 went down to a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 defeat to American 13th seed Ben Shelton. Thiem had already announced his intention to retire from tennis on home ground in Vienna in October.
RIP – Tributes have been paid following the death of former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Eriksson passed away surrounded by his family after revealing in January he had "at best" a year to live after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
The 76-year-old Swede was the first foreign manager of England, taking them to the quarter-finals in 2002 and 2006 World Cups and at Euro 2004.
Weather
Expect a warm, sunny day, with clouds at high altitude from late morning onwards. Temperatures start at 11-13°C in the morning, rising to highs of around 25-27°C by the afternoon. In the evening, they will drop somewhat to 20-22°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.
