The Today Radio news team brings you the latest headlines for Tuesday, 3 September.
Luxembourg
POPE VISIT – In a little more than three weeks, Pope Francis will visit Luxembourg, during which he will meet the Catholic community of the Grand Duchy. The gathering is scheduled for 4.30pm at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg City, with additional space provided in a tent to be set up in the cathedral's inner courtyard. Due to the limited number of seats available, the Archdiocese has implemented an online registration system. The registration form will be accessible from 9am this morning, until 5pm on Thursday, 5 September. If the number of applicants exceeds the available spots, a draw will be conducted to allocate places.
POST OFFICE – A new report shows that postal services revenue climbed to over €209 million last year. This marks an 8% increase from 2022.
SINGLE PILOT – One of Luxembourg's unions, the LCGB has voiced strong objections to a proposal that would cut the number of pilots on commercial flights to one during the cruise phase. The union is concerned by Luxembourg's plan to implement this proposal starting in 2027, without prior consultation. It argues that safety systems must be in place to detect pilot exhaustion.
World
EU COMMISSIONERS – EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has made her first picks for her top team, with the key economy vice-president job going to Italy's far-right nominee. According to the German newspaper Die Welt, von der Leyen, who secured a second term as commission chief in July, is set to give Raffaele Fitto from the far-right Brothers of Italy party the executive vice-president portfolio in charge of the economy and post-pandemic recovery. Others to be named include Valdis Dombrovskis, from Latvia and currently EU's trade chief. France's Thierry Breton will take on industry and strategic autonomy, according to Die Welt. Spain's Environment Minister Teresa Ribera has been chosen for a "transition" portfolio, which will include ecology and digital affairs. The nominee for the EU's foreign policy chief, Estonia's outgoing leader Kaja Kallas, will also be named an executive vice president. After the Commission president names her line-up, the candidates undergo confirmation hearings in the European Parliament in September and October.
SWEDEN TRIAL – Eleven people go on trial in Sweden today, accused of illegally dumping toxic waste in the country's biggest-ever environmental crime case. A once-acclaimed waste management company is accused of dumping or burying some 200,000 tonnes of waste, with no intention of processing it correctly. High levels of PCBs, lead, mercury, arsenic, and other chemicals were released into the air, soil, and water, prosecutors said, endangering the "health of humans, animals and plant life".
VOLKSWAGEN TRIAL – Former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn is set to go on trial today for his role in the “dieselgate” scandal, nine years after the saga first plunged the German carmaker into crisis. VW admitted in 2015 that it had installed software to rig emissions levels in millions of vehicles worldwide, setting off one of German's biggest post-war industrial scandals. Winterkorn faces charges including fraud over the so-called defeat devices, which made cars appear less polluting in lab tests than they were on the road, and could be jailed for 10 years, if convicted.
Sport
PARALYMPICS 2024 – After five days of competition, China has extended its lead in the medal count of the Paralympics. Chinese athletes have collected 87 medals, of which 43 are gold. Team GB has 29 gold medals so far and the USA 13. Today are the first finals in fencing and riding, as well as swimming and athletics.
CYCLING – Yesterday was a rest day in the Vuelta with a difficult day ahead, including an ascent of more than 13 km. Australian cyclist Ben O'Connor continues to lead, a full minute ahead of the Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic.
TENNIS – At the US Open in tennis, women's world number one Iga Swiatek, has stayed on course for a sixth Grand Slam title with a straight-sets win over Russia's Liudmila Samsonova. In the men, world number one Jannik Sinner and former champion Daniil Medvedev have set up a quarter-final showdown after both winning their matches yesterday.
Meanwhile Alexander Zverev and fellow Grand Slam veteran Grigor Dimitrov look to make the semi-finals. US duo Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe are standing in their way as they aim to end their country's 21-year wait for a male Slam champion.
FOOTBALL – Uruguay icon Luis Suarez has announced his retirement from international football, confirming that he will hang up his boots following Friday's 2026 World Cup qualifier against Paraguay in Montevideo.The former Barcelona and Liverpool striker is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation and will retire from international football as Uruguay's top scorer with 69 goals from 142 appearances.
Weather
The day starts with mist in the morning, gradually giving way to cloudy skies throughout the day. We might catch a glimpse of the sun if we're lucky but there could be potential for rain showers in the evening. Morning temperatures start off at 16–18°C, rising to highs of 24–26°C in the afternoon.
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