The Today Radio news team brings you the latest headlines for Friday, 27 September

Luxembourg 

POPE VISIT – Pope Francis arrived in Brussels yesterday evening after spending the day in Luxembourg, where he made a plea for international diplomacy amid flaring conflicts across the globe. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde will host the pope at their royal residence, before he meets academics at the Catholic university of Leuven -- whose 600th anniversary next year was the official reason for Francis's visit. But the heart of the pope’s 46th trip abroad is his acknowledgement of priest paedophilia in Belgium. According to AFP, he will meet 15 victims of clerical sexual assault at the Vatican's diplomatic mission in Brussels this evening.  Photos and pictures of his visit to Luxembourg yesterday, including the journey in the popemobile, for which ten thousand people gathered in the city, can be found on today.rtl.lu

ING CLOSURES – The ING bank has released a statement denying plans to carry out further client account closures, after reports circulated regarding the claims earlier this week. While the bank said it did not plan to close further accounts, it did confirm that several branches in Kirchberg, Cloche d'Or, and Rodange would be shut down.

REFUGEE CENTRE - A refugee reception centre in Eich, initially slated for closure earlier this year, will now remain open until spring 2025, as authorities work to rehouse residents amid the country's ongoing housing challenges.

MISSING PERSON - Police are looking for Solveiga Lielmane, who was last seen on 1 August of this year. She is between 1,60-1,70m tall and has a light brown skin colour. She has green eyes, mid length black hair and speaks Estonian, Russian, Italian, French and English. People with any information, should contact the police.

World

MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT – Israel has rejected a push by allies for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon and vowed to keep fighting Hezbollah militants "until victory", ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's expected address to the UN General Assembly today. Israeli bombing of Iran-backed Hezbollah strongholds around Lebanon has killed hundreds of people this week, while the militant group has retaliated with rocket barrages.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called on the international community to stop supplying Israel with weapons. Speaking at the UN General Assembly, he emphasized that anyone who continues to do so is co-responsible for what is happening to his people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel is currently in New York and is holding a number of meetings where the conflict in the Middle East is the main subject. Yesterday, on behalf of the Luxembourg government, Bettel called on Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon to stop the violence.

ZELENSKY / TRUMP - Ukrainian President Zelensky will meet Donald Trump today. Trump, who has long been critical of the billions of dollars in US support for Ukraine, has also accused Zelensky of refusing to strike a deal with Moscow. As probably the most important partner for Kyiv, the outcome of the US elections in November is also decisive for the course of the war in Ukraine. Kamala Harris has already made it clear that she will continue to support Ukraine should she be elected.

HURRICANE HELENE - Hurricane Helene has made landfall in Florida's coast, bringing chaos to a wide swathe of the Gulf coast and threatening high winds, storm surges and drenching rainfall. Officials are warning of "unsurvivable" conditions and a potentially catastrophic storm surge, high enough to swamp a two-story house.

Sport

SWIMMING - Kaylee McKeown smashed the women's 100m short-course backstroke world record after a last-minute decision to enter the Australian championships following her wins at the Olympics. She set a new world record of 54.56 seconds.

TENNIS - US Open finalist Taylor Fritz has crashed out of the Japan Open in the first round and Frances Tiafoe, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas joined him on a day of shocks in Tokyo.Top seed Fritz was bundled out in 3 sets by France's Arthur Fils.

FOOTBALL -Some results from last night’s Europa League football matches: 
Rangers beat Malmo 2-0, Eintracht Frankfurt drew 3-3 with Victoria Plzen, Roma were held to a 1-1 draw by Athletic Bilbao and Tottenham beat Qarabag 3-0 despite playing more than 80 minutes with 10 men.

Weather

The wet weather will continue throughout most of the day, although it'll be less rain than yesterday. Even during the slight pauses of rain, expect clouds and wind all day. Morning temperatures start chilly between 7–11°C and will reach around 11–14°C by the afternoon.

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