The Today Radio news team brings you the latest headlines for Friday, 25 July.

Luxembourg 

FRIEDEN PRESSER – During the press briefing following yesterday's Government Council meeting, Prime Minister Luc Frieden addressed several national and international issues, including the recent network outage at Post Luxembourg. Frieden acknowledged that a number of things had clearly failed to function properly such as the LU-Alert system, noting that it was important to examine why some people received the emergency messages significantly later than others. He stressed that lessons from these events must be integrated into a broader national resilience strategy.  The Government Council also approved a measure to cover part of national grid fees, in an effort to stabilise energy prices. A Space Campus will be established at Kockelscheuer, which will include the headquarters of the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA). A new national strategy for automated and autonomous driving was also adopted. On international affairs, the government made an urgent appeal for humanitarian aid to be allowed into the Gaza Strip.

SUPERMARKET ALTERCATION – Police are investigating a serious altercation that occurred last week outside the Leclerc supermarket in Ettelbruck, during which a man sustained a severe head injury. The suspected perpetrator was apprehended within hours of the event, and an investigation has since been launched. As part of this inquiry, the police are now appealing for witnesses.

LIBERTY STEEL PLOT – The Luxembourg government has announced plans to purchase Liberty Steel's 16-hectare industrial plot in the Wolser B zone between Bettembourg and Dudelange, a move that would effectively conclude the steelmaker's troubled presence in the country. Minister of the Economy Lex Delles confirmed the government's bid in an interview with our colleagues from RTL Télé, citing the site's strategic value as Luxembourg's largest available industrial parcel, with direct access to rail and motorway networks. 

World

FRANCE PALESTINE – France will become the first G7 country to formally recognise a Palestinian state, President Emmanuel Macron has announced, amid an increasingly urgent humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. International concern is growing about the plight of the more than two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where more than 100 aid and rights groups have warned that "mass starvation" is spreading. Macron's announcement drew immediate anger from Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying it "rewards terror" and poses an existential threat to Israel.

THAILAND/CAMBODIA CLASHES – A long-running border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia has erupted into intense fighting with jets, artillery, tanks and ground troops, and the UN Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis later on today. The Thai interior ministry says  more than 100,000 people from four border provinces have fled, while the health ministry said the death toll has risen to 15, with 46 wounded. Cambodian authorities have not released any casualty figures from their side. 

CANADA SEX ASSAULTCASE – Five Canadian professional hockey players accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2018 have been found not guilty, with the judge ruling the complainant's account of the alleged offenses is not credible.The case had captured the country's attention, and raised concern about broader issues in the culture of hockey, Canada's cherished national sport.

HULK HOGAN RIP – Hulk Hogan, the iconic face of professional wrestling in the 1980s who parlayed his prowess in the ring into an acting career, has died at the age of 71. Hogan – a Hall of Fame talent known for his towering 6'7" (two-meter) physique, bandana and distinctive blond handlebar mustache – died at his home in Florida.

7,000 STEPS – Walking just 7,000 steps a day can nearly halve your risk of early death and significantly lower the chances of dementia, depression, and diabetes, according to the largest-ever review of step-count health data. The most widely promoted target for people tracking their number of steps is 10,000 -- but that figure reportedly originally came from a 1960s marketing campaign for a Japanese pedometer.

Sport

RUGBY – Skipper Harry Wilson has vowed the Wallabies will "throw their bodies around" to physically dominate the British and Irish Lions with everything on the line in the crunch second Test. Australia need victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday to keep the three-Test series alive after losing the opener in Brisbane 27-19.

FOOTBALL – UNA Strassen lost to Dundee United 1-0 in the Conference League last night. The return match is on the 31 July at 7pm in Differdange. Tickets for the game have sold out.

CYCLING – Ben O'Connor won stage 18 of the Tour de France yesterday as defending champion Tadej Pogacar extended his race lead. Today’s five-mountain slog between Albertville and La Plaigne will be the last chance for a reversal of fortunes with 60km of steep slopes to negotiate. The race ends Sunday in Paris with the finish line at the Champs Elysees after three climbs to the Sacre Coeur Basilica along the cobbled lanes of Montmartre. You can watch today’s stage live from 3pm on RTL Today and RTL Play.

Weather

After waking up to some “early summer morning fog”, we are in a for a pretty nice day with plenty of sunshine and some light cloud cover throughout. A nice change to the deluges yesterday. As for the temperatures: we have 13–15°C at the low end, going up to 23–25°C.

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