The Today Radio news team brings you the latest headlines for Wednesday, 6 August.
Luxembourg
NETWORK OUTAGE – Luxembourg telecoms operator Tango experienced a technical outage on Tuesday morning, leaving approximately half of its customers without full service for several hours. In a statement to RTL, Tango confirmed that the disruption was caused by a hardware failure in its core network and not by a cyberattack.
ELECTRONICS RECYCLING – The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (STATEC) has revealed that most people hold on to their old electronics instead of throwing them away. A deciding 66% of people polled said they chose to keep their old phones, 18% would give away or sell them. 2% just end up tossing them in the bin.
FUEL PRICES – Today sees prices drop for diesel and heating oil across Luxembourg. Diesel will drop by 1.6 cents to €1.423 per litre, while heating oil reduces by 1.9 cents to €0.866 per litre.
World
FRANCE WILDFIRE – A woman has died, nine people are injured and one person is missing in a wildfire of exceptional intensity in the Aude region in France. The fire, unusually large in scale, slowed overnight but continues to threaten several villages. It has burned through more than 11,000 hectares of vegetation and led to the closure of the A9, the main motorway between France and Spain.
HIROSHIMA ANNIVERSARY – Japan is marking 80 years since the atomic bombing of Hiroshima today with a ceremony reminding the world of the horrors unleashed. A silent prayer was held at 8.15am today, the moment when US aircraft Enola Gay dropped the bomb over the western Japanese city on August 6, 1945. The final death toll of the Hiroshima attack would hit around 140,000 people, killed not just by the colossal blast and the ball of fire, but also later by the radiation.
RUSSIA TALKS – US envoy Steve Witkoff has arrived in Moscow, where he will meet the Russian leadership as President Donald Trump's deadline to impose fresh sanctions over Russia's war in Ukraine looms. Trump has given Russia until Friday to halt its offensive in Ukraine or face new penalties.
TITAN SUBMERSIBLE – Multiple failures to follow standard safety protocol led to the deadly implosion of a private submersible visiting the Titanic wreckage in 2023, according to a final report. The US Coast Guard investigation outlined a litany of issues with operator OceanGate's conduct, as well as design flaws in its Titan submersible, that contributed to a "preventable tragedy" in which all five passengers were killed.
Sport
FOOTBALL – The Luxembourg Football Federation (FLF) has indefinitely suspended Gerson Rodrigues from the men's national team. Football federation president Paul Philipp told RTL the indefinite ban on Rodrigues became unavoidable after what he called the player's "disappointing" refusal to engage in reconciliation efforts during June's international window. Rodrigues' inclusion in June friendlies against Slovenia and Ireland sparked public backlash, coming just months after he received an 18-month suspended sentence for domestic violence.
US media are reporting that South Korean football star Son Heung-min, who left Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, will sign with LAFC for an MLS-record transfer fee of $26 million. LAFC on Tuesday night announced a news conference for a "major announcement" today at 2 pm local time that would seem to be the unveiling of Son.
Premier League sides Manchester United and Newcastle have both placed competing bids for in-demand RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko. According to the German tabloid Bild, both clubs have ended up bidding 85 million euros for the 22-year-old centre forward.
RUGBY – Rugby Australia has signalled that more overseas-based players will be allowed to represent the Wallabies, shifting away from a strict policy that has heavily favoured domestic players. With stars such as lock Will Skelton, flanker Tom Hooper and prop Taniela Tupou all joining an exodus to Europe, Rugby Australia has indicated the policy of favouring domestic players has been dropped.
Weather
Clouds at high altitude may hide the sunshine from us this morning, but if we're lucky it might pop out later on in the day! A welcome sight after recent grey days. Expect dry conditions throughout the day, with a light breeze in the afternoon. Temperatures start off a little chillier than usual at 9-11°C in the morning, rising to pleasant highs of 22-24°C in the afternoon.
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