The Today Radio news team brings you the latest headlines for Monday, 18 August.

Luxembourg 

FRIEDEN ON UKRAINES FUTURE – Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Luc Frieden stressed after a video conference with EU leaders and allies that Europe must play a central role in shaping Ukraine’s future, that Russia cannot be rewarded for its aggression, and that achieving peace will be a long and complex process requiring unity and coordination with the United States.

DISORDERLY BEHAVIOUR – A violent theft and two drink-driving incidents have been reported in Luxembourg over the weekend as police were called out to several separate incidents between Saturday and Sunday. These included a violent theft in Luxembourg City's Gare district and two cases of drink-driving in the south of the country.

VEL'OH! VANDALISM – Despite technical upgrades, defective vel’OH! bicycles and vandalism remain major issues for Luxembourg City council.  At 140,000 trips per month for over 1,000 bikes, it appears normal to experience wear and tear. But vandalism remains a big problem. The bikes are often misused. "People sit in the baskets, or they damage the bicycles and cause them to get stuck at docking stations", explains JCDecaux. This leads to situations seen on social media, as users criticise or make fun of the service.

SOLIDARITY EVENT FOR STORM ERIN –  As tropical Storm Erin has wreaked havoc on Cape Verde’s São Vicente and Santo Antão islands, claiming at least ten lives and triggering a state of emergency, Luxembourg's Cape Verdean community rallied to raise funds at a solidarity event this weekend in Bertrange. The Federation of Cape Verdean Associations in Luxembourg expressed its gratitude, stressing that Cape Verde is no longer able to cope alone and urgently depends on external aid.

World

UKRAINE TALKS – As US President Donald Trump said reclaiming Crimea or entering NATO were off the table for Ukraine, European leaders are set to join Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington on Monday for high-stakes talks with the US, amid fears Kyiv could be pressed into territorial concessions to Russia. The meeting comes on the heels of a summit between Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, which failed to yield a ceasefire breakthrough but produced promises from both leaders to provide "robust security guarantees" to Ukraine.

NATIONWIDE DEMONSTRATIONS – Tens of thousands of Israelis poured into central Tel Aviv on Sunday in one of the largest demonstrations yet against the Gaza war, demanding both the release of hostages and a negotiated end to the conflict. Clutching pictures of hostages, waving yellow flags, banging on snare drums and shouting chants to bring captive Israelis home, tens of thousands took to Tel Aviv's streets Sunday to call for an end to the war in Gaza. "We're here to make it very clear to the Israeli government that this is probably the last minute we have to save the hostages that are being held in the Hamas tunnels for almost 700 days", Ofir Penso, a 50-year-old Arabic teacher, told AFP.

BOLIVIAN ELECTIONS – A center-right senator and a right-wing ex-president will advance to a run-off for Bolivia's presidency after the first round of elections on Sunday, marking the end of two decades of leftist rule, preliminary official results showed. Senator Rodrigo Paz was the surprise frontrunner, with 32.15 percent of the vote while former right-wing president Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga in second with 26.87 percent.

ECUADOR POOL HALL MASSACRE – Gunmen have shot dead at least seven people at a pool hall in the Ecuadoran city of Santo Domingo, police said Sunday, in the country's latest gruesome massacre amid soaring gang violence. Police said they were investigating the incident and hunting for those responsible.

Sport

FOOTBALL – Paris Saint-Germain got their defence of the Ligue 1 title off to a winning start on Sunday as Vitinha's deflected strike proved enough to earn the European champions a 1-0 victory away to Nantes.

German great Müller has goal ruled out on MLS debut for Vancouver. Thomas Müller made his Major League Soccer debut on Sunday as a second-half substitute for Vancouver Whitecaps in a 1-1 draw with Houston Dynamo that left the Germany great with "mixed feelings" after he had a goal disallowed for offside.

GOLF – Japans Akie Iwai joins twin sister Chisato as LPGA winner with Portland Classic triumph. She fired six birdies in a six-under par 66 to win the Portland Classic by four strokes and join twin sister Chisato as a first-time LPGA winner in their rookie season on the US tour.

Weather

It’s going to be a bright and sunny Monday with tempreatures similar to the weekend. Starting at 12–14°C in the morning and slowly rising up to  25–27°C  degrees in the afternoon.

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