NEW PETITIONS - Eight new petitions have been launched. They need at least 4,500 signatures by August 30th to be publicly debated in the Chamber of Deputies. They include a demand for a national law that should regulate the handling of fireworks. Among other petitions, there is a demand for cheaper prices at the Schueberfouer, for a first aid course to be included in the driving test, and one petition is requesting that the subject of LGBTQ should no longer play a role in the official school curriculum. This petition has been signed almost 1900 times within just 2 days.
GAZA PROTESTS - The Committee for Fair Peace in the Middle East (CPJPO) is continuing to organise demonstrations throughout the summer, shedding light on the ongoing devastation in Gaza. Around 150 people gathered in Cessange to participate in a demonstration at the weekend. They discussed the catastrophic situation in Gaza, demanding that Western governments exert more pressure on the Israeli government to end the war in Gaza.
CAR PARK CHAOS - Anyone attempting to leave the car park at Place Guillaume on Saturday evening was in for a long evening. Chaos erupted around 7.30pm in the new car park under the City Hall in Luxembourg City due to a fire alarm going off. This automatically prompted the security doors to shut each individual floor of the car park, prohibiting any cars from leaving or entering. By 10pm, a technician managed to unblock a door, allowing cars on level -1 to finally leave the car park, but those parked on other floors were forced to wait.
USA BIDEN - Joe Biden has ended his campaign for re-election to the White House, less than 4 months before voters in the US go to the polls. Biden had faced pressure from some Democrats to step down after a faltering performance at a TV debate with Donald Trump last month, and a number of slip ups during speeches. The Republican nominee Donald Trump said Biden was not fit to serve, and never was. Following his announcement, Biden endorsed his vice-President Kamala Harris to be the new Democratic nominee in the election. Harris said she intended to earn and win the nomination and do everything in her power to unite the nation and defeat Donald Trump.
EU MEETING - EU foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels today. Xavier Bettel and his counterpart are discussing the war in Ukraine as well as the situation in the Middle East. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will join via videoconference.
MALLORCA PROTEST - Some 20,000 protesters hit the streets of Palma in Mallorca yesterday for a mass demonstration against overtourism. Under the slogan “Let’s change course and set limits on tourism”, the demonstrators walked through the city’s busiest streets. They say the current model of tourism has stretched public services to breaking point, harms natural resources and makes local access to housing increasingly difficult. Last year, a record 18 million people visited the Balearic Islands, and the figures are expected to be even higher this year.
AIDS CONFERENCE - The 25th International AIDS Conference begins in Munich today. Experts from medicine, science and politics are meeting to discuss the global effects of HIV. All in all, more than 15,000 people are expected to take part. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is attending the opening in the afternoon.
CYCLING - Tadej Pogacar has won the 2024 Tour de France, adding a third overall title to his 2020 and 2021 crowns. The 25-year-old won the final day’s time-trial with defending champion Jonas Vingegaard coming second on the day to seal second overall ahead. Astonishingly Pogacar won six stages on this edition of the Tour de France, just as he did when winning the 2024 Giro d’Italia.
FORMULA 1 - Oscar Piastri has claimed his maiden Formula One victory when he finished ahead of his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday. Piastri won by 2.141 seconds with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton finishing third for Mercedes to claim his record 200th podium finish. He survived a late collision with Red Bull’s three-time champion and series leader Max Verstappen, who flew off, but recovered to finish fifth.
GOLF - Xander Schauffele said a “sense of calm” helped him win the British Open on Sunday as the American claimed his second major just two months after triumphing at the PGA Championship. Schauffele finished on nine-under par for the championship, two shots ahead of England’s Justin Rose and Billy Horschel of the USA.
OLYMPICS 2024 - Paris Olympics supremo Tony Estanguet says the city is “ready” for the Games. At a press conference yesterday, five days before the opening ceremony on Friday, Estanguet said organisers were heading into the final phase. Finishing touches are being applied to the venues across the city and thousands of athletes and officials are pouring in. In a further boost for organisers, the water quality of the river Seine -- which is set to be used for outdoor Olympic swimming events -- has also improved dramatically since the start of July.
After waking up to cloudy skies and scattered showers, we’ll be blessed with a period of dry, warm weather from mid-morning, with the sun doing its very best to break through the clouds.
The morning’s temperatures start off at 16-18°C, rising to highs of 23-25°C in the afternoon.
---
Be sure to catch our full bulletin on the hour, every hour and headlines at half past the hour on Today Radio. You can also access the news via Alexa, and on RTL Play.
