FIRE TRIER - A major fire broke out at a scrap metal dealer in Trier harbour at around 10pm last night. There were no injuries but nearby residents were asked to stay inside and close windows and doors due to the smoke. Firefighting operations lasted well into the night.
CYBERATTACK - The official website of the municipality of Luxembourg City was targeted by cyberattack on Monday evening. The website was taken offline until the problem was resolved.
ELECTRICITY DECLINE - Luxembourg, which currently relies on imported electricity to meet around 80% of its energy demand, has seen a modest decline in its dependence on foreign power sources. During the first quarter of 2023, electricity imports decreased by 8% compared to the same period last year. This reduction is mainly down to a decline in electricity consumption during the first four months of this year.
FUEL PRICES - Diesel and 98 unleaded petrol prices go down toady. The price of 98 unleaded petrol is dropping 3 cents to 1.757 euros a litre and Diesel falls by 4.1 cents to 1.426 euros per litre.
RTL EUROVISION - After 30 long years, RTL has announced they have taken up the responsibility of selecting the candidate or group who will represent Luxembourg in next year’s Eurovision song contest in Sweden. The pre-selection process will be launched on July 3, and all the details regarding registrations and the recruitment of candidates and songwriter-composers will be communicated through the official website www.eurovision.lu.
PUTIN ADDRESS - Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine and its Western allies of wanting Russians to “kill each other” during a revolt by mercenaries of the Wagner group over the weekend. In a speech on state television, Putin said he had issued orders to avoid bloodshed and granted amnesty to the Wagner fighters. Putin also thanked his security officials for their work during the armed rebellion in a meeting that included Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, a main target of the mutiny.
Meanwhile Ukrainian President Zelensky has made a morale-boosting trip to troops fighting Russian forces near the city of Bakhmut and called Monday a happy day, as he claims Ukrainian soldiers are making progress in the south and east of the country.
AUDI VERDICT - Ex-Audi CEO Rupert Stadler is expected to be convicted and sentenced over the “dieselgate” scandal today, the highest-ranking former executive to be punished over the emissions cheating controversy that rocked the car industry. He confessed last month to his role in the saga but, as part of a plea deal, is expected to avoid jail time and instead face a hefty fine and suspended sentence.
SPAIN HEATWAVE - Spain is in the grip of its first summer heatwave with soaring temperatures above 44 degrees Celsius on Monday. Spain, which had its hottest year on record in 2022, is expected to be one of the EU countries worst hit by climate change.
CRICKET RACISM - England cricket chiefs have promised to “reset” the game after an independent report said not enough has been done to tackle institutional racism and sexism in the game. Pakistan-born bowler Azeem Rafiq went public with allegations of racism and bullying in 2020. Of the more than 4,000 individuals interviewed for the report, 50 percent described experiencing discrimination with the figures substantially higher for people from ethnically diverse communities. The report also found women were often treated as “second-class citizens”.
CYCLING - Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard leads the Tour de France out of Bilbao on Saturday on a 21-day adventure crammed with peaks and postcard panoramas on the 3,404km route to Paris. The 30 mountains on the route lend Vingegaard an edge over two-time champion Tadej Pogacar. Pogacar had finished first the year before with Vingegaard second. This promises to be their third heavyweight bout.
BEACH VOLLEYBALL - From today there will be top-class beach volleyball in Luxembourg. The European finals for” the Queen and King of the Court” matches will take place at the Coque from today. The finals are on Saturday.
With a maximum of 22°C, today looks to be quite a bit cooler than the past days. It’s a little tease for the rest of the week too, as temperatures will hover around those of today, before rain makes its return at the end of the week. The sky will be dotted with some clouds. The morning will start off at a lovely 11-13°C, rising to a peak of 22°C in the afternoon.
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