INFLATION DOWN - The latest STATEC figures show that inflation increased slightly in July from 3.2% to 3.7%, while the consumer price index (CPI) dropped by half a percent. The increase in the cost of food across much of Europe has been headline news over recent months, but for the month of July 2023, Statec reported that prices dropped on average by 0.1% - the first fall in this category since September last year.
GRADUATE EMPLOYMENT - With a remarkable 93% of its recent graduates employed in 2022, Luxembourg stands as a beacon of youth employment success in the EU. According to Eurostat, there has been a substantial 7 percentage point (pp) rise from the figures in 2014 across the EU, shedding light on a consistent upward trend in employment over the years, marred only briefly by the COVID-19 pandemic.
HAWAII FIRES - 53 people are now known to have died in wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui and the state’s governor has warned the number will rise significantly. It is the largest natural disaster in the US state’s history. Thousands of people have been left homeless. The flames, fanned by a hurricane devastated the town of Lahaina, where most of those killed lived.
FRANCE FIRE - A holiday home in eastern France where 11 people were killed in a fire breached safety norms. The blaze, described by President Emmanuel Macron as a “tragedy”, broke out in the early hours of Wednesday in the small town of Wintzenheim in the Alsace region. The guests on the lower floor of the timbered residence all managed to escape alive and it was those on the upper floor who found themselves trapped. The property was hosting a group of adults with learning disabilities and their companions at the peak of the French summer holiday season.
SPACE FLIGHT - The first commercial space flight has been completed by Virgin Galactic. The three passengers floated gravity-free through the Virgin spacecraft about 45 minutes after taking off. Around 800 seats have been sold for future journeys, which sold recently for almost half a million dollars each.
Lunar comeback - Russia has launched its first mission to the moon in nearly 50 years. The Luna-25 aims to be the first to safely land on the moon’s south pole. It is estimated to touch near the Moon’s south pole sometime around August 21.
EMMY AWARDS DELAYED - The Emmy Awards, American Television’s highest honour has been postponed by almost four months, because of the actors and writers strike in Hollywood. The event will be held on the 15th January.
FOOTBALL – In the first quarter final of the Women’s World Cup, Spain has defeated the Netherlands 2-1, thanks to a late winner in extra time. Later today, Japan faces Sweden for a chance to join Spain in the next round.
In the first match of the third qualifying round for the Football Conference League, Hesperange lost 1-3 against FC Struga in North Macedonia last night. The return match at the Stade de Luxembourg is next Thursday.
And in international football, the new season in the English Premier League starts today. The champion Manchester City is playing Burnley. The French Ligue 1 also kicks off today. Nice is playing Lille. And in Germany, it’s the start of the first round of the DFB Pokal. Among the games Saarbrücken meets Karlsruhe tonight and Braunschweig takes on Schalke.
DRIVING - The Luxembourgish pro-driver Christian Franck is one of two people who died in a tragic accident on the Nürnburgring in Germany on Wednesday. Franck, who was 39 years old, has been participating in karting, circuit, slalom, and mountain car races for many years. Over the years he was able to snag many national and international championship titles. Frank was undertaking a test drive for Goodyear at the race circuit when he was killed alongside the second victim – a German tyre engineer. He leaves behind a wife and a child.
Today will see sunshine and blue skies from early morning all the way through to the evening. Morning temperatures begin at around 14 degrees Celsius before rising up to a toasty 28 degrees by late 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.
