MILITARY SERVICE - The Pirate Party has announced that it opposes the proposal by the head of the Luxembourg Army to consider reintroducing compulsory military service in the country. The opposition party emphasised that it is the government’s responsibility to explore ways to improve recruitment efforts.
EUROPE PREPARATION- Meanwhile the fear that the war in Ukraine will spread to other European countries is growing. More and more countries are taking concrete measures – Poland alone is currently investing 2.3 billion euros to protect itself not only from hybrid attacks, but also from a possible direct attack from Russia or Belarus. Germany is preparing bunkers and Sweden is currently distributing 5 million brochures to households on how to prepare for the event of war. In Luxembourg, the authorities are keeping a low profile so far. It is possible to get information in three languages regarding different scenarios of crises on the website Infocrise.lu.
TEMU SHOPPING - As Temu rises to become one of the top shopping apps in Luxembourg, the platform faces scrutiny from the European Commission over allegations of selling unsafe products and employing questionable business practices. Minister for Consumer Protection Martine Hansen recently acknowledged that there is not much Luxembourg can do on its own against parcels that are potentially not in line with legal standards.
PRE-NATAL TESTING - Since its introduction in 2019, non-invasive prenatal testing has been widely used in Luxembourg to detect chromosomal conditions in unborn children, with over 40,000 tests carried out to date. Over the past five years, 423 anomalies were detected through this testing.
FUEL PRICE - Prices of unleaded 98 petrol and diesel have fallen today. A liter of SP98 has dropped by 2.1 cents to 1.55 while price of diesel will fall by 3.1 cents. It will be sold at 1.45 euros per liter.
ZENON BERNARD DIES - Communist Party politician Zénon Bernard has died at 80, leaving behind a legacy tied to both his political work and his family’s role in the resistance during WWII. Bernard served as a communist member of the Chamber of Deputies from 1974 to 1979. His most recent political involvement was in 2017, when he ran as a candidate in the municipal elections in Esch-sur-Alzette.
GEORGIA PROTESTS - Riot police in Georgia have used pepper spray and water canons against protesters, who took to the streets after the government suspended moves to join the European Union until 2028. A tense stand-off is continuing in the capital Tblisi with demonstrators setting up burning barricades.
IRELAND ELECTION - Ireland goes to the polls today with the incumbent coalition parties neck-and-neck with opposition party Sinn Fein. The main issues in the campaign have been housing and the cost-of-living crisis. Polls open across the country at 0700 GMT but counting the is not due to start until Saturday morning, with partial results expected throughout the day.
UK ASSISTED DYING BILL - British MPs will debate this morning whether to allow assisted dying for some terminally ill patients in England and Wales. Many MPs have said it’s the hardest decision they have had to make in their political careers and both sides say they don’t know which way the vote will go. https://today.rtl.lu/news/world/a/2254974.html
NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL - President Macron will visit the restored Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, in a televised tour that will provide a first glimpse of the building’s interior since the devastating fire in 2019. Almost a billion euros was donated from around the world towards the cost of the renovations.
RUGBY - Luxembourg are taking on Croatia in rugby tomorrow. This crucial game offers Luxembourg the chance of securing their first points of the season in the Rugby Europe Trophy at 6pm at the Stade de Luxembourg.
Ireland take on Australia tomorrow. The Irish will want to put on a performance befitting the occasion, commemorating the 150th anniversary of Irish Rugby.
TENNIS - World number two Iga Swiatek has accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for a banned substance. Swiatek tested positive for the heart medication trimetazidine (TMZ) in an out-of-competition sample in August 2024 when the Polish player was ranked number one in the world.
It’s a chilly start to the day, with morning fog clearing gradually. Once it lifts, expect lingering clouds, but the sun will break through at times giving us some warmth and clear blue skies. We are still in minus figures, around -2 to -1 but can expect temperatures to rise to around 4-5 degrees by 1pm before heading back down to zero by the evening.
---
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
