NETWORK OUTAGE – The telecom company Tango says emergency calls to 112 remained possible during last week’s major network outage, even without national roaming. In an interview with RTL, Tango’s technical chief stressed that switching networks manually can still allow emergency access, though wider communication may not be possible.
SHOP CLOSURE – French homeware chain Maisons du Monde will permanently close its Pommerloch store on 9 August, leaving only one location in Luxembourg, despite earlier assurances that no closures were planned in the country. Following this closure, only the branch at the Belle Étoile shopping centre will remain open in Luxembourg, although for how long is unclear. Another Maisons du Monde store is located just across the border in Sterpenich, Belgium.
INTEREST RATES – The Central Bank of Luxembourg (BCL) has published preliminary figures for June 2025, showing a slight overall decline in interest rates on new loans and deposits for households, while lending to businesses recorded mixed developments. For households, the average variable interest rate on new mortgage loans dropped slightly to 3.28%, down from 3.32% in May.
GAZA WAR – Israel is considering intensifying its military offensive in Gaza this week in response to distressing videos of hostages held by Hamas, while facing international pressure to end the war. According to Israeli media reports, Netanyahu aims to secure the release of all remaining hostages in Gaza within the week, potentially through a military victory over Hamas. However, the idea has been met with criticism, notably from families of the hostages themselves. They warned that escalating the conflict could further endanger the lives of those already in critical condition.
SWITZERLAND TARIFFS – Switzerland says it is ready to make a better offer to the United States to avoid steep tariffs that have shocked the country. The Alpine nation faces a 39% duty, one of the highest among the dozens of economies that will be hit by new tariffs expected to come into force from Thursday. By comparison, the EU struck its own deal with Trump and will face tariffs of 15%.
BOLSONARO HOUSE ARREST – A Brazilian judge has placed former president Jair Bolsonaro under house arrest for breaking a social media ban, escalating a dramatic standoff between the court and the politician, who is accused of plotting a coup. Bolsonaro is on trial at the Supreme Court for allegedly plotting to cling onto power after losing 2022 elections to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
PLANE EMERGENCY LANDING – A plane departing from Madrid was forced to make an emergency landing on Monday shortly after take-off, following a collision with a vulture that caused significant damage. According to reports by Der Spiegel and Bild, the flight which was bound for Paris collided with a large bird just minutes after departure. The pilots decided to abort the flight and th aircraft, carrying 182 passengers, landed safely back at Madrid Airport just 25 minutes later.
DENMARK ZOO – A Danish zoo has stirred controversy by asking the public to donate domestic animals as food for its predators. The zoo says it would “gratefully accept live horses, which will be euthanised and processed into feed for the animals at Aalborg Zoo”. A few days earlier, the zoo had already posted a similar appeal on Instagram, encouraging people to donate small pets, such as chickens, rabbits, and guinea pigs.It explained that the zoo’s responsibility is to replicate the natural food chain of the animals in its care.
GOLF – Luxembourg’s ladies’ national golf team made history this weekend by claiming their first-ever gold medal at the European Team-Shield Championship in Bulgaria. The team clinched victory with a 2-1 win against Turkey in the final match play.
FOOTBALL – The controversial Luxembourg football player Gerson Rodrigues has secured a move to Thailand, signing for the Thai club Kanchanaburi Power FC. Rodrigues has remained a divisive figure in Luxembourgish sport following a suspended sentence for domestic violence, which sparked protests over his continued inclusion in the national squad.
ATHLETICS – Luxembourg’s National Athletics Championships concluded with record-breaking performances, double titles for Fanny Arendt and Luc Dostert, and standout victories across both track and field events. Mathis Espagnet left no room for his rivals in the men’s 800m, while Vera Bertemes set a new national record in the women’s 5,000m. https://today.rtl.lu/sport/international/a/2326183.html
CRICKET – England suffered an agonising six-run loss to India at the Oval on Monday as one of the most dramatic Test series of recent times ended in a 2-2 draw. Their next major red-ball assignment is a five-match Ashes series away to arch-rivals Australia -- where England have gone 15 Tests without a win -- starting in November.
OLYMPICS – Six months before the start of the Winter Olympics, Italian organisers say that, after years of ups and downs, they are on schedule.The Olympic opening ceremony is on February 6, though curling kicks off the action two days earlier. The Paralympics open a month later on March 6.
The day is due to start off cloudy and cool with some rain but by the afternoon we should see the onset of dry weather with some sunny spells. It is still likely to be a bit cloudy, though, with a slight breeze on the side. As for the temperature, not a huge change yet: we start between 14 and 16°C on the low end, going up to around 20–22°C in the afternoon.
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