Luxembourg
ELECTION CANDIDATES - It is 60 days to the parliamentary elections here in Luxembourg. Today is therefore the last day on which parties can file their lists of candidates at the relevant district court.
FOREST LAW - A new forest law has come into force, opening spaces to the public and adding the permission to forage. Joe Ducomble from the Ministry of Environment explained that owners of forest space no longer get to close their property to the public and all trails are to remain open. Another significant change is that private individuals can now legally pick and collect forest products, such as mushrooms and berries - as long as they do so in small quantities.
ABANDONED PETS - With summer holidays in full swing, some pet owners forget to plan for their faithful companions. When this happens, cats and dogs are often entrusted to a shelter or even abandoned. Luxembourg’s animal shelters have been overwhelmed by an influx of pets and they now find themselves improvising to support the abandoned animals. Paul Weber, president of the Dudelange Animal Shelter, points out that his shelter currently houses 12 dogs with only five cages. Dogs, cats, rabbits and rodents are being left behind for reasons not fully known; Sacha André of the Schifflange Asylum for Animals believes children losing interest in their pets may be part of the cause. Financial reasons may also compel owners to part ways with their pets. An increasing number of people are left with no choice but to move homes, and pets might be forbidden in their owner’s new set-up.
World
SLOVENIA EU - European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen is on a visit to Slovenia today to assess the flood-related devastation and engage in discussions about EU assistance. The President will meet the Prime Minister of Slovenia, Robert Golob. Together they will travel to the areas most damaged by the floods.
SPAIN/PORTUGAL HEATWAVE - Hundreds of firefighters are battling wildfires across Portugal, which like neighbouring Spain is sweltering in a heatwave that has triggered widespread weather alerts. The temperature rose to 46.4 degrees Celsius in Santarem, central Portugal, on Monday, a record for 2023. More than 1,000 firefighters backed by 10 water-bomber planes were battling a blaze that has already burned thousands of hectares near Odemira, southwestern Portugal, not far from the tourist hub of the Algarve. Nearly 1,500 people, residents as well as tourists, have been evacuated from the area. Much of the southern half of Spain is on orange alert, with the weather service saying temperatures are expected to top 44C today.
AMAZON DECLARATION - The leaders of 8 South American countries have agreed to tackle deforestation in the Amazon to combat climate change. They signed a joint declaration at a regional summit, held in the Brazilian city of Belem. The biggest thing to come out of the summit is the commitment for South American countries to work together and sign a declaration, which hopes to prevent the Amazon of reaching a point of no return.
RAPPER SENTENCE - Canadian rapper Tory Lanez, convicted of shooting US artist Megan Thee Stallion in the feet during a drunken argument after a Hollywood party, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. A Los Angeles judge handed down the sentence after hearing how Lanez shot at her several times while she stood on the road.
POLAND ELECTIONS - Poland will hold its general election on October 15, Polish President Andrzej Duda confirmed yesterday, a week after the elections in this country. The right-wing national government party PIS is trying for an unprecedented third term in power. The leader of the opposition is Donald Tusk, the former EU Council president, who is seen as having a good chance of winning the elections this time, despite being targeted by the ruling party and state controlled media warning Poles that a vote for him is a vote for German influence over Poland.
Sports
FOOTBALL MBAPPE - Uncertainty over the future of Kylian Mbappe hangs over French football ahead of the new Ligue 1 season, which starts this weekend. The Paris Saint-Germain superstar has won France’s player of the year award four times in a row and been Ligue 1’s top scorer in five straight seasons, but his contract dispute with the champions has dominated headlines all summer. Mbappe has refused to sign an extension to his PSG deal, meaning he can leave for free next year, with Real Madrid long seen as his preferred destination. PSG want to sell him now and bring in a significant transfer fee for a player who cost 180 million euros from Monaco in 2017. A stand-off has ensued, and for now Mbappe remains in Paris but has been reduced to training apart from the first team.
CYCLING KIRSCH - Luxembourgish cyclist Alex Kirsch has signed a new contract with Lidl-Trek, that will keep him in the team until 2025.According to the statement, 31-year-old Kirsch is happy with his current team role that regularly sees him set up sprinter Mads Pedersen in the final parts of races and tour stages. Kirsch is not the only one to have signed a new contract with Lidl-Trek, four more riders, including Quinn Simmons, Daan Hoole, Edward Theuns, and Otto Vergaerde recently committed themselves to the US American team.
BAHAMONTES DIES - Federico Bahamontes, who in 1959 became the first Spanish cyclist to win the Tour de France, has died aged 95. The city of Toledo is holding two days of mourning. The ‘Eagle of Toledo’ -- a name given to him by a French journalist – was crowned six times the King of the Mountains in the Tour de France. In retirement he stayed in the world of the sport he adored, being a director of a team, and he also had a bicycle shop.
Weather
The morning will start off overcast with localised drizzle - but come afternoon, the cloud cover will thin out somewhat to allow a few rays of sunshine to come through. Temperatures will start off somewhat warmer than they have over the last few days at between 13 and 15 °C, rising to a peak of 22 °C in the afternoon.
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