ICELAND LUXEMBOURG - The Icelandic Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir is in Luxembourg today. She will be met by Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, but there will also be talks with the Minister for Equality Taina Bofferding and with the Icelandic President of the European Free Trade Association.
SCHUEBERFOUER INCIDENTS - There have now been three incidents within a week on the ‘Wilde Maus’ rollercoaster at the Schueberfouer. In one instance, an engine had a short, another time a jacket fell on the rails and blocked the carriage, and in a different incident a sensor indicated incorrectly. The rescue services did not need to intervene. In videos from witnesses, it was seen that employees climbed onto the roller coaster without safety equipment to kick-start a wagon manually, after it had come to a full standstill. There were no injuries.
DIESEL PRICES - Diesel is going up today by 3.4 cents, while heating oil will also increase by around 3 cents. From today, diesel will cost €1.638 per litre, while heating oil will cost €1.079.
PEDESTRIANS HIT - Both on Monday and Tuesday, emergency services reported that pedestrians were injured after being hit by cars, one incident happening in Luxembourg City, the other in Schuttrange. At 2.30pm on Monday, a pedestrian was hit by a motorised vehicle in the capital and suffered injuries in the process. At around 3pm on Tuesday, another pedestrian was injured after being hit by a vehicle on Rue Principale in Schuttrange. Emergency services were sent to the scene of the accident as a result.
PROUD BOYS SENTENCING - A former leader in the far-right Proud Boys group has been sentenced to twenty-two years in prison for his part in the storming of the US capitol. Enrique Tarrio wasn’t in Washington for the riot in 2021, but prosecutors said he had organised the group’s involvement. Tarrio’s sentence is the longest of any amongst the hundreds of people convicted for storming congress. His lawyers say they will appeal the sentence.
BRAZIL CYCLONE - Torrential rain and winds caused by an extra-tropical cyclone have left at least 21 people dead in southern Brazil, with warnings that more flooding may be coming. Close to 6,000 people have been forced from their homes by the storms, which started on Monday, triggering floods and landslides. In Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria torrential rains are relieving the heat, but also causing flooding and forcing hundreds of holiday makers to be evacuated. At least two people have died on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, as heavy rain and thunderstorms have caused rivers to overflow, damaging bridges and cutting access to the whole region south of the southeastern coastal city of Burgas.
AMAZON DEFORESTATION - Satellite pictures from Brazil show that deforestation in the Amazon is continuing to fall. It dropped by two-thirds by August, compared to the same period last year.
MERCURY AUCTION - Thousands of items belonging to Queen front-man Freddie Mercury, from manuscripts of his band’s biggest hits to furniture, paintings and knick-knacks are on auction in London from today. Among the highlights is Mercury’s piano. It was bought by Mercury in 1975 and was used to create almost all of his greatest songs. It is expected to sell for £2 to £3 million. Also on sale is the original manuscript for the epic hit “Bohemian Rhapsody”.
TENNIS - Novak Djokovic has charged into a record 47th Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open with a straight-sets win over Taylor Fritz, while home favourite Coco Gauff stayed on track for her first major title. Djokovic shrugged off ninth seed Fritz 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 while Gauff swept into the last four earlier with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko in 68 minutes in the baking midday heat. The 19-year-old is the first American teenager to reach the US Open semi-finals since Serena Williams in 2001.
CYCLING - The Italian rider Filippo Ganna dominated yesterday’s gruelling stage 10 in La Vuelta, and won with 16 seconds ahead of the Belgian Remco Evenepoel. Today is the 11th stage, over 163 km from Lerma to La Laguna Negra, with a steep final climb.
FOOTBALL - the Spanish football federation has fired controversial coach Jorge Vilda who oversaw Spain winning the Women’s World Cup. The 42-year-old, who has been the team’s coach since 2015, is known for being close to Luis Rubiales, the suspended federation president who forcibly kissed a World Cup player after the final, sparking outrage.
The hot weather continues with clear skies and blazing sun all day. Temperatures will sit around 14-16°C in the morning, rising to highs of 29-31ºC throughout the 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.
