MOTORWAY ROADWORKS – Motorists planning to use the A13 this weekend should double check their journeys, as speed restrictions and closures are planned to take place near the Mondorf tunnel. The roadworks will commence at 7.30pm on Friday and are due to finish at around 5am on Monday.
In addition from this evening at 6.30pm to Monday morning at 6am, you have to be more patient on the A1 around the Munsbach exit. Lanes will be closed on one side of the motorway between Munsbach and the Flaxweiler interchange, and speed is limited to 50 km/h.
BODY FOUND – Police received reports of a male body found floating in the Sûre River near Rue du Moulin in Esch-sur-Sûre on Wednesday. The public prosecutor’s office has ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of death. The man’s identity has since been confirmed, but no additional details have been released at this time.
BETTEMBOURG FIRE – The municipality of Bettembourg is filing a lawsuit against an international cosmetics company for a fire earlier this week, which required the efforts of 70 firefighters. The blaze originated at the premises of a company that produces nail polish. The company has reportedly been a recurring issue for local officials.
BLUETONGUE DISEASE – A vaccination campaign has been launched, following positive tests for bluetongue disease in farm animals in Luxembourg. The disease, which primarily affects sheep and goats, cannot be transmitted to humans.
TEMPO CLOSURE – Restaurant Tempo, opened two years ago by star chef Jan Schneidewind at the back of the Philharmonie in Luxembourg City, is set to close its doors at the end of August. The building will be demolished to make way for a new rehearsal hall, part of an expansion project for the Philharmonie.
GAZA CEASEFIRE TALKS – Talks about a ceasefire in Gaza are resuming in Doha, with Israeli officials meeting mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and the US. Hamas have boycotted the talks, accusing Israel of adding conditions to the proposals it cannot accept. The talks started yesterday as the Gaza health ministry said the death toll in the besieged territory had topped 40,000.
SWEDEN MPOX – Sweden has announced the first case outside Africa of the more dangerous variant of mpox, which the WHO has declared a global public health emergency. The country’s public health agency confirmed that it was the same strain of the virus that has surged in the Democratic Republic of Congo since September 2023.
UKRAINE WAR – Ukraine has claimed fresh advances in its offensive into Russia, saying on Thursday it seized over 1,100 square kilometres in the biggest attack by a foreign army on Russian soil since World War II. Russia meanwhile said it had recaptured a village from Ukrainian forces in the Kursk border region and announced it was sending “additional forces” to the neighbouring Belgorod region. Russia says more than 120,000 people have left or been evacuated.
MATTHEW PERRY DEATH – Prosecutors in Los Angeles have charged five people in connection with the death of the actor Matthew Perry. The 54-year-old, best known for playing Chandler Bing in the sitcom Friends, was found dead in his home in LA last October. He had taken the drug Ketamine. Prosecutors say doctors supplying him were part of a criminal network.
UK SWIFT – Taylor Swift kicked off the first of five sell-out London shows last night, taking to the stage a week after concerts in Vienna were cancelled due to a foiled suicide attack plot. The American star’s return to Wembley Stadium, where she performed for three nights in June, marks the end of the European leg of her record-breaking Eras tour.
JAPAN TYPHOON – Japan has grounded hundreds of flights and advised nearly 10,000 households to evacuate in some areas near Toyko, as a strong typhoon caused power blackouts in the middle of a major summer holiday week. Typhoon Ampil, categorised as “very strong” by the Japan Meteorological Agency, is expected to head towards the eastern region of Kanto this afternoon.
CYCLING – Hungary’s Blanka Vas has won the fifth stage of the women’s Tour de France, with Dutch teammate Demi Vollering losing the race lead after being caught up in a big crash. A pile-up with six kilometres to go involving 10 riders, including Vollering, decimated the peloton in the run to Amneville in northeastern France.
Today’s sixth stage covers 159km with a climb up the Cote des Fins less than 15km from the finish line, which could prove decisive.
FOOTBALL – In European football, the new season is starting. In Germany, it is the first round of the German Cup, the DFB-Pokal. Among the matches, tonight sees Ulm playing against Bayern Munich and Wiesbaden against Mainz.
It’s also the start of the new season in the English Premier League. Manchester United meets Fulham tonight.
In the Spanish La Liga, the ball has been rolling again since yesterday. Girona drew 1-1 with Real Betis.
And also the French Ligue 1 starts again today. Champions PSG are playing against le Havre.
Pop star Ed Sheeran has acquired a minority stake in Ipswich Town, the Premier League football club. Sheeran, a lifelong fan of the team, has taken a 1.4 percent stake in the club. The 2024/25 season sees Ipswich returning to the top flight of English football for the first time in 22 years. The team begin their new campaign at home to Liverpool on Saturday.
SHOT PUT – And yesterday was the last appearance of Bob Bertemes as a professional. Representing Luxembourg at the Olympics in the shot put, he took part in his last competition yesterday. He came second, behind the New Zealander Jacko Gill, with a throw of 20.30m.
We can look forward to another sunny morning, with cloudy skies arriving in the late afternoon, making for an overcast end to the day. Relatively chilly morning temperatures will start off the day between 14 and 18°C. Afternoon conditions should see temperatures between the 25 and 29°C mark.
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