BONUS BOOST – More than 43,000 employees in Luxembourg benefited from tax-favoured participation bonuses last year, up from around 14,000 when the scheme was introduced in 2021. The bonuses can be up to 50 percent tax-free, with the scheme expanded in 2025 to make it more attractive to employers and staff. Finance Minister Gilles Roth said tax exemptions had risen to €215 million, costing the state nearly €54 million in lost tax revenue.
BERTRANGE BLAZE – Over 50 residents were forced to evacuate their homes following a fire in a flat on Rue de Luxembourg in Bertrange early yesterday morning. The fire broke out on the 7th floor of the building. Around 20 people were sheltered at the nearby Centre Atert. It is understood that residents were able to return to their apartments yesterday afternoon. According to reports no one was injured. Rescue teams from Luxembourg City, Bertrange, Mamer, Dippach, and Hesperange, along with the Luxembourg City emergency medical service (SAMU), attended the scene. Police are investigating the cause of the blaze.
FOREST FIRE – Luxembourg has sent a specialist firefighting robot and crews to help battle a major forest fire in Illingen, Saarland. The robot was deployed in an area where unexploded munitions may be buried, making it too dangerous for firefighters to enter. The Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps confirmed that the Luxembourg teams are working alongside 300 German firefighters. Minister for Home Affairs Léon Gloden highlighted the significance of cross-border cooperation, noting that this situation once again demonstrates the vital importance of working together.
META TRIAL – Meta is accused of knowingly designing Instagram and Facebook to hook and exploit children, a US federal court heard today. A coalition of states is seeking around $200 billion in penalties, calling the case social media’s “big tobacco moment.” Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said the states stepped in where Congress failed to act, arguing the case is fundamentally about protecting children’s public health.
RIP – Pioneering figure in French politics Yvette Roudy, who helped turn decades of feminist campaigning into lasting legal and social change, has died aged 97. Roudy passed away yesterday morning in a medical care facility in southern France where she had lived for three years, her nephew Jean-Pierre Saldou said. From 1981 to 1986, Roudy headed the first fully fledged women's rights ministry in France under the late president Francois Mitterrand.
HELL TOILETS – After years of complaints, the notorious so-called 'hell toilets' on the A31 motorway are finally set for demolition. The public toilets at the Entrange rest area on the A31 motorway towards Luxembourg were once ranked among the most unsanitary in France. The entire Entrange rest area will shut down for five weeks to allow renovation work to take place.
TENNIS – Aryna Sabalenka unleashed her big game yesterday with devastating effect, hammering China's Wang Xinyu 6-1, 6-3 to reach the fourth round of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters. The world number one took only 20 minutes to blow through the first set against her 36th-ranked opponent and began the second set with a break of serve. Sabalenka kept up the pressure in the second set with Wang double-faulting on the top seed's first match point after 54 minutes.
RUGBY – Top Australian Rules side the Sydney Swans suspended five players today for late-night drinking and bringing women to their hotel after a game. Swans senior executives said they imposed the sanctions for behaviour that breached the club's "high standards". The club's action was unrelated to allegations of sexual assault in the early hours of Monday at the Melbourne hotel where players were reportedly staying after a game the previous day, they said.
FOOTBALL – Bayern Munich midfielder Jamal Musiala said he is suffering from a neurological disorder after a second on-field collapse in three days yesterday. The 23-year-old Germany international fell to the turf just minutes after coming on late in a pre-season friendly at Heidenheim. A similar incident took place on Saturday in Bayern's home win over RB Leipzig. Musiala later revealed on social media that he had a disorder which could lead to "temporary but treatable seizures".
It will be a breezy day in Luxembourg. The wind could reach up to 50 km/h. It will be generally cloudy, with the occasional clear sky, but a constant risk of rain. The temperature high will be around 22°C.
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