POLICE OPERATION – Police carried out a lengthy operation in Diekirch overnight, after officers called to a residence on Rue Bamerdall heard what sounded like someone handling a firearm. A special unit was deployed and the building evacuated as a precaution. The resident was arrested and appears before an investigating judge today. Two soft air pistols were seized from the flat.
LUXEMBOURG FIREFIGHTING – Minister for Home Affairs Léon Gloden has called a September meeting between Air Rescue and CGDIS, to explore Air Rescue taking on a firefighting role for hard-to-reach forest fires. CGDIS says Luxembourg's vegetation differs from countries like France, with wildfires here mainly fought from the ground.
NATIONAL RESILIENCE – Luxembourg's national resilience days will run from the October 5 -10. A new guide, "Lëtz Prepare", will be distributed to every municipality, explaining how to survive independently for at least 72 hours in a crisis. It follows last month's presentation of the national resilience strategy by the prime minister, interior and defence ministers.
RIVERS WATER LEVELS – Rivers across Europe are drying up, from the Loire to the Danube, and Luxembourg is feeling the impact. Water levels on the Rhine are at historic lows, cutting cargo capacity at the port of Mertert by up to 75%. Luxport says it's shifting goods onto rail and road to keep supply chains moving.
FUEL PRICES – SP95 has fallen by 8.9 cents a litre overnight to €1.619, saving motorists €4.45 on a 50-litre fill-up. It follows Tuesday's cuts to diesel and SP98. The falls reflect easing Middle East tensions, with Brent crude now trading below $80 a barrel.
SHIPPING ON STRAIT OF HORMUZ – Iran and Oman have finalised the geographic coordinates for a shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran insisting the US wasn't involved. Iran wants to charge passage fees, claiming sovereign control of the waterway, a claim disputed by the US and Gulf states, who say navigation must stay free under UN maritime law.
GERMANY DRONE – A drone carrying an explosive device has been found at Leipzig-Halle Airport in Germany, near Ukrainian cargo planes. Police removed the detonator and carried out a controlled explosion. Germany's interior minister called it a new level of threat.
UKRAINE WAR – NATO says it's working to get Ukraine the air defences it urgently needs, after Kyiv failed to shoot down a single Russian missile in Wednesday's attack, which killed at least 17 people. President Zelensky warned Moscow is boosting missile production ahead of winter, and questioned whether delays in Western supplies were meant to pressure Ukraine into compromise.
FOOTBALL – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has apologised for "errors" over controversial plans to sell stakes in competitions to private investors, but keeps his job after backing from senior executives in a meeting in Morocco.
In women's football, Racing Union lost 2-0 to Finland's HJK Helsinki last night in the Champions League second qualifying round semi-final. Coach Elodie Martins' side play Sarajevo for third place on Saturday at 1pm, with a win keeping their European campaign alive.
CYCLING – Race favourite Demi Vollering won a three-way sprint for stage five on the Tour de France Femmes yesterday as Marlen Reusser held a slender 12-second overall lead on the day's winner. A less punishing rolling hill stage awaits the peloton today, covering 153 hilly kilometres, finishing in Tournon-sur-Rhône.
The sun will see us through most of the morning, but a few clouds will gather as lunchtime approaches. They should leave in the late afternoon, leaving us with a sunny evening.
Temperatures are much nicer now, we start around 16–18°C in the morning, and warm up to a pleasant 25°C in the afternoon.
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