DEADLY ACCIDENT – A motorcyclist has died after a head-on collision on the A7 near Schieren yesterday evening. Police say a car heading north crossed into oncoming traffic at around 6.30pm and hit the motorcycle. The rider, a 53-year-old Frenchman, died later that evening from his injuries. The driver was slightly hurt and taken to hospital. Both vehicles have been seized and an autopsy will be carried out.
A second motorcycle accident, on the road between Eschdorf and Heiderscheidergrund shortly after 7pm, left two people injured.
CHEMICAL SCARE – Five children and four childcare workers were taken to hospital on Thursday evening after coming into contact with a substance that caused a skin rash in a sports hall in Hosingen. Emergency crews, including the CGDIS's chemical hazard unit, were called after paramedics on site began showing the same symptoms. The cause is not yet known.
INFLATION UPDATE – Inflation in Luxembourg is rising more slowly than expected. The national statistics institute STATEC, says calmer conditions in the Middle East and this year's tripartite agreement have both helped ease price pressures. STATEC has revised its forecasts down, and now expects the next index tranche in the third quarter of 2027.
RTL TODAY RADIO LISTENERS – RTL Today Radio now reaches 47,800 listeners a week, according to the latest ILRES listener survey, a new high for the station since it launched in 2022 as an English-language service for Luxembourg's international community. Reach has grown over the past year with the addition of DAB+ and 93.3 FM.
META FINE – Meta has been ordered to pay a further $567m by a US judge in New Mexico for failing to warn the public about the dangers its platforms pose to children, its largest child safety ruling yet, bringing the total in this case to $942m. The judge likened the firm to a factory. Meta, which owns and operates Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Threads says it will appeal.
IRAN WAR – President Donald Trump has denied reports that the US is facing a munitions shortage, insisting American stockpiles remain robust and warning of "long-term jail sentences" for those suspected of leaking classified information.
Meanwhile oil prices are rising and stocks are falling today as hopes fade for a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with reports Iran may still block US and Israeli ships. Markets are now awaiting US jobs data, seen as key to the Fed's next move on rates.
EUROPE HEATWAVE – Heat continues to dominate the weather across much of Europe, with some areas unusually dry and others breaking temperature records. Off Mallorca, sea temperatures hit 33.02°C yesterday, the highest ever recorded in Spanish waters, with the western Mediterranean now around 4°C above its long-term average.
In Germany, Transport Minister Steffen Bilger has announced short-term measures to keep supply chains moving on the Rhine, Danube and Elbe, after low water levels left many vessels unable to operate at full capacity. More freight will be shifted onto roads and railways in the meantime.
UKRAINE WAR – UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on Ukraine and Russia to stop attacking populated areas, warning of a growing pattern of deliberate strikes on civilians. He said this breaches international humanitarian law and must end immediately. More than two dozen civilians were killed in a major Russian bombardment on the Kyiv region this week.
FOOTBALL – Belgium will officially unveil Mark van Bommel as their new national team head coach later today. The former Netherlands international is set to take over from Rudi Garcia on a contract running through to the EUROs in 2028.
Several European football leagues kick off today, including Belgium, with Club Brugge facing Courtrai. The Dutch league also gets underway this weekend, as does the Portuguese league, with Estoril hosting Famalicão this evening, and the German second division, with Bochum facing Hertha Berlin.
CYCLING – In the women's Tour de France, Kim Le Court-Pienaar of Mauritius won yesterday's stage into Tournon-sur-Rhône. Switzerland's Marlen Reusser remains in the yellow jersey. Today's stage is the queen stage of the race – 146km through Provence, finishing with the climb of Mont Ventoux.
ATHLETICS – A new national athletics record for Luxembourg: at the U20 World Championships in Eugene (USA), Uyana Granger finished fourth in her heat in the 400m hurdles yesterday, qualifying for the semi-finals. The 17-year-old improved her own national record with a time of 58.54 seconds. The semi-final takes place in the early hours of Sunday.
It's another pleasant summer's day, with hotter weather on the way. Temperatures climb back into heatwave territory from next week. Today is generally sunny, not too hot, with a light breeze at times. Expect a morning low of 11–13°C, rising to a maximum of 27°C this afternoon.
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