FIREFIGHTERS RETURN – 15 CGDIS firefighters return to Luxembourg this afternoon after helping tackle severe wildfires in France's Gironde region, and will be welcomed at the Sanem Differdange centre, with Interior Minister Leon Gloden among those present.
Gironde and France's tourism ministry are now working to salvage the rest of the summer season. Tourism body Atout France says air and water quality are back to normal, with beaches and campsites open again and all activities possible. Gironde is a popular holiday destination, and many local businesses depend almost entirely on the summer months.
EU MIGRANT CRISIS – Luxembourg’s Minister of Home Affairs Leon Gloden has praised Spain's handling of the Ceuta crisis, saying Madrid acted swiftly and efficiently. Speaking after a video conference of EU interior ministers, the minister confirmed Luxembourg refused to sign a letter from 22 member states calling for Spain's suspension from Schengen. He also voiced regret that countries including Italy are moving to reinstate internal EU border controls, repeating his long-standing criticism of Germany's ongoing checks with Luxembourg.
FUEL PRICES – Fuel prices drop sharply in Luxembourg from today. 98-octane petrol falls 10.5 cents to €1.80 a litre, diesel drops 11.3 cents to €1.85, and heating oil sees the biggest cut, down 11.7 cents to €1.34.
POLICE SPEED CHASE – A routine police check near the Luxembourg border turned into a high-speed chase yesterday. Police in Villerupt tried to stop a driver near the Luxembourg border for not wearing a seatbelt, but he fled at nearly 80 km/h through 30 and 50 zones, narrowly missing a motorcyclist. Officers caught up with him at the Moulin roundabout, but he reversed into their car and sped off again. An officer shot out one of his tyres, but he escaped towards Luxembourg. Police are still searching for him.
UKRAINE WAR – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has shared drone footage showing what's being called a "human safari" attack on a civilian in the Kherson region. The footage shows the drone chasing a street vendor through a city street before striking him. He survived with shrapnel wounds, concussion and trauma. Ukraine's Foreign Minister says the footage proves Russia committed a war crime, arguing the drone operator must have known they were targeting a civilian.
Meanwhile Russia and Ukraine exchanged fresh attacks overnight. An air alert sounded in Kyiv, where a ballistic missile strike killed at least one person and injured 22. Ukraine's air defence says it no longer has enough interceptor missiles to stop Russia's heavier, faster projectiles. Ukraine also struck Russian targets with drones overnight, hitting a warehouse belonging to a major Russian online retailer reportedly used to supply the Russian military.
GUATEMALA VOLCANO – A volcano has erupted in Guatemala. The Volcán de Fuego is considered highly dangerous; an eruption eight years ago killed more than 200 people. The ash cloud is currently rising kilometres into the sky. The government has declared a disaster alert, with ash reaching the capital, Guatemala City, home to around a million people. Residents living close to the volcano have largely been evacuated.
MOROCCO FIFA MEETING – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has reportedly called a crisis meeting for today. Major international media, including Sky in Britain, say key staff and FIFA officials have been summoned to Rabat in Morocco. It's not yet clear exactly what Infantino wants to discuss, but it's likely to touch on criticism of him personally and his now abandoned plans to partly privatise the World Cup.
MOON ROCKET CRASH – A discarded SpaceX rocket’s upper stage is expected to crash into the Moon this morning at around 7.35 our time, a collision that poses no danger to Earth but will leave behind a lunar crater. The impact won't be visible from Earth as it happens on the far side, but astronomers in parts of North and South America may be able to detect the resulting dust cloud.
FOOTBALL – FC Racing's women's team begin their Champions League qualification campaign this evening against Finland's Helsinki. The second round is played in tournament format, meaning FC Racing will play a second match regardless of tonight's result. To stay in Europe, the Luxembourg side need at least one win, the target set by coach Elodie Martins.
In men’s football, reigning champions Bissen began their new season with a 2-0 win over Dudelange, both goals from Roman Ferber. UNA Strassen made an even bigger statement, thrashing Victoria Rosport 4-0 at home, with two goals from Nicolas Perez.
Thousands gathered outside a Milan church on Tuesday to pay tribute to Italian football great Franco Baresi, who died last week aged 66. A funeral service for the former AC Milan captain was held at Sant'Ambrogio Basilica, with former teammates Paolo Maldini, Roberto Baggio and Alessandro Costacurta among the mourners.
CYCLING – Marlen Reusser took the overall lead in the Tour de France Femmes yesterday, after a carefully executed plan to win the 21 km time-trial. Stage 5 today covers 140 hilly kilometres through the Rhône and Loire region.
As the first day in a while with no weather alerts in place, today looks set to be plain sailing. Just sunshine and clouds, with greater cloud coverage as the day goes on).
Temperature-wise it should feel a bit cooler than the last days; morning temperatures will range from 17–20°C, warming up to a maximum of 28°C in the afternoon
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