STREET BIRTH– A woman has given birth on a street in Esch-sur-Alzette, before paramedics could reach her. The baby was already born by the time an ambulance arrived on Thursday afternoon. Mother and baby were taken to hospital, with no further details released by rescue services.
FUEL PRICES – Starting at midnight, motorists in Luxembourg will see higher prices at the pump for both diesel and heating oil. The price of diesel will rise by 3.6 cents, bringing the cost per litre to €1.89. Heating oil will increase by 3.8 cents per litre, making the new price €1.38 per litre. However the price of 98-octane petrol, otherwise known as super unleaded, will decrease by 3.5 cents, with a new price of €1.90 per litre from today.
NEW EMERGENCY FLEET – The Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps (CGDIS) is continuing to modernise, with 76 new emergency vehicles. Home Affairs Minister Léon Gloden went to Mertert to see them, including a new eight metre multi-purpose boat for rescuing people and animals from water. New additions to the fleet also include three intensive care transport vehicles and a telescopic mast truck. The cost of the 76 vehicles is estimated between €10 and €12 million.
VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE – Luxembourg’s National Centre for Victims of Violence assisted 426 people in its first year, but cases skyrocketed with 248 new victims in the last two months alone. The surge follows its expansion to a 24/7, round-the-clock service in May. Roughly 80% of victims suffered domestic abuse.
IRAN WAR – For the 13th consecutive night, the US has bombed positions in Iran. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has again passed a resolution aiming to limit the military action, with 214 votes in favour, including some Republicans. It carries no immediate legal force, and Trump has dismissed an earlier version as unpatriotic.
Oil prices have topped $100 a barrel for the first time since May, as the widening conflict in the Middle East stokes fears over global energy supplies. Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose more than 6% on Thursday, and prices spiked further after Houthi militia in Yemen attacked oil tankers in the Red Sea, threatening a route Saudi Arabia has used to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.
EUROPE WILDFIRES – France has officially asked other EU countries for help to tackle the wildfires in the country. President Macron has confirmed that the EU's civil protection mechanism has been triggered. Firefighting planes and helicopters from Portugal, Croatia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia are expected to arrive soon. Local firefighters are, in places, stretched to their absolute limit. In Gironde, witnesses continue to describe apocalyptic conditions. A fire that broke out on Wednesday has now destroyed almost 5,000 hectares. 20,000 people, including thousands of tourists, have been evacuated around Arcachon Bay. In Spain, a national state of emergency has been declared for two regions. The greatest concern is a fire west of Madrid, where 10,000 residents have already had to leave their homes. No rain at all is forecast there for at least the next 10 days.
US TARIFFS – The US has decided on new punitive tariffs against 60 countries in total, of 10% to 12.5%, taking effect from 6am today. Washington's stated reason is that the targeted countries are not doing enough to combat forced labour, invoking an old clause in trade law that provides a legal basis for the policy without Congressional approval. The whole EU faces an extra 10%; China and Japan face 12.5%.
LIFE EXPECTANCY STUDY – People are living longer, but spending more of their lives in poor health. That is the finding of a new analysis by an international research team, published in the journal The Lancet Public Health. Global life expectancy is rising, but people are increasingly falling ill in the final quarter of their lives. In 1990, people spent an average of 8.8 years in poor health, equivalent to 13.6% of their lifespan; by 2023, that had risen by almost two years. Average life expectancy, meanwhile, has increased by almost nine years over the past 25 years.
CYCLING – Ecuador's Richard Carapaz emerged from a six-man group to climb to victory on the Alpine 18th stage of the Tour de France yesterday. On stage 19 today, riders tackle the famous 21 hairpin bends, finishing after 128 kilometres on the legendary Alpe d'Huez. Television coverage begins at 3:30pm.
FOOTBALL – The German Football Association (DFB) is widely expected to present Jürgen Klopp as the new Germany men's national team head coach at a press conference this morning. According to French media, Zinedine Zidane is due to be presented in Paris as Didier Deschamps' successor next Tuesday.
UNA Strassen lost 4-0 away to Partizan Belgrade yesterday, in the first leg of their Conference League qualifier, going down to 10 men after a red card for Edis Agovic. The return leg is Thursday at 7:45pm at the Stade de Luxembourg.
The day starts off bright and clouds will move in mid-morning, but it will remain mainly sunny with pleasantly cool temperatures throughout the day. Morning temperatures will range from 12–14°C, warming up to a maximum of 26°C in the afternoon.
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