The Today Radio news team brings you the latest headlines for Tuesday, 3 December
Luxembourg & Greater Region
MILITARY SERVICE – Defence Minister Yuriko Backes has reiterated that Luxembourg will not introduce compulsory military service. Despite previous comments about the necessity of a broader discussion, Backes clarified that neither she nor the government has a mandate to implement such a policy.The majority of Luxembourg’s political parties have strongly opposed the reintroduction of mandatory military service which ended in 1967. Instead of conscription, Backes floated the idea of a voluntary reserve army.
ING BANK ACCOUNTS – ING Luxembourg has announced a referral agreement with BGL BNP Paribas to provide an alternative bank for approximately 18,000 private ING clients whose accounts are being closed. Under the agreement, affected clients will be contacted in waves by ING until summer 2025, offering them a transition package with BGL BNP Paribas.
BUS FIRE – Emergency services responded to a bus in flames near the Maison relais in Schifflange yesterday afternoon. Nobody was injured in the fire. According to RTL information, the bus was operating as a school line and was waiting for children but when the fire began, no children were on the bus.It is unclear what led to the blaze.
EUROPOL ARREST – A man wanted by Luxembourg for fraud has been arrested in Athens. Philippe Stanislas Antoine Wasila, wanted for defrauding investors, was added to Europe’s Most Wanted List in November. The Greek judiciary will determine whether Wasila will be extradited to Luxembourg under two European arrest warrants.
World
MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT – The ceasefire between the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israel could be close to collapse, less than a week after it came into effect. Israel has hit dozens of targets in southern Lebanon after Hezbollah fired mortars on an Israeli army post.
SYRIA WAR – Turkish President Erdogan has called for concessions on all sides to end Syria’s 13-year-old civil war after Syrian rebels seized the northern city of Aleppo in a lightening offensive last week. Turkey backs the rebels while President Assad of Syria has been receiving assistance from Russia and Iran. A UN Security Council meeting is taking place today on the issue.
GEORGIA PROTEST – For the 5th night in a row, there have been mass anti-government demonstrations in Georgia. Police again fired teargas and water canons to try to disperse the crowd on the streets of Tiblisi. The protesters accuse the governing party of election fraud and betraying the country’s long-standing ambition of joining the EU.
TRUMP FRANCE – Donald Trump says he will travel to France on Saturday to attend the re-opening of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. It will be his first foreign trip since he won the US Presidential election. A major reconstruction project has restored the cathedral after it was gutted by fire over five years ago. Trump said the re-opening would be a special day.
Sport
FOOTBALL – Bayern captain Harry Kane will miss tonight’s German Cup tie against holders Bayer Leverkusen, following a hamstring injury on Saturday. Bayern have failed to reach the semi-finals of the German Cup since they last won the competition in 2020 and are facing a Leverkusen side who won the league and cup double last season.
In national football, the fallout from Swift Hesperange’s failure to play on matchday 14 of the BGL league continues, with the question now centred on how the match against Mondorf-les-Bains will be assessed. Reports suggest that Swift Hesperange is likely to forfeit the match, a decision that would result in a 0-3 loss for the club and award three points to Mondorf. According to RTL’s information, Swift players went on strike over unpaid portions of their salaries, raising concerns about the team’s future participation in the league.
RUGBY – Five rugby players formerly with French side Grenoble have gone on trial, accused of raping a student in a hotel in 2017, or failing to prevent the alleged sexual assault. Irish national Denis Coulson is accused of gang rape, as are New Zealander Rory Grice and Frenchman Loick Jammes. Ex-Ireland international Chris Farrell and New Zealander Dylan Hayes are charged with failure to prevent a crime.The presiding judge has excluded media from proceedings, at the request of lawyers for the alleged victim.
Weather
It’s going to be a gloomy day in the Burg, with the morning grey giving way to strong cloud coverage in the afternoon. However, predictions point towards an absence of rain. Temperature-wise it is getting colder: the minimum is pointing towards 2 to 4°C, and the max goes around 5 to 7°C.
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