The Today Radio news team brings you the latest headlines for Wednesday, 14 May.

Luxembourg 

DEFENCE SPENDING – In the annual State of the Nation address, Prime Minister Luc Frieden announced that Luxembourg will increase its defence spending from €800 million to €1.2 billion by the end of 2025, five years earlier than originally planned. The spending hike will bring the military budget to 2% of GNI, with potential for further increases depending on outcomes at the NATO summit in June.

Frieden also unveiled sweeping pension reforms, including a gradual extension of contribution years by three months annually and the introduction of phased retirement, allowing workers to transition into retirement through combined part-time work and partial benefits.

DEADLY ACCIDENT – A man and a child were killed and a woman seriously injured in a head-on collision yesterday afternoon on the B49 near the Luxembourg-Germany border. According to Trier police, the man's van veered into oncoming traffic for unknown reasons and collided with another vehicle. He died at the scene, and the child who was travelling with him died later in hospital. The woman driving the other vehicle suffered serious injuries.

COMMUTER TIMES –  A new study from the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research reveals that nearly half of Luxembourg's jobs are held by cross-border workers who are commuting increasingly long distances. This has prompted researchers to call for smarter mobility planning, mixed-use neighbourhoods, and stronger cross-border transport cooperation. The study shows that employees in Luxembourg commute an average of 30.6 kilometres from their homes to their workplaces.

World

UN GAZA – United Nations relief chief Tom Fletcher has called on the UN Security Council to take action "to prevent genocide" in Gaza, delivering a scathing account of Israel's actions in the Palestinian territory. Fletcher said UN agencies had "life-saving supplies" ready to deliver at the borders but were denied access by Israel. He accused Israel of  making "starvation a bargaining chip".

SYRIA SANCTIONS – US President Donald Trump is set to meet Syria's president in Saudi Arabia today, following a surprise announcement that the US will lift all sanctions on the Islamist-led government. The US President has agreed to say 'hello' to interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who will in Riyadh for a meeting with the Gulf Cooperation Council.

EU VACCINE RULING – The EU's top court is ruling today on whether the EU broke transparency rules by refusing to release text messages sent by Ursula von der Leyen to the head of Pfizer as the bloc tried to secure Covid vaccines. The case before the Court of Justice of the European Union (EUCJ) is seen as a test for the EU Commission president, whose governance has at times been accused of centralised and opaque decision-making.

ESC – The 2025 Eurovision Song Contest kicked off last night with a semi-final filled with pyrotechnics, colour and a dramatic sweep of music. Ten countries got through to the final. Besides Sweden, Estonia, and the Netherlands -- who are considered among the front-runners -- acts from Albania, Norway, Poland, San Marino, Ukraine, Iceland, and Portugal made it to Saturday's showdown.

DEPARDIEU SENTENCE – A Paris court has handed French cinema icon Gerard Depardieu an 18-month suspended sentence after convicting him of sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021. The court also ordered that Depardieu, who was not present for the verdict, register as a sex offender – marking a spectacular fall from grace for the 76-year-old who has dominated French cinema for half a century. Depardieu is set to appeal the verdict.

Sport

FOOTBALL – According to information obtained by RTL, FIFA has notified Swift Hesperange of a three-year transfer ban. The decision comes weeks after it emerged that Hesperange would also be denied a UEFA licence for the upcoming season because it failed to pay the club's staff. The club has been in crisis since the team's players went on strike in a row over unpaid wages.

TENNIS – Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic have ended their surprise six-month coaching partnership. The split has come following a string of disappointing results for the Serbian star.

Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz has reached the Italian Open quarter-finals after battling past Karen Khachanov to continue his bid for a first Rome title. Jannik Sinner, the world's number one has also gone through to the quarter finals following a straight-sets win over Francisco Cerundolo.
 
CYCLING – Dutch sprinter Casper van Uden outsmarted the favourites to win stage four of the Giro d'Italia yesterday while Mads Pedersen held the overall race lead finishing fourth. Today's stage five is a 188km run to the ancient hill town Matera where large parts of the James Bond film No Time to Die were filmed.

Weather

Expect more of the same gorgeous weather, with barely a cloud in sight and sunshine all day long. Afternoon highs could reach a balmy 24°C, with morning temperatures starting between 10–13°C.

---

Be sure to catch our full bulletin on the hour, every hour, and headlines at half past the hour on Today Radio. You can also access the news via Alexa and on RTL Play.