Ara City Radio

Our intern Faith Duggan spent 6 weeks in and about Luxembourg discovering the culture, and talks to Tracy about various aspects of the world she navigates in here and New York. This week's topic: weekend trips.

Ambre Schulz from Passerell joined Simon on the Breakfast Show to talk about how the association is helping a family of four (including two children aged 4 and 8) who have been made homeless by the National Reception Office, because they have refugee status in Greece. Passerell have launched an online kitty to help the family find accommodation and are requesting the State respect its international commitments. More information about the the association and details on how you can help can be found at https://www.passerell.lu/

Summer means cycling season! Not everyone though has learned how to ride a bike. A visit to the terrain of the non-profit organisation Provelo who offers cycling classes for adults.

César González Fernández, co-founder of Clean Something For Nothing joined our journalist Tracy Heindrichs on EcoTalks to talk about his organisation--which encourages litter picking through an app. Find out more about the activity and initiative.

Our intern Faith Duggan spent 6 weeks in and about Luxembourg discovering the culture, and talks to Tracy about various aspects of the world she navigates in here and New York. This week's topic: transportation.

The Velosummer campaign is intended to be a motivation for people to discover the country by bike. 12 circuits, several hundred kilometres of roads reserved for cyclists. In our interview on Local Matters, Anne Haag of the general directorate for tourism tells us more.

Editor's pick: The best ice cream in Luxembourg is made in the atelier Bargello in the Gare district in a street behind Place de Paris. For today’s Local Matters, I take you to the Gelateria Bargello where we meet Laura Fontani.

It is the first Wednesday of the month, which means that it’s time to check out some of the good and bad climate and environment news that were reported on in July. With July being the hottest month ever recorded on a global scale, leading to deaths, wildfires and other natural disasters, other news got a shorter time in the spotlight. We’ve therefore selected a few stories to keep you updated on what’s going on in the green world.

The Bock casemates in Luxembourg-City were reopened about a month ago, after having been closed to the public for the past three years. Time for a visit for all those who spend summer in Luxembourg.

Ever heard about cuddle therapy? Elise Bally offers this professionally. On Voices Matter, Elise explains how a session with a cuddle therapist looks like, and why we all should start to cuddle more.

Whether you're a beginner or not, there's always something to learn about gardening. Aficionado Hendrik Dennemeyer joins Tracy Heindrichs in the studio on the last Wednesday of the month to talk about all things gardening!

Where did Luxembourgish come from as a language? That’s what we’re going to find out, with the help of Daniel Wagener, a linguist at the center for the Luxembourgish language, in this episode of No Stupid Question.

What happens if a US-resident and a Luxembourg-based UK expat exchange about the monarchy? Well, listen to find out on this third Local Matters episode on the royals.

Russian author Artem Mosgovoy popped into the ARA Radio studios to talk with Simon about his recently published semi-autobiographical novel, Spring in Siberia. Artem was born and raised in a small town in Central Siberia at the time when the Soviet Union was falling apart. He began his career as a cadet journalist in a local newspaper at just sixteen. In 2011, as Russia began legalizing its persecution of gay people, Artem left his homeland. Since that time, he has lived in six different countries and worked as a movie extra, a yoga instructor, a busboy, and a magician’s assistant... More details about Artem and his book can be found at www.artemmozgovoy.com

Hendrik Dennemeyer from the Ville de Luxembourg joined Simon and Tracy on the Breakfast Show to talk about the open-air Library initiative (or D'Stad liest) that opens on 16th August. The open-air library in the courtyard of the former Athénée (rue Notre-Dame) invites book lovers, residents and visitors to the capital to sit under the large tree in the centre of the courtyard and read a book, magazine or newspaper in a relaxed atmosphere. There will be books for young and old alike! Throughout the day and evening, there will be numerous reading sessions and workshops. Further details can be found by googling D'Stad liest.

In this episode American Faith investigates what a royal family actually does and how they retain power and sympathy of a nation.

Every summer, when Grand Duke Henri and Grande Duchess Maria Teresa are travelling – traditionally to Southern France - the grand ducal palace in the city centre opens its doors for visitors. The Luxembourg Tourist Office offers guided tours in the palace.

Today, Simon was joined on the Breakfast Show by Marc Hauser from Rotondes to discuss this year’s Conges Annules festival. Starting this Friday (with Luxembourg’s own Francis of Delirium and Fat Dog from the UK) and lasting for a month, the Conges Annules festival brings together an incredibly diverse and eclectic mix of musical artists and genres to help us get through the quieter Luxembourgish Summer days. Each day, ARA City Radio will be giving away a pair of tickets for the Conges Annules, so be sure to tune for a chance to win.

Luxembourg’s health minister Paulette Lenert (LSAP) last week presented the Plan National de la Santé Mentale—a national strategy to tackle the mental health problem in the grand duchy. Part of the current blue-red-green coalition agreement of 2018, the project has arrived at the cusp between governments. Paulette Lenert, who is also the LSAP’s national lead candidate in the upcoming elections, answered a few questions about the national mental health plan—also referred to as PNSM--and how it proposes to lift the taboo on the topic and address existing systemic shortcomings.

This time around, on Voices Matter, we talked with Shivani Sondhi, a British-Indian Innovation Manager and Diversity & Inclusion Lead, about her decision to break workplace taboos and bring discussions around being a woman, inclusion and diversity to the meeting table.