The Today Radio news team brings you the latest headlines for Friday, 28 June.
Luxembourg
AIRPORT DELAYS - Yesterday's weather conditions, with localised thunderstorms and storms across Europe, disrupted air traffic and caused flight delays and cancellations at Luxembourg airport. A number of airports across Europe, including Hamburg, Prague, Warsaw, Vienna and Istanbul are also now affected by significant delays. LuxAirport is calling on travellers to consult its website to find out about possible delays.
BOLT LUXEMBOURG - And Bolt, the mobility platform known for its private driver booking services, has announced plans to establish a presence in Luxembourg. This move comes amid Uber’s recent partnership with Webtaxi to enter the Luxembourg market, as well as the new service called LetzRide.
MIGRANT SMUGGLER - A BBC investigation tracking down a migrant smuggler who is responsible for the death of a 7-year-old Iraqi girl in the Channel has led journalists to Kirchberg. The investigation, and the released video of the interaction with the smuggler, is the culmination of a two-month investigation into the death of five people in the sea off northern France. One of the migrants was the seven-year-old Sara, who suffocated to death inside an inflatable boat. The BBC informed French police of the findings, but they have not yet commented on the case.
PALESTINE PETITION - Despite growing public support and mounting pressure, Luxembourg's Chamber of Deputies has delayed the recognition of Palestine, opting to revisit the issue at the end of the year amid concerns over potential political repercussions. The question now is whether this discussion will gain new momentum following the petition.
World
US DEBATE – The first-ever television debate between a current and former American President, Joe Biden and Donald Trump has ended with the President appearing unfocused and leading many to question whether his age will become a factor in his re-election. Trump avoided answering many key questions, including one on the January 6 attacks on the US Congress. The two etched out sharply differing views on many issues, notably Russia’s war on Ukraine.
SLOVAKIA CRASH - A train travelling from the Czech capital Prague to the Hungarian capital Budapest collided with a bus in southern Slovakia yesterday, killing at least seven people and injuring at least five others. More than 100 people were aboard the high-speed train when the accident took place shortly after 5pm in the town of Nove Zamky. Video footage showed that the engine of the train was on fire. The bus was also badly damaged in the crash.
EU SUMMIT - EU leaders have struck a summit deal to return Ursula von der Leyen as head of the European Commission, while tapping Estonia's prime minister Kaja Kallas as the bloc's top diplomat. The late-night accord carves up the EU's top institutional jobs for the five years to come, with former Portuguese prime minister Antonio Costa to head the European Council bringing together member states.
The EU is also increasing pressure on Israel. In a joint statement, Brussels said that legally binding decisions of the International Criminal Court were to be respected and implemented. A few weeks ago, the ICC demanded the end of the Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip. In addition, EU states are asking for a credible way to officially recognise a Palestinian state.
FRANCE ELECTION - Tensions have soared between supporters of Emmanuel Macron and the French far right three days ahead of legislative elections, after its longtime leader Marine Le Pen cast doubt on the president's ability to act as head of the armed forces. The far-right National Rally (RN) is tipped to win the election, potentially giving Le Pen's party the post of prime minister for the first time in its history in a tense "cohabitation" with Macron. Opinion polls suggest it will come third behind the RN and a left-wing coalition, the New Popular Front (NFP).
CITY SURVEY - Vienna is still the world's most liveable city for a third year in a row, while the rating of Tel Aviv in Israel slumped, according to a new survey. In the Economist's annual ranking, the Austrian capital again came first, followed by the Danish capital Copenhagen and Zurich in Switzerland.Melbourne in Australia and Calgary in Canada completed the top five in the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Global Liveability Index.
Sport
FORMULA 1 – The Austrian Grand Prix is taking place over 71 laps of the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg on Sunday. The first practice session start at lunchtime today and the spring qualifiers are in the early evening. Tomorrow is the print and qualifying for the Grand Prix.
BASKETBALL - Bronny James, the 19-year-old son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has been selected in Thursday's second round of the NBA Draft. It's a dream come true fo rfour-time NBA Most Valuable Player James , who said for years he dreamed of playing alongside his son.
CRICKET - India has hammered England to book the T20 World Cup final with South Africa in Saturday’s final in Barbados. England, set a challenging target of 172, slumped to 103 all out inside 17 overs.
Weather
It's a sunny day with cooler temperatures than we've seen of late, with morning temperatures starting off between 13-17°C before early day clouds part and the mercury climbs to 20-24°C. And all of this during a perfectly cloud-free afternoon.
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