Prince Guillaume becomes Lieutenant Representative, Hurricane Kirk to pass over Luxembourg and mental health of children

Luxembourg

LIEUTENANT REPRESENTATIVE – Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume will officially become the Grand-Duke's "Lieutenant representative" today. The announcement was made earlier this year by his father Grand Duke Henri. While the move does not signify the Grand Duke's abdication, it is seen as a step in that direction. Next year Grand Duke Henri will celebrate his 25th year on the throne, coinciding with his 70th birthday.
In an exclusive interview ahead of the ceremony today, Prince Guillaume admitted to feeling stressed and a bit nervous.  RTL will broadcast live coverage, starting at 2:50 pm. At 4:00 pm, Crown Prince Guillaume will leave the Chamber of Deputies and greet the public in front of the palace.

HURRICANE KIRK - Starting tomorrow, the ex-hurricane Kirk is anticipated to bring uncomfortable conditions to our region as it moves across the Atlantic towards Europe. Meteolux, the weather forecaster says it is not sure how much rainfall Kirk might bring or how strong the wind will be. However, Kachelmann Wetter, a private German forecast service, speaks of partly heavy rain "that would begin to be felt from Wednesday onwards and wind gusts of between 80 and 100 kilometres per hour on Thursday.

MISSING PERSON - 15-year-old Samira Muno has been missing since the early hours of Thursday morning in Soleuvre. Samira is said to be 1.60-1.70 metres tall, with blue eyes, and long dark hair. Anyone with information on Samira's whereabouts is encouraged to contact Belvaux or Esch police.

MENTAL HEALTH - A recent World Health Organisation (WHO) collaborative cross-national study on the mental health and well-being of school-aged children in Luxembourg has revealed that their mental health has worsened. National experts, including Dr. Salima Aarab have confirmed these findings, saying that mental disorders now affect around 30% of children and adolescents There has been a notable increase in depression, anxiety disorders, and eating disorders, particularly among girls.

World

MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT – Vigils have been held across Israel to mark the first anniversary of the October 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, as the Gaza conflict has spread across the Middle East. Hamas, which has seen Gaza laid to waste by Israel’s war, has vowed to rise “like a phoenix” from the ashes despite heavy losses from a year of fighting. Yesterday, Iran-backed Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel’s third-largest city Haifa. There were at least 12 injuries. Israel’s military said the air force was carrying out extensive bombings of Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon.

HURRICANE MILTON - Hurricane Milton has exploded in strength to become a potentially catastrophic Category 5 storm bound for Florida, threatening the US state with a second ferocious hurricane in as many weeks. State authorities have issued mandatory evacuations orders for areas including some parts of Tampa, a metropolitan area of more than three million people that could take a direct hit.

NOBEL PRIZE - And The Nobel Prize in Physics will be announced today in Stockholm. Yesterday, the Nobel Prize in Medicine went to two American scientists for their work in gene research. This year, the Nobel Prize is endowed with close to 1 million euros per category.

FRANCE MEAT - A European court has overturned a French government ban on makers of plant-based meats calling their products "steak" or "sausage", which Paris had imposed to protect livestock farmers. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJUE) said in its ruling EU members states cannot ban the use of commonly used terms if they do not have legal definitions.

CISSY HOUSTON - Cissy Houston, the Grammy-winning mother of the late Whitney Houston, has died. She was 91 years old. Cissy Houston sang soul and gospel, boasting a successful backup career for the likes of Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick.

Sport

AMERICAN FOOTBALL - The Kansas City Chiefs shrugged off their injury woes to maintain their unbeaten start to the season with a battling 26-13 victory over the New Orleans Saints. The reigning Super Bowl champions, whose offense has been disrupted by injuries to running backs Isiah Pacheco and receiver Rashee Rice, were nevertheless too strong for the Saints. 

FOOTBALL – Johan Neeskens, part of the Ajax and Netherlands teams that created "total football" in the 1970s has died aged 73. Neeskens was part of the Ajax team that won three straight European Cups in the early 1970s and was also a member of the 'Clockwork Oranje' Dutch team that reached consecutive World Cup finals in 1974 and 1978. He won 49 caps for the Netherlands.
France coach Didier Deschamps has welcomed the news that Paul Pogba’s doping ban has been reduced to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The 91-times capped World Cup winner tested positive for testosterone in August last year after a match between Juventus and Udinese in Italy.The 31-year-old can now hope to return to the French team in 2025.

GOLF - Former US President Donald Trump will open a second golf course at his Scotland resort in summer 2025, which previously prompted controversy and led to local sand dunes losing their nationally-important protected environment status. The new 18-hole links course will be called the MacLeod Course, the maiden name of his mother Mary, who was born on the island of Lewis.

Weather

Although today gets off to a damp start, with scattered showers through the morning, we might be lucky enough to see some sunshine as we head into the afternoon. The morning's temperatures start off at around 13-15°C, so fairly mild, rising to 15-17°C in the afternoon.

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