The Today Radio news team brings you the latest headlines for Tuesday, 26 August.

Luxembourg 

LUXEMBOURG SATELLITE TO LAUNCH – Luxembourg's first Earth observation satellite, LUXEOSys, was successfully launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Tuesday evening, marking the start of a new chapter in the country's civilian and military space capabilities. Unlike the Luxembourgish communication satellite Govsat-1, which operates in a geostationary orbit, the new satellite named LUXEOSys will circle the Earth approximately 15 times per day. Takeoff is finally scheduled for Tuesday evening at 9.30pm from California aboard a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket. The project, which began in 2016 under then-LSAP Minister of Defence Etienne Schneider, has been a long and costly journey. Initial support for the project was partly in response to criticism from the first Trump administration, which accused Luxembourg of not meeting its financial commitments to NATO.

FM BETTEL DEEPFAKE SCAM – A deepfake of FM Xavier Bettel has circulated on social media promising financial rewards. The video uses an excerpt from an RTL news broadcast on 23 August. Scammers stole the original footage and manipulated it using AI to create a deepfake, making it appear as though Luxembourg's Minister for Foreign Affairs Xavier Bettel endorsed a lucrative money-making scheme. It appeared as though he claimed that by investing €250, you could receive up to €30,000 in return. In reality, these types of schemes do not exist.

BETTEL VISITS UKRAINE – After Monday's visit to Moldova, Luxembourg FM Xavier Bettel visited Ukraine on Tuesday. Together with his Belgian counterpart Maxime Prévot and Heleen Bakker, Director-General of the Dutch Foreign Ministry, Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel visited Odessa to commemorate the victims of Russia's war crimes. The visit began at a park on the Black Sea, where Ukraine honours the soldiers who have fallen at the hands of the Russian invasion. The delegation was received by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

World

EU LEADERS VISIT MOLDOVA – The leaders of France, Germany and Poland are due in Moldova in a show of support on Wednesday, a day before campaigning starts for next month's tense parliamentary election amid claims of Russian interference in the pro-EU nation bordering Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will meet Moldova's President Maia Sandu to celebrate the country's 34th independence day as she pushes for EU membership."This is a show of support by European leaders for Moldova as Russia ramps up its interference activities ahead of the high-stakes elections", the Moldovan presidency said in a statement to AFP.

ISRAEL PROTESTORS DEMAND HOSTAGE DEAL – Thousands of demonstrators massed in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, seeking to push the government to end the war in Gaza and strike a deal to return hostages, as the security cabinet convened. The first protests began at daybreak as demonstrators blocked roads in the commercial hub, where they waved Israeli flags and held up pictures of the hostages, AFP journalists reported.

BRAZIL'S BOLSONARO UNDER HOUSE ARREST –  A Brazilian judge on Tuesday declared far right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, who is now under house arrest while awaiting the verdict in his coup-plotting trial, a "flight risk" and placed him under round-the-clock watch. Bolsonaro faces 40 years in prison if convicted of plotting to cling onto power after losing 2022 elections to left-winger Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The verdict in the case is expected early next month.

VENEZUELA DEPLOYS WARSHIPS – Venezuela has deployed warships and drones along its Caribbean coast in response to a US military buildup that includes destroyers, Marines, and additional naval forces sent by President Donald Trump. Venezuela on Tuesday deployed warships and drones to patrol the country's coastline after the United States dispatched three destroyers to the region to pressure strongman President Nicolas Maduro. In a video on social media, Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino announced a "significant" drone deployment as well as naval patrols along its Caribbean coast, including "larger vessels further north in our territorial waters." The move comes amid escalating tensions with Washington, which sent three warships and 4,000 Marines towards Venezuela last week to curb drug trafficking.

Sport

FOOTBALL – Brazil will play October friendlies in South Korea and Japan as all three teams step up their preparations for the 2026 World Cup. Coached by the Italian Carlo Ancelotti, Brazil will be one of the favourites to win the tournament next year in the United States, Canada and Mexico. They will face a South Korea side captained by Son Heung-min at the 66,000-capacity Seoul World Cup Stadium on 10 October, the Korea Football Association said late Tuesday. The Brazilians last visited South Korea for a friendly in June 2022, ahead of the Qatar World Cup, and thrashed the hosts 5-1 with Neymar scoring twice from the penalty spot.

Newcastle target Jorgen Strand Larsen fired Wolves to a 3-2 League Cup win over West Ham on Tuesday as Premier League Leeds and Sunderland crashed out on penalties to lower league opposition. Wolves have reportedly rejected a £50 million ($67 million) bid from the Magpies for Larsen, who could prove to be a replacement for Alexander Isak. The Norwegian was only introduced 17 minutes from time as Vitor Pereira made eight changes after losing both his side's opening two Premier League games. Larsen produced two blistering finishes in three minutes to turn the tie around at Molineux and heap more pressure on West Ham boss Graham Potter.

TENNIS – World number one Jannik Sinner began his bid for back-to-back US Open titles with an emphatic victory on Tuesday as women's draw favourite Iga Swiatek swept into the second round. Italian star Sinner waltzed to a 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 win over Czech world number 89 Vit Kopriva, needing just 1hr 38min to advance to the next round. "It feels great to be back here. Obviously it's a very special tournament", said Sinner, who is attempting to become the first man to repeat as US Open champion since Roger Federer won five in a row from 2004-2008.

Weather

Clouds will be on the menu today and potential showers throughout the afternoon and evening. Temperatures will climb from around 13°C in the morning to a strong 27°C in the afternoon while dropping to 22°C in the evening.

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