BACK TO SCHOOL – It's back to school today for pupils in cycles 1 to 4 of primary school – more than 64,000 children in all, around 1,000 more than last year. Nearly 58,700 are enrolled in public schools, with just over 5,000 in the private sector. Lycée classes also start this week, but not today. Year 7 pupils begin on Wednesday, with everyone else following on Thursday. The University of Luxembourg also opens its academic year today, with 2,800 new enrolments, up 4% on last year.
The new school year gets underway, as fresh PISA results show more than 30% of pupils failing to reach even minimum proficiency in reading, maths, and science, the country's weakest performance yet. School leaders and student representatives point to smartphones and AI changing how young people read and learn, while the education ministry tightens phone rules in secondary schools and plans a wider curriculum review by 2028.
CITY ASSAULTS – Two men attacked another with a metal bar outside a café on Rue de Strasbourg on Sunday evening, also damaging a window in the process. The injured man was taken to hospital, and the two suspects, said to be heavily intoxicated, were arrested shortly after. Police also dealt with two further assaults that evening, near Avenue de la Gare and at a petrol station in Bonnevoie.
LITHUANIA DRONES – NATO fighter jets have shot down a drone over Lithuania after it entered the country's airspace from Belarus. President Gitanas Nauseda said the drone was destroyed, calling NATO's readiness vital given Russia's intensifying aggression against Ukraine. Poland also launched preventive air operations amid Russian drone strikes near its border.
AI SLOWDOWN – Technology shares have fallen around the world after Anthropic boss Dario Amodei called for a slowdown in artificial intelligence development, a position backed by OpenAI's Sam Altman and Elon Musk. President Trump has dismissed the warnings as a sick conspiracy, saying the only safeguard AI needs is a "strong and smart president".
FRANCE DEMOS – Several demonstrations are taking place in Paris today, with public sector workers, including police officers, protesting budget constraints, and a larger climate march planned this evening outside the economy ministry calling for stronger government action after a summer of wildfires and drought.
IRAN WAR – An oil tanker has exploded in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, who say the vessel struck one of their sea mines. The Guard had previously warned ships to avoid the southern part of the strait and take the northern route along the Iranian coast instead.
EMMY AWARDS – The Emmy Awards took place in Los Angeles last night. The Pitt won best drama series for the second year running, while Widow's Bay took a surprise win for best comedy. Widow's Bay picked up 14 Emmys in total, a new record for the category. Welsh actor Matthew Rhys has made Emmy history, becoming the first performer to win lead acting awards in drama, comedy, and limited series, picking up the comedy prize for Widow's Bay and the limited series award for The Beast in Me on the same night.
FOOTBALL – Some football results from last night: In England, Leeds beat Newcastle 4-1 yesterday. In Italy, Roma moved to the top of the Serie A table with a 2-0 win over Torino, Inter Milan beat Udinese 5-3, and Como won 2-1 against Parma.
AMERICAN FOOTBALL – Patrick Mahomes marked his return from a nine-month knee injury with one rushing and two passing touchdowns, as the Kansas City Chiefs thrashed the Denver Broncos 31-10.
ATHLETICS – Actor Sydney Sweeney has been condemned by leading women athletes for a sports betting advert in which the American appears in various states of undress. She has been accused of sexualising women's sport after posing with sports equipment in the commercial for US company Novig, which allows users to predict the outcome of sports matches.
Is this summer's last hurrah? We can expect a dry, sunny day, with temperatures climbing towards 30°C today. Towards the end of the day, clouds will begin to gather at high altitude. Temperatures will range from 13-15°C in the morning, to highs of 26-28°C in the afternoon.
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