KING HARALD FUNERAL – Norway is bidding farewell to its late King Harald with a state funeral in Oslo today, attended by European royal houses and heads of state. Luxembourg's Grand Duke Guillaume, Grand Duchess Stéphanie, and Grand Duke Henri are among those present. The coffin will be brought to Oslo Cathedral at midday, with flags flying at half-mast here at the Palace and in Colmar-Berg.
PASSPORT CONTROL – Automatic passport control is not yet possible at some airports for holders of Luxembourg's new passport. The government says the document uses a new security protocol that some countries' e-gates haven't adapted to yet, meaning travellers could be referred to manual checks instead.
SMARTPHONES IN EDUCATION – Following the latest results from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which confirmed an ongoing global downward trend in student performance since 2012, the Minister of Education, Claude Meisch, has announced that smartphones will be more tightly restricted in Luxembourg’s secondary schools.
YAYOI KUSAMA MUDAM – Mudam is set to display a work by the late Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, who died last month at the age of 97. Fireflies on the Water is an immersive mirrored installation, featuring 150 lights reflected endlessly across water and mirrored walls, giving visitors the sensation of being surrounded by thousands of fireflies. The piece has spent the last 21 years in Nancy.
UK AIRPORTS FAULT – Chaos at British airports after a technical fault in flight security systems. Heathrow, Gatwick, and Stansted in London, along with Manchester, Liverpool, and Birmingham airports, were affected. Over 1,300 flights had been cancelled by last night, including services to and from Luxembourg. The fault has since been resolved.
IRAN WAR – US forces have struck five Iranian tankers in the Gulf, in response to Tehran twice targeting an American warship in the past two days. Iran retaliated with a missile attack on a US base in Jordan, most of which were shot down by Jordanian air defences. Oil prices have risen in early Asian trading following the escalation.
TRUMP AfD – US President Trump has congratulated the AfD on its victory in the Saxony-Anhalt state election. Writing on Truth Social, he said the populist party had had a very big night, was on the rise, and would no longer accept what he called absolutely terrible immigration rules.
ISRAEL SANCTIONS – Britain, France, and Canada have announced bans on trade in goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The move comes amid reports of rising settler violence against Palestinians there. UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband accused Israel's government of turning a blind eye to what he called ethnic cleansing. Israel has retaliated by closing the British Consulate in East Jerusalem and barring some UK officials from entering the country.
FRANCE THEFT – Police are hunting two thieves who stole four Renoir paintings worth an estimated €9 million from the Musée Renoir in the southern town of Cagnes-sur-Mer. Two canvases were abandoned during a police chase, but two others, on loan from the Musée d'Orsay, remain missing.
FOOTBALL – The new Champions League season is under way. Last night Real Madrid beat Inter Milan 2-1, with goals from Mbappé and Valverde. Manchester City won 2-0 at Porto through two Haaland goals, and Borussia Dortmund edged Villarreal 3-2. Today sees Liverpool take on Atlético Madrid, with live coverage on RTL 2.
CYCLING – Matthew Brennan has won stage 16 of the Vuelta a España, his fourth stage victory of this year's race. The Briton took the sprint finish ahead of Bryan Coquard and Vito Braet. Enric Mas remains the overall leader.
ATHLETICS – Luxembourg's Vera Hoffmann has set a new national record in the elite road mile race at Düsseldorf's Kö Meile. She clocked 4 minutes, 34.67 seconds, finishing 9th and beating Marine Joblin's June mark by 13 hundredths of a second.
TENNIS – Jessica Pegula beat compatriot Emma Navarro in three sets at the US Open. She now awaits world number one Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the semi-final.
Today's weather: a mix of cloud and sunshine, becoming increasingly cloudy through the day, with moderate rain moving in this evening. Temperatures start around 10–12°C, and go up to 19°C in the afternoon.
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