ROYALS – The government has rejected a request from Grand Duke Guillaume to reclaim the Grünewald forest ahead of schedule. The Court wanted to end the 2009 management agreement early to invest in leisure and educational programmes, with forestry income going to the Grand Ducal foundation. As a reminder, the deal with the State became necessary in 2009 after the Grand Ducal family's intention to sell the Grünewald caused major debate in the country.
NATIONAL DAY – Preparations for the National Day celebrations are in full swing. As part of this, two large military aircraft, an A400M transport plane and an Airbus A330 tanker, will fly low over the city this afternoon, passing over Avenue de la Liberté at around 1pm.
DIESEL PRICE – Following a reduction in diesel prices announced on Monday and a petrol decrease on Tuesday, diesel is once again seeing a price cut – this time by 6.2 cents per litre, making it €1.62 per litre. Petrol prices remain unchanged.
TIGER MOSQUITOES – Health authorities are stepping up surveillance as Asian tiger mosquitoes spread further across Luxembourg, raising concerns over diseases like dengue, Zika, and West Nile virus. No local transmission has been recorded yet, but officials say the insects are already present and expected to spread as conditions become more favourable.
IRAN WAR – President Trump has signed an agreement with Iran aimed at ending the war during a dinner at the Palace of Versailles following the G7 summit. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also signed, according to US officials. Under the deal, Iran will dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium in exchange for sanctions relief allowing it to sell oil freely. The Strait of Hormuz is to reopen and the US naval blockade lifted. A formal signing ceremony had been planned for Friday in Switzerland, and it remains unclear how last night's signing affects those plans.
NATO SUMMIT – NATO defence ministers are meeting in Brussels today to discuss alliance priorities ahead of this month's NATO summit. It is the first such meeting for new UK Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis, and will also be attended by US counterpart Pete Hegseth.
EU SUMMIT – Meanwhile, EU leaders gather in Brussels for a two-day summit focused on competitiveness, the bloc's next long term budget, and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is due to address the meeting, with Iran, Gaza, and the West Bank also on the agenda. The office of EU Council chief Antonio Costa has confirmed brief diplomatic contacts with the Kremlin to open communication channels. Bloomberg is reporting the outreach included two phone calls between a senior Costa aide and a top Russian official close to President Putin. The issue is set to be raised at today's summit.
FOOTBALL – In the football world cup, the match between Uzbekistan and Colombia has just ended with a 3-1 win for Colombia. Ghana beat Panama 1-0 while England beat Croatia 4-2. Today we will see Canada face Qatar, Mexico play South Korea, Czech Republic play South Africa, and Switzerland meet Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Luxembourg's four European representatives have learned their first-round opponents after Tuesday's draw in Nyon. Champions FC Atert Bissen face KÍ Klaksvík of the Faroe Islands in the Champions League qualifiers. In the Conference League, cup winners Differdange take on Ilves Tampere of Finland, Mondorf face Dinamo Tbilisi of Georgia, and Strassen meet La Fiorita of San Marino. First legs are played in early July, with all three Conference League sides at home.
BASKETBALL – The New York Knicks celebrate their first NBA championship in more than 50 years with a victory parade from Battery Park to City Hall following their 4-1 NBA Finals win over the San Antonio Spurs.
CYCLING – World champion Tadej Pogacar sent out an ominous warning to his Tour de France rivals with a dominant victory on the opening stage of the Tour of Switzerland on Wednesday. Despite there being four more days of mostly mountainous racing to come this week, Pogacar effectively ended all suspense halfway through the opening 144km stage, which started and finished in Sondrio in northern Italy.
A yellow weather warning has been issued for today as a result of the high temperatures expected in the region. Weather-wise we should have clear skies and sunshine all day, but it is advised to exercise caution to avoid heat stress. Temperatures will start at 16–18°C in the morning, rising to highs of up to 33°C in the afternoon.
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