LUXAIR MIDDLE EAST ROUTES – Luxair will suspend all flights to Dubai until 6 February 2027, because of the ongoing tensions in the Middle East. The date may still change, depending on developments in the area. The airline's new Abu Dhabi route, due to launch this October, has also been delayed, to late 2027. Luxair says it will contact affected customers from today with reimbursement options.
TUNNEL WORKS – Roadworks will affect motorway tunnels across the country until early November, mostly carried out at night. The road administration says the second maintenance and cleaning campaign of the year starts today, beginning with the Colmar-Berg and Schieren tunnels, with safety equipment checked and faulty parts replaced. Drivers should expect diversions.
PETROL PRICE RISE – Petrol prices have risen overnight: 98-octane goes up 5.1 cents a litre to €1.983, while 95-octane rises 4.4 cents to €1.792.
FRANCE BALLADUR DIES – Former French Prime Minister Edouard Balladur has died in Paris at the age of 97. Balladur led the government from 1993 to 1995, over-seeing a wave of privatisations, before losing the 1995 presidential election to his former ally Jacques Chirac.
NEPAL FLOODS – Rescue teams are using controlled explosions to reach hundreds of workers trapped in flooded hydropower tunnels on the Nepal-Tibet border. Nearly 4,000 people remain missing in Nepal alone, with the combined official death toll across both countries now at 955.
UKRAINE WAR – EU foreign ministers meet today and tomorrow in Ireland for informal talks, with support for Ukraine high on the agenda. Luxembourg's Xavier Bettel joins counterparts to discuss strengthening Ukrainian air defences, after Russian missile and drone attacks intensified in recent weeks. Overnight, air raid alerts sounded again across Ukraine, with deaths and injuries reported.
NORWAY KING HAAKON – Norway's King Haakon takes his oath today as the country's new monarch. His father King Harald's coffin will lie in state in Oslo this afternoon, ahead of the state funeral on 9 September.
TUPAC MURDER CONVICTION – Former gang boss Duane Davis has been found guilty of orchestrating the murder of Tupac Shakur, in the first conviction in a case that's gripped hip-hop fans for nearly 30 years. The rapper was 25 when he was killed in a Las Vegas drive-by in 1996.
FOOTBALL – Argentina great Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football, saying the decision hurt but the time has come. The 39-year-old, who captained Argentina to World Cup glory in 2022, leaves as the country's all-time leading scorer and most capped player, with 125 goals in 207 appearances.
In European football, today is deadline day in many leagues – the final day clubs can make transfers this window. That applies to the German Bundesliga, Spain's La Liga, France's Ligue 1, and England's Premier League.
Champions Arsenal beat Aston Villa 1-0 last night to close out matchday two. In Spain, Barcelona beat Rayo Vallecano 5-2.
CYCLING – After yesterday's rest day, the Vuelta continues today with stage 10, covering almost 185 hilly kilometres to Elche de la Sierra in the Sierra de Segura region. In the overall standings, Spain's Enric Mas leads Slovenia's Primož Roglič by 1'18". World champion Tadej Pogačar was meanwhile successfully operated on for a collarbone injury yesterday, after a fall on Saturday forced him to abandon the race.
TENNIS – At the US Open, Italy's Matteo Berrettini won tonight's first-round match in three sets against Stan Wawrinka. It was the Swiss player's last appearance at a Grand Slam. The 41-year-old is retiring at the end of the season. Wawrinka won the US Open exactly 10 years ago.
Today expect a mostly pleasant mix of sunshine and passing cloud, staying dry for most of the day, though northern parts of the country could see a few showers in the afternoon. It'll be breezy at times, with temperatures ranging from 12–14°C in the morning up to highs of 21°C in the afternoon.
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