POLITMONITOR SURVEY – Housing affordability remains Luxembourg's top public concern, according to the latest Politmonitor survey for RTL and the Luxemburger Wort. 70% of respondents said they are worried about access to affordable housing, ahead of the global situation and traffic congestion. CSV supporters were least concerned; LSAP voters most.
POLICE EVICTION POWERS – The Chamber of Deputies has passed a bill expanding police powers to evict people from public spaces, by 42 votes to 18. Officers will be able to ban someone showing inappropriate behaviour from an area for up to 15 days. Opposition critics say the move simply shifts social problems elsewhere.
GERMANY VERDICT – A verdict is due today against a 26-year-old man accused of fatally beating a train conductor near Zweibrücken in February. The conductor died from internal bleeding shortly after the attack, which was captured on CCTV. The accused reportedly did not have a valid ticket. Prosecutors are seeking a 12-year sentence.
IRAN WAR – The US has struck targets in Iran again overnight, for the second night running. Alongside military targets, infrastructure was hit again, including railway bridges and an airport at Iranshahr. President Trump announced yesterday at the NATO summit that the ceasefire deal was over. He said talks would continue but dismissed them as a waste of time. Air raid sirens sounded again this morning in Kuwait and Bahrain, with Iran reported to be targeting American military bases with drones and missiles.
Former Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei is being buried in his hometown Mashhad today, ending days of state funeral ceremonies since his death in US and Israeli strikes on 28 February.
UKRAINE WAR – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he and Trump could achieve a great deal after NATO summit talks, where Trump suggested the US could let Ukraine manufacture Patriot missiles. NATO chief Mark Rutte pledged Ukraine will get what it needs.
EUROPE HEAT – This June was the warmest in Western Europe since records began, with average temperatures reaching 20.7°C, according to the EU's climate service, Copernicus. Records were broken in many countries. Scientists are warning that infrastructure will need to adapt to increasingly frequent, intense heatwaves in the coming decades. Water in the English Channel is currently as warm as it would normally be in August, according to the UK's Met Office. The sea is 3°C above the 1991 to 2020 average, which could have longer-term effects on marine life, particularly fish stocks.
Wildfires continue to threaten southern Europe, with extreme heat, drought and strong winds fuelling critical fire conditions in Spain, France, Portugal, and Greece. Thousands of firefighters remain deployed after blazes forced residents and tourists to flee. Temperatures are expected to exceed 40°C again in parts of the region.
FOOTBALL – In the first round of Conference League qualifying, FC Differdange drew 0-0 with Finland's Tampere yesterday evening. Tonight, Mondorf face Dynamo Tbilisi, kicking off at 6:15pm.
In the World Cup, the quarter-finals begin with France taking on Morocco in Boston tonight.
CYCLING – Dutch debutant Olav Kooij has won the fifth stage of the Tour de France in a chaotic sprint finish after a crash just over five kilometres from the line. Today's sixth stage heads into the Pyrenees, with the Col du Tourmalet the first "hors catégorie" climb of the race.
TENNIS – At Wimbledon, today sees the women's semi-finals. Coco Gauff takes on Karolina Muchova, followed by Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk against Linda Noskova. In the men's draw, Jannik Sinner faces Novak Djokovic tomorrow, and Alexander Zverev plays British player Arthur Fery.
A yellow weather alert has been issued for 12pm today until midnight tomorrow for the south of the country. The day will begin with a mild morning, with temperatures between 15°C and 17°C, before warming to a high of around 32°C in the afternoon. Expect plenty of sunshine, no rain, and light winds throughout the day.
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