Local & National Daily News Round-up
FRIDAY 25 JULY
Prime Minister Luc Frieden addressed key issues including postal service failures, energy costs, space development, autonomous driving, and international aid in the last Government Council meeting. Acknowledging the disruptions, the government emphasized the need to improve national resilience, including clearer emergency alerts and the ability to switch networks during outages. The council also approved the creation of a Space Campus at Kockelscheuer. On the international front, the government called for humanitarian aid into Gaza and supported efforts to reduce EU tariffs. Additionally, a €100 million investment was approved for space and defense activities, alongside reforms to extend media oversight to all platforms via the ALIA authority.
Post has attributed Wednesday’s widespread network outage to a "technical incident" affecting its 5G infrastructure. The disruption, which prevented customers from reaching emergency numbers for hours, was caused by issues within the software that manages both internet and communication networks. When the 5G systems failed, traffic briefly switched to 2G, but the overload saturated the network, leading to delays in government alerts and service disruptions. Authorities, including Prime Minister Luc Frieden and Minister of Economy Lex Delles, are investigating whether a cyberattack might be involved, though officials have not yet confirmed the exact cause. Medical facilities and emergency services largely maintained operations during the outage.
Luxembourg’s passport remains the fourth most powerful in the world, offering visa-free access to 188 countries. However, this is a slight decrease from the previous ranking, where holders could visit 191 countries without a visa. The latest Henley Passport Index, which tracks travel document strength based on visa-free travel data from International Air Transport Authority, places the country alongside Austria, the Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium, Sweden, and Norway in this top tier. Singapore holds the top spot with access to 193 countries, while Japan and South Korea are second with 190. The UK and US have fallen out of the top five, reflecting broader shifts towards more inward-looking policies.
One in seven adults in Luxembourg is a millionaire, according to the latest UBS Global Wealth Report 2025. The country has the highest concentration of millionaires in the world, with a large number of ultra-rich residents. The report shows that Luxembourg’s median wealth per adult is close to €340 000 euros, placing it among the top nations globally for wealth. The country also ranks fourth worldwide for the highest median wealth per adult. The number of billionaires and millionaires has been growing steadily, with the wealthiest individuals playing a significant role in the country’s overall wealth standing.