Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap!
The Dutch liberal-progressive party D66 won the most votes in Wednesday’s general election, the news agency ANP has reported, putting its 38-year-old leader, Rob Jetten, on course to become the youngest prime minister in the Netherlands (12:57).
While some results are still not in, the ANP has calculated that Geert Wilders’s PVV could no longer catch up D66, which currently leads by just over 15,000 votes (13:47).
Jetten told reporters that his party was keen to start exploring possible coalition deals, saying “we do not want to waste time unnecessarily because the Dutch people are asking us to get to work” (14:46).
The first meeting to kick the process off is expected on Tuesday (13:41), but the talks are expected to last months.
Elsewhere,
Thousands of Serbian students were marching on Novi Sad to mark the first anniversary of the city’s railway station collapse on Saturday, which killed 16, and sparked national protests against Aleksandar Vučić, Serbia’s authoritarian president (11:41, 12:02).
The UN humanitarian coordinator on Ukraine warned that the conflict “feels increasingly like a protracted war,” with all hopes of a swift resolution fading away and growing concerns about the healthcare and energy infrastructure in the country (10:32).
Vilnius airport had to briefly close again last night after more smuggling balloons were reported, causing further disruption for passengers – prompting the Lithuanian authorities to double down on their pledge to do whatever it takes to stop them (11:15).
Poland said that its jets intercepted a Russian reconnaissance plane, an Ilyushin Il-20, over the Baltic Sea in the third incident of this kind this week (15:13).
Six people armed with military-grade weapons used explosives to break into a gold refining laboratory in Lyon (11:01).
And that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at [email protected].
I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.
Barcelona's Sagrada Familia becomes the world's tallest church after new part of tower put in place
You may have missed it, but – in other news – Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia basilica became the world’s tallest church after a part of its central tower was lifted into place.
The masterwork of the architect Antoni Gaudí now rises to 162.91 metres (534ft 8in) above the city, the church said in a statement. That beats the spire of Ulm Minster in Germany, which tops out at 161.53 metres.
The Sagrada Familia has not formally laid claim to the title but the numbers are there to compare: it is now 1.38 metres (4ft 6in) taller than the church in Baden-Württemberg.
And it is still growing. The central Tower of Jesus Christ that is rising from the top of the church will reach to 172 metres when it is completed in the coming months.
