Bakker Bugle Blog

SWISS HOOLIGANS

Two Swiss football fans were arrested for rowdy behavior following their teams 3-0 win over the Grand Duchy on Saturday night. Police came across them staggering around the Rives de Clausen area yelling and threatening various doormen at the bars and clubs. Both refused to calm down and leave the area, so police had no option but to take them to the station and lock them up for the night. Other than this, police say the night passed off quietly.

TRAFFIC CHAOS

An accident involving a lorry caused chaos during yesterday evening’s rush hour. The truck tipped over in the Howald tunnel at half past four, resulting in a 6 kilometer traffic jam on the A1 in the direction of the capital from the east. Even after emergency services arrived, vehicles could only get past the accident by driving on the hard shoulder. Traffic also backed up in the opposite direction as rubber-neckers slowed down to gawp at the accident.

PRISON DRUGS SEIZED

Two prisoners at Schrassig have been caught trying to smuggle drugs back into the prison while returning from day release. In one case, doctors had to help retrieve the drugs which the prisoner had hidden about his person. In all, warders seized 37 grams of heroin, 3 grams of cocaine and 17 grams of marijuana. Both prisoners now face charges in connection with the drug smuggling and the possibility of increased sentences.

MARY MCALEESE

Ireland’s president, Mary McAleese is here on a state visit. Yesterday she was received at the palace by the Grand Duc and an honor guard from the Luxembourg Army. She also held meetings with members of the government. After a gala dinner at the palace last night, the Irish head of state is off to see Echternach today before returning home.

And…. the story of the week!

BLACK WIDOW SPIDERS

The poisonous black widow spider has started turning up in Belgium and the Democratic Party’s Xavier Bettel is worried it could soon become resident in the Grand Duchy. The Black Widow spider is native to America and uses a nerve poison to paralyze its prey. Its bite can be lethal for vulnerable people. Mr Bettel has tabled a question in parliament demanding to know what are the government’s plans should the Black Widow appear here. In response, the health ministry says it has ordered a stock of anti-serum for the country. Spider experts think the deadly dark arachnids made their way across the Atlantic ocean in classic American cars being shipped via Antwerp. They added that it was unlikely any specimens could survive a typical Luxembourg winter. In the meantime, we’ll put a picture of a black widow up on our website and if you find one, experts recommend you pick it up with tweezers and drown it in a glass of alcohol before taking it to the natural history museum for identification.