Lots of news from the Luxembourgish Department of Obviousness

CEPS/Instead has been conducting a survey into attitudes to immigrants. For the first time they’ve looked to see if men and women have different feelings about migrants here, and also what immigrants themselves think of other immigrants. The survey found that both men and women are equally concerned over the impact of immigrants on Luxembourg society. Immigrant men and women worry that more immigration will mean more competition for jobs. Indigenous men and women seem more worried about their impact on social security and crime figures. But second generation immigrants seem to start sharing the concerns of the indigenous population the longer they live here.

And in another important piece of social research, National Statistics Bureau STATEC has discovered that wealthy people are generally happy. Researchers say people with high incomes feel better about life than those who struggle financially. 94% of people in the survey’s top income bracket said they satisfied with their life. Only 71% of the poorest surveyed said things were going their way. But its not just about money, the researchers say. They also found that the more educated a respondent was, the more likely they were to feel positive about life.

Unions and Employers: Fighting together against change

Unions and Employers have joined forces to condemn proposed legislation to prevent harassment at work. LSAP deputy Lucien Lux has been trying to get his legislation adopted for nearly 9 years. He says there must be a legal framework to prevent harassment in the workplace. But unions and employers say they have already implemented a voluntary code of practice concerning harassment, and legislation isn’t necessary. They want to see how well self-regulation works for 5 years before deciding on any other measures.

Campaigners say self-regulation isn’t good enough to protect employees against harassment. Last week, a coalition of unions and employers were lobbying the government to scrap proposed legislation to outlaw harassment at work. They say an agreement they have come to should be given a chance to work. But a support group for victims of harassment says the agreement doesn’t afford enough protection for staff at small and medium enterprises. They also say the agreement between unions and management lacks clear definitions of what constitutes harassment.

All criminals are international criminals in Luxembourg

A jewellery dealer was robbed yesterday afternoon near Redange. He’d just finished an appointment at a shop there and was in his car when he noticed a dark Audi A4 with a flashing blue light on its roof behind him. The driver of the Audi indicated he should pull over and stop. Thinking it was the police, the man stopped, only for a masked man to jump out of the fake police car and demand he hand over all his jewellery at gunpoint. The fake police car then fled in the direction of Bastogne with a valuable haul of gold. Police are appealing for witnesses. The dealer had to be treated for shock.

…and you’d better make it across that border

A man was spotted pinching 6 bottles of Cognac from a delivery truck in the Grand Rue yesterday morning. When a witness approached the thief, he cursed her before fleeing. He didn’t get to enjoy his booty though, because he was picked up minutes later by a police patrol.

All politics is international in Luxembourg

The Saarland business confederation, the VSU, has bit back at Jean-Claude Juncker’s critique of German wage policy. Last week, Mr Juncker said low wages in Germany were causing problems for companies in other countries. VSU president Joachim Malter said German companies had won customers globally because of their excellent products and first class service. He added that Luxembourg, with a business model built on low taxes on savings accounts and banking secrecy was in no position to lecture other countries on how to run their economies. Mr Malter also said that Mr Juncker was being economical with the truth when he said millions of Germans take home less that 700 euros a month. This data relates to part-time workers, something the Luxembourg prime minister failed to mention.

Take care driving around Luxembourg

There was a slew of driving incidents at the week-end, even by local standards Two Belgian cars were stopped on the way to the Stausee on Saturday. Both had two more people than permitted on board. The police fined the drivers, but agreed to take the 4 extra people in their minibus to the lake. Another man from Belgium was booked twice for drunk driving on Saturday. He was picked up in Sanem on the A13 in the early hours of the morning. He failed a breath test and had his license taken away. His car was left in Rodange station car park. Ninety minutes later police found him back in his car in Rodange. He has lost his car as well as his license now. A driver rammed a police car while trying to evade a checkpoint in Leudelange on Saturday night. He continued on his way but was picked up at his home later and arrested. A man in Petange was spotted reversing around a roundabout before he tested positive. And in Ettelbrück a drunk driver was picked up parked in the middle of the road, fast asleep at his steering wheel on Sunday morning.

Good news for Oktoberfest

There will be an extra two flights a day to Munich from Luxembourg once the winter timetable comes into force. Lufthansa’s City Line subsidiary will operate the flights. Luxair already flies three times daily to the capital of Bavaria. Munich airport is an popular intercontinental gateway for passengers starting their journey in Luxembourg.

Tough old ladies: not just a comic sketch!

An elderly lady drove off a mugger on Monday by hitting him with her walking stick. The young man tried to grab her handbag in the Rue Dicks in the early evening. The feisty old woman however managed to land several hits on him with the stick before he abandoned his assault. Two passers-by also got involved and attacked the young man too. He eventually broke free and ran off down the Avenue de la Liberte. Police are appealing for witnesses.

We’re often unclear on the numbers, particularly with respect to non-native residents. You can imagine my delight, then, when I found the following article, “Luxembourg: A City of 156 nationalities,” in 352 Luxembourg Magazine, the leading English-language weekly in Luxembourg.

The article’s origin is the multilingual news site, news352.lu. Due to their gracious permission, I will quote the entire article, which was written by Adam Walder:

There is no doubt, the capital of Luxembourg is an extremely cosmopolitan city. According to the mayor of Luxembourg the City has no fewer than 156 different nationalities. In total, foreign residents are even more than native Luxembourgers.

91,857. This is the figure released this morning, that has been doing the rounds, and a figure that Luxembourg’s mayor Paul Helminger, is particularly proud of.

This is the figure for the number of inhabitants in the capital in late 2009. A great leap forward, since the population was 89,907 in late 2008. “12,000 arrivals a year, it’s huge!” Exclaimed the delighted mayor. To this figure the internal migration must also be added to the City. 7,000 people have simply changed neighbourhoods.

“Luxembourg is a highly mobile city” continues to brag Paul Helminger which highlights the fact that in 2009 there were more births than deaths (1,099 against 635).

Many Portuguese and French

The most striking information released is the percentage of foreign residents: over 64% of the total population is of foreign nationality. Among the most represented countries are the obvious ones with 13,990 Portuguese and 12,536 French. They are mainly located in Bonnevoie or Kirchberg.

The residents of Luxembourg nationality however are much less likely to live in the capital: they represent only 35% of the total population. “We have noticed, even since 2007, that the population figure of Luxembourg nationality has increased slightly” stated Paul Helminger.

The voting problem

A big dilemma is noticed when you look at the number of residents of Luxembourg City registered to vote. There are 223 non-Luxembourgish voters less than in 2008. “This is probably due to migration movements” the mayor said adding “but an effort must be made. I can not imagine running a city with more than 60% foreigners, and they can not vote! ”

I think this is a great presentation of the numbers, and a bit of local perspective on their implications. Thanks again to Mr Walder and news352.lu for their good work.

Reference: Walder, Adam. (24 Feb 2010). Luxembourg: A City of 156 nationalities. Retrieved from http://hello.news352.lu/index.php?p=edito&id=24320

TRAFFIC WARNING
Drivers are being urged to avoid travelling this week-end if at all possible. The start of the half-term holidays means heavy traffic as families head off for winter-sports breaks. The ACL says people should leave on Friday morning if they can or wait for Sunday. The combination of heavy traffic and difficult driving conditions, could make for extremely long journeys, especially for those headed for the Alps.

Other traffic-related news

LONG COMMUTES
The average commuting time for people working in Luxembourg is 37 minutes. A study of 13 different European countries by the Regus Group puts the Grand Duchy ahead of all the others when it comes to long journeys to and from work. The study revealed that 15% of commuters here were sick of spending so long travelling and would actively consider changing jobs to avoid it.

ROAD SAFETY VIGILANTES
Three men beat up a motorist on the A13 motorway late on Saturday. They forced him to stop near Bascharage by overtaking him and blocking him. They then wrenched his car door open and pulled him out, beating him up and leaving him on the verge. The victim told the police they seemed to be upset about something wrong with his brake lights. The police have not been able to trace the attackers.

The Bugle would like to take this opportunity to remind all motorists to check their lights: brake, indicator, headlights and fog lamps.

Less traffic-related news

KNIFE ATTACK
A knife-wielding robber attacked a delivery truck driver in the early hours of Saturday morning in Esch. He climbed into the cab of the vehicle and tried, but failed to steal the driver’s coat before fleeing. The driver got out and gave chase, but the robber turned back and stabbed him in the stomach. The attacker is described as being young, tall, of African heritage and dressed like a rapper.

Paraphrasing Mr Weedon on Radio ARA: Which rapper? Was he without a shirt, like 50 Cent, or wearing gold chains? Track suit bottoms, or Jay-Z Armani? Maybe the police could use some high-tech tools to clarify the issue.

DOG RESCUE
The fire service rescued a stranded dog at the week-end. It had got stuck half way down a cliff in the Rollingergrund, and had ended up taking refuge in a small cave. Walkers noticed at and called the fire service, who were able to reach the dog with their ladders. The dog was unharmed by its ordeal.

No kidding: Will almost got stuck half-way down a cliff in Rollingergrund recently. That’s a photo from his autumn stroll over hill and dale.

CASH MACHINE CON
Tricksters are out and about again in the capital, this time targeting people at cash machines. They tell people that they have left a 20 Euro note in a machine that they had just used. Then they advise them to check their account in case the machine had issued more money than requested, and while the victim is distracted, they steal the card and claim the machine has retained it.

MYSTERY ABDUCTION
A young man was abducted near the station in the capital yesterday morning. He was walking with his girlfriend when a car stopped to talk to him. One of the passengers then got out and bundled him into the car, which sped off. His girlfriend ran to the nearby police station, and they put out an international alert for the car, which was registered in France. Belgian police picked it up around an hour later near Athus. The victim was freed without harm, and the two kidnappers arrested. Police say they can’t yet completely explain the background for the kidnapping.

As usual, our main source for news is ARA City Radio’s useful website. That’s mostly because Will doesn’t get around to translating the French sources in time for these updates. Let’s go, Will!

Filed under “Overkill”

HELICOPTER NAILS SHOPLIFTER
The police helicopter was in action in Ingeldorf on Saturday afternoon. It was hunting down a man who’d stolen a shell suit from a local shop. He had run off after staff noticed him trying to smuggle the stolen gear out of the shop in a black bag. He was eventually tracked down hiding behind a hedge in a barnyard, and is facing charges of shoplifting.

The follow-up story, filed under “CYA”

WE WILL NEVER KNOW
The Police say their helicopter was not called to track down a man who stole a shell suit in Ingeldorf at the week-end. Reports in the media caused uproar at the cost of using a helicopter for such a small theft. According to the police, the helicopter was in the area anyway on other business so they deployed it at only a marginal cost. The police did not however reveal why they had the helicopter out in the area in the first place.

And, in other news:

PECHERTEN SUPPORT NEW LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS
The trade union representing traffic wardens, or Pecherten as they are known here, says its members could play a vital broader role in policing. The government has wanted to extend their powers to cover minor criminality such as vandalism for some time. But the council of state recently rejected the government’s proposals. Pecherten representatives from the FGFC public sector workers union yesterday urged the government to continue to push the legislation through. They pointed to the success of legislation extending the powers of traffic wardens in Switzerland, freeing up the police to deal with more serious crime.

FIRE IN THE PALACE
The was a fire in the Royal Palace yesterday afternoon [2 February]. Part of the building had to be evacuated while the fire brigade tackled the blaze. The cause of it was a broken washing machine in the basement of the building. The fire caused little damage but heavy clouds of smoke meant the fire brigade had to use breathing apparatus to get into the cellar.

FARM FIRE AT CHRISTNACH
A huge fire at a farm in Christnach has destroyed a barn full of hay and several surrounding buildings. Over 40 firemen and women were needed to get it under control. [Bugle: Outside Luxembourg-Ville, Luxembourgish firefighters are volunteers.] No one was hurt in the blaze. The fire started early yesterday afternoon, and the cause of it is as yet not known.

WHEN COWS ATTACK…..
And in a bad week for farmers, a woman had to be treated for injuries to her chest and shoulder caused by one of her cows. The 600kg beast panicked and ran over the top of her as she was trying to back it into a stall. The cow took leave of its senses at around midnight on Wednesday in Eshdorf.

SMOKING BAN TO BE EXTENDED
Health minister Mars di Bartolomeo says he’s considering extending the national smoking ban from restaurants to include bars and discos also. He said the government wanted to afford better protection to non-smokers who worked there. Mr Bartolomeo said the legislation would be brought into force next year and that objections would be ignored. He added that since a smoking ban in restaurants and workplaces was introduced in 2004, the number of smokers in the country had declined.

THIEF LOCKS HIMSELF UP
A young thief managed to lock himself in the supermarket he was robbing on Monday evening. The incident took place in the German town of Irrel, just over the border from Rosport. Having got into the supermarket through the main door, he allowed it to close behind him. He was then unable to open the inner entrance door and became stuck in the lobby of the store. Vigilant residents noticed him stuck there and called the police, who arrested him.

POLISH TRUCKS TAKEN
Thieves made off with two trucks from the Aire de Berchem on Monday night. The trucks, which came from Poland, were loaded with computers and monitors. Both drivers were in the shop at the service station when their trucks disappeared. They were both last seen headed for France. It’s the second time in recent months that a pair of Polish trucks have been taken from a Luxembourg service area.

Later in the week……

SMOKING BAN REACTION
There has been a strong reaction to health minister Mars di Bartolomeo’s bombshell announcement on Monday that the government intends to ban smoking in bars and discos. Local newspapers reported record levels of below the line comment on their websites as readers debated the effect of a smoking ban. The association of bar and restaurant owners said the smoking was yet another burden on their business which are already struggling. But Mr di Bartolomeo remains combative saying the smoking ban was hardly unexpected and that he wouldn’t be doing his job as health minister if he didn’t try to protect the health of employees, regardless of the economic consequences.

DUAL NATIONALITY
Over four thousand people have applied for dual nationality since the law was changed at the start of the year to allow it. Just over 3000 have been granted Luxembourgish citizenship while still retaining that of their former homeland. One third of the applications have come from citizens of Portugal. Many of the applicants come from neighbouring countries. And citizens of the nations of the former Yugoslavia make up the other main significant group of applicants.

ESCH OPENS FOOTBRIDGE
Esch sur Alzette’s stylish new footbridge is finally open to the public. It was inaugurated on Tuesday, a couple of months behind schedule. The 3½ million euro project allows pedestrians and cyclists to cross the railway tracks from the town to reach the Galgebierg park. Its 100m long and has a striking avante garde design, incorporating a useful roof. Esch residents have not had a direct link to the Galgebierg by foot for 4 decades, and its hoped the new bridge can brighten the atmosphere around Esch Railway station.

BORDER CONTROL
There was a co-ordinated border control throughout the night of Wednesday into Thursday this week. Police and customs officers from France, Luxembourg and Belgium all took part. The object of the action was to try and trap cross border burglars. But in the event, they picked up a series of drunk drivers, confiscated one telescopic cosh, some cannabis and hashish, and a bag of magic mushrooms. There has been an increase in the number of burglaries recently, particularly in the south of the Grand Duchy.

CHRISTMAS MARKETS
The Christmas markets open in Luxembourg city today [Thursday]. The largest is in the Place d’Armes and will be open from 10 o’clock in the morning until 8 o’clock at night. The smaller St Nicolas market will also be open on the Place de Paris at the same time. Details of all the fun and games for the festive season laid on by the council are on the website winterlights.lu -– although if you’re at work might want to turn the sound off on your computer because the site is ridiculously noisy.

CARPET FRAUD
Police have caught a trickster running a complicated scam involving carpets imported from North Africa. The man would call at the houses of people here who’d recently been on holiday in Tunisia. He’d tell them he was a carpet dealer and ask to see any carpets they’d bought in Tunisia. He would then trick them by exchanging their top of the range carpet with a much cheaper one he had with with him in a van. He was caught thanks to a detailed description supplied by a victim. Police not only found the original top-of-the range carpets he’d taken in his van, they also found a collection of receipts from Tunisian carpet sellers which he’d used to target his victims.

CAR PARTY
Police in Biwer came across a driver in the early hours of yesterday morning who’d been having a little party all by himself in his car. They found him asleep at the wheel, but with his engine still running, pulled over at the side of a rural road. He was still clutching to his chest his final, unfinished bottle of beer. His car was littered with empty beer bottles. A subsequent alcohol test naturally proved positive.

BELGIAN SPEED CAMERAS
The Belgian transport ministry has installed 7 fixed speed cameras on the motorways in Wallonia. Four will be on the E411, two between Luxembourg and Namur, and another two between Namur and Brussels. One of the others is on the E42 between Namur and Charleroi, and the remaining two are close to Liege. Residents of Luxembourg are legally compelled to pay any speeding tickets issued in Belgium, despite popular rumours to the contrary. The cameras go into operation next Monday.

PUBLIC SECTOR PAY ROW
Public sector unions have reacted furiously to the suggestion by the Chamber of Trade that the government cut the salaries of state employees. The CGFP union accused the Chamber of Trade of conducting an unashamed policy of class war. They added that the Chamber could not now be regarded as a serious negotiating partner in the wake of its comments. But the union held back from calling for a boycott of the Chamber of Trades members.

GREENPEACE PROTEST
Greenpeace protestors dumped 5 tonnes of coal in front of the offices of local energy utility Enovos yesterday. The protestors wanted to highlight the company’s commitment to coal fired power stations. Representatives from Enovos met the protestors to discuss their concerns. According to Greenpeace member Roger Spautz the talks were constuctive and cordial. Enovos has a participation in a coal-fired power station in Neurath and is planning another in the Netherlands. Greenpeace urged the company to dispose of these investments and re-direct the funds to renewable energy sources.

and finally…..
PANTHER RUBBISH
Parts of the press in the Grande Region remain obsessed by the famously untraceable panther. The latest development is that the panther is in the German Eiffel region apparently, with sightings as far north as Aachen. Since the German tabloid press are now in on the act, it’s no surprise that a well known big game hunter from Hamburg has pitched up in a bid for some free publicity, and to trap the panther, if indeed there is one. Heino Krannich has shot buffalos, lions, wolves and even elephants and tigers in his time with his tranquilizer gun. Herr Krannich’s cunning plan is to isolate the panther in an area around its den by using leopard urine.

First, from the initial reports by Ara City Radio:

The whole country has gone Panther crazy following a sighting of one of the big cats in Bascharage on Sunday. There have been further reports of the beast from all over the south-west of the country, with even some claiming to have encountered it in Merl and Belair in the capital. Amnéville zoo denied reports in the Luxembourg media that the panther was one of theirs. The zoo’s director said they only have 3 panthers and they’re all still in their cage.

This morning, Ara City Radio distributed the latest information regarding this feline menace:

The ministry of the interior says it is still getting reports of a panther on the loose. The latest sightings have been in the area between Bertrange and Mamer. The ministry is taking the reports seriously despite no definitive evidence of the panther, such as tracks or droppings, coming to light. They are warning people hiking in the woods to be on their guard.

Sarah Fischbach, Lead Researcher of the Bugle Institute of Panther, Housecat and Catamount Studies, believes that the absence of tracks and droppings indicates a more serious threat to Luxembourgers than an ordinary hungry panther.

“The lack of tracks and droppings indicates that the panther may not be a member of the living community,” Fischbach said in an interview this morning. “Due to the urgent potential of danger, the BIPHC will release an early draft of its visual guide to panther threats. This guide will be revised over the coming days, so if any members of the public or public safety authorities have questions, they are encouraged to call the BIPHC directly.”

This is an ordinary black panther. As they weigh between 40 and 90 kg, an ordinary black panther would almost certainly have left tracks and droppings in the area.

The following image portrays a Zombie Panther. Although it weighs only slightly less than ordinary panthers, a zombie panther would leave tracks. The tracks would appear different than ordinary panther tracks, due to its random, shuffling gait. The authorities may not have properly identified zombie panther tracks. Most ominously, a zombie panther leaves no droppings, as reported of the unknown panther in Luxembourg-Ville.

A Vampire Panther appears here. Vampire panthers of sufficient age can move without leaving tracks, indeed without touching the ground at all. Also, vampire panthers do not leave droppings. Although vampire panthers are rare in Western Europe, the available evidence makes this the most likely type of panther on the loose. The myth that vampire panthers cannot travel during the day is simply false, as Fischbach recently proved in her article co-authored with Dr. Banner Molina for The Proceedings of Cat Fancy (2004).

This is a Were-Panther, photographed in its two manifestations. It resembles an ordinary panther at night, but a human during the day. Thankfully for Luxembourg, were-panthers do leave droppings and tracks. Nevertheless, there have been many reports of their migration to major cities, such as London, over the past few centuries.

This photo is of a Carolina Panther. There have been no reports of this type in the Benelux region.

This is an American Black Panther. These strong and graceful members of the living world were nearly exterminated in the late-20th-century, and are not known to threaten human communities except when provoked. The BIPHC considers it highly unlikely that Luxembourg-Ville is home to any American Black Panthers.

These are Steel Panthers. These dangerous elements are to be avoided at all costs. Fortunately, Steel Panthers are always accompanied by loud noises and are mostly found in one-star hotel rooms. Due to Luxembourg-Ville’s lack of inexpensive lodging, Steel Panthers are unlikely to remain in the environs for long, if at all.

The BIPHC plans to release a complementary guide with specific information regarding the proper response to an encounter with each type of panther. In general, members of the public who encounter any type of panther should leave the vicinity without attracting attention, and immediately call emergency services.

Happy Halloween! …and thanks to the following Flickr contributors, whose generosity made this post possible: climbnh2003, tim ellis, cliff2066, tim ellis again, csztova, tojosan, tim ellis a third time, wacko, Tawny Rockerazzi and bindermichi. Thanks also U.S. News & World Report for its donation of the American Black Panther photo to the Library of Congress.