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TRIPARTITE NEGOTITATIONS START

The tripartite negotiations between the government, industry and unions are underway.  The three groups will spend 40 hours together between now and the end of April deciding how best to run the economy.  Top of the agenda this year are how to stop unemployment rising, how to tackle to government deficit and how to keep local business competitive.  Tripartite negotiations, aimed at building a consensus on economic policy have been held here since the 1970’s and are credited with the good economic performance of Luxembourg since then.

GM POTATO BAN

Parliament has come down against allowing genetically modified potatoes to be grown here.  Motions to ban the Amflora variety were carried unanimously.  The European Commission recently gave permission to farmers to cultivate Amflora potatoes, which are used to make fibres and animal feed, but are not suitable for human consumption.  Health minister Mars di Bartolomeo said the government would be writing to the Commission complaining that they were acting without a democratic mandate in allowing the cultivation of GM crops.

PURER WATER IN LUX VILLE

A new drinking water purification station in the Birelergrund has started operation.  It’s using the latest ultrafiltration technology to make sure the drinking water in the capital is as free from viruses and bacteria as possible.  It also avoids using chemicals which can cause tap water to become flavoured.  Luxembourg’s councillor for the environment, Viviane Loschetter, used the opening of the new plant to encourage residents of the capital to drink tap water for environmental and ecological reasons.

DIEKIRCH BREWERY

It’s looking likely that a gourp of private investors will be taking over the Diekierch brewery from Inbev, its Belgian owners.  They had planned to close the brewery, develop the site and transfer production to Belgium with the loss of all the jobs in Diekirch.  The move attracted fierce condemnation from local beer lovers and unions.  It’s not been revealed exactly who will now buy the brewery, but it’s hoped they will be able to preserve many of the jobs there.

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MISSING TRIER STUDENT FOUND DEAD

The body of a Trier university student missing since February has been recovered from the river Mosel.  It was found in the village of Riol, 18 kilometers from Issame Daymene’s home in Trier.  Prosecutors are working on the assumption that he drowned and was carried downstream.  But the exact cause of his death won’t be known until forensic tests are finished.  Issame disappeared without a trace after a night out with friends in Trier on February 11^th. 

E-GO

Passengers have quickly taken up the new E-go system of electronic tickets for local public transport.  About 500 000 of the E-go cards have been purchased, and according to a TNS Ilres survey, nearly 90% of passengers have one.  72% of those questioned also thought the system was satisfactory.  But the system has its critics, with questions hanging over the high cost and slow installation of E-go.  The next phase is to expand the network of places where cards can be topped up.

L’ENVOL

Public works minister Claude Wiseler says its time to put back a statue in pride of place at the airport.  The scultpture, called L’Envol, or take-off, stood outside the old terminal since 1979.  But it had to be moved so the new terminal could be built, and since then has been lying in a remote part of the airfield used to store scrap.  It was spotted by pilots, who contacted the minister and he has decided it should one again grace the entrance to the airport. 

PIMP BEATS PROSTITUTES

3 prostitutes got into a fight with one another on Monday evening on the Rue Mercier.  It seems the dispute broke out over who got to stand where on the street.  All worked for the same pimp, and he came over to sort out the argument.  This he did by punching at least one of them, before running off when he heard the police coming.  The police were unable to find him, but did find his unlocked car, which contained identification papers.  They’ve now impounded his car and put out an arrest warrant for him.

EARL KAUFFMANN

Earl Kauffmann is going walkabout this afternoon in the capital.  Earl is from Arizona and is a bit of fan of tattoos and piercings, in fact he’s covered himself in them from head to foot.  The Scary Guy, as Earl is dubbed, will be accompanied by pupils from the Lycée  Technique de Bonnevoie and members of the Hesperange youth club.  The point is to see how people react to Earl’s otherness.  Since the 90’s he’s been investigating how society responds to those who don’t fit in with the norm and sharing his experiences via the media.  Don’t forget to say hi if you see him.

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SEX OFFENDER ARRESTED

Police have arrested a suspect wanted in connection with  over 60 sexual assaults over nearly 20 years.  There has been a huge hunt for the man who committed the assaults.   None were in Luxembourg, but many were close by, and local police were involved in the manhunt.  The man arrested is 46 year German from the Eiffel region.  He was arrested after a policeman from eastern Belgium watched a German TV crime show and spotted similarities to a man he had arrested several years ago.  German police say the man arrested is already known to them as a sex offender.

KULTURPASS

People short of money will now be able to enjoy Luxembourg’s cultural life to the full thanks to the new Kulturpass.  This allows financially disadvantaged social groups to access museums, galleries, theatres and concerts at massively reduced rates.  The initiative was launched yesterday by Culture Minister Octavie Modert.  10 social organisations and 30 cultural facilities are involved in the project, which will run for the next 3 years.

SMOKE ON THE ALZETTE

Smoke enveloped parts of Esch sur Alzette because of a fire at a scrap yard.  A chimney caught fire, causing smoke to billow out into the neighbourhood.  Local authorities urged people to close their windows and doors to keep the smoke out of their houses, even though the smoke itself did not present a health risk.

SYRINGE ATTACK

3 youths attacked a man in Bettembourg on Sunday night and used a hypodermic syringe to inject something into him.  They first demanded his wallet as he was putting out his bin in the Rue des Cheminots.  When he said he didn’t have it on him, they grabbed him and injected him with something.  The attackers ran off and the man went back inside and fell asleep on the sofa.  He was only able to tell the police what happened on Monday.  They are now looking for 3 youths wearing dark hoodies.

PECHERTEN LEGISLATION

The governing CSV party has presented a revised proposals concerning the upgrading of the powers of traffic wardens, known locally as Pecherten.  The government wants them to be able to tackle minor public order offences and police other minor legal infractions as well as just handing parking tickets.  The Council of State sent the previous draft legislation back with a raft of objections, particularly concerning the judicial oversight of the Pecherten, who at the moment work for local authorities.  The CSV says the Pecherten could now be part of the country’s legal infrastructure, but that local authrorities could decide which of their powers they can deploy on a case by case basis.  The Pecherten themselves have, in the past, been supportive of the governmnent’s plans.

OBERPALLEN RAID:  ARRESTS MADE

Belgian police have arrested two men in connection with a raid on a jewellery shop in Oberpallen just under a fortnight ago.  It’s expected they will be handed over to Luxembourg authorities soon.  The accused are thought to be accomplices of the robber who was shot dead by Luxembourg police officers near Arlon in Belgium on the night of the raid.

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THE CATHOLIC CHURCH EXPLAINS…

The Catholic Church here has responded to demands for openness over child abuse.  Not much is known about any cases involving catholic clergy here, but in an interview with RTL, General Vicar Schiltz explained a little more.  He said there had been cases of children being abused, but these hardly reached double figures in the last decade.  He admitted that three priests had been jailed for abuse in the 1950s and 60’s, but in other cases were there was suspicion of abuse, the clerics involved were removed from Luxembourg and sent to work where they would have no contact with children.  But his comments did not satisfy critics, who say that anyone suspected of abuse should be subject to a criminal investigation.  And over the week-end a man claiming to have been the victim of sexual abuse in the 1960’s has come forward and spoken to the press.

FATAL LEAP

A man died on Friday morning after jumping off a bridge.  He parked his car on the bypass at Ingeldorf on the N7 before jumping onto the road below.  He was also run over as he lay in the road.  The driver of the car which ran him over has had to be treated for shock.  The man was pronounced dead at the scene of the incident.

LSAP CONGRESS

The LSAP is holding its party convention in Roodt sur Syr.  In the run up to the tripartite negotitations, the left leaning party is setting out its position.  LSAP President Alex Bodry said any economies needed to balance the government books must be distributed fairly.  He reaffirmed the LSAP’s commitment to a strong social component in economic management and warned against losing sight of this in times of hardship.  In his speech, foreign minister Jean Asselborn blamed the banks for the recession.

THE AMBULANCEMAN’S TALE : PART 3

State prosecutors have now appealed against the acquittal of an ambulanceman who was booked for speeding in his car while on his way to his station to answer an emergency last year.  The man was originally convicted, then acquitted, and now prosecutors want to try again.  The case has provoked heated debate about the competences and remit of volunteer rescue service personnel.

ANY EXCUSE FOR A PARTY

There were canival parades in three local towns over the week-end.  The reason this time is that we are apparently half way through the period of lent.  To mark the occasion, Remich, Petange and Wasserbillig held cavalcades.  All three towns were taken over by revellers for the whole of the afternoon and evening.

SPRING CLEAN AT CATTENOM

EDF is conducting maintainace and cleaning work on one of the nuclear reactors at Cattenom.  The reactor will be offline for the period of the work.  About a third of its fuel rods need to be replaced.  There are four reactors at Cattenom in all and it generates 8% of France’s electricity needs.

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NEW STADIUM ROW

Economics minister Jeannot Krecké has defended the new stadium project in Livange in the face of criticism from Luxembourg council.  Luxembourg City council and the Green Party are concerned the building of the new shopping centre could have a negative impact on retailers and the environment.  Mr Krecké says the development means the country gets a new stadium without spending a cent by the taxpayer, and the site is ideally located near the motorway, and eventually will have its own railway station.   Mr Krecké also thinks the development could create up to 500 new jobs and tax revenues for the government.  And finally he rejects the idea that there isn’t enough consumer demand here for another shopping mall by saying that you only have to count the number of Luxembourg registered cars parked at some of the malls in France, Germany and Belgium.

YVES MERSCH SPEAKS ON BUDGET

Central bank director Yves Mersch has warned the government against trying to plug gaps in its budget by raising taxes.  He says the construction, retail and financial sectors are all still too weak to withstand the extra costs.  Mr Mersch also says that extra taxes would probably result in redundancies and an even bigger long term government deficit.  He also says that the economic growth levels of the past are unlikely to return and government is going to have to get used to tailoring its spending to its revenues, rather than trying to extract revenue to fit the desired spending level.

LONG PRISON SENTENCE

A man has been given an 18 year prison sentence for abusing and raping his two daughters over a period of several years.  They were 8 and 10 when their father’s assaults started.  He was discovered when the girls told one of his girlfriends about him.  He blamed his alcoholism for his crimes.  His own defence lawyer admitted to the court even he had problems finding anything positive to say about his client.

WILD ANIMAL PROBLEMS

There have been a string of accidents involving wild animals this week on the roads of Luxembourg.  The long harsh winter seems to be driving game out of the forest in search of food and shelter.  The police want to remind drivers to slow down when they see the hazard signs for wild animals or hunting and try to keep an eye on the edges of the road. 

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FATAL SHOOTING UPDATE

Belgian paper L’Avenir says there were three Luxembourg police officers pursuing the Belgian robber who was shot dead last week.  The paper also reveals that the police fired no less than 6 times at the dead man.  The report also claims that the police only fired after the dead man went for the gun he was carrying.  L’Avenir also reports that the chief prosecutor in Arlon remains convinced that the police acted legally in killing the man, following the holding of a reconstruction of the events earlier this week.

POLICE CONGRESS

The police are holding their annual congress in Hesperange and the shooting in Arlon has provoked much debate.  The police association, the SNPGL, has drafted a set of reforms for the law covering the use of weapons.  It’s 40 years since the legislation was passed and the SNPGL say it isn’t adequate in the modern era.  The SNPGL also says it is supporting the three officers involved in the shooting incident.

INFLATION REPORT

Prices rose by 1.2% in February, bring the rate of inflation for the last 12 months up to 1.5%.  Statec, the national statistics bureau, says prices are back to normal following a sharp fall in January because of the sales.  Sectors which saw prices up the most were shoes and furniture, both of which were heavily discounted during the sales. 

BIG DRUGS HAUL

Police with sniffer dogs found over 300 grammes of heroin and nearly 1000 ecstasy tablets in a delivery truck.  They stopped the vehicle on the A4 motorway near Steinfort.  It’s thought its driver, who comes from France, had already made several previous trips to deliver drugs.  The drugs and van have been confiscated and its driver is now under arrest.

SES ASTRA AND LUX UNI

SES Astra have signed a partnership agreement with Luxembourg University.  They are going to help create a centre of excellence for advanced information technology.  The satellite operator will also help create a chair in satellite, media and telecoms law.  A budget of 1 500 000 euros will be provided by SES.

LIWANGE DEVELOPMENT

The Green Party has demanded special sessions of the sustainability and commerce commissions to discuss the planned commercial development at Livange.  They want to hear from ministers more about how the development is being fundedand its impact on local small and medium sized retailers.  Their demands come after Luxembourg City Council said the 75 000 square meter development posed a threat to the retail trade in both the capital and the south of the country.  The council also said the government was using the enticement of a new national football stadium financed by the retail park to force the development through.  Luxembourg City mayor, Paul Helminger, added his voice to the criticisms, saying he supported a replacement for the Josy Barthel stadium, but didn’t think there was sufficient consumer demand for yet another giant retail development here.

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ARLON SHOOTING RECONSTRUCTION

Forensic experts have reconstructed the events leading up to the fatal shooting of a Belgian robber by a Luxembourg officer last week.  The motorway was blocked in both directions just over the border near Arlon while the reconstruction was carried out late on Monday night.  The man who died was being pursued by police following a raid on a jewellery shop in Oberpallen.  A gun was found near the dead man, which Belgian media reports say he was aiming at police when he died.

FATAL WORK ACCIDENT

A construction worker died yesterday afternoon in Steinsel when he got trapped between a truck and a mechanical excavator.  He was working on improvements to the Rue de Soleil at the time of his death.  The 49 year old from Petange died from his injuries at the scene of the accident.  And a sailor on a Dutch barge lost his finger yesterday when trying to weigh anchor on the River Mosel.  He trapped it in the winch holding the anchor chain

GREENPEACE DAMAGES

Greenpeace says it won’t appeal against the damages of €91 000 awarded against it by a court in Esch.  Greenpeace must pay the money to ExxonMobil in lieu of lost earnings when they blockaded the company’s filling stations in the Grand Duchy in 2002.  Greenpeace director Paul Delaunois said his organisation took a risk and were happy to take the consequences.   He also feels that he stands little chance of getting the judgement changed in a higher court.  Nevetheless, he feels the damages are out of proportion to the actual losses suffered by the oil company because of the protest.

ANGELA MERKEL

The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel was in Luxembourg yesterday.  She was here at the invitation of Prime Minister Juncker and was treated to a full state welcome with military honours.  Both leaders were at pains to stress the good relationship between Luxembourg and its giant neighbour, which was marred last year by a spat over banking secrecy.  The leaders discussions focussed on energy and transport.  Luxembourg may Germany to develop a wind farm in the North Sea.  Mrs Merkel also had an audience with the Grand Duke and meetings at the European Court.

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CGFP NOT WORRIED ABOUT DEBT

The sparring in the run-up to the tripartite negotiations continued yesterday with public sector union, the CGFP, saying there was no need for panic measures.  The CGFP is worried that its members will bear the brunt of public spending cuts needed to get state finances back on track.  The union urged the government to look at the relative position of national finances here – the budget deficit here is expected to reach 4.4% this year, above the agreed ceiling for EU states, but much lower than other countries in the Euro.  And overall national debt, at 14% of GDP is one of the smallest in the developed world.  The CGFP says the private sector is whipping up hysteria over public debt in a bid to beat down the public sector.

SCHOOL REFORM

The set of working proposals for the reform of secondary education was presented at the Athenaeum yesterday.  Debate over the reforms is expected to last for about 2 years.  It’s the first reform of secondary education here since the 1960s.  The philosophy behind the proposals is to make secondary education more flexible.  One proposal is to upgrade the amount of English taught, possibly at the expense of the amount of Latin taught at the moment.

REPEAT OFFENDER

A man convicted of a string of motoring offenses could now be on his way to prison.  He was picked up in Grevenmacher on Sunday by a regular traffic control.  He has never had a driving license and is currently subject to a ban on driving for the next 32 years.  The police have arrested him and prosecutors are preparing charges which could lead to prison.

DOG ATTACKS COP

A policeman from Troisvierges is off sick after being bitten by a dog.  The boxer dog stormed out of the house when its owner opened the door to the officer and a colleague.  The officer initially managed to kick the dog away, but it came back for a second bite and caught hold of him under the arm.  In the struggle, the police officer fell over a flower pot and down a flight of stairs.  Eventually his colleague and the dog’s owner were able to get it under control and back in the house.  The officer had to be treated in hospital for the injuries caused by the dog.

PEDIGREE CHICKENS

There were a string of commercially targeted thefts over the week-end.  Thieves took a pneumatic drill and three shovels for mechanical excavators from a building site in Windhof.  An electric cable for a crane was stolen in Junglinster.  Thieves also broke into portacabins on site in Livange and made off with a range of tools.  And finally, undeterred by a barbed wire fence, someone stole two pedigree chickens from their coop in Consdorf.

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JUNKCER – THINGS MUST CHANGE

Prime Minister Jean Claude Juncker says the state needs to make savings of 1.6 billion Euros if it is to start balancing its books.  He made his comments in the run up to the tripartite negotiations between the government, business and unions.  Mr Juncker said he wasn’t going to spoil Luxembourg’s comfortable way of life, but that revisions are going to have to be made.  He also said that Employment Minister Nicolas Schmit will announce a range of new measures when the tripartite negotiations start on the 17^th. 

ESCH KAVALKADE

Esch sur Alzette hosted its annual Kavalkade event yesterday.  Over 1 000 people took part in the three kilometre long cortege of fun and nonsense.  This year is the ninth holding of the event, which lasts well into the evening on the town square.  It’s organised by Esch council in conjunction with the city’s tourist office.

PLACE D’ARMES FIRE

Firefighters had to use ladders to evacuate residents from an apartment block on the Place d’Armes which caught fire yesterday.  The blaze broke out in a room on the third floor.  The fire service was able to bring under control quickly, but its location meant that ladders had to be used to evacuate the people inside.  Several people had to be treated for smoke inhalation but there were no serious injuries.

RELAIS POUR LA VIE

Over 8 000 people took part in the Relais pour la Vie at the Coque sports centre this week-end.  The event raises funds and awareness for local people affected by cancer.  Fundraisers formed 213 teams which walked and ran around the athletics track.  Around half the teams kept going for 12 hours, the rest for a full 24.  As well as the relays, there were workshops, information stalls and other activities at the event.

LUX UNI OPEN DAY

Luxembourg university is holding an open day on the 20^th of this month.  Prospective students and the friends and relatives can go along to check the courses and facilities on offer.  There’ll also be people on hand to answer questions about financing a degree here and how to get accommodation.  Both the campuses in Limpertsberg and Walferdange will be open on the 20^th from 10 til 4.

TRIER TRAIN TRACK

German railways have cancelled  a planned upgrade to the track connecting Trier and Luxembourg.  19 million euros had been set aside to build a second track on the stretch between Irrel and Trier.  At the moment this is a single track section.   But the Trier Volksfreund newspaper has learned that it has been struck of a list of priority projects by the German transport ministry.  The upgrades will not now be considered again before 2020.

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ARLON SHOOTING

According to the Belgian media, the robber shot dead by Luxembourg police in Belgium on Wednesday was taking aim at them when he died.  This may explain why the Arlon state prosecutor hasn’t launched a criminal enquiry into the police officer responsible.  Investigators in Arlon are refusing to confirm the type of gun found near the dead robber, nor if it had been fired.  On Wednesday a court in Namur continued to prosecute the dead man for a different crime, oblivious to the fact he’d been shot.

POWER CUT

An explosion at a Creos plant cut the electicity supply to over a dozen towns and villages in the south of Luxembourg.   The blast was caused by a faulty capacitor at Shifflange.  This knocked out the grid linking much of the Minette.  Luckily there are backup facilities and Creos got the power back within half an hour.  The power cut caused only minor problems, with one person stuck in a lift, and RTL radio going off the air for a while.

AWACS BACK

Nato’s AWACS planes are back on exercise at Findel airport.  The ultra loud surveillance planes are normally based in Germany, but occasionally come here to rolling landings and take offs.  These are about the noisiest things the planes can do, especially considering they are already far louder than civilian planes.  The planes can be recognised by the distinctive radar dish on their fusillage. 

MYSTERY GUN ATTACK

An unknown man appeared to fire a pistol at a car in the Avenue de la Gare at 4 o’clock yesterday morning.  The two occupants of the target vehicle were unharmed after the attack.  The gunman sped off in the direction of the centre of town.  Police were unable to find any trace of bullets or bullet holes in the car or surrounding buildings.  Police were unable either to trace the gunman’s car, which was a black Audi using false registration plates.

DEATH WISH BIKER

Police lost track of a biker they were pursuing in Greiveldange in the early hours of yesterday morning.  They’d spotted him riding erratically a little earlier, but were unable to keep up with him on the twisting roads which lead through the vinyards.  So they retraced their steps, only to find the man lying in a vineyard ditch with his crashed motorbike.  He wasn’t badly hurt, but at the station the police discovered he was drunk, subject to a driving ban and had borrowed the bike from his mate.