A supermarket in Austria was evacuated after a spider, whose bite is capable of causing painful erections and even death, was spotted. A PENNY shop in Krems an der Donau, a town located around 45 miles from Vienna, has remained closed since Tuesday, after the four-inch spider was said to have been seen when staffed opened a box of bananas. Descriptions of the spider’s colouring and size led people to believe they were dealing with a Brazilian wandering spider, also known as a “banana spider”. These highly venomous arachnids tend to hide in banana plants, and are sometimes found in shipments of the fruit, earning them the nickname. Their bites can cause extraordinary pain, hypothermia, increased pulse, penile erection that can last for hours, and death in some cases. By the time the fire brigade arrived at the store, the spider was nowhere to be seen, local media reported. In a statement, the Rewe retail group, which operates the PENNY stores, said “comprehensive cleaning and disinfection measures” were underway, before the outlet reopens next week. “All measures are for safety and are carried out meticulously so that the branch can be reopened,” the retailer added. In a 2007 interview, a researcher, Romulo Leite told Live Scienc that “the erection is a side effect that everybody who gets stung by this spider will experience along with the pain and discomfort”, adding: “We’re hoping eventually this will end up in the development of real drugs for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.” In 2019, scientists at the Federal University of Minas Gerais said the chemicals in its bite could lead to a treatment more effective than Viagra, after they included them in a gel which led to prolonged erections in a study of mice and rats. They found the gel led to a swelling of the penis “lasting about 60 minutes” when applied topically to the genitals. Read More Maui fires – live: Wildfires death toll climbs to 55 with 1,000 people still missing on Hawaii island How a TikTok craze led to five hours of chaos on London’s busiest shopping street Moscow drone attack: Emergency services guard park where drone crashed

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Ron DeSantis will officially enter the 2024 presidential race on Wednesday following months of speculation. The Florida governor will take part in a live Twitter event with Elon Musk on Wednesday night, NBC News reports. Afterward, the campaign will release an official launch video. On Tuesday night Casey DeSantis kicked off her husband’s campaign by posting a video of him getting ready to go on stage in front of an American flag. “America is worth the fight... Every. Single. Time,” Ms DeSantis tweeted along with the expensively produced video. On Monday, Mr DeSantis, 44, teased his 2024 bid while speaking at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Orlando in which he outlined his vision for a conservative grip on the Supreme Court to last a quarter of a century. In what appeared to be a subtle swipe at Donald Trump he announced his plans to run for eight years – something Mr Trump cannot do. Mr DeSantis, 44, is seen as Mr Trump’s biggest rival for the Republican vote with several Republican lawmakers and right-wing media rallying behind him after the midterms. However, the latest polls show Mr DeSantis trailing Mr Trump. This comes at a time when Mr DeSantis is going to war with Disney and pushing back on the NAACP‘s advisory warning travellers that Florida is “openly hostile” towards Black people, people of colour and LGBT+ people due to his laws. Read More DeSantis’s wife launches his presidential campaign with first 2024 video: ‘America is worth the fight’ Everything Elon Musk has said about the 2024 election so far David Sacks: The controversial entrepreneur hosting Ron DeSantis 2024 event with Elon Musk

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