February 2, 2010

A fire destroyed the restaurant bosporous on the Steinentorstrasse last Wednesday evening in Basel. The cause of the fire is unknown. There was no evidence of arson or a technical fault. Authorities assume that negligence is to blame.

Firefighters had to break down doors and windows to extinguish the fire. A plastic water pipe burst in the heat, cutting off the building's water supply. No one was injured.

Source: bazonline
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A remodeling of the penguin house at the Basel zoo has lead to a penguin baby boom. The Basel zoo has had African penguins since 1949, but never had much luck breeding the birds. However, in the new habitat, eight penguin chicks have hatched just in the last six months, and more are expected.

The penguins are endangered in their home along the coasts of South Africa and Namibia. A hundred years ago, more than a million penguin pairs could be seen, but in 2009 just 31'000 pairs were counted.

Source: bazonline
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The Smash WEF demo took place last Saturday after finally receiving a last-minute permit from Basel police. The protesters started at the Bankverein and moved over the Marktplatz into Kleinbasel.

Police had expected a peaceful demo but several protestors turned violent. Several car windows were smashed and the three kings hotel was pelted with eggs and mud. The windows of a bank were smashed with a hammer but security was able to repel the troublemakers with pepper spray. Three people are charged with vandalism and arson.

Source: bazonline
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Basel residents are often frustrated by broken postage stamp machines. The Swiss post office is slowly removing them as they break. The problem is that the machines were first installed in 1976 and it is difficult to get parts for them anymore. The post office still repairs the machines if it can, but when they can't be repaired, they are taken down.

The post office points out that stamps can now be printed at home using their "Webstamp" service or ordered by phone.

Source: bazonline
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A pharmaceutical factory in Liestal reported a chemical spill last wednesday. 800 liters of a highly explosive solvent had leaked from a transfer pipe. The spill was captured in the company's underground holding tanks and did not run into the public sewage system.

No one was injured by the spill. Nearly 100 emergency service workers were called to action. The accident would have ended badly if the leak hadn't been caught in time. One lit cigarette thrown into a sewage grate would have caused the entire Oristalstrasse to explode.

Source: bazonline
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A suspected serial arsonist struck again in Riehen over the weekend. A blaze was set in the underground parking garage of an apartment building Sunday night. Residents alarmed the police and fire department around 10:30 pm and the fire was quickly brought under control. Three motorcycles were destroyed and a car was considerably damaged by the blaze.

The police have been unable to catch the arsonist, who is suspected of setting dozens of fires in Riehen over the last six years.

Source: bazonline
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Five local political parties want to tighten Basel's immigration policy. Foreigners seeking work or residence permits in Basel should sign an integration contract. They should commit to learning basic German within a year and also take a class to learn about local customs. Failure would mean explusion from the country. Exceptions would be made for temporary work or student visa applicants. According to the motion, naturalization should also be denied to those on welfare or with criminal records.

City president Guy Morin criticizes the proposal and says Basel already has the most restrictive immigration laws in Switzerland.

Source: basler zeitung
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On Saturday, the (Basel) local cub scout pack #681 held its annual Pinewood Derby race at the ISB in Aesch. After weeks of preparation, sixty scouts - and many parents - turned out to show what their cars could do in head-to-head races.

It turned out to be an afternoon full of fun and lots of interesting car designs. In the end, it came down to three overall winners.

• 3rd place : Jack Gorman with his car, "Luigi"
• 2nd place : Jack Christinger – with "The Jack"
• 1st place : Jordan Boerger with–" Big Cheese"

Source: Pete Shelby
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