August 6, 2013: 21 year old Bank Robber Shoots Himself in Public, Big Pharma Accused of Killing Local Wildlife, National Day Celebrations – Bigger than Ever

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It’s been announced that the 21-year-old German man who shot himself in broad daylight  last Thursday was in police custody on suspicion of bank robbery.

The City’s prosecutors’ office confirmed yesterday that the man had been taken from Basel’s Waaghof prison to the University Hospital’s emergency department for treatment. Exactly how he got away and ran part way down the St.-Johanns-Vorstadt still hasn’t been explained. What we do know is that it was here, when an officer caught up with the man, that the fugitive made a grab for the policeman’s gun and fired a single shot, hitting him in the head, killing him on the spot.

The man had been arrested after he and a 30-year-old accomplice – both in masks, were accused of committing an armed robbery at the Riehen branch of the Raiffeisenbank, just yards from the local police station.  

It’s also been revealed that in the middle of June, the duo stole a safe containing hundreds of thousands of francs from their employer. However, it seems they weren’t that prepared, since, try as they may, the pair weren’t able to prise the safe open to get at the money.

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As even the newest arrivals in the area must have realised, August the first was Switzerland’s national day, when everyone takes the day off. They take to their grills in a serious bout of barbecuing and later light up the skies with dazzling firework shows.

And this year was certainly no exception, with the hot weather bringing even more people out onto the streets than normal. In Basel, just along the Rhine, some hundred and twenty thousand lined the riverbank to see the 25 minute firework extravaganza that’s become a hallmark of the day chosen to celebrate the country’s foundation 722 years ago.

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However, the hot weather hasn’t brought joy all round, with the Basel-Stadt government taking the controversial decision to ignore federal guidelines and allow local companies to continue using water from the Rhine to cool factory manufacturing processes.

Local fishermen point out that when temperatures rise, the risk of disease and even death for fish and other river wildlife rise sharply.

And that’s why a row has blown up, with anglers saying that local industry is making the problem worse by returning water to the river that’s even hotter than the local environment.

There are strict controls on how companies use the nation’s rivers to cool down machinery and chemical processes. When the water temperature rises about 25 degrees, companies are usually forbidden from using it as a coolant any more. However, according to a report on Sunday in the newspaper Schweiz am Sonntag, local pharma giants Roche and Novartis have entered into a special agreement with the local authority allowing them to ignore the ruling.

Roland Seiler, President of the Swiss Angling Federation, says there’s no excuse for the exception. “We should have learnt our lessons in the last heat wave in 2003, when thousands of fish died as a direct result of the high temperatures.”

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Alcohol and excessive speed are what Basel police say caused a dramatic crash early on Sunday morning.

The 21-year-old driver lost control of the car as he was crossing the Bundesplatz and ended up crashing into a tree. The car was a write-off and both he and his passenger suffered serious injuries needing hospital  treatment.

Police say not only was the driver drunk at the time, he didn’t have a driving licence. However, since his passenger, also 21, did have a licence, he was judged as having responsibility for the car. A court case will follow at which the pair can expect a couple of heavy fines.

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 And in Muttenz an accident of a different kind happened on Saturday morning when one 18-year-old driver, in a hurry to park his car, shot through a fence and down a slope before coming to rest at the foot of the bank just a few feet from busy tram lines.

A crane was brought in to lift the car free and the repair bill will certainly be in the thousand. Fortunately, however, the driver and his 19 year-old passenger, although shaken, were not stirred enough to need medical attention.

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