Counterfeit Euros Turn Up at Basel Borders;Surveys Suggest Smoking Tolerance;Basel Beer Brewing Boom;Basel Airport Passenger Traffic Sets New Records in 2013

Twice in the last week, counterfeit Euro notes have turned up in the possession of people as they try to cross the borders into and out of Switzerland.  On Monday, Basel border guards at the basel-lysbuchel crossing stopped a France-bound car carrying four passengers and inspected them and the contents of the vehicle when one of them failed to provide adequate travel documents.  In one of the passenger's clothing fake bank notes with a face value of 6100 euros were found and seized tucked into the man's socks.  The man was put in custody and handed over to the Basel City Police for processing.  A day before, Basel SBB railway police found 8000 Euro worth of counterfeit bills on a man stopped at the train station for suspicious activity.   The two incidents appear connected according to Basel police, as counterfeiters target Basel.  Because the currency is widely accepted due to its proximity to France and Germany and not as well recognized as the local Swiss Franc notes, the counterfeiters find it easy to use them. 

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Despite explicit and highly restrictive anti-smoking measures being in effect in Basel, many clubs turn a blind-eye to smokers especially in the wee-hours of the club scene.  However, partyers seem to have a more relaxed attitude toward smoking, where a recent basel survey suggested almost 46% believed the rules were too strict for the club scene.  Adding to the confusion is the rise of the use of so called E-cigarettes which the same survey suggests people believe to be safer.  Because of renewed interest in the debate it seems at least one initiative proposed by thierry juillard - founder of the Association Fumoar will get some traction amongst voters, already having collected 1000 signatures on a petition, to relax and moderate the existing smoking rules for late night clubs.

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The business of brewing is enjoying a renaissance in Basel.  Following in the footsteps of smaller craft and micro brewers like ueli and unser, new beer brewers are set enter the market with their own brands and facilities.  Fabian Ehinger, the founder and brewer at Brew kitchen Beer uses the facilities at All Bar One in the heuwaage district to churn out a new beer for his customers. The kraftft group plans a new brew pub in the voltaplatz area with outdoor seating and a small food menu similar to other regional, famous biergartens.   The new competition does not seem to scare the large producers in the market - according to anita treml nidecker of the ueli bier executive committee the increased selection has historically increased the general level of interest in beer, and the bigger players have advantages in sustaining their distinct advantages.  The smaller players meanwhile have always emphasized a friendly local vibe in their outlets which also seems to be a sustainable model in the basel market.  

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According to Euro Airport director Jurg Rami, passenger traffic increased 10 percent from 2012 to 2013 to a new record of 5.9million passengers.  He expects total traffic to easily surpass this previous record in 2014 largely attributed to the success of the EasyJet airline which also expects its market share to increase at Basel's Euro Airport to 54 from 51 percent in the coming year.  In addition, there is speculation that RyanAir will return to the market with service from london which would also add to the growth in traffic.  Its not all rosy news however - freight traffic was flat year on year and the trend is expected to continue into 2014.  In an effort to boost the freight traffic, the airport has invested 40 million dollars in a new cargo terminal built specifically to cater to the needs of the local pharmaceutical industry.  Overall however, the news is good as employment at the airport and related service industries rose to over 6000 from 5800 the year before.

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