Fire Breaks Out At Manor; Groundbreaking At Uni Hospital; British Bros Bungle Burglary

News For 23 January 2024

Earlier this afternoon, a fire broke out on the third floor of the Manor department store on Griefengasse in Kleinbasel.  According to witnesses, the fire started at 4pm and the entire building was evacuated.  No word yet  about the cause from the fire department, which was still on site into the evening.

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Yesterday afternoon, a groundbreaking ceremony took place at the new "Clinic 2" building at the Basel University Hospital.  Not to be deterred by the rain, Basel government councilor Lukas Engelberger was on site to address the crowds of guests invited to the event.  The new building will stand adjacent to Petersgraben and marks the beginning of a 16 year, billion franc project to expand and rebuild the University Hospital's infrastructure.

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Two brothers from the United Kingdom are cooling their heels in a Geneva, Switzerland jail for having stolen 3 million dollars worth of Ming dynasty pottery from the Baur Foundation, Museum of Far Eastern Arts.  The men broke in by smashing the front window pane, and then destroying a display case to remove the items.  Swiss law enforcement caught up with the thieves in England, and were returned to Geneva to be tried.  Last week they were each sentenced to 3 and a half years in prison for the robbery.