Basel Seeks To Take Bite Out Of Mosquitos; Flash Mob Protest at Basel SBB; Basel To Beggars: Begone

News For 4 May 2021

Sarah Wyss, National Health Council representative from Basel has raised concerns about the spread of Tiger Mosquitoes spreading their way into Switzerland.  The notoriously aggressive pests, normally found in Croatia, Italy, Spain and southern France, are easily identified by its white and grey stripes along its torso - and is regularly found to carry diseases like Yellow and Dengue Fever, and is possibly connected to the Zika virus. Populations have been identified in Basel in recent years, and Ms. Wyss is seeking that the Federal Council prepare a status report on interdiction efforts.  In addition, she hopes to get sponsorship from the government to pursue pilot projects modeled on interdiction efforts in other countries.

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Hundreds of people, mostly unmasked, seized the footbridge inside the SBB train station last Wednesday. The planned Flash Mob saw people dancing to an anthem which has been coined against coronavirus measures. The song “Danser encore” by the French singer HK, sets a wistful tone of “joie de vivre” calls for defiance, with “Ne soyons pas sans résistance” (Let's not be without resistance). Opponents of the Covid-19 measures have since taken it up as a kind of anthem. The police had received a report regarding the protest. A spokesman for the Justice and Security Department of Basel-Stadt said the police were immediately dispatched. The police observed the flash mob but because the protest passed quickly, no identity checks were carried out. Police are still trying to identify who initiated the action. 

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In its most recent effort to reduce the population of beggars on its streets, Basel Stadt has introduced a program offering to buy travel tickets for them to leave the country.  According to the Basler Zeitung, as a condition of agreeing (in writing) not to return, the city will buy a railway pass anywhere in Europe and provide 20 Swiss Francs.  The city has even found inexpensive flights for those beggars that wish to go to Romania specifically.  As of last week 31 people have registered with the program, leaving them to face deportation if they return to Switzerland within the year.