There are a million questions that come up during an international move, and one of the most pressing for families is: Where do I send my kids to school? This is no simple question. Finding and vetting schools and arranging enrollment can be a challenge, and the choice of a school can shape a family’s social life and cultural adjustment.
Boat Collision Drama on the Rhine; Local Barn Up in Flames as Firework Night Goes Out of Control; A Man Escapes from a Local Prison – And Turns Himself In Again – All in a Single Day
About 150 people had to be evacuated from a passenger boat on the Rhine in Basel yesterday morning, after colliding with an upturned cargo barge.
In all, three ships were involved in the collision which began after the barge, laden with gravel, turned over in the fast-flowing river, swollen as a result of the recent heavy rains. Nearby in the Kleinhüningen port area, the long hotel ship, Olympia, was unable to complete an about-turn manoeuvre before hitting the stricken barge, shortly afterwards hitting another pleasure boat moored just downriver.
River traffic was halted for a number of hours afterwards. Although police say that all three boats suffered extensive damage, and an unspecified amount of diesel fuel escaped from the barge when it overturned, there were, thankfully, no casualties. An investigation is now underway.
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It seems it was all happening on the river yesterday, as another visiting hotel ship became the victim of a modern day pirate raid.
Investigators say the attacker was first seen hanging around the riverside in the vicinity of the Sankt Johanns-Tor when he suddenly approached one of the crew on the quayside and began demanding money. When the sailor refused, the attacker pulled out a large knife, forced his way on board and began threatening other crew members.
At this point the original victim fled and, when the attacker found he was unable to catch the sailor he ran ashore. A short time later police arrested a 51-year-old German man in Sankt Johanns-Park.
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So, the country’s 723rd National Birthday holiday came and went, but not without a little local excitement. In Hofstetten in the Leimental, a number of young people managed to set a warehouse loft on fire after a firework party went badly wrong. The flames quickly took control, causing tens of thousands of francs’ worth of damage before local fire-fighters were able to put the blaze out.
That was about the worst of the seasonal incidents in the area last Friday August the First, with most of the rest of the two dozen or so involving frightened and runaway animals.
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When it comes to crime, Switzerland is what experts call a low-risk country: which often means that locals aren’t quite as vigilant as those in some neighbouring countries that we could name.
Take cars for instance. You step out, press a button on the key fob, and all’s secure, right? Well, not any more. Despite sophisticated locking systems it appears that thieves have found a new way to break in. With the help of an electronic gizmo freely available for 50 francs or so, it’s possible to block remote locking signals, so when you leave the car, rather than being locked tight, the smug thief can calmly walk over, open the unlocked door and snag your valuables.
It’s become so much of a problem in the Basel area – one incident every other day in Basel land in July, that police are appealing for drivers to make sure they see the hazard lights light up or listen out for the tell-tale beep to ensure their cars are really locked before walking away. Motorists are also being asked to contact the police if they see anyone suspicious hanging around car parks.
So, if you’ve lost stuff from your car, and there’s been no visible sign of forced entry, you just might be the latest victim.
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Just hours after breaking out of jail in Basel-Land, a 43-year-old man decided to turn himself in at a local police station.
The man, who comes from Romania, was being held on charges of burglary when he and an accomplice made their escape from the prison in Arlesheim in the early hours of yesterday morning. In the evening he walked into a police station in Liestal and gave himself up.
The second escapee, a 27-year-old Albanian man, facing the same charges, is still on the run. Police have issued an international warrant for his arrest.