Feather Thief Fiasco Foiled; Free Language Lessons Meet Tepid Response; Basel Reconsiders Alcohol Ban At Pools; Woman Robbed At SBB

News For 11 July 2017

Late last week, a Swiss man was sentenced in Basel to three years in jail for stealing valuable bird feathers from European and Swiss museums.  Between 2005 and 2012, the man stole more than 10,000 feathers worth more than six million dollars from museum bird displays by posing as a scientific researcher.  When the man was caught only a small fraction of the feathers were recovered.

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Since 2014, the canton of Basel-Stadt has offered new residents with B permits 80 free German classes. They are the first canton in Switzerland to offer this kind of arrangement. Only residents who already speak German are not entitled to the free lessons. The canton has budgeted three million CHF for the classes, all contributed by private companies and foundations. However, since the program officially started, only 1226 immigrants out of the 5332 that received the vouchers have taken advantage of them. With a calculated cost of 1200 CHF per participant, total costs are at 1.5 million CHF. 

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Have you ever wondered why you can't cool off with a refreshing Bier Vom Fass at the public pools in Baselland and Baselstadt?  The current law prohibits the sale of alcohol at such venues - one of the only remaining public ones where such a ban is in effect.  However, City Grossrat (or Council Representative) Thomas Gander has been advocating for liberalization of the rules, to bring the two cantons' rules in line with the others in Switzerland.  Of obvious concern to other town elders, involves the protection of minors from purchasing alcohol below while under the legal drinking age.

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On Sunday night around 9:30 pm, a 28-year-old woman was robbed at the SBB train station. According to the department of public prosecution, she arrived at the station and sat down on a bench next to the main entrance. Suddenly, a stranger snatched her handbag from behind. As she turned around, the culprit hit her and fled, leaving her with an injury on her back. The woman went straight to the police who brought her to the emergency room. The police started a search but had no success.