French Rail Strike Hits Swiss Bound Trains; Swiss Solar Plane Sets Record; Basel Study Swiss Illegal Employment; New Rhein Promenade Opens

News For 26 April 2016

 

If you've been contemplating an escape to Paris or some similar French bound holiday in the next few days, you may want to reconsider.  Starting last night and scheduled to last until Wednesday, an "industrial action" (also known as a strike) is underway staged by French rail workers.  The work-stoppage has interrupted half the TGV rail services, among them the Lyria service which connects Basel to Paris and Dijon.  The strike has the support of all four of France's main trade unions and is meant to pressure the French Railway operator SNCF to improve wages and working conditions.  If you've already made reservations you can request a refund or use your tickets to ride on any of the other Lyria trains operating on the day of your tickets.  Be forewarned however, as you may be without a seat or even a comfortable place to stand during your voyage. 

************************   On Sunday, Bertrand Piccard landed the Solar Impulse 2 Swiss solar powered airplane in California after crossing the Pacific.  The 62 hour leg of the global circumnavigation journey began in Hawaii four days earlier.  The journey to cross the Pacific Ocean actually started in July 2015, when the Solar Impulse project's second pilot André Borschberg took five days to fly from Japan to Hawaii.  During its six month hiatus in Hawaii, the airplane had its batteries repaired which were damaged in the first leg of the Pacific crossing.  The airplane is powered entirely by 17,000 solar cells on its wings and can accommodate only a single passenger, its pilot. Solar Impulse 2 started its journey in Abud Dhabi in March 2015 and has been flown by the two pilots alternating each leg of the journey.     ****************

A Basel based advisory group has conducted an in-depth study of illegal immigration and labor for the Swiss Federal Migration office (or SEM).  They conclude that between 50,000 and 90,000 illegal immigrants reside and work in Switzerland, though its difficult to be more precise because of the nature of their circumstances.  They go on to estimate that over 40 percent come to Switzerland from Latin America and another 25 percent from European countries outside the EU.  Incredibly, the study suggests that 90% of adult illegal immigrants work in Switzerland, despite lacking permits and certifications.  The largest employer of illegal immigrants are private households with the remainder working mostly in construction and hospitality.  The common element of such employment, the study found, was lower relative pay, longer working hours and time flexibility for the worker.  

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Basel Planning Director Hans Peter Wessels, and a host of dignitaries of the Dreilander area were on hand Sunday to officially open the new promenade between Dreirosenbrucke in Basel and the Dreilanderbrucke which connects Huningue in France with Weil am Rhein In Germany.  Dubbed the Elsasserrheinweg, the promenade is an architectural wonder featuring 10 meter high Limestone retaining walls.   The walkway received economic support during construction from the city and the Pharmaceutical concern Novartis whose campus sits adjacent to portions of it.