Rally Against ISIS comes to Basel; Fat Fingers Cause Cheap Petrol; New Accident Service for Pet Owners; Intoxicated Driving on the Rise; Frenchman Found Smuggling Weapons into Basel

A Demonstration organized by various kurdish organizations from Basel managed to rally approximately 5000 people to show support for the besieged city of Kobani in Syria.  The demonstration began with a march over the Mittlerbrucke at 15:30 on Saturday and by 4pm had reached Barfusserplatz.  despite the rain, the protesters were joined by Brigitte Hollinger, president of the SP party as they showed their solidarity with the citizens of Kobani.  According to the police, the demonstration was successfully dissolved by 6pm.     ********************************************************************************************  

Motorists in Schaenis SG have been cashing in after a programming error enabled them to secure gasoline for 17 Rappen per liter.

 

Queues snaked back around the corner when word got out about the discount petrol, with one citizen journalist reporting cars 20 deep trying to fill up while they could.

 

The error came about when the programmer entered 17.6 rappen into the petrol station computer, instead of the intended 1.76 Francs.

 

The error was rectified after one hour, with the simple mistake estimated at costing the service station several thousand francs.

 

****************************************************************************************   A new service sanctioned by the Animal Protection Services of Basel provides care for pets when their owners have incapacitating emergencies.  The new program called TBB comes with an emergency card that identifies the owner and their pets.  By enrolling, pet owners insure that emergency responders know their intentions for their pets and have secured care for them via the program.  Enrollees in the program pay an annual fee which is designed to cover the costs of room, board and health care for the pet.

 

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Driving under the influence of drugs is on the rise in Switzerland. 

 

New figures released from Swiss Police reveal that 346 motorists have been arrested drug driving in the last year, up from 261 just a couple of years previously.

 

St Gallen Canton Police spokesman Hans Peter Kruesli explained that the most prominent drugs detected in road side tests are cannabis, heroin, cocaine and ecstacy, and the expectations are that increases in conviction rates will continue.

 

The good news for sober motorists is that while drug driving is on the rise, the accident rate remains stable.

 

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A french national was arrested at the Basel Lysbuchel border crossing for attempting to smuggle weapons into basel.  The seized contraband included a taser weapon, ninja throwing stars, air-soft guns and ammunition and several other martial arts weapons.  Unfortunately for the man, the Basel weapons laws are quite clear and strict, so the thirty four year old's excuses of having forgotten the arsenal in his trunk before entering Base will not suffice to prevent him facing criminal charges.  According to authorities, weapons seizures at the border are unfortunately not uncommon - 400 alone in 2013, however in this case the quantity of prohibited items in the possession of a single person makes the arrest extraordinary.