Swiss Immigration Slows; Basel To Merge Emergency Services; Star Footballer Mentors Refugee Kids; Fantasy Basel Returns

News For 2 May 2017

Bloomberg News reports that net migration to Switzerland from Europe has been slowing over the last two years.  Despite the Swiss parliament failing to implement the 2014 referendum calling for immigration quotas, it appears the referendum has had its desired effect.  Europeans make up the biggest group of foreigners in Switzerland but net migration has slowed to just 8500 people in the first quarter of 2017.  

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Starting in 2018, Baselland and Basel-Stadt will most likely merge their emergency call centers. Ambulances will then be dispatched from the same place for both cantons. This new emergency call center “beider Basel”, for “both Basels” will increase the quality of care in the region as well as lower costs for both cantons. They will be better coordinated and wait times for an ambulance should become shorter. According to Basel-Stadt’s security and justice minister Baschi Dürr, the cooperation of both Basels will be aided by the shared emergency call center. The collaboration will start with a five years pilot period. 

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Breel Embolo, once a star player of the Swiss National team, and FC Basel, is now actively organizing soccer tournaments for under-age asylum seekers in Reinach.  Using his own experience as a guide, Embolo hopes sports can play a similar role in the lives of participants as they did in his when he arrived here from Cameroon.  Yesterday, the second annual tournament of the organization was held at the Erlenhof Center in Reinach and hosted ten teams coached by prominent, regional soccer personalities.  

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This past weekend, three exhibition halls at the Messe hosted the third edition of the Fantasy Basel conference. From April 29th until May 1st visitors, cosplayers, gamers and comic book fans flocked to the only equivalent of Comic Con in Switzerland. This year’s event featured appearances by stunt doubles from “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “The Lord of the Rings”, daily costume contests, and an entire hall dedicated to video and computer games. The total visitor count has increased from 15’000 in the first year to 43’000 this year, prompting an expansion of the event to accommodate them. Fantasy Basel’s CEO Martin Schorno sees the reason for the event’s steadily growing popularity in the fact that it is one of the only meeting points for enthusiasts of the digital, cosplay and comics scene.