Police looking for witnesses after brawl
The police are looking for mobile phone footage of a fight which broke out near the St.Jakob stadium on Saturday night.
The violent altercations broke out at around 11pm between two large groups of peopleat Birsstrasse, between the stadium and Redingstrasse. At least two were injured. Several people were questioned and two were temporarily arrested.
According to criminal police investigations, a group of 30 people were at work in white protection suitspainting the bridge pillars of the motorway bridge when they were approached by around 60 people. Several fights broke out between the two groups, resulting in injuries and damage to property. Some peoplewere knocked to the ground and kicked. Several people later reported to the emergency department at the hospital with various injuries.
The police arrived and were able to stop and question14 people. Two of them have been temporarily arrested. The people questioned included nine Swiss residents between20-35 years old, two Italians aged 30 and 34 years old, one man from El Salvador, 24, and two Germans (23 and 29) who were arrested. The police have opened proceedings against the men.
Anyone who can provide relevant information or who filmed the brawl on their mobile phones are requested to get in touch with the criminal police of the public prosecution Basel-Stadt on the phone number 061 267 71 11 or by going to the nearest police station.
Basel's ETH spin-offs face severe accusations
The ETH university in Zurich is facing a new conflict between doctoral students and professors. The Department of Biosystems, a relatively new but already renowned branch of ETH in Basel, is at the centre of the conflict. This is according to a story in the«NZZ am Sonntag» newspaper.
According to the«NZZ am Sonntag» article,43 per cent of doctoral students regard themselves as victims of abuse of power. On average, the number of students who feel victimised represents 24 per centof the total which attend ETH. The affected department, which was only founded in 2006, is also by far the worst performer in other areas, such as funding from professors.
Research conducted by the «NZZ am Sonntag» shows that the poor result is no coincidence. It is clear that no one wants to make a public statement about the people who are currently working at ETH. However, it is also clear that the main problems concern salary cuts and doctoral students under great pressure. Contracts would be renewed at lower wages if students did not produce results quickly enough, a former doctoral student claimed. At the same time, the support for students is “inadequate”.
The main target of this criticism is a professor who is characterised as havingan “extremely demanding personality” and someone who «tightens the screws when doctoral students do not deliver good work on time». On the other hand, he does not really care about them, it is claimed.
Under pressure
When asked by the «NZZ am Sonntag», however, the accused professor rejected the accusations of pressure tests or wage cuts. According to his opinion, his doctoral students are part of a research project which has received financial support for a limited period of time. For the duration of the support, the doctoral students were fully funded.
If the affected students do not complete their doctorate within thegiven timeframe, he said he tries to find solutions with new employment opportunities - with a 50 per cent workload, for instance. «I would like to help them to gain a foothold in their professional lives», the professor said. When it comes to support, he said that his door is “always open”. «Some use it, others may feel too inhibited,» he said.
Bad atmosphere in the laboratory
Naturally, the affected students do not see it that way. The mood in the professor’s laboratory is bad, they say, but nobody wants to talk about bullying. The situation is underlined by the fact that the doctoral candidates have been told by the department itself that they should under no circumstances turn to the school management or the ombudsman in Zurich. It is better to solve the problems within the department itself. This is also reflected in the aforementioned survey: 17 per cent of students said they were afraid to go to the relevant authority when they had a problem.
Fear of Zurich
However, the lawsuits have now reached Zurich, the ETH press office confirmed to the «NZZ am Sonntag». «The complete clarification of the allegations and, if necessary, the initiation of measures are a top priority for ETH Zurich.» The university will make further announcements in due course. For the professor, the presumption of innocence applies.
Rector intervenes
On Saturday evening, the «Regionaljournal Basel» of Radio SRF addressed the poor survey results in its broadcast. Sarah Springman, rector of ETH Zurich, told the station that they would take action to resolve the situation in Basel. «If affected doctoral candidates want to be relocated, we will support them», said Mrs Springman.
This Basel case is the third of its kind at ETH since the «NZZ am Sonntag» reported about bullying at the Institute of Astronomy last autumn. As the «Tages-Anzeiger» wrote last week, further investigations are ongoing in the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering. There are three procedures in total.
Successful protection: Finally, the animals in Basel Zoo are safe from foxes
In Basel's Zolli, exotic animals live peacefully side by side in a small space. Elephants, flamingos, and lions are protected from each other by fences. But there is another type of threat for them: one that creeps into Basel Zoo and does not even stop at enclosures.
When the last visitor leaves the zooand night falls overBasel, local animals can make life difficult for the exotic zoo inhabitants. The animals that are out and about at night also like to visitour zoo. However, these are not friendly visits between different species - it is a matter of life and death.
Wild birds, foxes, badgers, and pine martens, but also smaller animals such as squirrels, rats, mice, beavers, and even domestic cats pose a danger to exotic animals. They all sneak into the zoo at night. Thanks to cameras, the zoo staffnow know who is among the nocturnal visitors. Traces left behind by animals are also observed and analysed. Of course, it is ideal in winter when the snow reveals the paths they take. Residents inBasel also know the problem with wild animals that go through our rubbish binsor bite through our car cables.
The flamingo drama
For the animals in the zoo, however, it is not just a matter of minor annoyances. Flamingos, waterfowl, penguins, Dikdik antelopes, and Kaffir hornbills must fear for their lives and their offspring. The ground-breeding zoo birds in particular are a welcome prey for native wild animals. «A fox destroyed an entire flamingo brood in one night», Franziska Viscardi, media spokeswoman of Basel's Zolli, says. However, this was the most fatal event. On average, at least five and ten animals die each year.
Case of avian flu
Even small invaders like mice and rats are dangerous. They bring diseases to the zoowhich can be fatal for exotic animals. Their excrement contain bacteria and viruses. When the zoo animals come into contact with it - which is almost inevitable - they fall ill. Often, the rats also bring ticks and fleas into thezoo. In one case, wild local birds even brought avian flu to the zoo.
Finally safe!
Basel's Zolli protects its inhabitants to the best of its abilities. For this reason, a fox-proof fence was erected around the zoo. To make foxes realise even more clearly that they are not welcome, fox traps have been set up inside and outside the zoo. Rats and mice are also prevented from getting in. And when a cat sneaks into the zoo, it is - whenever possible - captured and returned to its owner. Additional fences have been built around the enclosures to protect the zoo’s wildlife from intrusion. These measures are having an effect: According to Basel Zoo, the problem with local animal visitors has greatly diminished. And the zoo inhabitants can finally sleep in peace again.