June 15, 2010

Local natural cosmetic and medicine manufacturer Weleda announced last week it would open a new office on the Peter-Merian Strasse in Basel and create ten new marketing jobs. Sixty international managers will be based in the new city office, while headquarters and production remain in nearby Arlesheim.

Weleda enjoyed a boom year in 2009 with a thirteen percent increase in turnover.Weleda’s natural and anthroposophic products bring in nearly four hundred million swiss francs annually and the company counts nearly two thousand employees worldwide.

Source: Basler Zeitung

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Dog owners should make sure their pets are immunized against distemper. A dead fox found in Riehen tested positive for the highly contagious disease. While the danger of infection from wild animals is not high, Basel city's veterinarian wants dog owners should be aware of the danger.

Distemper severely affects the health of dogs and is often fatal for young dogs. Symptoms include pus from the eyes and nose, red irritated eyes, dry mouth, loss of appetite and fever.

Source: 20 Minuten

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Basel voters took to the polls last Sunday for referendums on public parking and mobile phone attenae. A proposal to eliminate thousands of free parking spots and in the city and replace them with paid parking was defeated after an intense PR campaign by opponents by just a few hundred votes. Financing of nearly seven million francs to change the parking system would have been necessary.

In a separate vote, Basel approved a government-supported measure to allow further contruction of mobile phone attenae in the city while still minimizing radiation.

Source: Basler Zeitung

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The 41st Art Basel opened its gates today. This year's Art Basel presents works from 303 of the best art galleries around the globe, making it the world's most popular art fair according to Maike Cruse of the Art Basel. Cruse says you shouldn't miss the art tour in the city where ten artists are integrating landmarks such as the Münster into their works.

The city is also trying to present itself in the best light according to Sabine Horvath, director of Basel's marketing department. Crews will be cleaning the city more often and Art flags have put up as decorations.

Source: 20 Minuten

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As part of the FIFA world cup festivities in Basel, a large public viewing zone was erected on the Schänzli area in Muttenz and opened for business last Friday. Despite a free giveaway of fifteen hundred tickets, only a hundred fans came to watch the game outdoors on the large screen.

Organizers of the public viewing space were disappointed but blamed the weak start on the weekday broadcast. A similar public viewing concept in Bubendorf during the European championship two years ago was a financial disaster.

Source: basler Zeitung

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Basel hotels hosted a record number of visitors in May with over 87'000 overnite-stays. That was up almost 13% compared to last year and 25% above the average of the last ten years. This continues the trend of the last few months of more tourism in the region.

June is also looking good. With the Art Basel starting today, hotels reported being fully booked.

Source: 20 Minuten

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Unknown vandals attempted to set several objects on fire near the Riehen train station early Sunday morning. Residents heard a loud bang, saw a garbage bin burning and called the police, who were able to extinguish the fire.

Police discovered that the suspects had unsuccessfully attempted to set two other garbage bins on fire. Also, the vandals placed a living hedgehog in the flap of a snack machine and tried to set it on fire with paper. The hedgehog escaped unharmed. Police are calling for witnesses.

Source: Basler Zeitung

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The tram stop at Bankverein will be closed for two weeks starting tomorrow while construction work is done. Trams will follow their normal routes but, except for tram line 2, will not open their doors at the Bankverein stop. A water pipeline and the tram rails will undergo maintenance.

Although the work was announced long in advance, it was only recently decided to close the stop. Businesses around the stop are unhappy about the expected drop in passersby, especially now that the Art Basel has just started.

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