"Big Cheese" For Basel Markthalle; St. Albans Ferry Repaired; Basel Brews Best Beaks; Weed Killer Ban Fails

News For 4 October 2016

The variety of local food products continues to expand at the Markthalle.  30 year old Serdar Hess, opened his locally sourced and produced cheese stand, named "Mylk" a few months ago and has been winning the raves of customers and critics alike.  The cheeses on offer are mostly made by Mr. Hess himself, with the rest sourced from dairies in Baselstadt and Baselland. In addition to cheese, artisanal yoghurt can also be found in exotic flavor combinations like apple/spinach, sweet potato pumpkin and apple ginger honey.  When visiting the Mylk stand, customers can often find Mr. Hess making his self-made products, when he's not busy cutting the cheese.

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After a string of mishaps, the Rhein ferry crossing the river at St. Albans will be inspected and repaired this week.  In both instances, the ferry came to a stop in the middle of the river, apparently the result of a wedged cable reel.  In addition to inconveniencing the passengers, the ferry also posed an obstacle to passing ship traffic.  Fire department ships were used to rescue the disabled boats and prevent any other ships from passing by until the ferry was safely moved off the river.  The organization which operates and maintains the ferries and service had scheduled maintenance for today to ensure no further interruptions to the operations.

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The Swiss Specialty Coffee Association of Europe hosted a championship event this past Sunday, inviting industry participants to match their tasting skills.  At the event, more than 30 participants sniffed, slurped, sipped and spit while subjecting their taste sensors to a coffee stress test.  First and second place were secured by Kevin Mohler and Jörg Mayer, both of the Delica Kaffeerösterei in the Birsfelden quarter of Basel.  Having won the event, Mr Mohler will be on his way to represent Switzerland at the World Cup of Coffee Tasting in Budapest next year.  In addition to coffee tasting championships, the organizers host events for baristas and coffee artists.

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The controversial weed killer glyphosate, known by its trade name Roundup, has managed to avoid being banned in Switzerland after a vote Friday in the Swiss Parliament.  The measure was under consideration after a petition was brought before the legislative body by Greenpeace and other environmental organizations who were seeking the ban.  The parliament voted down the measure citing a lack of enough scientific evidence.  Greenpeace, in its global effort seeking a ban on the substance, has been citing a 2015 report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer which said that glyphosate "probably" causes cancer.  An EU and Swiss studies on the substance is due in 2017, and until those results are released the 28 member trading bloc has put limits on its use.