Public Toilet Fees Eliminated; Crackdown On Fasnacht Scofflaws; 2017 Montreaux Jazz Fest Lineup Announced; Baselworld Disappoints

News For 4 April 2017

In an effort to deal with public urination the city has decided to eliminate the fees for the use of public toilets to encourage their use.  Wildpinklers, as they are known in the local patois have been a serious problem for the city, especially during the summer months according to Andre Frauchiger, spokesman for the civil engineering department.  Since operating the 82 public toilets in the city, including the 30 self-cleaning ones, is already done at a loss, the city has also decided to forego the annual 82,000 CHF income it has been earning from the toilet entry fees and add it to the department's cleaning budget.

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Once a year, at 4 am sharp, all street lamps and lights in Basel are turned off, plunging the city into complete darkness. This ritual is performed at the beginning of the "Morgestraich" which marks the beginning of Fasnacht in Basel. It is a part of the centuries-old tradition. But, there are always a few store owners and neighbors of the event who forget to turn their lights off, much to the chagrin of the Fasnächtler. The Basler Fasnachts-committee, the governing body of the festival has requested that Basel impose fines of at least 100 CHF for people who disregard the Morgestraich lights rule. 

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If you are a music fan living in Switzerland, you no doubt look forward to the Montreaux Jazz Festival each year.  Last Thursday, the event's organizers released the upcoming line-up of talent including the headliners expected to play at the show.  Starting June 30th, top billing will be Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, Usher and the Pet Shop Boys will perform at the 51st annual edition.  This year's fest will include festival veteran Herbie Hancock, and singer Tom (Its Not Unusual) Jones will be making his first appearance there to make all the ladies knees go weak.  Grace Jones has been also booked for an appearance. On the contemporary front, Lauren Hill of the Fugees, Bryan Ferry of Roxy Music and the Lumineers are also slated to perform, with Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour scheduled to headline the closing evening of the Jazz Festival.

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This year's watch and jewelry exhibition "Baselworld" was less successful than in past years. According to the organizers, the total visitor count was 106'000, which is a four percent decrease from last year. As a result, next year's event is set to be shortened. Instead of a whole week, the exhibition will last from Thursday to Tuesday in 2018. This should prevent further setbacks in visitor counts, but also respect the wishes of some of the smaller companies exhibiting their products at the event.