St. Jakob's Field Trashed; New Metal Band Claims Basel Pop Prize; Basel Bi-Baby Bonanza; Herbstmesse 2017 Attendance Tally

News For 14 November 2017

In Sunday night's game versus Northern Ireland, The Swiss national team managed to hold the score to a 0-0 tie, meaning the team will now advance to the World Cup having won their first confrontation in Belfast last Thursday.  All is not good news though.  During Sunday night's game, heavy rainfall continued which had started a week earlier in Basel, leaving the field wrecked after the match.  According to stadium management, the field is no longer suitable for games meeting international requirements.  It is estimated that a new pitch, which had only been installed in September, will be planted at a cost of 250,000 Swiss francs.  

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The 2017 Basel Pop Prize went to the Basel band Zeal & Ardor. The prize, worth 15’000 CHF was awarded to the black metal/gospel band last Wednesday. The band, formed by Manuel Gagneux, has only existed for 1.5 years and quickly became critically acclaimed worldwide with their debut album “Devil is Fine”. Since releasing the album, Zeal & Ardor have played sold out concerts around Europe and in the US. The audience award was given to Liestal black metal band Schammasch, who were also nominated for the main prize. They received a clear majority of online votes, totaling 40%.

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Yet another top prize earned by Basel amongst its Swiss-city peers is that of having had the highest twin-birth rate in the entire country during 2016.  Out of the 2172 births recorded in the city by the Federal Statistical Office, 52 were twin pairs, a rate of 4.8%, a full point higher than the national average.  According to the Department of Reproductive Medicine of the Department of Gynecology of the University Hospital Basel, the cause can be attributed to people's lifestyles.  Women are having children at a later age, 5 years later on average compared to 20 years ago, and finding they need medical intervention to do so, which can result in twins at a higher rate than the general population.  

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The Herbstmesse counted around a million visitors over its two-week duration. The good weather in the first week especially enticed people to come out for the rides, eat the delicious food and shop at the different stands. Though the weather turned foul during the second week which slowed the crowds, meaning that the final balance is not quite what was expected. The Messe was also overshadowed by two accidents on rides that happened on the first day, injuring a total of 6 people.