Roger Federer.
Roger Federer.
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Local News Summary of January, 10th

  • Roger Federer on retirement, doping in sport, and his children 
  • Drug against bladder cancer – success for Roche 
  • 400 new flats for Basel in 2016 

Roger Federer on retirement, doping in sport, and his children 

After a six-month-break due to injury, Basel tennis legend Roger Federer celebrated a strong comeback at the Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia. 

This week, he talked to the sda news agency about his plans for the future, his children, and doping in sport. 

Roger Federer is back - on the tennis court and in the eyes of the public. In Perth he was as enthusiastic as ever. However the cartilage operation he had earlier this year has changed him a lot, he said in an interview with the sda news agency. «I have to be more cautious» said the Basler. «I know my age and I can't look ahead to Tokio 2020.» 

For now he said he is planning ahead only until the 2017 Tennis Masters in Miami in April. After that he has an idea about which tournaments he wants to compete in, «but only if the next weeks and months go well». 

When asked about his retirement, 35-year-old Federer was not irritated by the question, but said: «It is only difficult that this discussion started in 2009.» He asked himself how often he has had to answer this question: «I don't know the answer to this question myself,» he emphasises. It would be easier if he knew when he will retire. «I will leave the decision to the spur of the moment, and at one point I will presumably feel it,» he said. 

In the extensive discussion, Federer also gave a clear statement of his views on doping in sport. «If someone has cheated I expect him to be 'nailed', and that's it,» he said. 

But he said he was not concerned about the illegal practice going on in tennis. He said that, first of all, the sport was not «so dependent on one star that one couldn't let someone go» before adding: «Tennis is after all still a game which is intuitive, and for this you don't need to be doped.» However, he did not deny that the amount of money which flows into the sport had possibly increased the attraction for cheating. 

He did not complain about his life in the limelight. Federer is convinced that his children were well adjusted even if they do not have a «normal life»: «They have great fun on tour and many friends,» he said. He also said he did not mind either that he was under constant observation by the media: «I don't have anything to hide.» 

After the «trial gallop» in Perth, the serious side of life starts on Monday at the Australian Open in Melbourne. 

Drug against bladder cancer – success for Roche 

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche on Monday announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its application to prolong its allowance for the cancer drug Tecentriq and has granted a priority review. 

Roche had applied for an allowance for the treatment of people with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who are ineligible for cisplatin chemotherapy. Others who can be treated with Tecentriq are either previously untreated (first-line) or have disease progression at least 12 months after receiving chemotherapy, either before or after surgery. 

Urothelial carcinoma accounts for 90 percent of all bladder cancers and can also be found in the renal pelvis, ureter and urethra. Link

400 new flats for Basel in 2016 

A total of 412 new flats were built in the canton of Basel-Stadt last year. Including an increase in building conversions and fewer demolitions, the number of apartments increased last year by 443. The amount is in line with current population growth, whereas the cost of rent remained more or less stable, according to the office for statistics. 

As there will be new jobs established in Basel over the next years, the canton needs new homes in order to avoid people having to commuting to work. 

The office for statistics of the canton Basel-Stadt yesterday published its figures for the number of new homes. Two new high rise flat blocks, at Schorenweg 36 and 38 with 137 new flats in Hirzbrunnen area, and the flats at Kestenholz AG (105 new flats for rent, among them 25 for elderly) in Breite contributed to this increase. 

Vast range in rental rates 

The office for statistics said the annual inflation of rent was under 2 per cent. The net rent in November of an average three room apartment was 1'177 Swiss francs per month. However, the range is vast. Community flats are much cheaper with an average rent of 850 for three rooms whereas new flats are much more expensive: For a new three room apartment, the average rent is 2'144 francs.