Swiss MPs discuss how to combat an increase in crime among foreign residents; plus more and more foreigners travel to Switzerland to die and more news on Tuesday.
An upgrade of the cable car mechanism would not have prevented it from crashing in the Swiss Alps
The crash on March 18th, which killed the sole person on board when the cabin tumbled down a mountain in Engelberg, was due to a faulty clamp, which came loose from the cable.
However, according to the Swiss Safety Investigation Board (STSB), in strong winds – as was the case on the day of the accident – “any system reaches its limit.”
“It’s pure physics and geometry,” said STSB’s head Philipp Thürler. “Changes to the locking mechanism would not have provided greater safety.”
Swiss deputies discuss how to combat increase in crime among foreign residents
Foreigners continue to be overrepresented in crime statistics, as the latest data published by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on Monday indicates.
The measures to be taken depend on how right- or left-wing a given party is.
Not surprisingly, the populist Swiss People Party (SVP), along with the Liberal Radicals, are calling for more consistent deportations.
The Social Democrats and Green Liberals, on the other hand, want to focus on prevention, particularly in the area of domestic violence.
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More and more foreigners are travelling to Switzerland to die
The reason is Switzerland’s assisted dying law, which is more liberal than practically anywhere else in the world.
According to media reports on Monday, some assisted dying organisations that accept foreign nationals – unlike EXIT, which is only open to Swiss residents – are reaching their capacity limits due to the increasing number of requests from abroad.
One such organisation, Dignitas, reports a record number of requests, particularly from English-speaking countries
Last year, for instance, one in five of the 280 people who accessed its services came from the United States, and one in six from the UK.
READ MORE: What you should know about assisted dying in Switzerland
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SWISS extends its suspension of Middle East
Due to ongoing war in Iran and continued unrest in the region, SWISS airline has extended its flight cancellations as follows:
Dubai through May 31th
Tel Aviv through May 31
Abu Dhabi through October 24th
Amman through October 24th
Beirut through October 24th
Dammam through October 24th
Riyadh through October 24th
Erbil through October 24th
Muscat through October 24th
Tehran through October 24th
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at news@thelocal.ch
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