Closed sections of the A13 motorway and Simplon Pass to reopen

Recent massive thunderstorms unleashed a landslide of mud and rubble, which destroyed a part of the north-south axis of the A13 motorway.

Authorities also had to close the Simplon Pass for the same reason.

But on Thursday the Federal Roads Office announced that both are repaired and ready to reopen for traffic: the A13 from today at 5 am, and the Simplon also from today at 6 pm.                                                                                                                                                                   

‘Suicide capsule’ to be used in Switzerland ‘soon’

Under Switzerland’s uniquely liberal assisted suicide law, people who choose to end their own lives in one of the country’s ‘suicide clinics,’ typically do so by opening the valve on an IV drip which contains lethal medications.

But soon another ‘dying method’ will also become available in Switzerland.

As reported by the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) on Thursday, the Sarco ‘suicide pod’ provides a “calmer death experience.”
 
This would happen when the person lying inside the capsule pushes a button to release nitrogen, rapidly reducing the oxygen level and consequently dying.

Though this may sound terrifying, Christian Jackowski, director of the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the University of Bern, told the NZZ that “the lack of oxygen is perceived as pleasant in the body.”
 
Exit International assisted suicide organization, the creator of this capsule, said it will be put into use “soon” but did not specify exactly when this will be.

Switzerland tries to flatten out peaks of Alpine visitors

Switzerland’s tourism agency said Thursday that it was trying to even out the flow of holidaymakers throughout the year to protect the Alpine country from the risks of excessive tourism, the AFP reported.

Switzerland Tourism said it would seek to highlight the off seasons and promote destinations off the beaten track.

Officials told a press conference in Zurich the agency wanted to direct holidaymakers to “the right places, at the right time”.

There is “no problem of general over-tourism in Switzerland”, said the agency’s chief Martin Nydegger, though there are “temporary and localised bottlenecks.”

Ahead this weekend:

Assistance system in cars

From July 7th, some safety-relevant assistants will soon be mandatory in Swiss cars.

In line with the EU, every newly registered vehicle in Switzerland must have certain systems. However, there is no obligation to retrofit older vehicles.

For example, an emergency braking assistant must now be installed. This constantly monitors what is happening in front of the vehicle and automatically initiates emergency braking if an obstacle is detected. This can either avoid a collision altogether or at least reduce its severity.

In the future, cars will also support the person at the wheel when reversing. Warning sounds and/or reversing cameras should make obstacles or people behind the vehicle quickly recognisable.

Art collection in Lausanne ‘seen in a new light’

The Langmatt museum  in the city of Baden houses a prestigious collection of Impressionist masterpieces.

Now it is being seen in a new light, literally, after leaving the museum in northern Switzerland on loan for the first time.

Around 50 paintings, including works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Cézanne, Claude Monet and Edgar Degas, are being shown in brighter surroundings at the Hermitage Foundation in Lausanne while the Langmatt undergoes renovation.

The collection has never been seen outside the cocoon of the Langmatt, where the artworks are displayed under the light of crystal chandeliers and latticed windows — an environment that is different from Hermitage’s.
  
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