Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Today’s briefing is about life and death. The joy of a historic football victory, the quality of life in Swiss cities, the lethal consequences of heatwaves – and a Swiss doctor who transformed how the world understands dying.
Live well, and warm regards from Switzerland
The football dream lives on. Switzerland reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since the 1950s after defeating Colombia in a dramatic penalty shoot-out in Vancouver.
The Swiss men’s national team made football history in the early hours of this morning. After 120 goalless minutes, the match against Colombia was decided on penalties.
When Manuel Akanji sent Switzerland’s second penalty over the bar, hopes briefly faded. But the Swiss held their nerve. The remaining penalty-takers all converted their spot kicks before goalkeeper Gregor Kobel confidently saved Colombia’s fourth attempt. Rubén Vargas then stepped up to score the winner.
Switzerland now travels to Kansas City for a quarter-final against defending world champions Argentina. It is a chance for revenge. At the 2014 World Cup, Switzerland lost 1-0 to the South American team after extra time in the round of 16.
And this time? “We’re going to win the World Cup,” jubilant Swiss fans told media as celebrations went on late into the night. For the Argentina game, they will need to stay up late – or wake up very early – with kick-off scheduled for 3am Swiss time on Sunday.
Another heatwave is heading for Switzerland, bringing with it a danger that experts say remains widely underestimated.
I’ve just received a warning on my phone: a “severe heatwave” is set to hit Zurich this weekend, with temperatures exceeding 30°C. MeteoSwiss has also reissued level-three heat warnings for large parts of cantons Basel Country, Basel City, Ticino, Vaud and Geneva.
New figures from the federal government highlight the potentially deadly consequences of extreme heat. According to Swiss public broadcaster, SRF, the previous heatwave in June was associated with around 200 excess deaths in the country.
Older people are particularly vulnerable. Yet heat rarely appears on death certificates. Instead, deaths are typically attributed to heart attacks, circulatory failure or respiratory diseases, even though high temperatures often worsen existing health conditions.
As SRF explains, “mortality rises precisely when a heatwave is underway”. For that reason, experts talk of “excess mortality” rather than “heat-related deaths”.
Few people have shaped the world’s understanding of dying and death as deeply as Swiss doctor Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, who would have turned 100 today.
The Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) marks the anniversary with a profile of the pioneering psychiatrist, whose work transformed end-of-life care. Against her father’s wishes, Kübler-Ross pursued a career in medicine and became one of the first doctors to place the experiences of dying patients at the centre of her work.
She spent much of her life in the US after moving there with her American husband. Her interviews with terminally ill patients formed the basis of her bestselling book On Death and Dying, which became an international classic.
Yet when Kübler-Ross herself suffered several strokes later in life, she struggled to accept her own mortality. She increasingly embraced spiritual and esoteric ideas, a shift that drew criticism.
During an appearance on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show, she openly admitted her anger about death. Nevertheless, she remained convinced that talking openly about dying made the experience less frightening. Kübler-Ross spent her final years in Arizona, where she died in 2004 at the age of 78.
Zurich and Geneva reportedly remain among the world’s most liveable cities, although both slipped slightly in this year’s rankings.
The latest “city liveability index” published by the Economist Group places Zurich fifth and Geneva sixth worldwide. A year ago, Zurich ranked second and Geneva fifth. Both cities lost points in the “culture and environment” category, although, as the Tages-Anzeiger notes, the report does not explain why.
According to 24 heures, Geneva’s lower ranking is due less to a decline in living standards than to improvements elsewhere. Sydney and Melbourne both climbed, and Tokyo returned to the top ten. Copenhagen topped this ranking, followed by Vienna and Melbourne.
Translated from German, sub-edited by Alexandra MV Andrist/dos
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