Many Swiss cities and municipalities apply a 30 km/h speed limit in residential areas, with speed cameras often in place to ensure that motorists slow down. On 13 April 2025, one culprit was caught doing 52 km/h in the town of Köniz near Berne. It was a duck. Or a male mallard, to be precise. Local police revealed that the duck may be a repeat offender, saying that a drake had been captured by the speed camera in the exact same spot at the exact same speed on the exact same date seven years earlier. Source: municipality of Köniz (canton of Berne)
This year’s UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 held in Switzerland during July saw Europe’s best female footballers play in front of record crowds. The aggregate attendance across all matches stood at an impressive 657,291, outstripping all previous records at the women’s Euros. The tournament also attracted a cumulative live viewing audience of 450 million, who saw a total of 106 goals. Referees handed out only three red cards. Euro 2025 will be remembered as a joyful, gripping, peaceful spectacle.
Swiss women – with or without a football – arguably become independent earlier than men, because they leave home at a younger age. On average, they fly the nest when they are 21. Young men, on the other hand, live with their parents until the average age of 22.6. When should children move out at the very latest? At the age of 29, say the Swiss – albeit young people in Ticino are still welcome to enjoy all the amenities of “Hotel Mamma” until they are 32. Source: YouGov survey, April 2025
And after they have flown the nest? Once they have their own accommodation, shared or alone, young women seem to hit the ground running quicker. Not only are young men twice as likely to have their parents still washing and ironing their laundry, but they also rely on their parents’ money for longer: 57 per cent of young women get by without any financial assistance, compared to only 45 per cent of young men. Source: YouGov survey, April 2025
Just as the women’s Euros were about to light up the summer, Switzerland incidentally had to flip the kill switch. The River Aare, which the Beznau I and Beznau II nuclear power stations rely on for cooling, had become so warm that both plants had to be temporarily disconnected from the grid. On full power, Beznau I and II account for almost 9 per cent of Swiss electricity production. Fortunately, Aitana Bonmatí, Chloe Kelly, Jule Brand and co. provided more than enough sparkle on the pitch.
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