Summer 2026 heatwaves break records; Federal Council to tighten rules on speed limits in urban areas; and more news in our Thursday roundup.
It’s official: This summer is the hottest since records began
This won’t come as a surprise to anyone who has sweat buckets in the heatwaves that hit Switzerland since June, but the summer 2026 is shattering all previous heat records.
This dubious title previously belonged to heat records from 2003.
For this kind of record-keeping what matters most is not just the temperature itself, but also the duration of the heatwave – and 2026 has beat all previous records.
And speaking of heatwaves…
Extremely hot weather has pushed some people to behave badly in search of cooler grounds
In Zurich, for instance, people in swim attire have congregated near a cemetery – an activity which is strictly forbidden, not to mention unethical.
Authorities confirmed media reports that some bikini-clad individuals were “sunning and lounging” in a disused area of the local cemetery.
They were told to leave and reminded that this activity is banned.
Federal Council set to tighten rules on 30 km/h speed limits in urban areas
In the future, an expert assessment will be required to demonstrate that implementing this speed limit in cities does not result in unwanted traffic diverting into residential neighbourhoods, the Federal Council announced on Wednesday.
Further, the “priority-to-the-right” rule will not apply on roads where the speed limit is 30 km/h, in order to ensure smooth traffic flow.
The measure will come into force on October 1st.
Switzerland seeks to tighten rules on bankers’ bonuses
Switzerland’s government, drawing on the lessons of the collapse of Credit Suisse, launched on Wednesday consultations on new banking rules that could limit bankers’ bonuses.
The Federal Council said the consultations would cover measures designed to “strengthen corporate governance”, ensure banks are prepared for crises, and grant greater powers to the financial market supervisory authority (FINMA).
“The aim is to strengthen resilience and confidence in the Swiss financial system whilst protecting our economy, taxpayers and the state,” Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter told journalists in Bern.
The proposed measures focus in particular on bankers’ bonuses. They propose to withhold or recover bonuses from “the most senior or most highly paid managers at systemically important banks” in the event of rule-breaking or mismanagement.
The goal is to avoid payment packages that encourage excessive risk-taking.
“The Federal Council wants remuneration to be geared towards long-term profit,” said Keller-Sutter.
The consultation will start in late August and run until November. (AFP)
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