Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
While the city of Lausanne is still in the grip of riots following the death of a young man on a scooter fleeing police, two other incidents are putting law enforcement in a very uncomfortable situation.
While Lausanne experienced a second night of riots following the death, early on Sunday, of a young man fleeing police, revelations of racist, anti-Semitic and sexist messages being exchanged between members of the Lausanne police force risk further igniting the powder keg.
The Lausanne authorities have revealed the existence of messages and photos of a racist, anti-Semitic, sexist or discriminatory nature, which were being shared by police officers and former police officers. Four of them have been suspended with immediate effect.
Meeting before the press yesterday, the Lausanne executive showed some of these messages. An action plan was decided upon. It will involve “sanctions against the identified perpetrators, additional investigative measures, and a thorough reform of the work culture within the municipal police”.
The Vaud police are also under attack in another case. A new report questions the self-defence claim made by the officer who shot and killed Nzoy at Morges train station in 2021.
2D and 3D images and analyses established that Nzoy was trying to flee. “If Nzoy fled, there is no self-defence,” declared Nzoy’s family lawyer, Ludovic Tirelli. After being closed by the public prosecutor’s office, the investigation was re-opened in May by the Vaud Cantonal Court, and a trial will take place.
Nearly two-thirds of Swiss want more freedom to choose their retirement age. The pension reforms proposed so far, particularly the increase in contributions, are not very popular. This is the conclusion of a study by the auditing and consulting firm Deloitte presented today.
The population “yearns for more freedom rather than rigid age limits” and expects “reforms that are economically sound and promote intergenerational fairness”, said Reto Savoia, CEO of Deloitte Switzerland.
The study therefore proposes greater flexibility in the retirement age. In the future, each person should be able to decide their own retirement age based on criteria such as health, financial situation and individual life plans.
A relative majority of respondents (44%) support the idea of increasing federal contributions to the Old Age and Survivors’ Insurance. On the other hand, neither the increase in employee contributions (49% against), nor the increase in value-added tax (65% against), nor a reduction in pensions (over 75% against) are convincing.
The government has requested assistance from the major bank UBS in the customs dispute with the United States, according to newspapers belonging to the CH Media group. This mediation role could allow the bank to improve its relations with Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter.
The request reportedly came directly from the economics ministry, as well as from business circles. In the United States, UBS is a major employer. Furthermore, its CEO Sergio Ermotti and its chairman of the board, Colm Kelleher, are said to have extensive connections in New York and Washington.
According to CH Media research, UBS’s initial contacts with the US authorities have already taken place. “Lobbying for Switzerland is underway,” is the theme in financial circles.
According to these same sources, UBS hopes to reap a positive side effect from its good service. Keller-Sutter played a leading role in drafting new capital requirements for UBS, which require it to raise CHF25 billion ($31 billion) in additional capital.
Due in part to the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, students at the University of Zurich’s Faculty of Law will be required to defend their doctoral theses orally starting in 2026.
ChatGPT is now part of students’ daily lives. However, its use in writing scientific papers raises many questions. Several Zurich universities and colleges are working on developing guidelines on AI or have already formulated them, according to the Tages-Anzeiger.
At the Zurich University of Teacher Education, the number of rejected dissertations has increased slightly in recent years. The University of Zurich has also experienced cases where AI was used without proper disclosure, but the university does not keep concrete figures.
Thus, starting in 2026, the University of Zurich’s Faculty of Law will change its dissertation examination system. “A final oral exam is now part of international standards, and it also helps detect misuse of AI,” says Dean Thomas Gächter.
Translated from French by DeepL/ts
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