The Democratic Party won a majority in the House of Representatives during the mid-term elections in the US, the so-called ‘midterms’. The Republican Party of President Donald Trump managed to retain and expand the majority in the Senate. Although the voices from most states still had to enter the American west coast, it was clear around 5.00 am (Dutch time) …

Voters in the canton of St Gallen will have their say on whether to impose a conditional ban on covering the face in public after a group of young socialists launched a referendum campaign to contest parliament’s proposal. Last year the St Gallen cantonal parliament approved a bill banning any person from covering their face in public if they present …

Tibetans in Switzerland say Chinese spies have been photographing rallies organized by their community. They argue this is part of an ongoing crackdown by Beijing since Bern and China signed a free-trade agreement in 2013. Last Saturday, Tibetans in Switzerland, a group estimated to number some 7,500 people, celebrated the 59th anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising Day – a failed …

There were dramatic scenes in the Basel-Stadt cantonal parliament on Wednesday when a politician and her two-month old baby were told they could not enter the chamber. Greens parliamentarian Lea Steinle had left the chamber to breastfeed her child Miro. But when she tried to return to the chamber to cast a vote, cantonal president Remo Gallacchi of the Christian …

More than half of Swiss questioned say they are dissatisfied with the work being done by the Federal Council. A survey conducted for the Tamedia media group found 54 percent were not satisfied, 45 percent were satisfied and 1 percent had no opinion, the newspaper 20 Minutes reported. The first part of the survey, released last Friday, showed 55 percent …

There should be no quota for the number of women serving in the seven-member Federal Council, a parliamentary commission has decided. At a vote on Thursday the political institutions commission of the National Council – the larger of the two chambers of parliament – voted by 16 votes to 9 against imposing a quota, the Swiss news agency SDA reported. …

The right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) on Tuesday launched a new popular initiative aiming to end Switzerland’s free movement agreement with the EU and give Switzerland full control over immigration. The initiative ‘For limited immigration’ has been deemed admissible by the Federal Chancellery, reported the Swiss press, allowing campaigners to start gathering signatures in favour of the proposal. They have …

Catalonia’s deposed leader said on Wednesday that a majority of Catalans might accept being part of a Swiss-style federal system in Spain, an apparent departure from the separatist bid for full independence. “If Spain proposes a model like the one in Switzerland, I think that would be an idea we could work with and perhaps an idea that could convince …

The controversial former head of Switzerland’s right-wing Swiss People’s Party, Christoph Blocher is to step down from his role in the party leadership committee, the party announced on Monday. The one-time business magnate will also give up his role as chief strategist for the SVP, a position that will not be replaced. But a party spokesperson for the SVP said …

Switzerland’s reputation as international hub for espionage has been bolstered in recent years with foreign intelligence services using locations around the country to exchange sensitive political, economic and military information. “The Federal Intelligence Service (FIS) is aware that Switzerland is also a venue for third-country meetings,” agency spokesperson Isabelle Graber told national daily NZZ recently, referring to encounters between agent …