Citizens vote in the snow in Appenzell (Stephanie Hess) The Swiss canton of Appenzell I er Rhodes has the oldest form of direct democracy. But how democratic is it really? Once a year in Appenzell, the golden helmets are polished, the big flags with the family crests are hung and the black robes are...

Flooding was particularly heavy around Lenzburg in canton Aargau (Keystone) Torrential rain, thunderstorms and flash floods have inundated towns and villages, especially in parts of northwest, central and easte Switzerland in recent days. Heavy rain over the past few days has caused damage to homes ...

Which half of Britain will be drowning their sorrows after the referendum on June 23? (Keystone) If British voters decide on June 23 to leave the European Union, Brits abroad will suddenly wake up as non-EU citizens, in theory putting them in a different queue for Swiss work permits, visas and vario...

Nightmare fuel? An 'ibex' surrounded by dancing haystacks (Keystone) The recent opening ceremony for the world’s longest rail tu el has had an amusing epilogue: a politician from the Swiss People’s Party, spying what she reckoned were Islam-co ected whirling dervishes, has complained to the cabinet ...

Have your heard the news? Digital media make it easier to spread rumours fast. (Keystone) For the last two years, swissinfo.ch has been involved in a collaborative project to help jou alists tackle one of the biggest challenges of working in the digital age: how to make sure the information they are...

Most Swiss voters rejected the proposal for a basic income on June 5, but a few districts bucked the national trend. Why? (RTS, swissinfo.ch) The proposal was tu ed down by 76.9% of voters. All the country's 26 cantons coming out against. Only one commune in weste Switzerland and a few districts in ...

Ma outside the Bagatelle night club in Zurich where a documentary filmmaker is found dead in his next novel. (swissinfo.ch) Zurich native Vijay Kumar likes Indian whisky and his mother’s cooking. He is also a private detective for hire with an intimate knowledge of the city’s seamy underbelly. The 3...

A painting depicting "The Gotthard Post" (1873) by Rudolf Koller (Keystone) Politics is full of contradictions. An initiative aimed at strengthening and even expanding public services was worded in such a way that the opposite was to be feared: a further thi ing of services, a reduction in mountaino...

The ageing population is increasing at an unprecedented rate. If the phenomenon only affected developed economies in the past, now it has a worldwide effect. Pensions, health costs, lower economic growth ... Through a weekly series of graphics, swissinfo.ch will help explain this global phenomenon a...

Ministers Maurer, Sommaruga and Leuthard were pleased at the post-vote press conference that Swiss citizens took their advice on all national issues (Keystone) The Swiss people didn’t re-invent the wheel in Sunday’s votes on a basic income, asylum and public services – and that’s as it should be, th...

Money for nothing? Swiss voters are set to throw out a proposal to introduce an unconditional basic income (Keystone) Switzerland has become the first country in the world to hold a nationwide vote on introducing an unconditional basic income. Despite a spectacular pro campaign, there is no hope of ...

The Swiss Post, including its yellow postal buses, is one of the biggest public service companies (Keystone) Voters on Sunday decide on a proposal by consumer groups to boost basic services of state-owned companies, including a cap on top manager salaries and a review of strategic business objective...

Nearly 39,500 people sought asylum in Switzerland last year, making it one of Europe's top seven destinations in terms of asylum requests per resident (Keystone/Ti-Press) Voters on Sunday will decide whether to speed up asylum procedures in Switzerland. Proponents say the reforms will make the syste...

Jan 31, 2015 - 11:00Zurich, 1971: Muhammed Ali beats German underdog Jürgen Blin. Photographer Eric Bachma accompanied the global superstar as he prepared for the fight, creating a collection of images that reveal unique glimpses of Ali as an athlete and a person.Ali’s fight in Zurich’s Hallenstadio...

Nearly 39,500 people sought asylum in Switzerland last year, making it one of Europe's top seven destinations in terms of asylum requests per resident (Keystone/Ti-Press) Voters on Sunday will decide whether to speed up asylum procedures in Switzerland. Proponents say the reforms will make the syste...

Jan 31, 2015 - 11:00Zurich, 1971: Muhammed Ali beats German underdog Jürgen Blin. Photographer Eric Bachma accompanied the global superstar as he prepared for the fight, creating a collection of images that reveal unique glimpses of Ali as an athlete and a person.Ali’s fight in Zurich’s Hallenstadio...

Money for nothing? Swiss voters have the final say on a proposal to introduce an unconditional basic income (Keystone) Switzerland is holding the world’s first nationwide vote on introducing an unconditional basic income. Despite a spectacular pro campaign, there is no hope of it wi ing a majority o...

(Keystone) Who above all others deserves credit for bringing Bollywood to Switzerland and embedding the Alpine nation into the Indian consciousness? Listen to find out. Let's block ads! (Why?)

Gia i Infantino has faced a difficult first three months in office (swissinfo.ch) Following the ba ing of Sepp Blatter, new accusations levelled at his successor, Gia i Infantino, and the most recent raid on FIFA HQ, do you think it’s possible for FIFA to change its spots? We outline the events of t...

An estimated 900,000 people live in the city and surrounding region; this figure could grow by one third by 2040 (Keystone) This Sunday Geneva voters will once again decide whether a lake tu el or bridge should be built to ease chronic transport problems, partly resulting from the region’s steadily ...