Switzerland marks 50 years of women voting

President Jair Bolsonaro claims that electronic voting allows fraud, casting doubt on the 2022 presidential election. Thousands marched in cities to show support, though he remains unpopular in opinion polls.

The Brazilian president has threatened to not accept the results of next year's election should the current electronic voting system remain in place.

Polls have officially closed in Zambia, despite some voters complaining about the slow pace. It is expected to be a tight race between President Edgar Lungu's Patriotic Front (PF) and opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema's United Party for National Development (UPND).

Nearly two-thirds of Swiss voters backed the government's plan to introduce same-sex marriage in a referendum, with campaigners calling it a historic day for gay rights in Switzerland.

Martin Luther King III, son of the iconic civil rights activist Dr Martin Luther King Jr, was arrested while protesting for voting rights in front of the White House on Wednesday as the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act was blocked in the US Senate. He and scores of other protesters were detained before later being released. The reasons for the arrests remain unclear. The 13-year-old granddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr, Yolanda King, gave a speech at the rally.

Two voting rights bills are currently being blocked from debate by Republican senators. The legislation would represent the biggest overhaul of the US electoral system in a generation.

This week, Joe Biden made a passionate speech on voting rights, comparing that fight to the battle to end racial segregation in the 1960s. For the first time ever, the US president is directly pushing to get rid of a vote-blocking device in the Senate known as the filibuster. That requires close to two thirds of senators to pass a bill, as opposed to a simple majority. Biden, a former senator himself, says the voting rights issue is a "battle for America's soul".

Swiss authorities have approved a plan for pilot testing the sale and use of cannabis for recreational purposes this summer in Basel, joining in on a debate over the pros and cons of selling cannabis legally.

Switzerland has turned down two requests by Germany to reexport Swiss-made ammunition to Ukraine. The move has triggered a debate about Switzerland's principle of neutrality.

Toblerone bars are still produced exclusively in Switzerland, but the world-renowned chocolate brand is planning an expansion. Under Swiss law, this change comes with a price.

Six candidates, including former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak, are now in the running to replace Boris Johnson as Conservative Party leader. Voting will continue next week until only two are left.

Russia's Foreign Ministry has claimed Switzerland is no longer "neutral," so it cannot represent Ukrainian interests in Russia. The Alpine country has a long tradition of acting as a "protecting power."