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image caption Opponents of the proposal argued it would damage relations with the EU and hurt trade Swiss voters have rejected a proposal to end an accord with the EU allowing the free movement of people. With all referendum votes counted, nearly 62% said they wanted to keep free movement, while 38% were against. Switzerland is not a member of the EU but has a series of interdependent treaties with Brussels which allow it to access to Europe's free trade area. The move to rein in immigration was proposed by the Swiss People's Party (SVP), but opposed by the government. A similar initiative to introduce quotas on immigrants from the EU to Switzerland narrowly passed in a 2014 referendum, damaging Swiss-EU relations. Swiss people are given a direct say in their own affairs under the country's system of direct democracy. They are regularly invited to vote on various issues in national or regional referendums. The Swiss free movement vote explained How the migrant crisis change...

Two new novels lift the lid on the odd, privileged world of the British Royal Family. Hephzibah Anderson talks to their authors. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT W We first encounter royalty through fiction. Shimmering princesses and blessed princes, monarchs both wise and wicked – they all inhabit the formative fairy tales that teach us so much about life, weaving their narrative magic as densely as the briar thicket that envelops Sleeping Beauty. The institution’s motifs, its crowns and its thrones, the heavy sense of predestination spelled out in curses and golden promises, are stitched into our collective imaginations before we’re old enough to know it. In adulthood, we mostly come to realise that the charmed, ‘fairy tale’ element of life as a royal is decidedly double-edged: yes, the red carpets are rolled out for them but their celebrity is inescapable from birth, and the dazzle of gemstones is accompanied by the blinding glare of flashbulbs. So often, palaces double as gild...

Image caption Residents of Lake Jackson have been told to boil water before drinking it Residents of Lake Jackson, Texas, have been warned about using tap water after a deadly brain-eating microbe was found in the city's public water supply. Tests confirmed the presence of Naegleria fowleri in the system. The amoeba can cause an infection of the brain, which is usually fatal. Infections are rare in the US, with 34 reported between 2009 and 2018. Officials in Lake Jackson said they were disinfecting the water supply but did not know how long this would take. Eight Texas communities were originally told on Friday night not to use their water supply for any reason except to flush toilets. The warning was lifted on Saturday for everywhere but Lake Jackson, a city of more than 27,000 residents. Authorities in Lake Jackson later said that people could begin using the water, but must boil it before drinking it. Residents were also told to take other measures, including not allowing water ...

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