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Closing the circle on 2014

Another year is coming to an end; 2014 will soon be consigned to history. The past 12 months were lively, especially on a political level. Many large and small events will be remembered long after the new year begins.

Switzerland has mixed feelings towards the European Union, as demonstrated by the February 9 vote in which 50.3% of voters surprisingly accepted the “mass immigration” initiative. However, the much more restrictive Ecopop immigration initiative was roundly rejected at the end of November. 

2014 also saw the final nail hammered into the coffin of banking secrecy when Switzerland signed the OECD agreement on the automatic exchange of bank information.

At the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, the circle of international heavyweights from the worlds of politics and economics met once again.

A very round event was the full moon on August 10. Because it was the shortest distance from the earth, it was the largest and brightest full moon of the year.

Summer in Switzerland was a washout, with Emmental experiencing extreme flooding.  Throughout November rain fell almost without interruption on canton Ticino. Four people were killed in the space of four days in landslides triggered by the heavy rainfall.

Fortune shone on the Swiss in tennis: Stanislas Wawrinka and Roger Federer powered to victory against France in the Davis Cup, with the Swiss winning the trophy for the first time in history. 

(Text: Gaby Ochsenbein/swissinfo.ch, Images compiled by Ester Unterfinger/swissinfo.ch)

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR