According to results provided by the Swiss federal chancellery, 64.1 per cent of voters voted in favour of same-sex marriage in Sunday’s nationwide referendum.

“It is a historic day for Switzerland, a historic day when it comes to equality for same-sex couples, and it is also an important day for the whole LGBT community,” said Jan Muller of the “yes” campaign committee.

Switzerland is the world’s 30th country to adopt same-sex marriages, and one of the last remaining western European nations to do so. The Netherlands was the first in 2001.

“We are very happy and relieved,” said Antonia Hauswirth of the national committee “Marriage for All”, adding supporters would celebrate in Switzerland’s capital Bern on Sunday.

Justice minister Karin Keller-Sutter said the first same-sex marriages should be able to take place from July 1 next year.

“Whoever loves each other and wants to get married will be able to do so, regardless of whether it is two men, two women, or a man and a woman,” she said.

“The state does not have to tell citizens how they should lead their lives.”

Amnesty International welcomed the move as a “milestone for equality”.

While same-sex couples can register a civil partnership, with about 700 established each year, the arrangement does not provide the same rights as to marriage, including for obtaining citizenship and the joint adoption of children.

The amended law will make it possible for same-sex couples to get married in civil ceremonies, and adopt children. Married lesbian couples will also have access to sperm donation, in what was one of the more controversial aspects of the referendum campaign.

50,000 signatures needed to put the issue to a referendum under Switzerland’s system of direct democracy was gathered after the Swiss parliament approved a bill last December allowing same-sex couples to marry.

Monika Rueegger of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) and member of the referendum committee “No to Marriage for All” said she was disappointed at the outcome.

“This was not about love and feelings, it was about children’s welfare. Children and fathers are the losers here,” she told the Reuters news agency.

The law will also make it easier for foreigners married to Swiss people to get citizenship.

The World Happiness Report, which was launched in 2012, is an annual survey conducted by the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network. The survey ranks global happiness in countries around the world.

The happiness index included surveys on how countries have dealt with the coronavirus pandemic that has shaken the world for more than a year.

On this year’s report, Iceland came in second, followed by Denmark, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.

See the World’s 20 Happiest Countries.

Finland

Iceland

Denmark

Switzerland

Netherlands

Sweden

Germany

Norway

New Zealand

Austria

Israel

Australia

Ireland

United States

Canada

Czech Republic

Belgium

United Kingdom

China

France

The Government of Nigeria is restricting entry into the country for travelers from China, Italy, Iran, South Korea, Spain, Japan, France, Germany, the United States of America, Norway, the United Kingdom, Netherlands & Switzerland.

The Federal Government is temporarily suspending all visas issued to nationals from these countries. Nigerians arriving from these countries will be subjected to supervised isolation for 14 days.

The Government is also advising all Nigerians to avoid travel to these countries. These restrictions will come into effect from Friday 20 March 2020, for 4 weeks, subject to review.

The meeting between the two presidents took place on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday.

It came amid rising regional tensions that spilled over in Iraq after the killing of the leader of Iran’s Quds Force, General Qassem Soleimani, and the simultaneous assassination of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy leader of the Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation Forces or PMF) in an airstrike ordered by Trump near Baghdad airport earlier this month.

Al-Muhandis was also the founder of Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed armed group that the United States targeted in Iraq and Syria on December 30, killing at least 25 fighters and injuring more than 50. The attack was in response to the killing of a US civilian contractor two days earlier.

Iran initiated contact through at least three back channels starting late Tuesday, including through Switzerland and other countries. There were “multiple messages and they were all the same,” a person familiar with the matter said. Iran wanted to convey their retaliatory action had ended — and was waiting to see how the US would respond.

The back-and-forth communication came as American officials were still determining the extent of the Iranian attacks, and were formulating plans for a response. In response, the US sought to communicate to Iran that its proxies in the region were of equal concern as the activities of the Iranian state, the person familiar said.

The National Security Council didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Multiple administration officials previously told CNN there is a growing belief among some Trump administration officials that Iran’s missiles intentionally missed areas populated by Americans when they targeted two Iraqi bases housing US troops early Wednesday local time.

Iran launched the attack in retaliation for the American strike that killed top Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani last week, further escalating tensions between the two countries. Officials have said there were no US casualties as a result of the attacks, though a full assessment is underway.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump appeared to be positioning the US to de-escalate.

“Iran appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned and a very good thing for the world,” Trump said, striking a somber tone during his White House statement.

The President, though, offered very little room for Iran to maneuver, essentially sticking to a maximalist approach and demanding that any de-escalation happen on US terms. Reading carefully from teleprompters, Trump announced that his administration would once again slap Iran with more sanctions and demanded that US allies leave the nuclear deal so a new pact can be negotiated.

The US and Iran have exchanged recent messages through the Swiss diplomatic channel, according to the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a source familiar with the channel. While the channel is always available and used regularly for consular issues, it’s use during a crisis situation is much more noteworthy, the source explained without specifying how recent messages were exchanged.

“Switzerland is deeply concerned about the heavy tensions between the U.S. and Iran and the latest cycle of violent confrontations in Iraq. We call on all sides to exercise maximum restraint and to avoid any further escalation. Switzerland stands ready to support initiatives of the international community that seek de-escalation in the region,” the statement said.

“The diplomatic communication channel between the U.S. and Iran that is provided by Switzerland in the framework of the protective power mandate continues to operate. Switzerland confirms that several messages were transmitted through this channel.”

Iran’s foreign minister and the White House both announced that Princeton University graduate student Xiyue Wang was exchanged for scientist Massoud Soleimani.

Brian Hook, the U.S. special representative for Iran, accompanied the Iranian scientist to Switzerland to make the exchange and will return with Wang, a U.S. official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The swap took place in Zurich and Hook and Wang are now en route to Landstuhl in Germany where Wang will be examined by doctors, the official said. Hook is expected to return to the U.S. from Germany alone, as Wang is expected to be evaluated for several days.

“After more than three years of being held a prisoner in Iran, Xiyue Wang is returning to the United States,” President Trump said in a statement released by the White House on Saturday. “The highest priority of the United States is the safety and well-being of its citizens. Freeing Americans held captive is of vital importance to my Administration, and we will continue to work hard to bring home all our citizens wrongfully held captive overseas.”

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Saturday that Wang was on his way back to the United States, where he will soon be reunited with his wife and son.

“The United States will not rest until we bring every American detained in Iran and around the world back home to their loved ones,” he said in a statement.