The proposal led by the right-wing Swiss People\u2019s Party<\/a> (SVP) would have forced Switzerland to abandon its free-movement agreement with the EU, had it passed.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tShorts\n\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\tScroll to previous short \t\t\tScroll to next short \t\t\t\t health<\/p>\n Record number of conceptions in women over 40 \u2013 what we know<\/strong><\/p>\n The number of\u00a0conceptions\u00a0among women over 40 in England and Wales has reached a record high, new figures reveal. <\/p>\n In 2023, there were 36,085\u00a0women who fell pregnant in this age group, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This is the equivalent of 17.6\u00a0conceptions\u00a0per 1,000 women, surpassing the previous record of 17.3 per 1,000 set in 2021.<\/p>\n Steady rise since 2010<\/p>\n The ONS figures show a steady rise The proportion of\u00a0abortions in women over 40 has also jumped over the past decade from 28.3 per cent in 2013 to 38.0 per cent in 2023.<\/p>\n \t NEWS<\/p>\n 5 min read<\/p>\n \t LIFESTYLE<\/p>\n 4 min read<\/p>\n A closer look at abortions<\/p>\n \t OPINION<\/p>\n 3 min read<\/p>\n Cost of living crisis<\/p>\n Charities and health leaders believe the cost of living and wider economic pressures, alongside poor access to sexual health services, were the main driver behind the abortion figures. <\/p>\n Covid-19-era measures that approved the use of both pills for early medical abortion at home may have also had an impact on the data.<\/p>\n \t Newsletter (\u00a3)<\/p>\n 6 min read<\/p>\n \t LIFESTYLE<\/p>\n 5 min read<\/p>\n NEWS<\/p>\n Everything we know about Serena Williams\u2019 return to Wimbledon<\/strong><\/p>\n Serena\u00a0Williams\u00a0is set to make her return to grand slam tennis at Wimbledon in days with a first-round match against Australia\u2019s Maya Joint.<\/p>\n It comes nearly four years after the 23-time grand slam singles champion last played a singles match \u2013 which onlookers believed was her final game.<\/p>\n Wimbledon comeback<\/p>\n But having launched a comeback this month in doubles at the age of 44, it was announced last weekend that\u00a0Williams\u00a0had taken the final wild card into the women\u2019s singles.<\/p>\n Joint, 20, lost in the first round on her Wimbledon main-draw debut last year and has won just one of her past 14 matches.<\/p>\n Over 1,000 matches later<\/p>\n News that Williams had\u00a0re-entered the anti-doping testing pool\u00a0gave fans hope that the tennis star would return to the court. <\/p>\n Williams is statistically the greatest tennis player of her era, having played 1,011 matches on the WTA Tour and faced opponents born in every year from 1966 to 2003 over the course of her long career.<\/p>\n \t TENNIS<\/p>\n 1 min read<\/p>\n \t TENNIS<\/p>\n 2 min read<\/p>\n Career snapshot<\/p>\n \t TENNIS<\/p>\n 4 min read<\/p>\n \u2018Career Golden Slam\u2019<\/p>\n \t Explained<\/p>\n 3 min read<\/p>\n NEWS<\/p>\n Radio 2 DJ Trevor Nelson taking break from work over health issues<\/strong><\/p>\n BBC Radio 2 presenter Trevor Nelson has announced he is taking a break from broadcasting due to health issues. <\/p>\n Nelson, who has been absent from air all week, said he is taking some time away after being advised to go for medical tests following a routine check-up.<\/p>\n What did the DJ say?<\/p>\n I wanted to let my followers, radio listeners and all my Soul Nation party-people know that I\u2019m going to be taking a little break from my work commitments\u2026I\u2019m concentrating on getting better, being back to 100% me and to getting back behind the mic and the decks.<\/p>\n Trevor Nelson<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Heartfelt messages<\/p>\n Nelson, 62, has spent the last 30 years championing Black music in the UK. He has been a huge influence on R&B, soul and hip-hop broadcasting, and received swift support from music and media figures.\u00a0<\/p>\n Musicians Stormzy and Alesha Dixon, as well as fellow BBC radio presenter Lauren Laverne, were among those sending heartfelt messages.<\/p>\n \t Exclusive<\/p>\n 3 min read<\/p>\n Awards recognition<\/p>\n Earlier this week, Nelson received an award from the Television and Radio Industries Club in recognition of his broadcasting career. <\/p>\n It followed the judge\u2019s special recognition award at the Arias, the industry\u2019s yearly awards, which Nelson took home at the beginning of the year.<\/p>\n \t WELLBEING<\/p>\n 7 min read<\/p>\n \t RADIO<\/p>\n 3 min read<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t As with the Brexit vote, the results showed clear geographic divides, with urban areas tending to favour openness, while smaller towns and rural regions were more likely to back restrictions.<\/p>\n What was different in Switzerland?<\/p>\n The vote raised questions about national identity and the pressures of population growth, with SVP politician Thomas Matter arguing immigration should be \u201cmoderate and controlled\u201d.<\/p>\n But Ali Bannerman, a British engineer who moved to Switzerland<\/a> in 2015 who voted \u201cno\u201d as a newly naturalised citizen, said the campaign didn\u2019t seem inherently hostile. \u201cIt didn\u2019t really feel xenophobic,\u201d Bannerman told The i Paper. \u201cI mean, I\u2019m sure some people did vote that way for xenophobic reasons, but the overall vibe, at least in terms of the image given over, was just, \u2018It\u2019s getting a bit much, maybe we should slow it down a bit.’\u201d<\/p>\n The two countries have very different demographics. Around 19 per cent of UK residents were born abroad, according to estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), compared to almost a third of Switzerland\u2019s permanent residents \u2013 nearly a quarter of whom have lived in the country for at least 20 years.<\/p>\n Bannerman points to a contrast in the two political systems. \u201cBrexit for a lot of people was a protest vote really, wasn\u2019t it?\u201d he said. \u201cIt was a way to stick it to David Cameron after years of frustration with austerity and certain regions going into decline. You don\u2019t have that here.<\/p>\n \u201cPower is shared between multiple parties, so you can\u2019t just blame everything on one politician. It is not \u2018everything is Keir Starmer\u2019s fault\u2019 until the next person comes in. It generally creates a much more level-headed atmosphere.\u201d <\/p>\n Migration pressures are higher-profile in the UK, where asylum claims reached record levels in 2024 and about 39,000 people arrived by small boats in the year to March 2026. In Switzerland, immigration is higher overall but mostly job\u2011driven, with around 77 per cent of migrants in work.<\/p>\n
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Pregnant woman with big belly at window \u2013 stock photo. (Photo: Getty)<\/p>\n
in conception\u00a0rates among the over-40s, with numbers increasing by almost a third since 2010. Of the 36,085\u00a0conceptions\u00a0in this age group in 2023, some 22,365 led to births, while 13,725 led to abortions.<\/p>\n
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Protesters take part in a rally in Tucson after Arizona\u2019s Supreme Court revives a 1864 abortion ban (Photo: Reuters\/Rebecca Noble)<\/p>\n\n
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Serena Williams should be considered tennis\u2019 GOAT considering her path to the top (Photo: AFP)<\/p>\n![\"Maya](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SEI_302968290.jpg\")
Caption: Maya Joint of Australia hits a forehand to Iga Swiatek of Poland during their quarterfinal match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo\/Rick Rycroft)
Photographer: Rick Rycroft
Provider: AP Photo\/Rick Rycroft
Source: AP<\/p>\n![\"(FILES)](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SEI_302961558.jpg\")
Caption: (FILES) US player Serena Williams poses with the winner\u2019s trophy, the Venus Rosewater Dish, after her women\u2019s singles final victory over Germany\u2019s Angelique Kerber on the thirteenth day of the 2016 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 9, 2016. Serena Williams will face Australia\u2019s Maya Joint in the 2026 Wimbledon first round as the American legend is set to return to singles action for the first time in four years. Williams retired in 2022 but the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion made a sensational comeback by playing in the Queen\u2019s Club and Berlin Open doubles earlier in June. (Photo by Glyn KIRK \/ AFP via Getty Images) \/ RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE
Photographer: GLYN KIRK
Provider: AFP via Getty Images
Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors<\/p>\n
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Caption: 11 Sep 1999: A close up of Serena Williams of the USA as she poses with her trophy after the match between Martina Hingis of Switzerland in the US Open at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York. Williams defeated Hingis 6-3, 7-6 (7-4). Mandatory Credit: Jamie Squire \/Allsport
Photographer: Jamie Squire
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Caption: BBC Radio presenter Trevor Nelson with his Tric special award, at the Television and Radio Industries Club (Tric) awards 2025 at Grosvenor House Hotel, London. Picture date: Tuesday June 23, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Ian West\/PA Wire
Photographer: Ian West
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DJ Spoony hosts his Good Groove show on radio 2 (Photo: James Watkins\/BBC)<\/p>\n![\"LONDON,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SEI_302538813-e1782484731791.jpg\")
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND \u2013 JUNE 23: Trevor Nelson attends the TRIC Awards 2026 at JW Marriott Grosvenor House on June 23, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Marsland\/WireImage)
Photographer: Mike Marsland
Provider: Mike Marsland\/WireImage
Source: WireImage
Copyright: 2026 Mike Marsland<\/p>\n
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In Bern, a campaign poster featuring the faces of Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping reads, \u2018Breaking away from Europe at a time like this? No to the SVP Chaos Initiative\u2019 (Photo: Christian Beutler\/Keystone via AP)<\/p>\n
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Switzerland has had 350 nationwide referendums in the same time that the UK has had three (Photo: SEBASTIEN BOZON \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n