Switzerland joins the retail lockdown
Joining Germany and Austria, the Swiss government has ordered the closure of all non-essential physical shops, starting on Monday, Jan. 18. The Swiss ban will last through the end of February, affecting all kinds of sports shops, many of which work a lot with winter sports. However, many Swiss ski ...
FLA members may not use products from the Xinjiang region
In an unprecedented move, the Fair Labor Association (FLA) has prohibited its member companies from sourcing from or producing in the Xinjiang region, in northwest China, because of growing concerns over violations of human and labor rights. The region is home to several ethnic minority groups, including the Uyghur people.
U.K. signs free trade pacts with the EU and Turkey
On Christmas Eve, the U.K. and the EU reached an eleventh hour trade agreement, after nine months and some 2,000 hours of painstaking discussions involving about 200 officials. The deal, called the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, has since been approved by the ambassadors of the EU’s 27 member states ...
Alpine ski resorts under siege
Austria’s ski resorts were reopened on Dec. 24 as planned, and videos showed that they welcomed plenty of local tourists, as hotels and restaurants have remained closed. A further restriction came from the government’s decision to ban non-essential retailing, including the sale of skis and other sports products, at physical ...