Tue, Mar 22nd 2022
A roundup of news in Switzerland from March 18-22.
President Vladmir Putin and two-time Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva have been involved since she was 20, according to Russian newspapers. The Kremlin has never confirmed the relationship.
Will Putin’s mistress be booted from Switzerland?
More than 60,000 have signed a Change.org petition calling for Switzerland to kick out Russian President Vladmir Putin’s assumed mistress from her Ticino-area chalet. The former Russian gymnast, Alina Kabaeva, lives in the Alpine nation with the three children she shares with Putin (one born in a Swiss hospital). According to the petition, Kabaeva is “complicit in supporting a war criminal” and should not be allowed to live safely on democratic soil while Ukrainians are being killed. Signees say that “Switzerland is hosting a war accomplice.”
Swiss voting age could be lowered to 16
The Swiss House of Representatives recently voted in favor of a law that would lower the voting age from 18 to 16, should it be upheld in a public vote. Switzerland is a direct democracy, meaning that any citizen of voting age can propose any legislation and get it on Swiss ballots with enough signatures to support it. Those against lowering the voting age say 16 is too young to give citizens such power. Proponents of the new voting age argue that more of the population’s wants would be better represented. Moreover, 16 is the age when Swiss citizens are allowed to begin drinking beer and wine.
Swiss company Nestlé announced recently that they have stopped selling their popular Nespresso coffee capsules in Russia.
Switzerland’s Nestlé under fire
Switzerland has divided over the issue of whether or not Swiss company Nestlé should continue to sell food products to Russia, following a protest in Bern and criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. On March 11, Nestlé announced it would stop selling some of its products, such as Nespresso coffee, but would continue to sell “essentials,” like baby formula and baby cereals. Much of Switzerland is calling for a Nestlé boycott –posting images of Nestlé candy bars with blood coming out of it. Supporters of Nestlé say Russian babies should not be punished for the war.
The motif, created by Swiss artist Simone Torelli, first appeared on the Alpine mountain over the weekend.
Swiss artist unveils enormous installation
Simone Torelli unveiled over the weekend an art light installation — the image of a dove carrying an olive branch — projected onto the Grosser Mythen mountain in the central, Swiss Alps. According to UNICEF, it is the largest peace dove that has ever been created and is meant to draw attention to the 1.5 million Ukrainian refugee children.
English 
German 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic