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CHILDREN

Stockholm cafe’s kid ban has parents frothing

A Stockholm coffee shop has banned children from its premises and sparked an uproar among the capital's caffeine-loving parents.

Stockholm cafe's kid ban has parents frothing

“People have to understand that we can’t continue like this,” Josef Shamon, a spokesperson for Nelly’s café, told the neighbourhood newspaper Vårt Kungsholmen.

“A colleague of mine even burned his hand with hot coffee when he tried to duck away from a running child.”

Fed up with out-of-control toddlers running wild in his café, management at Nelly’s put up a sign last week warning parents their youngsters weren’t welcome.

“For everyone’s enjoyment, children are prohibited in this establishment,” the sign read.

His would-be customers have not taken the ban lightly, although his café is not the first to ban pram-wielding parents who buy one beverage, sip away for hours and let their children run amok.

ALSO READ THE OP-ED: “Why I left the Swedish toddler ghetto for Berlin”

A bakery in the southern suburb of Årsta did the same last year, also annoying parents who felt their rights had been infringed upon.

Shamon, meanwhile, has asked to come in for a meeting with Sweden’s Discrimination Ombudsman (Diskrimineringsombudsmannen, DO).

Per Holfve, lawyer at the state-run agency, said the ban on children under the age of seven could constitute discrimination, especially since the government made the laws against age discrimination tougher on January 1st, 2013.

“It’s not sufficient justification to say that the children disturb the customers,” Holfve told Vårt Kungsholmen.

“If they’re behaving abominably, the staff should tell the parents.”

Nelly’s will not, however, let the issue lie.

“We need a debate about this issue, and we are not going to change our minds,” said Shamon.

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CHILDREN

What names do foreign nationals give their babies in Switzerland?

Each year for more than three decades, the Federal Statistical Office has been publishing the first names of infants born in Switzerland the previous year. It seems that foreigners favour names that are typical of their national background.

What names do foreign nationals give their babies in Switzerland?
Foreigners give their babies names that reflect their nationality. Photo by Keira Burton from Pexels

As The Local reported on Wednesday, the most popular names for newborn girls born in Switzerland in 2020 were Mia, Emma, and Mila.

For boys, Noah took the top spot, ahead of Liam and Matteo.

REVEALED: The most popular baby name in each Swiss canton

But what about the most popular names among various nationalities living in Switzerland?

The answers come from the same study.

Italy

The top name for boys of Italian parents is Giuseppe, followed by Antonio and Francesco. For girls, Maria is in the first place, Anna in the second, and Francesca in the third.

Portugal

There are many Portuguese immigrants living in Switzerland and, like their Italian counterparts, they like to give their children traditional names: José, Carlos and Manuel for boys, and Maria, Ana, and Sandra for girls.

Spain

Spanish names are similar to those of Portuguese babies.

José, Juan and Jose are most popular boy names, while Maria, Ana and Laura are in the top three spots for the girls.

Turkey

Most boys of Turkish descent are named Mehmet, Ali, and Mustafa. Among girls, Fatma, Ayse, and Elif dominate.

Kosovo

Arben, Vallon, and Bekim are top names for boys, and Fatime, Shquipe, and Merite for girls.

Macedonia

Bekim is in the first place for boys, followed by Muhamed and Fatmir. Among girls, Fatimr is in the lead, Sara in the second place, and Emine in the third.

Serbia

Aleksandar, Dragan and Nicola take the first three spots. For the girls, Jelena, Maria and Snezana are at the top.

Can you give your baby any name you want?

Not in Switzerland, you can’t. It’s important to keep in mind that the cantonal registry offices, where new births must be announced, don’t have to accept very unusual names.

Several years ago, for instance, a Zurich court ruled that parents can’t name their infant daughter ‘J’.

In another case, a couple in the canton of Bern were ordered to change the name of their newborn son because their choice – Jessico – was considered too feminine. 

Several names have been forbidden in Switzerland, including Judas, Chanel, Paris and Mercedes. 

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