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(MENAFN – Swissinfo) A The Zurich study supports the findings of OECD experts that school closings do more harm than good and should be avoided whenever possible in response to Covid-19.

This content is published April 14, 2021 – 17:50 April 14, 2021 – 17:50 Keystone-SDA / jc

The two separate studies were launched in parallel on Wednesday. Speaking at a virtual event to launch the Organization for Co-operation and Development (OECD) report, University of Zurich epidemiologist Susi Kriemler said her study showed schools were not the prime places to spread the virus.

The Zurich study, led by Kriemler, looked at 2,500 children and adolescents aged 6 to 16 in the canton of Zurich who were tested for coronavirus antibodies during each of the three pandemic waves. Two percent tested positive for antibodies during the first wave in March and April 2020 when schools in Switzerland were closed, and 8% during the second wave when they opened. Neither of them became seriously ill, and there was little indication the children were contagious, Kriemler said. Findings from the third wave are not yet available.

Harmful effects

OECD Education and Skills Director Andreas Schleicher on Wednesday emphasized the harmful effects of school closures on children and adolescents, which deprive them of important social spaces. He presented findings from the reportExternal link on ‘the state of school education one year after the pandemic’, which looked at about 30 different education systems and their responses.

The OECD report found that different OECD member countries (including Switzerland) had responded differently to education during the pandemic, and school closures were not always associated with the number of infections. Although online learning has been developed, the youngest children cannot take advantage of this, and the educational impact of school closings hits the most disadvantaged students.

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Switzerland

Switzerland – ‘Marriage for all’ opponents submit signatures for referendum | Instant News

April 13, 2021 NewsDesk

(MENAFN – Swissinfo) Swiss voters look set to get the final say on a historic same-sex marriage law after opponents on Monday submitted signatures demanding a national referendum.

This content is published on 12 April 2021 – 17:26 12 April 2021 – 17:26 Keystone-SDA / dos

Some 59,000 verified signatures were submitted by a committee in Bern, two days after the deadline for submissions ran out to challenge a ‘marriage for all’ law passed in parliament last December.

Under Switzerland’s system of direct democracy, laws passed by parliament can be brought to a national referendum if 50,000 signatures are collected over a 100-day timeframe.

The committee – made up largely of members of the small and deeply conservative Federal Democratic Union and the large right-wing People’s Party – argues that same-sex marriage requires not only new laws but constitutional changes.

They also said allowing lesbian couples access to sperm donation procedures was ‘legally and morally questionable’, and that the welfare of children needed to be considered.

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New Zealand

5 Reasons To Visit New Zealand This Summer | Instant News

April 12, 2021 NewsDesk

(MENAFN – BiKoTrade)

You still haven’t decided where to go during the holidays? If so, we recommend visiting New Zealand for good reason. This is not only a beautiful green country but also a country with great opportunities and entertainment, including festivals, exciting slot machines New Zealand National Casino, and much more.

1. Walk the Unique Milford Track

New Zealand is generally known for its landscapes and scenic hiking trails, but with an impressive 100-year history, the Milford Track is a special track, “the best road in the world”. All thanks to Quentin McKinnon, who in 1888 discovered the overland route from Lake Te Anau to New Zealand’s famous Milford Sound fiord. Covering all 54 kilometers of this unique walking trail is, of course, not conquering Everest, but an adventure that remains claimed to be exclusive in a summer vacation format.

2. See With Your Own Eyes the “Eighth Wonder of the World”

Rudyard Kipling names the final point of the Milford Track, the fjord Milford Sound, in such harsh words. This strikingly beautiful and fascinating fiord is one of the most beautiful places not only in New Zealand but, perhaps, the world over. The roots of such perfection can be found in a past covered in a thick layer of dust: more than 20 thousand years ago, the waters of the Tasman Sea flooded a twenty kilometer long bay, emerging as a result of the descent of glaciers. from the mountains.

3. Conquer Mount Taranaki

This volcano, calmly gazing across the world from an elevation of 2,518 meters, has two official names at once: in fact, Taranaki, which means “Shiny Mountain” in the Maori language, and Mount Egmont – in honor of Admiralty’s First English Lord, Earl of Egmont, former the ideological inspiration and famous patron of Captain Cook. The last time Taranaki, which is outwardly very similar to another famous volcano – Fujiyama, was awakened in the 19th century. Perhaps that is why there are still so many rumors and legends surrounding the mountain, and the adjacent land is considered sacred.

Summer is the ideal time of year to climb the mountain, as climbing is only allowed during this season. If you don’t have enough energy to climb, then you can limit yourself to hiking around the area with a local guide.

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Switzerland

Switzerland- Covid-19: reserves of 740,000 tests are now unusable | Instant News

April 12, 2021 NewsDesk

(MENAFN – Swissinfo) The PCR test, purchased last spring by the Swiss government as part of an emergency reserve, has expired, costing authorities millions of francs.

This content is published on April 11, 2021 – 13:00 April 11, 2021 – 13:00 Keystone-SDA / me

In 2020 more than one million coronavirus tests were purchased by Swiss army pharmacies on behalf of the Federal Office of Public Health for CHF16.7 million ($ 18.06 million), military spokesman Stefan Hofer told the Keystone-SDA news agency, confirming the report. published in the newspaper NZZ am Sonntag.

Of that, 740,000 tests passed their expiration dates in March and April this year, for a loss of nearly CHF14 million. The PCR test has a limited shelf life due to its chemical components.

The public health office decided to close the pharmacy warehouse in January, according to Hofer. The Army managed to sell 300,000 tests from the emergency reserve to the laboratory but for only 10% of the original purchase price. Thus, the government could recover CHF3 million, NZZ am Sonntag reported.

Hofer said no decisions had yet been taken on whether the remaining tests would be destroyed or whether individual components could still be used.

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Switzerland

Foreign companies are creating more jobs in Switzerland despite the pandemic | Instant News

April 9, 2021 NewsDesk

(MENAFN – Swissinfo) Switzerland remains an attractive location for foreign companies, creating more jobs last year than in 2019 – despite the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Swiss public television SRF and RTS have reported.

This content is published on April 9, 2021 – 09:25 April 9, 2021 – 09:25 SRF / RTS / ilj

Foreign companies accounted for 11% more jobs in 2020, bringing the total to nearly 1,200, even if the total number of companies moving to the country fell (by 9%), said the SRF. Over the next three years, they are expected to drive the creation of 3,500 jobs.

“The workforce is highly qualified, and taxation is lucrative and Switzerland is in the middle of Europe,” said External Links Jim Fitzgerald, director of Tiffin Metal at the SwissExternal link.

The company, which produces specialty metal solutions for various industries, decided to open its first branch outside the US in Schmitten, in the canton of Friborg.

Stability

These figures come at a time of general global economic woes caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The Swiss economy shrank 2.9% last year as a result of Covid-19, the worst annual contraction since the aftermath of the oil crisis in 1975. But officials are optimistic that the Swiss economy will recover.

Patrick Wermelinger, of Swiss Global Enterprise, Switzerland’s export promotion agency, said Switzerland’s stability had played a role.

‘In a year of crisis, stability, long-term planning, economic security play a more important role. This is in Switzerland’s favor. But we were surprised by how many new jobs were being created, ‘he told SRF.

Companies from China, the US and Germany create the most jobs.

Switzerland is also one of the few to have attracted more foreign investment in 2020, according to the SRF. Only Ireland is attracting more, the fDi Markets Financial Times report found.

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