By late Wednesday, the number of displaced people in Gaza had risen by an additional 75,000 people from the figure given 24 hours earlier, reaching 338,934, it said. The announcement came as Israel pounded Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip -- a densely populated enclave of 2.3 million people --...

Human rights office spokeswoman Elizabeth Throssell said at a press briefing that the Nobel award for Mohammadi "highlights the courage and determination of the women of Iran". Mohammadi's husband, Taghi Rahmani, said the prize was "an award for all the men and the women who fight for Woman, Life, Freedom"

Geneva, Switzerland - Global trade growth will be sharply lower than forecast this year as stubborn inflation, high interest rates and the war in Ukraine pressure economies around the globe, the World Trade Organization said on Thursday. Strains in China's vast property market also prompted the WTO to cut its trade...

The bank said the loss could be as much as $2.2 billion.

NEW YORK, US- President Joe Biden said the United States would keep piling "costs" on Iran despite a prisoner swap deal that freed five Americans on Monday. Biden confirmed that he was imposing new sanctions on Iran's intelligence ministry and former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for their involvement in "wrongful detentions." "Today,...

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - The head of the World Health Organization told the Financial Times he was ready to send a new mission of experts to China to investigate the origins of Covid-19.   "We're pressing China to give full access, and we are asking countries to raise it during their bilateral...

The death toll from freak floods in eastern Libya is expected to soar dramatically, with 10,000 people reported missing, the Red Cross warned. Officials in Libya have said at least 150 people were killed in the sudden flooding on Sunday afternoon after storm Daniel swept the Mediterranean, lashing Bulgaria, Greece...

Geneva, Switzerland - The de-globalization of international trade is far from being a reality, but "the first signs of fragmentation" are appearing, the WTO warned on Tuesday, concerned of the effects of the phenomenon on growth and development. The idea of "de-globalization" has gained traction since the war in Ukraine and...

Geneva, Switzerland - The World Food Program said Tuesday that shrinking funding was forcing it to drastically slash rations in many operations, warning that 24 million more people risked being pushed to the brink of starvation. The United Nations agency said it had been struggling to meet growing global needs for...

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - The Red Cross appealed on Tuesday for more than $100 million to provide desperately needed assistance in Morocco, days after a powerful earthquake killed nearly 2,900 people. "We are seeking 100 million Swiss francs (US$112 million) to be able to deliver on the most pressing needs at this...

Zurich, Switzerland – The latest Global Wealth Report predicts global wealth to reach $629 trillion by 2027, despite 2022 being the first year of wealth decline since 2008, the fourteenth edition of the Global Wealth Report jointly launched on Tuesday by Credit Suisse and UBS revealed. According to the report’s...

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - Internet privacy company Proton announced Wednesday a new VPN Observatory, tracking demand for its services to detect attacks on free speech in countries like Russia and Iran before they hit the headlines. Switzerland-based Proton said its new observatory would document spikes in sign-ups to its virtual private networks...

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - The extreme heat in the northern hemisphere is putting an increasing strain on healthcare systems, hitting those least able to cope the hardest, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday. The WHO said the heat often worsens pre-existing conditions, saying it was particularly concerned about those with cardiovascular...

Geneva, Switzerland - Saudi Arabia played up its efforts to empower women and promote their participation in the country's economic development during the 53rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. The event was organized by the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the...

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND -  A panel of AI-enabled humanoid robots told a United Nations summit on Friday that they could eventually run the world better than humans. But the social robots said they felt humans should proceed with caution when embracing the rapidly-developing potential of artificial intelligence. And they admitted that they...

Dubai, UAE -- Kuwait ranked third and Qatar 22nd on the list -- prepared by the World of Statistics -- of the countries with large millionaire populations. About 15 percent of Kuwaitis were millionaires, after Hong Kong's 15.3 percent and Switzerland, which had the highest number of millionaires (15.5 percent)...

On current policy trends, the planet will be 2.8C warmer by the end of the century, according to the UN's IPCC climate science advisory panel.

Geneva, Switzerland - United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said the COVID-19 pandemic, Ukraine crisis and the climate crises are having a devastating effect on progress towards the SDGs. The UNCTAD released the fifth edition of its annual SDG Pulse, a global reference for tracking progress towards achieving...

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND  -  The UAE has signed a cooperation agreement with the International Labor Organization (ILO) to collaborate in labor inspection and occupational health and safety. The agreement, signed by UAE's Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization (MoHRE) in the presence of its minister Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar, aims to...

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - The world's nuclear powers, and China in particular, increased investment in their arsenals for a third consecutive year in 2022 amid swelling geopolitical tensions, two reports showed Monday. The world's nine nuclear-armed states jointly spent $82.9 billion on their arsenals last year, with the United States accounting for...

Switzerland's parliament will probe the government-orchestrated takeover of the stricken Credit Suisse bank by larger rival UBS. A parliamentary commission of inquiry will be established to shed light on how the Swiss authorities rapidly stitched together the merger of the wealthy Alpine country's two biggest banks over a weekend in...

The delegation will meet a local judge and might seek to question individuals over the wealth of Salameh and his entourage as other European countries have done, the official added.

Geneva, Switzerland - Qatar's labor minister was on Monday appointed without a vote to head the International Labour Organization's annual decision-making conference, despite criticism from some unions amid concerns over labor conditions in Qatar. Asian and Pacific nations, which according to a regional rotation had dibs this year on selecting the...

Abu Dhabi, UAE - The UAE and Switzerland have discussed opportunities for cooperation between the Abu Dhabi Public Prosecution Office and the Swiss Public Prosecution Office and the means to develop the services provided. Ali Mohammed Alblooshi, Attorney-General of Abu Dhabi, met with Stefan Blatler, Attorney-General of Switzerland and Massimo...

Geneva, Switzerland - Soaring debt levels compounded by high inflation and rising interest rates have dashed job-seekers’ hopes in developing countries, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) warned on Wednesday. In its new Monitor on the World of Work report, ILO shows that while in high-income countries, only 8.2 percent of...

Under NYSE rules, shares must trade for at least $1 for 30 consecutive days.

Amman, Jordan - Jordan's trade exchange with countries it has free trade agreements with accounted for a significant portion of its overall trade in 2022, amounting to 58 percent, as per data published by the Amman Chamber of Commerce. The total value of these exchanges surpassed $23 billion, with more...

The World Health Organization launched a global network to help swiftly detect the threat from infectious diseases, like COVID-19, and share the information to prevent their spread. The International Pathogen Surveillance Network (IPSN) will provide a platform for connecting countries and regions, improving systems for collecting and analyzing samples, the...

Geneva, Switzerland – The Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) signed on Friday a $39 million multiyear contribution agreement with the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The grant will support the fight to end global pandemics and strengthen health and community systems. Announced during the Global Fund's 7th...

"Tech is at the top of the global agenda, but the benefits of digital technology are still out of reach for too many people," ITU chief Doreen Bogdan-Martin said in a statement. "If we are serious about digitalizing the world in a way that is meaningful and sustainable, we must...

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM -  The EU imported US$524 billion (€482 billion) worth of high-tech products from extra-EU countries in 2022 (+22 percent compared with 2021), according to an estimate published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union . Exports to these countries reached US$485 billion (€446 billion) (+16 percent...

Keeping the Swiss banking division as an independent unit appeals to many in Switzerland -- particularly as it could prevent mass layoffs in the important banking sector. Together, the two banks employ 120,000 people worldwide, including 37,000 in Switzerland.

Israel told the UN it was justified in carrying out strikes on Gaza, even as its overall human rights record met resounding criticism from several countries. Following the pre-dawn strikes that killed 13 people, including several children, an Israel Defense Forces representative said the attacks adhered to the law of...

Heavy fighting in Sudan has displaced 700,000 people within the country since the middle of April, the United Nations said, adding the figure had doubled in a week. Sudan was thrown into chaos when fighting broke out on April 15 between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo,...

Koerner will be the only executive from Credit Suisse to remain on board after the bank is absorbed by UBS. The Swiss government strongarmed UBS into buying its rival for $3.25 billion after the collapse of three US lenders in March raised concerns about Credit Suisse's own financial health following...

Bern, Switzerland-- Seeking to expand its industrial base, Saudi Arabia is keen to widen cooperation with Switzerland in the industrial and mining sectors, besides increasing access to non-oil exports. In this connection, the Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Bandar bin Ibrahim AlKhorayef, held a meeting with Switzerland's State...

Since the beginning, more than 765 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been reported to the WHO from around the world, including nearly seven million deaths. And Covid remains a threat. While the death rate from the disease has plunged in recent months, it still killed at least 16,000 people...

The United Nations said it was planning for an outflow of 860,000 people from conflict-torn Sudan, adding that $445 million would be needed to support them just through October. The UN refugee agency said in a statement that it had presented its appeal to donor countries earlier in the day.

BERN, SWITZERLAND - The UAE discussed bolstering strategic relations and cooperation in various development, economic and financial fields of common interest with Switzerland here. The UAE's Ministry of Finance (MoF) held the fifth financial dialogue with the Swiss Confederation in Bern. Younis Haji Al Khoori, Undersecretary of the Ministry of...

The United Nations called for security guarantees at "the highest level" to ensure aid deliveries in Sudan, after trucks carrying food to the Darfur region were looted. The UN's top humanitarian official Martin Griffiths insisted on the need "we have the commitments publicly, clearly given by militaries, to protect humanitarian...

The fighting in Sudan has caused over 330,000 people to flee their homes within the country, with over 100,000 others escaping over the borders, the United Nations said. UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency, is estimating that over 800,000 people could potentially flee to neighboring countries as the conflict continues in...

BERN, SWITZERLAND - Switzerland's central bank said Friday that the country's banking regulations needed toughening up after the implosion of Credit Suisse, while the sector also needed to ensure proper competition for services. "Banking regulation and supervision will have to be reviewed in light of recent events," Swiss National Bank chairman...

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND -  The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that fighters in conflict-ravaged Sudan had occupied the national public laboratory holding samples of diseases including polio and measles, creating an "extremely, extremely dangerous" situation. Fighters "kicked out all the technicians from the lab... which is completely under the control of...

Heart disease, cancer medicines helped enhance revenue.

To meet the estimated energy demand from hydrogen and electric aircraft in 2050 would require the amount of energy produced from 10-25 of the world’s largest wind farms, or a solar farm half the size of Belgium, WEF says.

Credit Suisse pushed forward its result release to come out the day before those of UBS, as Switzerland's largest bank prepares to swallow its long-time main domestic rival. The results, which will be presented in a statement without the usual accompanying press conference and analyst discussion, will be closely studied...

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - The World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Bank Group (WBG) and the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Thursday launched an initiative to help developing economies meet their climate change mitigation and adaptation goals through trade. The initiative Action on Climate and Trade (ACT) . which starts with...

The global economic slowdown and swelling interest rates are pummeling debt-ridden developing countries, the UN warned, urging bold global action to ward off catastrophe. In a fresh report, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development cautioned that poorer countries were expected to suffer as higher interest rates eat away...

During this week's session, lawmakers will have to endorse the guarantees, but the vote is only symbolic, said Samuel Bendahan, a National Council member and an economics professor at the University of Lausanne's business school. Parliament cannot cancel the government's decision taken under emergency law, and "the money has already...

The economy committee of the National Council, the lower house of parliament, asked the government for an analysis of the determining factors behind the decline of Credit Suisse.