Switzerland

WHO says e-cigarettes 'undoubtedly harmful'

27 July 2019; AFP: Electronic cigarettes are "undoubtedly harmful" and should be regulated, the WHO said Friday as it warned against the use of vaping products by smokers trying to quit their deadly habit.

The growing popularity of e-cigarettes, battery-powered devices that enable users to inhale addictive nicotine liquids, has raised fears among policymakers worldwide of a new gateway addiction for young people.

Ebola outbreak in Congo declared a global health emergency

GENEVA (AP) — The deadly Ebola outbreak in Congo is now an international health emergency, the World Health Organization announced Wednesday after a case was confirmed in a city of 2 million people .

A WHO expert committee declined on three previous occasions to advise the United Nations health agency to make the declaration for this outbreak, even though other experts say it has long met the required conditions. More than 1,600 people have died since August in the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak in history, which is unfolding in a region described as a war zone.

Russia’s upper house speaker urges ban on introduction of sanctions against legislators

GENEVA, June 30. /TASS/: Speaker of the Russian Federation Council (upper house) Valentina Matviyenko has called on parliaments across the word to adopt a ban on slapping sanctions against parliamentarians.

During her speech at the headquarters of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva, Matviyenko said: "I think we should further unite efforts of all parliaments to ensure the recognition that the introduction of any sanctions against parliamentarians is unacceptable."

Swiss ban planemaker Pilatus from operating in Saudi Arabia, UAE

27 June 2019; MEMO: Switzerland has banned planemaker Pilatus from operating in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), saying on Wednesday the company had breached Swiss rules on giving logistical support to foreign armed forces now engaged in a war in Yemen, reports Reuters.

Preliminary dates set for 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics

LAUSANNE, June 24. /TASS/: According to a preliminary plan, the 2026 Winter Olympic Games will be held on February 6-22, and Paralympic Games - on March 6-15, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Monday.

The vote to determine the host of the 2026 Winter Olympics was held at the 134th session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne earlier on Monday. The Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo were chosen as the hosts for the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

Record 70.8 million people displaced at end of 2018: UN

Geneva, Jun 19 (AFP) More than 70 million people were counted last year as displaced from their homes, a record that underestimates the real number of refugees and asylum seekers, the UN said Wednesday.

In its annual global trends report, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) described the figure of 70.8 million at the end of 2018 as "conservative", particularly because the number of people who fled Venezuela's devastating crisis is undercounted.

1 million new sexually transmitted diseases each day

7 June 2019; DW: The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported a lack of progress in combating sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and warned of complacency in the wake of an increase in the use of dating applications.

More than 1 million people catch an STD, or sexually transmitted infection (STI), every day across the globe, with chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis and syphilis of greatest concern.

EU sued by human rights lawyers over migrant deaths

3 June 2019; DW: A group of lawyers have asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to open a case against the European Union over its migration policy, according to a request submitted on Monday.

Although ICC prosecutors are already gathering evidence about crimes against refugees in Libya, the document goes a step further by arguing that the EU and member states are also largely to blame for migrant deaths on land and at sea.

What are the allegations against the EU?

Pompeo says US ready to talk to Iran with ‘no preconditions’

BELLINZONA, Switzerland (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday that the Trump administration is ready for unconditional discussions with Iran in an effort to ease rising tensions that have sparked fears of conflict. But the United States will not relent in trying to pressure the Islamic Republic to change its behavior in the Middle East, America’s top diplomat said.

Pompeo attends secretive global meet in Switzerland

1 June 2019; AFP: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will take part Saturday in a secretive meeting in Switzerland of global power brokers discreetly discussing issues like Brexit and the future of capitalism.

The State Department confirmed Saturday that Pompeo, who is on a four-nation tour of Europe, would take part in the four-day Bilderberg meeting, which kicked off on Thursday in the picturesque Swiss town of Montreux.

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