GENEVA

GENEVA — (AP) — Barcelona is facing a new legal threat from UEFA, including a possible Champions League ban, because of its payments of millions of dollars to a company linked to a Spanish refereeing official. Champions League regulations in effect since April 2007 allow for clubs to be removed from European competitions if they were involved in fixing matches. Any proof of manipulated games in the past 16 years could see UEFA exclude Barcelona from its competitions for one year and prosecute a disciplinary case. The burden of proof for UEFA is stated in regulations for the Champions League and other club competitions. Former Albanian champion Skenderbeu is serving a 10-year ban after a UEFA investigation into match-fixing for betting scams, including Champions League qualifying games and Europa League group games in 2015.

GENEVA — (AP) — Created to help protect athletes after the USA Gymnastics sexual abuse scandal, the sport’s international investigations agency has set new safeguarding standards with a view to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The Gymnastics Ethics Foundation published a “Gymnasts 2028” strategy Thursday to better protect athletes from harassment and abuse, investigate complaints, prosecute disciplinary cases and monitor national federations. The GEF was created and funded by the sport's governing body, the International Gymnastics Federation, in the fallout from the scandal of long-time U.S. team doctor Larry Nassar, who is now in prison. That made 2028, when Los Angeles will host the Olympics “a good benchmark for us to organize ourselves,” he said. “That is something we can never lose sight of.”___More AP coverage of the Paris Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2023 The Associated Press.

GENEVA — (AP) — The Swiss central bank hiked its key interest rate Thursday and insisted that a government-orchestrated takeover of troubled Credit Suisse by rival bank UBS ended the financial turmoil. Swiss authorities urged UBS to take over its smaller rival after the central bank's plan for Credit Suisse to borrow up to 50 billion francs ($54 billion) last week failed to reassure investors and customers. “The extensive liquidity assistance provided the time needed to find a solution to safeguard financial stability,” the central bank said in a statement. The central bank hiked its key interest rate by half a percentage point to counter “renewed increase” in inflation, which has risen since the beginning of the year, to 3.4% last month. The European Central Bank hiked by a half-point last week, with the ECB and Fed chiefs voicing assurances that the financial system is stable.

GENEVA — (AP) — Switzerland's government said Tuesday that it's ordering Credit Suisse to temporarily suspend bonuses for employees after orchestrating a plan for the No. 2 Swiss bank to be taken over by rival UBS. The Swiss Department of Finance says federal law allows the government to set “remuneration-related measures” in cases involving Switzerland's biggest banks. Late last week and into the weekend, authorities in Switzerland, backed by the central bank and financial regulators, scrambled to cobble together a $3.25 billion sale of Credit Suisse to UBS. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

GENEVA — (AP) — Switzerland's government said Tuesday that it's ordering Credit Suisse to temporarily suspend bonuses for employees after orchestrating a plan for the No. 2 Swiss bank to be taken over by rival UBS. The Swiss Department of Finance says federal law allows the government to set “remuneration-related measures” in cases involving Switzerland's biggest banks. Late last week and into the weekend, authorities in Switzerland, backed by the central bank and financial regulators, scrambled to cobble together a $3.25 billion sale of Credit Suisse to UBS. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

The U.N. human rights office says gangs are "randomly shooting at people in their homes or on the streets" in rivals' territory.

GENEVA — (AP) — The U.N. human rights chief called on Belarus Friday to end its “systematic repression” of critics and immediately release people held on political grounds, saying some violations may amount to crimes against humanity. The report is based on interviews with more than 200 victims and witnesses and other sources. Critics say the repression is continuing, and rights advocates in Belarus sounded the alarm on Tuesday about a new heavy crackdown on dissent by the authoritarian government that saw over 100 people detained in a week. Authorities targeted opposition activists, journalists, medical workers, members of shooting sports clubs and people working with drones, according to Viasna, Belarus’ oldest and most prominent rights group. All rights reserved.

The U.N. human rights chief called on Belarus to end its “systematic repression” of critics and immediately release people held on political grounds, saying some violations may amount to crimes against humanity

GENEVA — (AP) — Russian attacks against civilians in Ukraine, including systematic torture and killing in occupied regions, amount to war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity, according to a report from a U.N.-backed inquiry released Thursday. The sweeping human rights report, released a year to the day after a Russian airstrike on a theater in Mariupol killed hundreds sheltering inside, marked a highly unusual condemnation of a member of the U.N. Security Council. A commission of inquiry is the most powerful tool used by the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council to scrutinize abuses and violations around the world. The investigation released Thursday was set up during an urgent debate shortly after Russia’s invasion last year. The commission's three members are independent human rights experts, and its staff gets support and funding from the council and the U.N. human rights office.

“This additional liquidity would support Credit Suisse’s core businesses and clients as Credit Suisse takes the necessary steps to create a simpler and more focused bank built around client needs,” the bank said. After European bank shares plunged Wednesday, analysts said the meeting outcome was hard to predict, with some saying the central bank might dial back to a quarter-point increase. The turmoil prompted an automatic pause in trading of Credit Suisse shares on the Swiss market and sent shares of other European banks tumbling, some by double digits. Switzerland’s central bank announced late Wednesday that it was prepared to act, saying it would support Credit Suisse if needed. The Credit Suisse parent bank is not part of EU supervision, but it has entities in several European countries that are.

GENEVA — (AP) — Battered shares of Credit Suisse lost more than one-quarter of their value Wednesday, hitting a record low after its biggest shareholder — the Saudi National Bank — told outlets that it would not inject more money into the ailing Swiss bank. The turmoil in the Credit Suisse stock price prompted an automatic pause in trading of the bank's shares on Switzerland's market and brought down shares of other European banks by as much as double digits. Credit Suisse stock was down more than 27% at around 1.6 Swiss francs in mid-afternoon trading on the SIX stock exchange Wednesday. The Swiss exchange says the drop in Credit Suisse shares triggered a temporary, automatic pause. On Tuesday, Credit Suisse published its annual report for 2022 indicating that managers had identified “material weaknesses” in the bank's internal control over financial reporting as of the end of last year.

Russian officials also say banking restrictions and high insurance costs have hurt their hopes of exporting fertilizer. The so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative involves seaborne checks of cargo by U.N., Russian, Ukrainian and Turkish officials to ensure that only foodstuffs — not weapons — are being transported. The amount of grain leaving Ukraine has dropped even as the deal works to keep food flowing. The two people were killed in the southern Mykolaiv region on Monday morning, when the Russian forces shelled the village of Kutsurub. In the neighboring Luhansk region, the Russian forces have resumed attacks on Belovorivka and Kreminna, Luhansk Gov.

GENEVA — (AP) — Most of the players from last year's World Cup do not want the soccer tournament to be held again in November and December, global union FIFPRO said Thursday. The union asked players who were at the World Cup in Qatar when they would prefer future editions to be held. Players typically have at least two weeks after their club season to rest and prepare for a World Cup. FIFA is currently drafting rules for 2030 World Cup bidders but has not yet said if the tournament will be played in June-July. “With the experience different stakeholders had around this unique World Cup,” Baer-Hoffmann said, “I’m pretty sure everybody will pay great attention to that (vote).”___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2023 The Associated Press.

GENEVA — (AP) — The makers of Toblerone are stripping images of Switzerland's famed Matterhorn and the Swiss flag from the packaging of the milk-chocolate treat as they move some production to Slovakia. Mondelez International of Deerfield, Illinois, which owns the Swiss-born brand, said Monday that it's in the process of adapting the packaging of Toblerone products to conform with strict rules in Switzerland about how products qualify for the coveted “Swissness” moniker — perceived by some as a standard of quality. A law on “Swissness” of products was adopted in 2017 and aims to protect the cachet of Swiss manufacturing. The chocolate bar, made of honey and almond nougat, is distinctive for its triangular “peak” shape that evokes a mountain range and matching triangular packaging — sold in scores of countries and duty-free shops around the globe. Toblerone has already been produced in other countries — notably late into the last century.

GENEVA — (AP) — The makers of Toblerone are stripping images of Switzerland's famed Matterhorn and the Swiss flag from the packaging of the milk-chocolate treat as they move some production to Slovakia. A law on “Swissness” of products was adopted in 2017 and aims to protect the cachet of Swiss manufacturing. The chocolate bar, made of honey and almond nougat, is distinctive for its triangular “peak” shape that evokes a mountain range and matching triangular packaging — sold in scores of countries and duty-free shops around the globe. Toblerone has already been produced in other countries — notably late into the last century. The treat was invented 115 years ago by Swiss confectioner Theodor Tobler, with the brand name a fusion of the family name and the Italian word “torrone” — nougat.

Switzerland requires milk-based products promoting themselves as Swiss to be made entirely within the country.

GENEVA — (AP) — The Premier League was urged Thursday to review a legally binding promise made by the owners of English soccer club Newcastle in 2021 that Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund was separate from the country's government. At that time, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters told the BBC in an interview the Saudi state would not control Newcastle and, if this was proved untrue, "we can remove the consortium as owners." Human rights group Amnesty International, which campaigned against the takeover deal, said Thursday it should be looked at again. “The Premier League will surely need to re-examine the assurances made about the non-involvement of the Saudi authorities in the Newcastle deal,” Amnesty economic affairs director Peter Frankental said in a statement. The club has moved from the Premier League's relegation zone 17 months ago to contending for a place in the Champions League this season.

GENEVA, Switzerland — (AP) — A senior Russian diplomat warned Thursday that increasing Western support for Ukraine could trigger an open conflict between nuclear powers. Ryabkov warned that “the U.S. and NATO policy of fueling the conflict in Ukraine” and their ”increasing involvement in the military confrontation is fraught with a direct military clash of nuclear powers with catastrophic consequences." He argued that Moscow can’t accept U.S. inspections of Russian nuclear sites envisaged by the pact when Washington and its NATO allies have openly declared Russia’s defeat in Ukraine as their goal. The Russian president noted that Moscow wasn't withdrawing from the pact altogether, and Ryabkov reaffirmed Thursday that Russia would respect the caps on nuclear weapons set under the treaty. Ryabkov also blamed the U.S. for the failure to ratify the global ban on nuclear weapons and reaffirmed Putin's warning that Moscow would resume nuclear tests if the U.S. does so.

Geneva police are investigating after 12 businesses were burglarized after having their storefront glass shattered early Wednesday along the Randall Road corridor in the city.

GENEVA — (AP) — Swiss regulators have found that Credit Suisse made a “serious breach” of law in connection with a now-bankrupt firm linked to Australian financier Lex Greensill and have opened a probe that could lead to penalties against four former bank managers. Switzerland's financial markets authority, FINMA, said Tuesday that it has concluded enforcement proceedings opened two years ago against Credit Suisse after bank partner Greensill Capital went bankrupt. At the time, Credit Suisse closed four funds linked to the partnership, in which bank clients had invested about $10 billion. FINMA said Credit Suisse “made partly false and overly positive statements” to the authority about how claims were chosen and the exposure to some debtors. In a statement, Credit Suisse welcomed the closure of the case without mentioning Greensill by name.

The Russian invasion “has unleashed widespread death, destruction and displacement,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said in a speech to the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council in Geneva. Guterres cited cases of sexual violence, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention and violations of the rights of prisoners of war documented by the U.N. human rights office. Ukraine’s presidential office said Monday that at least two civilians were killed and nine others were wounded by Russian attacks over the previous 24 hours. It said that intense fighting has continued around Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Vuhledar in the Donetsk region, which have come under relentless Russian shelling. In the south, the city of Kherson also came under Russian shelling, killing one and wounding two civilians.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has triggered “the most massive violations of human rights” in the world today, the head of the United Nations said Monday, as the war pushed into its second year with no end in sight. The Russian invasion “has unleashed widespread death, destruction and displacement,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said in a speech to the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council in Geneva. After failing to capture the Ukrainian capital in the opening weeks of the invasion and suffering a series of humiliating setbacks in the east and the south during the fall, Russia has stabilized the front and is concentrating its efforts on a slow push to capture the rest of the Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland of the Donbas.

GENEVA — (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday stressed the importance of legal challenges against “climate-wrecking corporations" like fossil-fuel producers, ratcheting up his call for the fight against climate change—- this time before the U.N.'s top human rights body. Guterres opened the latest session of the Human Rights Council, part of an address that decried summary executions, torture and sexual violence in places like Ukraine; antisemitism, anti-Muslim bigotry and the persecution of Christians; inequality and threats to free expression, among other issues. Guterres also sought to undergird the concept of human rights — which have faced "public disregard and private disdain — and tie them together with environmental concerns. "Human rights are not a luxury that can be left until we find a solution to the world’s other problems. The comments came as the council opened its “high-level segment” at the start of its longest-ever session — more than five weeks.

On Monday, among the speakers after Guterres and the presidents of Congo, Montenegro and Colombia, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian will come up between Germany's Annalena Baerbock and France's Catherine Colonna. China's foreign minister, Qin Gang, is set to make a statement by video. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, known more for his expertise on defense matters, is set to attend on Thursday. A year ago, scores of diplomats walked out of the council chamber as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov appeared by video, to express their opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine days earlier. He had originally been set to attend in person but many Western countries closed their airspace to flights from Russia after the invasion.

While tensions have risen between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, when the two met in 2021 at a summit in Geneva, Putin came bearing gifts. If the recipient wants to keep the gift, they have the option of paying the estimated value of the gift. The report listed gifts that Biden, first lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Douglas Emhoff and other administration officials have received. Estimated value: $19,200To Jill Biden from Mrs. Kim Jung-Sook, first lady of South Korea: Painting on paper of flowers in a vase. Estimated value – $990To Emhoff from Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India: Kashmiri silk carpet, hamper of Coffee.

Russia's president and the deposed leader of Afghanistan were among the top gift givers to President Joe Biden and his family in 2021, according to federal documents.

GENEVA — (AP) — China came in for a grilling Wednesday over its human rights record as a two-day hearing opened at the United Nations human rights office, with rights advocates raising issues like relocations from Tibet, COVID-19, reprisals against human rights defenders and a security law that crushed dissidents in Hong Kong. “No one can claim a perfect record in human rights protection, as there is always room for improvement. China still faces multiple problems and challenges in promoting and protecting economic, social and cultural rights," including “glaringly unbalanced” development and “stumbling blocks” in some areas of reform, Chen said. “Dealing with China in six hours devoted to a state review is a challenge for the committee,” he said. “The Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region) government is dedicated to defend and protect the lawful rights and freedom of association in Hong Kong,” said Hoi-shan Cheung, assistant commissioner in Hong Kong’s Labor Department.

GENEVA — (AP) — Mining, oil and metals giant Glencore posted record profits last year on soaring demand for energy products, saying Wednesday that it will pay out more than $7 billion to shareholders. The Baar, Switzerland-based company said business rebounded from lows during the coronavirus pandemic and rode a spike in demand for oil and natural gas after Russia invaded Ukraine. Net income soared nearly 250% to $17.32 billion last year, Glencore said. Glencore also could benefit from U.S. legislation that directs new spending toward technology meant to reduce carbon emissions and a European Union plan to favor greener policies. Glencore's record profits come after it reached a deal with authorities in the United States, Britain and Brazil last year to resolve corruption and market manipulation allegations in return for penalties totaling up to $1.5 billion.

GENEVA — (AP) — At least 73 Europe-bound migrants are missing and presumed dead in a shipwreck off Libya, the United Nations migration agency said Wednesday. It said the boat, carrying around 80 migrants, reportedly departed the village of Qasr al-Khayar, 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of the capital, Tripoli. Seven migrants survived the shipwreck and made it to Libyan shores, the U.N. said, in “extremely dire conditions.” They were taken to a hospital. Tuesday’s shipwreck was the latest sea tragedy in the central Mediterranean, a key route for migrants. The tragedy took the death tally on that route to at least 130 migrants this year, IOM said.

The United Nations migration agency says at least 73 Europe-bound migrants are missing and presumed dead in a shipwreck off Libya

The U.N.'s humanitarian aid and refugee agencies are seeking $5.6 billion to help millions of people in Ukraine and countries that have taken in fleeing Ukrainians in the wake of Russia's invasion.

Refugee agency UNHCR, meanwhile, is seeking $1.7 billion to help some 4.2 million refugees who have fled to 10 host countries in eastern and central Europe. “We were relatively well-funded last year," said Filippo Grandi, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. Its figures, which are largely drawn from numbers provided by national governments, show that more than 2.8 million refugees from Ukraine have been taken in by Russia. Grandi said Russia gets funds for those refugees “from other sources” — including un-earmarked funds. More than one-third of those received cash assistance, which can help prop up the battered national economy.

The U.N.’s humanitarian aid and refugee agencies say they are seeking $5.6 billion to help millions of people in Ukraine and 10 countries that have taken in fleeing Ukrainians in the wake of Russia’s invasion of their country nearly a year ago

The U.N.’s humanitarian aid and refugee agencies say they are seeking $5.6 billion to help millions of people in Ukraine and 10 countries that have taken in fleeing Ukrainians in the wake of Russia’s invasion of their country nearly a year ago.

GENEVA — (AP) — Police in Switzerland's capital evacuated Parliament and related offices Tuesday after a man in a bulletproof vest was arrested near one of its entrances and found to be bearing explosives. The statement did not provide any detail on the explosives. The suspect, who was not identified, was undergoing physical and mental exams, the statement said. Security measures were lifted after it turned out that the vehicle presented no danger, the police statement said. Switzerland has rarely had any run-ins with extremist violence, but the federal police has regularly warned of the threat.

Police in Switzerland’s capital say they have evacuated Parliament and related offices after a man in a bulletproof vest was arrested near one of its entrances and found to be bearing explosives

GENEVA — (AP) — UEFA-appointed investigators have held European soccer's ruling body mostly responsible for chaotic security failures at the 2022 Champions League final in Paris that put the lives of Liverpool and Real Madrid fans at risk. “The panel has concluded that UEFA, as event owner, bears primary responsibility for failures which almost led to disaster,” the report said. UEFA statements during the chaos and after the game blamed Liverpool fans for arriving at the stadium late and using fake tickets to try to gain entry — wrongly blamed on both counts, the report said. The panel, appointed seven months ago by UEFA, aimed blame Monday at leadership of both the soccer body and its subsidiary UEFA Events, and French public authorities. The Champions League final was moved to Paris at three months' notice after UEFA stripped Russia of hosting the game in St. Petersburg because of the military invasion of Ukraine.

GENEVA — (AP) — Organizers of the Super League project presented a long-promised new proposal Thursday for a multi-division competition involving up to 80 European soccer teams and operating outside of UEFA’s authority. Advocate General Athanasios Rantos proposed then that the court recognize UEFA's authority over European soccer competitions. Barcelona president Joan Laporta said Thursday that the Super League was “progressing” while urging for more negotiations between its promoters and existing soccer authorities. “The waking corpse that is the European Super League twitches again with all the self-awareness one associates with a zombie,” the FSA said in a statement. While plotting two years ago to launch the Super League, the same clubs who also then controlled the European Club Association were in talks with UEFA about reforming the Champions League.

The bank also announced the $175 million purchase of the investment banking business of U.S.-based M. Klein & Co. and plans to roll those operations into the revived CS First Boston investment bank. 2 bank after UBS, said net revenue sank 20% compared with a year ago, coming in at 3 billion francs for the fourth quarter. The pre-tax loss was nearly 1.32 billion francs, compared with 1.67 billion in the same period a year earlier. Credit Suisse saw its investment bank business shrink and its Swiss bank and wealth management operations increase as a share of revenue. For the year, revenue plunged 34% to 14.92 billion francs, and the pre-tax loss came in at 3.26 billion francs, compared with a pre-tax loss of 600 million francs in 2021.

No one was injured after an explosion and chemical fire Tuesday afternoon at Olon Industries, 411 Union St., on Geneva’s near West Side, according to officials.

Cleaning up is only the start of what will be a long recovery effort in Seminole County following Hurricane Ian.

Such a confrontation between a World Cup host and FIFA is unprecedented in recent history, and is likely to shine more attention on so-called "sportswashing" investments by Saudi Arabia. “While we acknowledge some important and positive gender equality reforms have commenced in Saudi Arabia, it remains undeniable under any reasonable standard that the rights of women remain severely restricted,” the Women’s World Cup hosts wrote to FIFA. The Women’s World Cup is to be played July 20-Aug. 20. It will also be the first test of FIFA's policy to separate broadcasting and sponsor deals for the Women's World Cup from the men's event. That was intended to give independence to women's soccer and prove it had its own commercial value.

GENEVA — (AP) — Independent human rights experts working with the U.N. on Tuesday called for an investigation of possible abuses, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by government forces in Mali and the Wagner Group, a shadowy Russian military contractor. The experts said they were “disturbed by the apparent increased outsourcing of traditional military functions to the so-called Wagner Group in various military operations." Western officials say hundreds of fighters from the Wagner Group began working more than a year ago alongside Mali's armed forces to try to stem a decade-long insurgency by Islamic extremists in the West African country. Diplomats, analysts and human rights groups say indiscriminate violence against civilians has grown since the mercenaries arrived, warning that extremists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have only become stronger. The outside experts, who aren't U.N. staff, work under a mandate from the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council in Geneva to help keep tabs on a vast array of human rights concerns around the world.

The WHO chief has previously said the end of the pandemic is in sight.

The World Health Organization chief says the coronavirus remains a global health emergency

GENEVA — (AP) — The coronavirus remains a global health emergency, the World Health Organization chief said Monday, after a key advisory panel found the pandemic may be nearing an “inflexion point” where higher levels of immunity can lower virus-related deaths. But Tedros warned that in the last eight weeks, at least 170,000 people have died around the world in connection with the coronavirus. “The committee acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic may be approaching an inflexion point," WHO said in a statement. “(B)ut there is little doubt that this virus will remain a permanently established pathogen in humans and animals for the foreseeable future,” it said. While Omicron versions are easily spread, “there has been a decoupling between infection and severe disease” compared to that of earlier variants.

The IOC has made clear it wants Russians to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics as neutral athletes.

Credit Suisse is seeing a sharp reduction in client outflows, as the embattled Swiss lender progresses with its major strategic overhaul, new CEO Ulrich Koerner told CNBC on Wednesday.

A Lindenhurst man was killed and another person was injured in a shootout during a home invasion in St. Charles Saturday evening, police said.

GENEVA — (AP) — The Swiss town of Davos will host 52 heads of state and government and nearly 600 CEOs as the World Economic Forum hosts its annual meeting in the Alps next week, organizers said Tuesday. Russia's nearly yearlong war in Ukraine and COVID-19 restrictions and now a wave of infections in China have helped weaken the global economy. The forum president said some delegations had asked for the names of their participants “not to be shared” right away for security reasons. It’s hard to predict if the high-minded discussions will yield substantial announcements that make headway on the world’s most pressing challenges. The event has been criticized for hosting wealthy executives who sometimes fly in on emissions-spewing corporate jets.

She listed the top donors as the Islamic Development Bank, with $4.2 billion; the World Bank, at $2 billion; the Asian Development Bank, at $1.5 billion. She said the European Union had pledged $93 million, Germany $88 million, China $100 million, and Japan $77 million. The United States said separately was doubling its allocation, announcing another $100 million on top of a similar amount already committed to Pakistan. In November’s U.N. climate talks, countries agreed to set up a fund for loss and damage caused by climate change. Climate scientists found that the floods in Pakistan were worsened by global heating although economic, societal and construction-oriented factors also played a role.

World leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, were taking part virtually as countries chip in to help Pakistan pull together an estimated $16.3 billion that's needed to help rebuild and recover. Authorities in Pakistan hope about half of that funding need will come from the international community. The conference has shaped up as a test case of just how much the rich world will pitch in to help developing-world nations like Pakistan manage the impact of climatic swoons, and brace for other disasters. Pakistani authorities last week cited a U.N.-backed assessment that the total damage amounted to more than $30 billion. Pakistan plays a negligible role in global warming and emits less than 1% of heat-trapping carbon dioxide, but like other developing countries, it has been vulnerable to climate-induced devastation, experts say.

The U.N. in Pakistan has said current international aid will run out Jan. 15. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, said the daylong conference will be based on a U.N.-supported assessment that indicates Pakistan suffered more than $30 billion in damage. The summit titled “International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan," is taking place weeks after U.N. officials warned that the funding raised so far for Pakistan’s flood victims will run out this month. Officials said that without international aid, Pakistan would not be able to rebuild destroyed homes and infrastructure. The conference is taking place at a time when Pakistan is trying to avoid a risk of default amid its dwindling reserves and spiraling inflation.

Officials say Pakistan is expected to seek $16.3 billion in aid from the international community for reconstruction for millions of victims of last summer’s climate-induced devastation floods

The Red Cross says it has conducted rare visits with thousands of prisoners on both sides of Yemen’s eight-year-old civil war, a step that could pave the way for an exchange of detainees between the rival parties.

In Geneva, officials say Lake Harney has crested, but it may be a few more days before Lake Monroe recedes.

A U.N. body devoted to promoting broader and better access to the internet is about to hold its annual gathering in Ethiopia.

A frustrating wait is finally over for people living along the St. John's River in Seminole County.

FIFA’s top doctor has highlighted brain injuries in soccer as his top priority ahead of a World Cup where teams can now use an extra substitute if a player has a suspected concussion.

As the recovery continues, the county is concerned about wells that may be damaged by floodwater. They say a well affected by floodwater may have disease-causing organisms in the water, making it unsafe to drink.

Deputy Todd Moderson with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office helped rescue a man that a Geneva neighbor described as “on the cusp of death” who was mostly submerged under flood waters recently.

Part of State Road 46 remains closed in east Seminole County where water covers the road in Geneva towards Mims two weeks after Hurricane Ian.

Seminole County deputies are asking for information on the whereabouts of a missing Geneva man who was last seen Wednesday evening.

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has received the U.N. refugee agency’s top award.

Nearly 10 days after historic rainfall from Hurricane Ian, parts of the St. Johns River still haven’t crested.

FEMA opened its first Mobile Registration Intake Center in Seminole County Wednesday, as FEMA tries to reach out to people dealing with flooding from Hurricane Ian.

With many homes overwhelmed by flooding near the St. Johns River in Geneva, one man has opened up his business to help neighbors in need.

Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris said Monday afternoon that historic flooding throughout the area is expected to continue for weeks.

Nice weather continues to dominate the forecast in the Orlando area.

While Seminole County officials said they are still seeing an increase in the historic floodwaters brought about after Hurricane Ian, many areas are starting to level off as of Monday afternoon.

Western countries are leading a simultaneous push at the U.N.’s top human rights body to scrutinize human rights in two of the world’s most influential countries: China and Russia.

Seminole County leaders are warning people to expect more flooding to hit the area as high water recedes in some areas and moves into area rivers and streams.

Emergency shelters opened in Seminole County after evacuation orders were issued for flood-prone areas, mobile homes and people with special needs who need a safe place to stay.

A team of experts commissioned by the U.N.’s top human rights body to look into rights violations in Ukraine says its initial investigation has turned up evidence of war crimes in the country following Russia’s invasion nearly seven months ago.

Marijuana use is to stay banned at sports events.

An envoy from China’s Xinjiang province says Chinese authorities are ready for a “fight” with “anti-China” critics in the West and elsewhere over allegations of rights abuses in the anti-extremism campaign against Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic groups in the region.

A top Chinese diplomat says China can’t work with the U.N. human rights office after it released a report criticizing Beijing’s policies against Uyghurs and other ethnic groups in western Xinjiang.

Independent U.N. human rights experts are expressing concerns about the adverse impact on the rights of racial and ethnic minorities from the U.S. Supreme Court decision that stripped away constitutional protections for abortion in the United States.

The number of monkeypox cases reported globally dropped by 21% in the last week, reversing a month-long trend of rising infections in a possible sign the outbreak may be starting to decline in Europe, according to an report issued by the World Health Organization on Thursday.

A long-time member of the Red Apple Dining team died Monday after being found unresponsive at Geneva Elementary School, according to Seminole County Public Schools.

A 61-year-old Geneva woman was struck and killed and a 52-year-old man was injured while crossing a road near Walt Disney World, troopers say.

After five weeks of declining coronavirus deaths, the number of fatalities reported globally increased by 4% last week, according to the World Health Organization.

The number of new coronavirus cases and deaths reported globally fell everywhere except the Middle East and Southeast Asia, according to the World Health Organization.

A veteran Russian diplomat to the U.N. Office at Geneva says he handed in his resignation before sending out a scathing letter to foreign colleagues inveighing against the “aggressive war unleashed” by President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine.

The World Health Organization says the number of new coronavirus cases reported worldwide has continued to fall except in the Americas and Africa.

A bucket truck struck a Seminole County Public Schools bus, causing it to hit another truck in Geneva, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The World Health Organization says the number of new coronavirus deaths reported worldwide fell by 17% in the last week even as COVID-19 infections rose.

An expert group convened by the World Health Organization said it “strongly supports urgent and broad access” to coronavirus vaccines, including booster doses.

Volusia County deputies are looking for a man who conned a woman out of $74,000 by posing as a contractor but never delivering on the work.

The number of new coronavirus cases reported globally dropped by 16% last week, marking a month-long decline in COVID-19 infections, according to figures from the World Health Organization.

An 18th-century icon that a British officer spirited out of war-wracked Cyprus in 1974 has been returned to the island’s Orthodox Church by the officer’s son to reunite it with those “who really appreciate what it stands for.”.

An annual report from the United Nations labor agency has highlighted the work conditions of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in China’s western Xinjiang region.

The head of the World Health Organization says “COVID isn’t finished with us,” as he appealed for extra help to fight the pandemic after his agency reported case counts and deaths fell worldwide over the past week.

A city in Central Florida is leading the charge in lightning strike density across the state.

The World Health Organization chief says 90 million cases of coronavirus have been reported since the omicron variant was first identified 10 weeks ago, amounting to more than in all of 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Japan's government says it will watch the World Health Organization’s probe into staff complaints over racism and abuse by a top Japanese official but denied it inappropriately received sensitive vaccine information from him.

The World Health Organization says there were 21 million new coronavirus cases reported globally last week.

The head of the World Health Organization is warning that conditions remain ideal for more coronavirus variants to emerge and says it’s dangerous to assume omicron is the last one or that “we are in the endgame.”.

A U.N.-backed group says it has signed agreements with more than two dozen generic drug makers to produce versions of Merck’s coronavirus pill to supply 105 developing countries.

Rock ‘n’ roll icon Tina Turner and her husband have reportedly bought a 70-million Swiss franc ($76 million) estate with 10 buildings, pond, stream, swimming pool and boat dock on Lake Zurich.