Geneva - Attempts by tobacco-producing nations to sink a landmark law in Australia requiring plain packaging for cigarettes and cigars gained pace Tuesday as Cuba and the Dominican Republic stepped up their fight at the World Trade Organization.

Z - The world's leading food industry group Nestle saw its sales plunge 5.1 percent in the first quarter, it said on Tuesday, blaming the effect of exchange rates and strength of the Swiss franc.

Geneva - Global commerce is set to grow by 4.7 percent this year, the World Trade Organization said on Monday, with recovery in rich economies expected to mitigate risks in developing nations.The WTO previously had forecast that trade would expand by 4.

Slavyansk - Russia's long-expected invasion of eastern Ukraine may be underway Saturday as masked gunmen have seized government buildings in two cities near the border.

Geneva - Swiss food giant Nestle said on Friday that its chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe has been diagnosed with an illness requiring six months of medical care, but that he would continue his duties.

Nyon - Titleholders Bayern Munich will face nine-time winners Real Madrid in a dramatic Champions League semi-final, which was drawn Friday.

Geneva - Kiev on Thursday charged that Russian troops were laying anti-personnel mines in Ukraine and had grabbed a Ukrainian stockpile of landmines used for training.

Lausanne - Swiss-based food giant Nestle warned on Thursday that a vote to rein in immigration by EU citizens had cast a shadow over the Alpine country's economy.

Payerne - The masterminds of sun-powered plane Solar Impulse formally unveiled their new aircraft Wednesday, a year ahead of their planned round-the-world flight.

Geneva - The World Health Organization called Wednesday for a dramatic increase in screening and treatment of hepatitis C, saying higher demand would help drive down the cost of drugs for the disease.

Geneva - West Africa's Ebola outbreak is among the "most challenging" ever to strike since the disease emerged four decades ago, the WHO said Tuesday, as the suspected death toll from the virus hit 111.

Geneva - Police in Liechtenstein said Monday that a self-styled "Robin Hood" suspected of killing a banker in a financial feud is believed to have committed suicide, but that efforts to locate him continued.

Geneva - Swiss cement group Holcim and French rival Lafarge are to merge creating a dominant supplier of cement for concrete to the global construction industry.

Geneva - Switzerland's Holcim and French rival Lafarge announced on Monday that they have agreed to merge, creating the world's biggest cement company.

Adliswil - No smoking, no perfume, no mobile phone use -- the list of rules at a newly opened apartment building on the outskirts of Zurich is long.

Geneva - The boards of Switzerland's Holcim and French rival Lafarge have agreed to the merger of their companies to create the world's largest cement maker, Le Figaro newspaper reported Sunday.

Geneva - The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s latest document discusses the dangers of a warming world. The document also suggests opportunities for adaptation in the face of environmental changes.

Geneva - Ukraine's post office has asked its foreign counterparts to stop sending it mail destined for breakaway Crimea because it can no longer deliver it, the Universal Postal Union said Friday.

Geneva - The UN accused Chadian soldiers Friday of carrying out an unprovoked attack when they opened fire in a crowded market in the Central African Republic's capital Bangui, killing at least 30 people.

Geneva - Swiss cement group Holcim announced on Friday that it is in merger talks with building supplies giant Lafarge.