Beznau - Europe's oldest functioning nuclear reactor, at Switzerland's Beznau plant, will turn 50 next week -- a lifespan deemed dangerously long by environmentalists who are demanding that it be shut down immediately.

Geneva - The UN launched a humanitarian appeal for nearly $29 billion on Wednesday as climate change and increasingly protracted conflicts put tens of millions of people in urgent need of aid.

Geneva - Aminatou Haidar, a champion of peaceful resistance to Morocco's annexation of Western Sahara, is demanding urgent international action to prevent the frozen conflict from devolving into war.

Geneva - A top Red Cross official decried Monday a dire lack of international funding for humanitarian aid in Venezuela, warning that assistance was being politicised and desperate civilians were paying the price.

Geneva - Measles has killed more than 5,000 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo since January -- more than double the toll in the country's Ebola epidemic -- the World Health Organization said Wednesday.

Geneva - An international system that broadens protections for brands which identify their products based on geographical origin, like Scotch whiskey or Tequila, will come into force after the EU signed on, the UN said Tuesday.

Geneva - Greenhouse gases levels in the atmosphere, the main driver of climate change, hit a record high last year, the UN said Monday, calling for action to safeguard "the future welfare of mankind".

Geneva - A Lebanese businessman will donate Adolf Hitler's top hat and other objects linked to the Nazi leader to an Israeli foundation in order to keep the items out of the hands of neo-fascists.

Geneva - Four in five adolescents worldwide do not get enough physical activity, to the detriment of their health, the World Health Organization said Friday, warning that girls especially need more exercise.

Geneva - An independent UN expert has apologised for misspeaking during a news conference in Geneva this week, correcting his claim that more than 100,000 children were being held in migration-related US detention.

Geneva - The United Nations voiced alarm Tuesday at reports dozens may have been killed in Iranian demonstrations, as the Islamic republic said it will unblock the internet only once calm has been restored.

Geneva - More than 100,000 children are currently being held in migration-related detention in the United States, often in violation of international law, the UN said Monday.

Geneva - More than 100,000 children are currently being held in migration-related detention in the United States, including those held with their parents and minors detained alone, the UN said Monday.

Geneva - The UN rights chief voiced alarm Saturday at the deadly crisis in Bolivia, warning that excessive force by police was "an extremely dangerous development" and could see the situation could spin out of control.

Geneva - The World Health Organization on Wednesday said it had begun an initiative that would cut prices and dramatically increase insulin access for diabetics.

Basel - Hearing loss is at plague levels. WHO estimates 466 million people worldwide have hearing loss at disability levels. 1.1 billion kids are estimated to be at risk of hearing loss. Now, someone’s found a way of improving hearing.

Geneva - More than a third of Haitians are facing "severe food insecurity", sparked by price hikes, dwindling agricultural production and widespread social unrest, the UN's World Food Programme warned Friday.

Geneva - The father of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Friday he worried his son would die in prison after nine years of "persecution" for daring to reveal US "war crimes".

Geneva - A first round of discussions towards amending Syria's constitution went better than anticipated, the UN mediator said Friday, adding that the talks would resume on November 25.

Swiss scientists have come up with a method for embedding data in music. The music-data can then be transmitted to a smartphone, in a way where the data is imperceptible to the human ear. This promises new applications in hotels and department stores.