Geneva, Feb 20 (IANS) Human Rights Watch Wednesday urged the UN Human Rights Council to launch "an independent, international investigation into war crimes" committed in the final months of the Sri Lankan conflict.

Geneva, Feb 20 (IANS) The nuclear test Feb 12 was a "self-defence" measure in reaction to America's ever increasing threat, a North Korean diplomat said here.

Dubai, Feb 18 (IANS) South Africa has been guaranteed the number-one position on the ICC Test Championship table at the April 1 cut-off date after victory in the Cape Town Test against Pakistan.

Dubai, Feb 17 (IANS) Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma Sunday urged the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund and UAE-based companies to invest in India's infrastructure sector, especially in aviation, telecom, ports and road transport.

Geneva, Feb 15 (IANS) Swiss food giant Nestle has announced a net profit of 10.6 billion Swiss francs (about $11.5 billion) for 2012, an increase of 11.6 percent from the previous year.

Dubai, Feb 15 (IANS/WAM) The fourth annual "Car Free Day" organised by the Dubai Municipality helped reduce 14 tonnes of carbon dioxide emission.

Sharjah, Feb 13 (IANS/WAM) Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, the ruler of Sharjah in the UAE, has issued new laws on preserving water and maintaining hygiene in the emirate.

Dubai, Feb 11 (IANS) Dubai airport chief executive Paul Griffiths has said the world's first concourse exclusively for Airbus A380 "superjumbo" has been completed and is now fully operational.

Geneva, Feb 6 (IANS) The US should promptly carry out the recommendations of a UN panel of experts to improve protection of children abroad from armed conflict, Human Rights Watch has said.

Geneva, Feb 6 (IANS/EFE) The value of Swiss jewellery exports climbed 10.9 percent last year to 21.4 billion francs ($23.5 billion) despite the economic crisis, the Swiss Jewellery Industry Federation said Tuesday.

Abu Dbahi/New Delhi, Feb 4 (IANS) Etihad Airways expects to complete its due diligence into a possible buy-out of stakes in Jet Airways by next week, a top company official said Monday.

Dubai, Feb 3 (IANS/WAM) A total of 48 women students from various universities of the UAE will visit Scotland to receive training in multi-culturalism and leadership.

Geneva, Feb 1 (IANS) The Unicef Friday said around 420,000 people, half of them children, need immediate humanitarian assistance in western Syria's Homs region.

Dubai, Jan 31 (IANS) New Zealand Cricket (NZC) was allocated $1.8 million by the International Cricket Council (ICC) Thursday for next three years to develop the sport in the country.

Dubai, Jan 30 (IANS) South Africa batsman Hashim Amla has an opportunity to claim the number-one ranking on the International Cricket Council (ICC) Player Rankings for Test batsmen for the first time in his career when he takes to the field against Pakistan in the first Test of the three-match series in Johannesburg from Thursday.

Kuwait City, Jan 30 (IANS) India Wednesday pledged a donation of $2.5 million as humanitarian assistance for over two million Syrians displaced by the ongoing conflict in the country.

Dubai, Jan 29 (IANS/WAM) The ninth edition of the International Property Show (IPS) will begin here in the UAE in April. India, Pakistan and China will take part in the event.

Kuwait City, Jan 29 (IANS) India along with 54 other countries are taking part in a UN-sponsored conference here Wednesday to raise $1.5 billion to save millions hit by Syria's bloody civil war.

Dubai, Jan 29 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) Tuesday said it considers Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's statement on Syria as a "new stance" that will speed up the ouster of Bashar al-Assad regime.

Dubai, Jan 28 (IANS) India batsman Suresh Raina has broken into the top-10 of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Player Rankings for ODI batsmen for the first time in his career.

Dubai, Jan 25 (IANS) Ethiopia's Lelisa Desisa won the 14th Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon Friday in a tight and foggy race which saw all male and female medallists coming from the East African country.

Geneva, Jan 25 (IANS/EFE) An exhibition at Switzerland's Fondation de l'Hermitage in Lausanne showcases 150 works of art from the 15th century to the present day, analyzing the use of windows to frame landscapes in paintings, transforming a frame and marking the interior and exterior boundaries.

Dubai, Jan 20 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Manager Jose Mourinho must repair his frayed relationships with the Real Madrid squad if the team are to have any hope of rescuing their season, former right-back Michel Salgado said Sunday.

Dubai, Jan 20 (IANS) South Africa captain AB de Villiers has been suspended for two ODIs while his players have been fined 100-per-cent of their match fees for maintaining a slow over-rate during their one-wicket defeat against New Zealand in the first one-dayer in Paarl Saturday.

Geneva, Jan 19 (IANS) Predicting a worsening of West Africa's refugee situation, a UN agency says up to 700,000 people are expected to be uprooted by the ongoing turmoil in Mali.

Dubai, Jan 17 (IANS/WAM) The Roads and Transport Authority of Dubai has launched an initiative to sensitise road users to deaf drivers and alert motorists to vehicles driven by people with hearing disabilities.

Dubai, Jan 16 (IANS/WAM) Anti-narcotics police teams in the UAE have busted a gang of notorious drug traffickers in an operation dubbed "Desert Fox", Dubai Police said.

Dubai, Jan 15 (IANS/WAM) The Emirates airline group has launched a wide range of sightseeing tours, desert safaris and attractions with a new website called "Arabian Adventures".

Dubai, Jan 14 (IANS/WAM) Delegates from a British security organisation will visit Dubai to talk to prospective partners and customers about the best practices in law enforcement, counter-terrorism and border security.

Dubai, Jan 13 (IANS) Sri Lanka captain Shashikala Siriwardena is confident of change of fortunes for her side during the upcoming ICC Women's World Cup to be held in India.

Dubai, Jan 11 (IANS) New Zealand captain Suzie Bates believes her side's meticulous preparation will stand them in good stead during the upcoming ICC Women's World Cup in India.

Dubai, Jan 9 (IANS) World champions India can regain their No.1 spot in the International Cricket Council (ICC) ODI Championship table if they can whitewash England in the five-match One-day International (ODI) series starting Jan 11 in Rajkot.

Dubai, Jan 9 (IANS) South African cricket captain Mignon du Preez has said the competition in the ICC Women's World Cup will be tough but her team has both the talent and skills to do well.

Dubai, Jan 4 (IANS/WAM) The UAE's first commercial batch of cheese made from camel's milk is expected to hit supermarket shelves soon after a year of test production.

Dubai, Dec 31 (IANS) South Africa will begin the New Year by aiming to strengthen their No.1 status in the ICC Test Championship Table, when they play a two-match series against New Zealand from Jan 2 at Cape Town.

Dubai, Dec 31 (IANS) The International Cricket Council (ICC) Monday announced that former Australia pace bowler Glenn McGrath will be inducted into its Cricket Hall of Fame Jan 4 during the lunch interval of the third Test match between Australia and Sri Lanka in Sydney.

Sharjah, Dec 30 (IANS/WAM) The Kalimat Publishing House from Sharjah has won the best cookbook translation award in the UAE at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2012.

Dubai, Dec 30 (IANS/CMC) West Indies off-spinner Sunil Narine has broken into the top 10 of the latest International Cricket Council Twenty20 player rankings.

Dubai, Dec 29 (IANS) India's Virat Kohli jumped five places to a career-best fifth in the latest ICC T20I batsmen rankings released Saturday.

Dubai, Dec 29 (IANS) International Crciket Council (ICC) chief executive David Richardson expressed his sadness on hearing the news that former England captain and commentator Tony Greig passed away in Sydney Saturday.

Dubai, Dec 29 (IANS) Australia captain Michael Clarke has reached a career-best 900-points in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test batsmen rankings after his side's innings and 201 runs win against Sri Lanka in Melbourne.

Dubai, Dec 28 (IANS) India will aim to claim the No.1 spot in the ICC One-Day Internationals rankings table for the first time ever when they square off against Pakistan in a three-match series from Dec 30 in Chennai.

Dubai, Dec 24 (IANS) The sales of Dubai Duty Free shops have hit an all-time high even as the air traffic hub's special terminal for Airbus A380 planes is set to open in early 2013.

Dubai, Dec 21 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Syria's opposition coalition has denied it has declared "open season" on Russian nationals.

Dubai, Dec 20 (IANS/RIA Novosti) A prominent leader of the Syrian opposition abroad has called Russian and Iranian citizens "a legitimate target for opposition militants in Syria".

Dubai, Dec 18 (IANS) Australia captain Michael Clarke has reclaimed the top spot in the latest ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen while no Indian figures in the top-20 of the list.

Geneva, Dec 18 (IANS/EFE) A total of 139 journalists from 29 countries lost their lives while doing their job in 2012, a 30-percent increase over 2011, the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) said Monday.

Dubai, Dec 17 (IANS) England's first Test series win in India since 1984-85 has helped them consolidate their second position on the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test Championship table.

Dubai, Dec 17 (IANS) It was a launch a newcomer would only dream of. And the dream came true for singer Aaryan, who was introduced to the world through father-daughter duo of filmmakers Mahesh and Pooja Bhatt here.

Dubai, Dec 16 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal will soon take delivery of the world's first customised A380 superjumbo, dubbed "the flying palace" for its luxury.