Geneva - The Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche, maker of influenza medication Tamiflu, saw its stock price rise 3.6 per cent in trading late Monday afternoon on the Zurich exchange on the back of the global swine flu outbreak. During the avian flu epidemic the drug was used heavily, particularly in South Asia.

Shares in Roche were trading at close to 145 Swiss francs (126 dollars), up over five francs since the opening.

Geneva - The International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) and Red Crescent Societies said it was "on full global alert" owing to concerns over the spread of swine flu.

"We have already have mechanisms in place for pandemic preparedness and response globally," said Paul Conneally, a spokesman for the IFRC in Geneva. Like other international organizations, his was "hoping the worst case scenario won't be the case."

The IFRC, which was in a "global preparedness stage," comprises all national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies.

Geneva - The Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roch, maker of influenza medication Tamiflu, saw its stock price rise 3.8 per cent in early trading Monday on the Zurich exchange on the back of the global swine flu outbreak. During the avian flu epidemic the drug was used heavily, particularly in South Asia.

Shares in Roche were trading at close to 145 Swiss francs (126 dollars), up over five francs since the opening.

Martina Rupp, a spokeswoman for Roche, said Tamiflu was deemed to be effective against the swine variant.

Geneva - The United Nations Durban Review Conference against racism ended Friday with delegates adopting the final outcome package of documents, setting a framework for combating discrimination and intolerance.

UN statistics given to the German Press Agency dpa showed that nearly 100,000 people from 117 countries and territories watched the events online though a Webcast made available on the organization's Website.

Geneva - The United Nations has ousted three non-governmental organizations from the Durban Review Conference on racism, an official said Thursday, citing disruptive actions and the propagation of racist material.

Rupert Colville, the spokesman for Navi Pillay, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the "unacceptable behaviour" by the two Jewish groups and one Iranian organization, had prompted the rare move by the UN.

Geneva - Two European Jewish student groups have been "particularly" disruptive during the Durban Review Conference on racism in Geneva, a United Nations official said Wednesday.

Rupert Colville from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights noted that so far 46 people have had their accreditation revoked since the start of the conference on Monday, mostly from non-governmental organizations and one from the media.