Geneva - The former prosecutor of criminal tribunals in Rwanda and Yugoslavia has backed a recent international arrest warrant against the president of Sudan, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

The support from Louise Arbour comes despite the fact that aid groups have subsequently been kicked out of the country in retaliation for the warrant.

Arbour, who has also served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said international justice has made "irreversible" progress in recent years.

Zurich  - European champions Spain maintained first place in the world football rankings issued on Wednesday by the ruling body FIFA, with Portugal back in the top

Zurich  - UBS, the Swiss banking giant, lost more money last year than originally reported, it noted Wednesday, primarily due to a large fine it had to pay United States authorities as part of a tax settlement.

In 2008, UBS lost a record 20.9 billion Swiss francs (18 billion dollars). Last month it had reported losses of 19.6 billion francs and announced job cuts. Most of the losses came from its investment banking sector.

Geneva  - Mercedes launched the E-Class Coupe in Geneva just three months after bringing out the saloon version, describing the two-door as the world's most aerodynamically efficient series-production car.

Featuring no B-pillars and fully retractable side windows, Mercedes says the coupe has a drag coefficient with a Cd-figure of only 0.24. The new, four-cylinder engine consumes up to 17 per cent less fuel while at the same time offering more performance and torque.

Geneva  - Nissan's luxury brand Infiniti has announced that it will launch a "visionary" concept, designed in collaboration with fashion giant Louis Vuitton to celebrate the 20th birthday of the luxury segment, at the Geneva Motor Show.

Revealing only a minor detail of the Infiniti Essence, the car maker said the concept will indicate what customers could expect in the near future.

Geneva  - British sports car manufacturer Aston Martin unveiled the DBS Volante convertible, based on the DBS Coupe that celebrated its market debut in 2008 with a 517 hp power package, in Geneva.

The open-top version has a folding cloth top that opens and closes in just 14 seconds and can be operated at a speed of up to 48 kilometres an hour.