Geneva / AFP Fatalities among migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe could outstrip last year’s total even though total numbers fell in the first nine months of this year, the UN said on Tuesday. “The number of refugees and migrants reaching European shores this year passed the 300,000 mark today,” William Spindler, spokesman for the UN refugee agency …

  Geneva / AFP Burundi’s government is behind systematic human rights violations, including executions and torture, UN investigators said on Tuesday, warning of possible crimes against humanity and the looming risk of “genocide”. “Gross human rights violations have and are taking place, committed primarily by state agents and those linked to them,” the investigators concluded in a report, adding that …

  STOCKHOLM / AFP At least 20 countries are expected to formally join the Paris Agreement on climate change this week, greatly improving the pact’s chances of coming into force just a year after it was negotiated in the French capital, UN officials say. That’s considered a blistering pace in the world of international diplomacy, reflecting a sense of urgency in …

  Bayer’s proposed purchase of Monsanto, the biggest deal of the year so far, has led to a heated public debate over economic concentration. Unfortunately, both sides are failing to identify the key issues behind the potential transaction. The good news is that the deal announced on Sept. 14 would not increase market concentration by much. Bayer is primarily a …

When people talk about the benefits and harms from trade, they usually refer to the labor market. That makes sense, since losing a job has a huge impact on a person’s life. Even if you can find another job, it takes time and money and causes lots of stress. It disrupts your life, and sometimes you can’t find as good …

  In 2012, the London interbank offered rate — Libor — gained worldwide notoriety when it emerged that traders had conspired to manipulate this vital financial benchmark. Clearly, the system was broken and would have to be mended. Four years later, the repairs aren’t finished. Given the stakes, regulators are right to tread carefully. That said, they need to start …

  Dubai’s hosting of the second Global Solar Leaders’ Summit has demonstrated the urgency to give impetus to renewable energy — essentially solar power. The UAE’s economic diversification plan and UAE Vision 2021 call for the need to tap the energy in the sunshine. Solar power will help reduce the carbon footprint and put the country on the road to …

  Russian President Vladimir Putin’s loyalists, the United Russia party, gained a massive, record majority in Sunday’s parliamentary election — but Russians have also shown that the high popularity ratings of United Russia and, by extension, Putin and his government are essentially fake: The turnout was lower than ever in the history of Russian federal elections. According to preliminary results, …

  For the first time since 1999, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index is being reconfigured. The last time was when technology was established as an independent sector. The current reconstitution of the S&P 500 involves breaking out real estate investment trusts (REITs) from the financial industry group. This is worth paying attention to, given how rarely these sorts of …

  The secrecy rules for grand juries contain no exceptions for cases with historical importance. In an important victory for historians, however, a divided appeals court is unsealing testimony from a 1942 leak investigation after the Battle of Midway. The decision, which was opposed by the Obama administration, sheds some light on the debate about whether the leaks by former …