Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking, researchers say
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
A leading Swiss nongovernmental group on Monday called out Switzerland as a "safe haven" for Russian oligarchs and as a trading hub for Russian oil, grain and coal.
Public Eye called on the Swiss executive branch to "use all levers at its disposal to stop the financing of this inhuman aggression," a reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine that has killed untold thousands of people, driven millions from their homes and rippled through world economy by driving up food and fuel prices.
It spoke out on the day that the Swiss president was due to host a conference on Ukraine's eventual recovery from Russia's war involving government officials, advocacy groups and U.N. institutions.
Ignazio Cassis was hosting leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by video message, at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in the bucolic lakeside town of Lugano. Swiss diplomats say the meeting aims try to map out a way forward for the world to help the war-battered country to recover and rebuild when Russia's war ends one day.
Cassis was set to welcome Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, leading a delegation of scores of Ukrainian ministers, lawmakers and others.
Public Eye said that "as a safe haven for oligarchs close to the Kremlin and as a trading hub for Russian oil, grain and coal, Switzerland bears a big political responsibility."
It said Switzerland has been over the years a "popular refuge" for Russian business magnates to park their assets. The group said firms use Switzerland as an "unregulated commodity trading hub" and exploit a lack of transparency about financial dealings in the country.
There was no immediate response from the Swiss government.
The group welcomed Switzerland's "humanitarian engagement" for Ukraine through the conference but called on the government to strictly implement international sanctions on Russian elites and their government, and better regulate its trading hub.
Switzerland is a major international financial center and its government has traditionally touted Swiss "neutrality" -- which is enshrined into law -- and Switzerland's role as an intermediary between hostile countries and as a host of many international and U.N. institutions.
The Swiss Bankers Association has estimated that the assets of Russian clients deposited in Switzerland's banks total 150-200 billion Swiss francs (about $155-$210 billion), making the country a key repository of Russian money abroad.
Swiss diplomats say hundreds of envoys from government, advocacy groups, the private sector, academia and U.N. organizations are expected for the Lugano gathering, which builds upon a multi-year, multi-country discussion about reform in Ukraine -- even before the war began. The diplomats say the conference is the first to bring disparate groups together to unite to address Ukraine's needs now.
Other top attendees expected to attend are European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. More than half a dozen heads of state and more than a dozen government ministers are expected to take part, as well as heads of about a half-dozen international organizations.
TODAY’S RUSSIA-UKRAINE BULLETS
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is telling jurors the possible verdicts they may reach based on the evidence in the case.
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball's highest scorer Caitlin Clark's first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly Knight, a grade four student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.