The Swiss National Bank on Thursday posted a 2012 profit of 6.9 billion Swiss francs (5.6 billion euros, $7.2 billion), nearly half of what it earned in 2011, owing to slipping income from foreign currency holdings.

In 2011, Switzerland's central bank, SNB, posted a profit of 13.5 billion Swiss francs.

France's finance minister says Europe must focus more on promoting growth and less on tightening budgets to revive the bloc's sluggish economy and avoid a deepening social crisis.

Pierre Moscovici warned Thursday in Brussels that continuing on a strict austerity course would only "nourish a social crisis that leads to populism."

Switzerland has the globe's most competitive travel and tourism sector owing to high quality transportion and hotels, skilled workers and rich natural resources, the Swiss-based World Economic Forum said Thursday.

In a biennial, 140-country ranking of competitiveness in the world's travel and tourism trade, the WEF said the Swiss had retained the top slot held in all five previous editions.

This year's first shipment of apples grown in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights has entered Syria via the town of Kuneitra, crossing the armistice line, a Syrian official said on Wednesday.

"International Committee of the Red Cross trucks delivered the first shipments of Syrian apples (grown) by our relatives in the Golan," said Medhat Saleh, who runs the Syrian cabinet's Golan bureau.

Drive Dentsu Beirut proved their creative prowess at the MENA Cristal Festival this year. Ranking 4th among the local agencies on the Festival’s Advertising Agency of the Year list, Drive Dentsu left their mark through their impressive wins and secured their place on the advertising map both locally and regionally.

A super simple, visual-only ad for MoneyGram (MG) was a big winner at the Festival, reaping 5 awards in 5 different categories. An impressive two Golds were awarded this campaign in the prestigious Outdoor and Press categories. Another two Silvers went to the same MG Flags ad in the Ambient and In-Store Posters category, and finally a Bronze in the Corporate and PR category.

Officials from Qatar's global investment arm will hold talks in crisis-hit Greece on Wednesday, the development ministry said.

Greece has long sought to entice Qatari investment in real estate development to jumpstart its flagging construction industry, traditionally one of the main engines of its economy.

Oil prices climbed in Asian trade Wednesday on uncertainty following the death of Hugo Chavez, the president of major Latin American crude producer Venezuela, analysts said.

New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in April, added 26 cents to $91.08 a barrel and Brent North Sea crude for April delivery rose 32 cents to $111.93 in mid-afternoon trade.

Tokyo and Washington have agreed on exemptions for the auto industry in a mooted Pacific-wide free trade pact, as Japan readies to announce its entry into negotiations, reports said Wednesday.

The two Pacific powers agreed in principle that the United States will be able to keep tariffs on car imports -- 2.5 percent for passenger cars and 25 percent on trucks -- for at least five to 10 years under the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Mainichi Shimbun and other media reported.

The Bank of England must decide this week whether to pump out more cash stimulus to boost a British economy at risk of its third recession since the 2008 global financial crisis.

BoE policymakers holding a regular monthly meeting that concludes on Thursday will also vote on whether to change the level of its main interest rate, which has remained at a record-low 0.5 percent for four years.

A hundred flickering candles and mountains of flowers block the entrance to Varna's city hall, surrounding a picture of a smiling young man with long hair who has become a symbol of anti-corruption protests that have swept Bulgaria.

Plamen Goranov, a 36-year-old amateur photographer and avid rock climber whose name came from the Bulgarian word for "flame", died Sunday after setting himself on fire in the country's first self-immolation in decades.