Bern and Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Geneva’s Graduate Institute has been officially recognized as an institution of higher learning at the university level, according to the federal state secretariat for education and research (SER). The recognition means that the institute can receive federal subsidies for higher education, and the diplomas granted are officially recognized.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The UN Human Rights Council in Geneva will reopen a debate Thursday 15 October on the conduct of both sides in last winter’s brief war in Gaza, Palestine, between Israel and Hamas, the Gaza strip’s political authority. A report by former South African judge Richard Goldstone suggests both armed groups may have committed war crimes. It recommends that they conduct their own impartial investigations within six months or have the case referred to the International Criminal Court. A call by Libya for the UN in New York to take up the report by strongly rebuffed by Israel which said late Wednesday 14 October that as long as the report is “on the table” there can be no peace negotiations with Palestine.
The Palestinian Authority (PA), the nominal representative of the Palestinians, initially asked for the debate on the report to be deferred, but it came under sharp criticism from Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza strip since elections in 2007 forced out Fatah and the PA.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Swiss government has firmly condemned the destruction of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem, near the city’s ancient centre, and its plans to build new houses in the area, calling on Israel to immediately stop its “colonization” which is in defiance of international law. The Palestinian owners are being evicted from their homes.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) in Geneva has asked the Italian government for an explanation of how refugees who are returned to Libya are handled, following an incident that took place 1 July in the Mediterranean, about 30 km from the island of Lampedusa.
The Italian Navy intercepted a group of 82 people, 76 of them Eritreans, who were heading to Italy from Libya. The Italian ship transferred them to a Libyan ship, and they were returned to Libya and placed in detention. The UNHCR says that given the seriousness of allegations of mistreatment by Italian personnel during the transfer, Italy is being asked to respect international norms.
