Geneva - The United Nations human rights chief thanked Tuesday the witnesses who came forth and gave testimony during the war crimes tribunals for the genocide in Rwanda 15 years ago.

"I would like to pay homage to the witnesses," said Navi Pillay, who was a judge on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. She said the "truth fosters reconciliation."

Pillay was speaking at an observance ceremony at the UN's Geneva headquarters, before an inauguration of an exhibition called A 100 Nights, which focused on the period of the genocide.

Geneva  - There is no sure-fire way to predict an impending earthquake, David Alexander, a United Nations disaster expert said Tuesday.

"It's probable there will never be a foolproof, fail-safe means of predicting earthquakes over the short term," Alexander told the German Press Agency dpa by phone from Florence, Italy.

What scientists could predict was mainly which areas were prone to be struck by a quake in the medium- and long-term, meaning over years and centuries.

Geneva  - The World Health Organization said Tuesday that developed nations should not be lax in taking steps to make sure their hospitals are safe in times of emergencies, particularly in light of the earthquake in Italy.

United Nations agencies noted that a hospital in the medieval town of L'Aquila had to be evacuated owing to severe structural damage caused by the quake.

"If we are prepared, we certainly can save an untold number of lives," said Fadela Chiab, WHO spokeswoman in Geneva.

Geneva - Eight people drowned and another 22 were missing and presumed dead, the United Nations said Tuesday, after two boats heading from Somalia to Yemen encountered troubles at sea over the weekend.

One boat, which capsized, carried 40 Somalis, only 20 of whom made it to shore in Yemen, the UN quoted survivors as saying, and the second boat with 23 people saw eight drown and two went missing, presumed dead.

Geneva  - The European Communities should further liberalize its services and agricultural sector to achieve a robust recovery from the downturn leading to sustained economic growth, the World Trade Organization said in a report Monday.

Liberalization of services should be done at both the internal EC level and with third countries. The WTO secretariat, in its trade policy review, also said the EC should reduce tariffs on agricultural imports and subsidies on exports.

This would advance the full establishment of the EC internal market, the WTO said.

Geneva - A watch commissioned most likely by King Ludwig II of Bavaria in the late 1800s will go on sale in Geneva next month, Sotheby's auction house said Monday.

Ludwig II, an eccentric who was removed from power on grounds of insanity, most likely ordered the watch, which is decorated on the back with a depiction of the Virgin Mary standing on a crescent moon, to pay tribute to the Royal Military Order of Saint George.

The watch is estimated to be worth between 27,000 and 44,000 dollars, the auction house said.

The Bavarian ruler was known for building fantasy estate houses and fortresses, including the Neuschwanstein Castle. He was also a patron of composer Richard Wagner.