Geneva - Security conditions in Iraq in the first half of 2008 improved greatly the United Nations said Tuesday, but "grave human rights violations" remained a serious issue.

In addition to large casualties in heavy fighting between militias and government forces, allegations that civilians were targeted by "all parties to the conflict" were still under investigation, the UN's mission to Iraq (UNAMI) said in its biannual report.

Geneva - More Swiss companies have been going broke in recent months, with over 20 per cent more businesses announcing bankruptcies since September than in the same period last year, Swiss media reported Tuesday.

Over 1,200 companies became insolvent in the past three months, while the number of new companies created dropped steeply, according to data from the firm Dun and Bradstreet.

The year as a whole would likely see the number of bankruptcies exceed the rate of 2007.

Geneva  - There are over 200 million international migrants in the world, a report released Tuesday said, with nearly as many people moving within developing countries as there are migrants from poorer nations moving to rich ones.

The 2008 annual report by the International Organization for Migration, said 61 million migrants had moved from developing countries to other developing countries and 62 million moved on the South-North axis.

Geneva - The United Nations Human Rights Council restarted Monday a special session on the situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

In the first part, which took place last Friday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, warned of a deteriorating situation in areas of the DR Congo where the Tutsi rebels of General Laurant Nkunda have fought government forces.

She said both forces had committed severe abuses against the civilian population, including sexual violence against women.

ZURICH, Switzerland, Nov. 30  -- Final election results in Switzerland show voters rejecting a proposal to decriminalize marijuana, but passing a plan for prescription heroin.

The BBC said Sunday that the prescription plan will allow addicts to shoot up under medical supervision in a clinical setting and is aimed at getting hard-core users off the streets.

While critics said the idea sent the wrong message to young people, about 68-percent of Swiss voters seemed to agree with the argument that it would cut down on crime and keep addicts off the streets.

Geneva  - Swiss voters on Sunday rejected a proposition to decriminalize cannabis for personal consumption but voted by a large majority to extend a government programme that gives heroin to hard- core addicts.

In a surprise, voters chose to remove the statute of limitations on acts of paedophilia, despite government opposition to the proposal, which was put forward by parents' groups.

This put sexual offenses against children on equal footing with genocide and war crimes, the only other crimes that have no statute of limitations under to Swiss law.