DHAKA: A Swiss referendum on whether to bring back strict immigration quotas is extremely tight, with first projections showing the vote split 50:50.If approved, the measures will end Switzerland’s free movement of people agreement with the European Union, reports the BBC.Fiercely

DHAKA: An estimated 70,000 pro-Western Ukrainians thronged the heart of Kiev on Sunday, vowing never to give up their drive to oust president Viktor Yanukovych for his alliance with old master Russia.Wearing blue and yellow ribbons, the colours of both Ukraine and the European Union, the

DHAKA: Most of Indian Kashmir was under curfew on Sunday to prevent protests marking the first anniversary of the hanging of a local separatist, which fuelled anger last year in the already tense region.Shops and other businesses were shut and traffic was light in the main city of

DHAKA: A gunman has opened fire inside a cathedral on the eastern Russian island of Sakhalin, killing a nun and a churchgoer, say reports.Six other people are said to have been wounded and have been taken to hospital.An unconfirmed report from Russian news agency Interfax says a man has

DHAKA: A fire at a hotel in Islam`s holy city of Medina in Saudi Arabia left 15 pilgrims dead and injured 130 others, according to the state-run news agency SPA.Officials quoted by SPA did not identify the victims but said about 700 pilgrims had been staying at the hotel in the western

DHAKA: New aerial bombardment from explosives-packed barrel bombs in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo killed at least 20 people on Saturday.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, reports The Straits Times.The raids came as in the oil-rich east, the Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra

DHAKA: An Iraqi provincial governor on Saturday gave militants controlling a city near Baghdad one week to surrender as government forces made steady progress in an effort to end a weeks-long crisis.The Anbar governor’s ultimatum was directed at anti-government fighters who have held

DHAKA: Spain’s Princess Cristina has arrived in court to be questioned in connection with a corruption scandal involving her husband’s business dealings.It is the first time in history that a member of Spain’s royal family has appeared in court as the subject of a criminal

DHAKA: Russian president Vladimir Putin and embattled Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich held a one-on-one meeting in Sochi on the day of the opening of the Winter Olympics.Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters on Saturday, says The Straits Times.The meeting

DHAKA: Iran resumed talks on its nuclear program with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Saturday.The official IRNA news agency said, in discussions expected to broach sensitive military-related issues, reports The Jerusalem Post.The UN atomic agency hopes to persuade Iran

DHAKA: Heavy snow and severe weather struck Tokyo and other areas across Japan on Saturday, leaving two dead and around 90 injured, reports said.More than 600 flights were grounded as the weather agency issued a severe storm warning for the capital.As much as 12cm of snow was recorded on

DHAKA: The number of civilians killed and wounded in Afghanistan’s war rose 14 percent last year, the United Nations said on Saturday, with deaths almost reaching the record of 2011.Civilians killed or wounded in the crossfire of fighting between government and Taliban-led insurgent

DHAKA: The Russian firearms company Kalashnikov will start setting up a joint assembly facility in India in 2014.Kalashnikov CEO Alexei Krivoruchko told journalists on Friday, The Voice of Russia publishes this report on Saturday.‘I think we will start building a production facility in

DHAKA: Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade has sought dismissal of the visa fraud case against her on the ground that the indictment was filed in a court here a day after the US accorded her full diplomatic immunity and the country did not have criminal jurisdiction over her.Khobragade’s

DHAKA: Protesters set fire to a section of the presidency building in the Bosnian capital city of Sarajevo, on the third day of unrest over unemployment and political intertia. News agency reported that protesters had smashed windows and threw a flare into the building police efforts to

DHAKA: Heavy rains and flooding have killed at least 38 people in Bolivia according to the Bolivian Defence Ministry, as authorities declared a state of emergency in response to the crisis.The floods have washed away people`s homes and are causing illnesses, survivors said on Friday.In

DHAKA: At least 17 people have been killed in Argentina when a bus crashed into a lorry driving on the wrong side of the motorway. The crash happened as the bus approached the western city of Mendoza, reports BBC. Local reports say the truck, which had a Brazilian licence plate, was

DHAKA: Bosnia is bracing for another day of anti-government demonstrations over unemployment and political inertia, following Thursday`s violent riots which left more than 130 people injured.Authorities in the town of Tuzla, the hotspot of violence that began on Tuesday, ordered schools

DHAKA: Mexican police have found a mass grave containing at least 20 bodies in the small municipality of Tinguindin, in troubled western Michoacan state.In nearby Zacan, the severed heads of four men were discovered by residents early on Thursday.Vigilante groups began an offensive in the

DHAKA: A pause in fighting to evacuate hundreds of civilians from besieged areas of the city of Homs in Syria is expected to begin on Friday.The ceasefire should also allow long-awaited aid into the worst hit areas, reports BBC.The UN welcomed reports that a "humanitarian pause" had been