Geneva - The Swiss will head to the polls Sunday to vote in a referendum on free movement and access for European Union citizens to their labour market, and will have to decide whether to open up Switzerland to Romania and Bulgaria.

The latest polls indicated that the government backed motion will likely pass and voters will extend the existing deal with 25 European states and allow in the two new EU members, but only by a slim margin.

Geneva  - Saudi Arabia had its rights record reviewed Friday at the United Nations and came under criticism for women's rights issues in the kingdom as well as the state practise of corporal punishment.

Delegates of various nations criticized Saudi Arabia's "male guardianship system," which they said took away women's autonomy, as well as other legal measures that created inequality between men and women.

Geneva - The United Nations announced Friday that it was taking the first steps towards a large renovation plan for its historic office in Geneva, which would include large energy-saving measures.

The oldest part of the complex, known as the Palais des Nations, was the original home of the League of Nations, the forerunner of the current United Nations, and is 80 years old.

Electric and water lines as well as windows and other parts of the building were in dire needs of replacement or repairs, said Sergei Ondzhonikidze, the director of the UN Geneva office.

Geneva - The United Nations' World Food Programme said Friday it had very limited access to the conflict zone in northern Sri Lanka and had not been able to deliver aid for weeks.

A four-hour humanitarian "window" was supposed to be opened each Thursday, but the agency has not been able to send in food aid since January 16, said WFP spokeswoman in Geneva, Emilia Casella.

Geneva  - Countries split largely along political and economic lines Thursday when Cuba was reviewed at the United Nations on its human rights record.

Many developing nations praised Havana, focusing on its strong health system and overseas medical missions and condemning the United States' embargo on the island.

They also commended Cuba for being among the only developing nations fully on track to meet the UN's Millennium Development Goals.

Geneva  - The United Nations' new Human Rights Council was suffering from a deep funding crisis, the president said Thursday, warning that the future work of the body was in danger.

Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi, the Nigerian ambassador to the UN and the current president of the council, told dpa in an interview that the financial constraints, if not solved, could hamper projects like the universal country reviews and damage the new body's credibility.