Latest news with #CecileMantovani
Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Straits Times
Body found in search of Swiss village buried by glacier debris
FILE PHOTO: Police control the entry to the village, near the scene where a crumbling glacier partially collapsed and tumbled, at the village of Blatten, Switzerland June 2, 2025. REUTERS/Cecile Mantovani/File Photo Body found in search of Swiss village buried by glacier debris ZURICH - Search parties combing the Swiss Alpine village that was buried last month after the collapse of a glacier have found human remains, police said. Police did not confirm if the remains were of a 64-year-old man who was reported missing in Blatten after it was engulfed by millions of cubic meters of ice, mud and rock. The village's 300 residents had already been evacuated earlier in May after part of the mountain behind the Birch Glacier began to crumble. "As part of a coordinated search operation in the Tennmatten area of Blatten, human remains were found and recovered," Valais Cantonal Police said late on Tuesday. Formal identification of the remains is now underway, the police said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hundreds of UN staff in Swiss city protest job cuts triggered by Trump
By Emma Farge and Cecile Mantovani GENEVA (Reuters) -Hundreds of U.N. staff protested outside the United Nations' European headquarters on Thursday at job losses within the global body due to major aid cuts by U.S. President Donald Trump and other donors. Switzerland's Geneva, which calls itself the 'City of Peace', is a humanitarian and diplomatic hub, employing over 30,000 people in the sector, according to cantonal authorities. Protesters from the U.N. and its specialist agencies held banners reading: "STOP FIRING UN STAFF NOW!" and chanted: "U.N. staff are not a commodity". Smaller protests also occurred in Thailand and Myanmar on May 1, U.N. staff said. While short-term contractors and employees at some agencies like the International Organization for Migration have already been informed of redundancies, many thousands more are coming. The deepest cuts are expected at agencies heavily reliant on voluntary funding from former top donor the United States, like the World Food Programme or the U.N. refugee agency. "They tried to keep me but it was impossible," said An Cuypers, a human rights lawyer, whose temporary contract at the U.N. Human Rights Office was not renewed. "So we are here now: hiring freeze, no budget." Séverine Deboos, Chairperson of the International Labour Organization Staff Union, said that up to 250 ILO employees had been made redundant since January. "We feel lost. We don't know how to face this," she said. "What is complicated and very stressful, there is no real safety net," she added, saying some did not have access to Swiss unemployment benefits and face expiring visas. An ILO spokesperson was not immediately available for comment. Grace, a U.N. employee who declined to give her last name, said it was important to stand up for aid workers who had sometimes risked their lives to help people in conflict. "The U.N. stands for everybody else but nobody stands up for the people behind the U.N.," she said.
Straits Times
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Hundreds of UN staff in Swiss city protest job cuts triggered by Trump
United Nations staff demonstrate about firing employees, outside the European headquarters, in Geneva, Switzerland, May 1, 2025. REUTERS/Cecile Mantovani Mohamed Chiraz Bali, Deputy Executive Secretary of the UNOG Staff Union takes part in a demonstration about firing employees, outside the European headquarters, in Geneva, Switzerland, May 1, 2025. REUTERS/Cecile Mantovani United Nations staff demonstrate about firing employees, outside the European headquarters, in Geneva, Switzerland, May 1, 2025. REUTERS/Cecile Mantovani United Nations staff demonstrate about firing employees, outside the European headquarters, in Geneva, Switzerland, May 1, 2025. REUTERS/Emma Farge GENEVA - Hundreds of U.N. staff protested outside the United Nations' European headquarters on Thursday at job losses within the global body due to major aid cuts by U.S. President Donald Trump and other donors. Switzerland's Geneva, which calls itself the 'City of Peace', is a humanitarian and diplomatic hub, employing over 30,000 people in the sector, according to cantonal authorities. Protesters from the U.N. and its specialist agencies held banners reading: "STOP FIRING UN STAFF NOW!" and chanted: "U.N. staff are not a commodity". Smaller protests also occurred in Thailand and Myanmar on May 1, U.N. staff said. While short-term contractors and employees at some agencies like the International Organization for Migration have already been informed of redundancies, many thousands more are coming. The deepest cuts are expected at agencies heavily reliant on voluntary funding from former top donor the United States, like the World Food Programme or the U.N. refugee agency. "They tried to keep me but it was impossible," said An Cuypers, a human rights lawyer, whose temporary contract at the U.N. Human Rights Office was not renewed. "So we are here now: hiring freeze, no budget." Séverine Deboos, Chairperson of the International Labour Organization Staff Union, said that up to 250 ILO employees had been made redundant since January. "We feel lost. We don't know how to face this," she said. "What is complicated and very stressful, there is no real safety net," she added, saying some did not have access to Swiss unemployment benefits and face expiring visas. An ILO spokesperson was not immediately available for comment. Grace, a U.N. employee who declined to give her last name, said it was important to stand up for aid workers who had sometimes risked their lives to help people in conflict. "The U.N. stands for everybody else but nobody stands up for the people behind the U.N.," she said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hundreds protest at Swiss home of German far-right leader
By Cecile Mantovani EINSIEDELN, Switzerland (Reuters) - Around 250 people protested on Saturday against the leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the Swiss town where she has a home, sparking counter-demonstrations in a charged atmosphere that led to five arrests, authorities said. Police said several hundred counter-protesters also went to the town of Einsiedeln where AfD leader Alice Weidel has a house with her filmmaker partner, a Sri Lankan-born woman. Weidel's other residence is across the border in Germany. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Chanting "Nazis Out" and holding placards with slogans like "1933 Never Again" - a reference to the year Adolf Hitler took power - opponents of the AfD's tough immigration stance and other policies marched through Einsiedeln to denounce the party. Opinion polls show the AfD with support of around 20%, and it is forecast to come second in Germany's parliamentary election on Sunday, spurred by concern over immigration and frustration over the economy. Weidel, 46, is the party's first chancellor candidate. Hundreds of local residents looked on as the march moved through town under a heavy police presence as counter-demonstrators booed and tried to drown out protesters' chants. Five people carrying prohibited objects or who failed to follow police orders were detained, police said. Police described the atmosphere as heated and some people got involved in physical altercations. However, no injuries were reported and major disturbances were avoided, they said. Weidel's Swiss home has prompted questions from German journalists during the election campaign about her financial status. This month she stated that she pays all her taxes in Germany.
