Black diamonds smuggled through Geneva
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Four large pearls, 750 black and white diamonds and several pieces of jewelry were tucked under knee braces worn by a man stopped by customs officers at Cornavin station Wednesday 2 November at 10:30.
The thin man’s pants covered the braces; police have not said what made customs officers suspicious.
The man was traveling from Paris and transiting in Geneva but without declaring the goods, say Geneva police.
Smuggling them through Switzerland is costing him several thousand francs in fines.
He also has to pay nearly CHF5,000 as a guarantee until he exports the merchandise.
Cut diamonds being smuggled through Geneva
"Amber" diamonds, part of the police haul
The man was hiding, in nylon stockings under braces such as people with knee injuries wear: 4 pearls of 23.22 carats, 750 diamonds of various sizes and carats, as well as some $70,000 worth of jewelry.
Nyon train station, scene of attempted robbery
NYON, SWITZERLAND – Police nabbed three thieves from Lyons, France, ages 17, 27 and 28, who were caught in the act of trying to break into a safe at the Nyon train station at 03:00 Thursday morning 27 October, Vaud police announced Monday. A shot was fired accidentally in the fight between authorities and the would-be robbers, but no one was injured.
A train station employer was putting away papers when she heard a noise and spotted the trio trying to break into the area where she worked. She slipped out a back door and alerted police.
Municipal police arrived quickly and spotted one of the three, masked and carrying a lockpick, trying to leave. The police and suspect tangled and an accomplice came to the aid of the first man. At that point one of the two police offcers pulled out a gun and issued a warning. The first suspect then hit the officer in the head with a metal bar and one of the men tried to grab the police officer’s weapon, accidentally firing it in the process.
The other officer came to his colleague’s rescue, after having arrested the third suspect, and the remaining two were brought under control as police reinforcements arrived.
All three are known to the police in France, where they stole the car they were driving. Vaud police say Swiss authorities are working with their French counterparts to determine the extent of the illegal activities of the men.
The police officer who was hit in the head was hospitalized for treatment and released during the morning.
Nyon
NYON, SWITZERLAND – The CFF rail company will begin work in October 2011, for six months, to renovate and upgrade the Nyon train station, if its plans go through
The project was opened 5 July for public consultation. It involves renovating the facade, adding a Postomat, replacing the current Quick food area with a Polli fast food service and improving the toilets area.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A 21-year-old French woman was shot in the hip late Sunday, say Valais police, when she and two companions, also French, were attacked in Monthey by a gang of five to six men. Another of the women was injured in the face by a bb gun pellet.
The trio was returning to Evian from Montreux between 23:00 and 24:00, stopped near the train station and they were walking when they were approached by a “dubious-looking” group who pulled masks over their faces.
The group stole two cell phones and two wallets containing €200 before they fled.
The French group, unfamiliar with the region, returned to St Maurice from Monthey to contact police. Two of them were treated and released from hospital while the third one was hospitalized overnight.
Police are seeking five to six men, ages 15 to 25. One of them is white, short, of average build and another is black, 190cm tall, deep voice and he speaks French without an accent. Witnesses or anyone with information: please contact police at +41 27 326 5656.
Renovation at Geneva's Cornavin station: west wing stairs now open (photo ©2011 Tara Kerpelman)
Sleek new look on the west side of Cornavin train station, Geneva (photo ©2011 Tara Kerpelman)
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The west side of Geneva’s Cornavin train station renovation project will not be completed until autumn 2013, but the first phase of the work was completed 1 April.
Travellers now have a glimpse of what the new station will be like when the project is completed in 2013.
The first phase involves the ground floor, the central hall and is focusing on improving access to the quais. The second phase, which begins this summer in July, will include restoring the historic facade and demolishing then rebuilding the interior.
Background story on the renovation project, GenevaLunch
Zug, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Eight youths, ages 17-20, were arrested in a roundup in the early hours of Friday 4 February in connection with a beating given to a British couple a week ago at the Zug train station. The eight were arrested in canton Aargau in a joint operation between Aargau and Zug police.
Seven of the youths are Swiss and one is Macedonian, Zug police say. The young men have been turned over to Zug authorities for questioning regarding the incident Friday 28 January. The couple and their three children, who are in their early to mid-teens, were eating near the train station in Zug when a group began to notice them and, according to the father of the family, possibly made fun of them.
The British family, which lives in the UK, does not speak German; the father works part-time in Switzerland. They encountered nine members of the group a few minutes later, around 22:00, at the train station. Some of them began to taunt the family, when suddenly four of them began to punch and kick the couple, apparently without provocation. The children were unharmed but the parents were briefly hospitalized and the woman suffered head injuries.
Update 13:15 Nyon, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - A fire in the centre of Nyon, at Rue de la Gare number 24, has put two people in hospital, destroyed their studio apartment and caused extensive damage to neighbouring apartments, say Vaud police. The fire that began early in the morning was brought under control by 07:00 but a large emergency was brought in to deal with the blaze and possible injuries. Thirteen residents from numbers 22, 24 and 26 on the Rue de la Gare were evacuated. Firefighters used two long ladders to reach the occupents of the studio on at the top, after a neighbour phoned in the alarm at 03:00 Friday 21 May.
The mainly pedestrian street runs perpendicular to the Nyon train station.
Forty-three firefighters, 13 fire engines, four ambulances, six regular and traffic police patrols were called in, in addition to Nyon police on duty at the time of the blaze.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - A red car that ran a light near Geneva’s Cornavin train station Wednesday at 20h30 injured a scooter driver and caused a major snarl in traffic in the area. The scooter driver and a motorcyclist both hit the car, but the motorcyclist was uninjured. Buses were rerouted and formed a long line along the Rue de Lyon, reports the Tribune de Geneve. Trams were able to continue along their usual routes.
Basel and Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Two young men, ages 20 and 23, are in critical condition following attacks, one in Basel and the other in Zurich, in the early hours of Sunday. In addition, police in Zurich report a series of violent incidents, only some of which appear to be possibly related. Several people were injured in the string of aggressive incidents, at a level not often seen in Switzerland.
Geneva, Switzerland (Tribune de Geneve, Fre) – The city of Geneva is opposing the renovation of the city’s Cornavin railway station because, reports the Tribune, the CFF railway company is fighting a development project behind the station.
