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Eco-terrorism trial begins in Switzerland

Two Italian environmental activists and a Swiss colleague went on trial on Tuesday for planning a bomb attack against an IBM research centre which was being built near Zurich.

Eco-terrorism trial begins in Switzerland
IBM Research - Zurich. Unauthorized use not permitted.

“The accused have been charged with planning an incendiary attack on a nanotechnology centre under construction,” Switzerland’s top criminal court said on its website, without giving further details about the suspects.  

The attorney general confirmed the nationalities of the suspects, adding that the Swiss national was resident in Italy.  

“The accused were allegedly in possession of explosives which they had allegedly transported into Switzerland without authorisation,” added the court.  

The three individuals were arrested on April 15th 2010 with explosives and other components to build a bomb, and have been held in preventive detention since then, according to the Swiss attorney general’s office.  

They also carried with them 31 handwritten letters in German, claiming responsibility for a bomb attack on the IBM nanotechnology facility, on behalf of the “ELF Switzerland Earth Liberation Front,” added the attorney general.  

Meanwhile, about 50 demonstrators surrounded by police demonstrated in front of the courthouse in southern Switzerland’s Bellinzona in support of the accused. 

The late 2010 bomb attacks on the Swiss embassies in Athens and Rome were also launched in retaliation for their arrest, according to the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service.  

The Earth Liberation Front, born in Britain in the 1990s, is made up of numerous autonomous cells around the world.  

During congressional testimony in 2004, FBI deputy assistant director John Lewis had said that the group had “emerged as a serious domestic terrorist threat.”  

The targetted IBM nanotechnology research centre, in the small suburb of Rueschlikon some five miles south of Zurich, focuses on “novel nanoscale structures and devices to advance energy and information technologies,” according to its website.  

The court is expected to issue a ruling on Friday.

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ZURICH

Swiss rail to close ticket counters in Zurich, Bern, Vaud, Ticino and Zug

Switzerland’s Federal Railways (SBB) will be removing the ticket counter from nine stations in the cantons of Zurich, Vaud, Bern, Zug and Ticino

Swiss rail to close ticket counters in Zurich, Bern, Vaud, Ticino and Zug

The SBB made the announcement on Wednesday, saying the decision was made due to a lack of demand. 

Instead, commuters will need to buy tickets from automated machines. 

In the canton of Zurich, the ticket stations in Dietlikon, Hinwil, Kloten, Männedorf and Oberwinterthur will be closed. 

In neighbouring Zug, Cham’s ticket counter will be closed, while the Herzogenbuchsee station in Bern will also go fully automated. 

MAPS: The best commuter towns when working in Zurich

In Latin Switzerland, Pully in Vaud and Biasca in Ticino will see their ticket counters closed. 

The SBB told Swiss news outlet Watson that approximately 95 percent of ticket sales are now made via self-service machines or online. 

The advent of navigation apps has meant the need for personal advice on directions and travel has fallen, particularly in smaller areas or stations with lower traffic. 

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