17 million pound of stolen gems found in Paris drain
Rare jewellery worth over 17million pounds stolen from the luxury Harry Winston store in December 2008 has been found hidden in a Paris rain sewer, Kazakhstan Today reports.
Almaty. March 10. Kazakhstan Today - Rare jewellery worth over 17million pounds stolen from the luxury Harry Winston store in December 2008 has been found hidden in a Paris rain sewer, Kazakhstan Today reports.
Jewellery worth 17 million pounds stolen in France's biggest ever gems robbery has been discovered encased in concrete and hidden in a drain at a house near Paris, The Telegraph reported.
The stash of rings and earrings were part of a haul of 75 million pound-worth of jewels stolen from the luxury Harry Winston store in December 2008.
Armed robbers dressed as women, complete with wigs, carried out the "terrifyingly efficient" raid in 13 minutes at the jewellers near Paris' Champs Elysees without a shot being fired.
The thieves pistol-whipped the 15 staff and herded them into a corner, before ordering several workers to fill a sack with precious gems and watches from the window display cases.
Police swooped on 25 people in connection with the robbery 18 months later. Nine of those were later charged for their part in the heist, mostly on suspicion of "fencing" the stolen watches and jewels to wealthy foreigners.
Now police acting on a tip have found another large part of the stolen jewels at a house in the Paris suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis.
The gems had been wrapped in plastic, then sealed inside a concrete block and hidden down a drain, police said.
In all, 19 rings and three pairs of diamond-studded earrings were recovered, including one pair valued at 12 million pounds.
It was not disclosed whether any arrests were made when police made the discovery on Monday.
Police said "around half" of the 75 million pounds worth of jewellery had not been retrieved.
In the robbery on December 5, 2008, four men in drag brandishing sawn-off shotguns stormed into the exclusive Harry Winston jewellers on the Avenue Montaigne.
Harry Winston has been worn by some of the biggest names in showbusiness. Anne Hathaway wore his earrings at the Oscars in 2008, while Gwyneth Paltrow was wearing a Harry Winston necklace and bracelet when she received an Academy Award for Shakespeare in Love in 1999.
Paris is at the centre of a trade in stolen jewellery, with diamonds, gold necklaces and other expensive pieces often smuggled to eastern Europe by car, Daily Mail informed.
Harry Winston, known as the 'jeweller to the stars', became a household name in 1953 when it was featured in the Marilyn Monroe song 'Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend', in the film 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'.
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Number of dead seals along Caspian coast rises to 850
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Thus, the number of dead seals has already reached 850.
According to Andrey Rutskoy, acting chief of Mangistau region’s fishery inspection department, a working group consisting of inspectors, ecologists, local officials and representatives of public associations, is examining the beach. "Rocky beaches are hard to reach. The working group will go there on foot," he said.
He added that collecting samples from the last seals found is impossible, as the carcasses decomposed at the 3rd and 4th stages. The results of the samples taken at the end of October are not ready yet.
Recall that from October 24 to 28, 289 carcasses of dead seals were discovered by the employees of the Zhaiyk-Caspian Interregional Basin Fisheries Inspectorate together with the representatives of the Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology. Over half of the dead female seals were pregnant, Assel Baimukanova, an operator at the Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology, said.
In 2020, the Caspian seal was included in Kazakhstan’s Red Book of Endangered Species.
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Large boulder kills three people in Uzbekistan
Images | the road safety service of the Republic of Uzbekistan
A massive boulder fell from a mountain in southern Uzbekistan and smashed a passing Chevrolet Cobalt vehicle, killing three people inside, Kazinform News Agency reports.
According to the road safety service, the incident took place at the Takhtakaracha pass in Kashkadarya region on November 6.
Due to the incident that occurred at the 1138th km of the M-39 Tashkent-Termez highway at Takhtakaracha pass in the Kitob district of the Kashkadarya province and links Samarkand and Kashkadarya regions, traffic was temporarily halted," the road safety service stated.
Recall that a total 19,302 road accidents, affecting more than 26,703 individuals have been recorded in Kazakhstan over the course of nine months in 2024.
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Earthquake hits Almaty
The citizens of Almaty felt an earthquake today, at around 10:00 am, Kazinform News Agency reports.
According to the national seismological center, the quake’s preliminary magnitude was 4.5, local emergencies authorities said.
The epicenter of the quake was 33 kilometers east of Almaty, in the territory of Kazakhstan. The coordinates of the epicenter are 43.261 north latitude, and 77.310 east longitude.
The earthquake was felt in the following settlements: Almaty - 3 points, Talgar - 4 points, Yessik - 4 points, Turgen village - 3 points, Otegen Batyr village - 3 points, Boralday village - 2 points, Malovodnoye village - 2 points, Kaiypov village - 2 points, Alatau (Zhetigen) - 2 points, and Karassai (Kaskelen) - 2 points.
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Wildfires in Pavlodar region extinguished, localized in Karaganda region
Images | Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan
The wildfire in Pavlodar region has been extinguished, Kazinform News Agency learned from the ministry of emergencies.
The wildfire in Pavlodar region has been extinguished. The area of the fire is being determined," a statement from the ministry reads.
As reported, on October 6, a steppe fire broke out in Karaganda region, which then spread to the territory of Pavlodar region. The fire covered an area of 3,000 hectares. At 02:20 the fire, which had already spread to an area of 10,000 hectares in the Bayanaul district of Pavlodar region, was localized.
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The wildfire in Karaganda region was localized. The area of the fire is being determined.
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One firefighter died, four injured in steppe fire in Karaganda region
Images | Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan
33-year-old firefighter from Saran town, Karaganda region, died during the steppe fire in Karkaraly district on Sunday, October 6. Another four firefighters got injuries and were hospitalized, Kazinform News Agency learned from the local emergencies department.
Khali Khairat has served in the civil protection authorities since May 12, 2014. Governor of the region Yermaganbet Bulekpayev and Mayor of Saran Yerkin Baulikov visited his family and expressed their condolences. Local officials provided necessary assistance in the organization of the funeral.
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Images | gov.kz
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The video capturing the crash was shared on social media. A criminal case was initiated.
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The bus driver tested negative for alcohol.
For the past four years, nearly 1,000 road accidents involving public transport occurred in Almaty.
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