Thursday, November 25, 2021
EU-Africa partnership: Returning (to) cultural heritage
Faiths Working Together Set an Example for Multi-Cultural Harmony
No Time To Get Bored: An American Adventurer-Educator, Explorer, Business Executive, Diver, World Class Traveler
Spain will grant more Access to Official documents as it signed the CoE Tromsø Convention
Saturday, October 30, 2021
An overview of the European Convention on Human Rights
The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is widely recognized as an important and effective international treaty for human rights protection. It has had an important role in the development and awareness raising of human rights in Europe. And it has had a significant influence on law making in most of the European countries. It is difficult to overstate its importance. Europe has in many aspects become a better place to live in the last half of a century, and the ECHR has played an important part in bringing this about.
Human rights were seen as a fundamental tool by the leading powers after the Second World War to prevent the most serious human rights violations which had occurred during the war from happening again.
The drafting of the first human rights instruments, the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, and subsequently the international human rights Covenant, had been initiated within the sphere of the United Nations shortly after the end of the Second World War. It however was progressing slowly, in part due to differing viewpoints on what human rights were or could be agreed upon. This may have been a strongly contributing factor that it was decided to push forward on the human rights agenda for Europe with and at the Congress of Europe held in May 1948.
A declaration and pledge to create a European Convention was issued at the Congress. The second and third Articles of the Pledge stated: “We desire a Charter of Human Rights guaranteeing liberty of thought, assembly and expression as well as right to form a political opposition. We desire a Court of Justice with adequate sanctions for the implementation of this Charter.”
In the summer of 1949, more than 100 parliamentarians from the then twelve member states of the Council of Europe met in Strasbourg for the first ever meeting of the Council’s Consultative Assembly (the assembly of parliamentarians, which today is known as the Parliamentary Assembly). They met to draft a “charter of human rights”, and secondly to establish a court to enforce it.
After extensive debates, the Assembly sent its final proposal to the Council’s decision-making body, the Committee of Ministers. The Ministers convened a group of experts to review and finalize the Convention itself.
The European Convention was discussed and its final text formulated by this expert group, which in part consisted of diplomats from the Ministries of the member states. They sought to incorporate a traditional civil liberties approach to securing “effective political democracy”, from the traditions in the United Kingdom, France and other member states of the newly formed Council of Europe.
The European Convention on Human Rights was opened for signature on 4 November 1950 in Rome, and entered into force on 3rd September 1953.
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
The seriousness of squatting in Spain
Squatting is a serious problem that is gaining more and more strength and involving more and more political and social actors, becoming a daily space in the media, causing tension and indignation in all citizens. For those who admit them and, in some cases, promote them, I say to them that “Serious is only one squatting”.
Faced with an unspoken crime, there are no effective measures to tackle the problem, on the contrary, squatters seem to go unpunished and are increasingly defiant before the Law and Society, because they frequently find that this antisocial and unlawful conduct goes unpunished. The law today leaves property owners unprotected and the State Security Forces without legal cover to protect private property. The measures adopted in recent years to alleviate this situation have been manifestly ineffective, so alternatives must be sought so that property owners are not dispossessed of their property with impunity.
“The right to property is a constitutionally recognised right” and enshrined in the Declaration of Human Rights. We all have the right to enjoy our property and no one can prevent us from doing so, except by means of the law. Squatting should be typified criminally as “permanent robbery” and would give the Public Forces the power to automatically expel the squatters without the need for a court order, but putting them at the disposal of a judge once expelled from the squatted property, with a prison sentence and automatic suspension of all social benefits received and if there are minor children that they pass their protection to the social services.
On the other hand, the squatter is a criminal and cannot use the principle of the inviolability of the home as his right to stay in the squatted property. From the moment he is outside the law, the squatter cannot use it as he pleases by claiming that housing is a fundamental right; this argument cannot be used in illegality, as the Constitutional Court has declared. In a state governed by the rule of law, the right of the one who violates and abuses it cannot prevail.
When a squatting is detected and reported, the police must immediately proceed to evict them, for which the law must make it clear that a squatter does not acquire the right to be in the squatted dwelling at any time, which is why it must be urgently typified as a crime of “permanent theft” if at some point they have managed to register, sometimes favoured by the administration itself, either by registering them with the utilities, etc. Once the squatting is known and denounced, these benefits are automatically eliminated for having acquired them by fraud of the Law, where the police are legitimised to evict the friends of others without the need for a judicial order.
A legislative reform is urgently needed to define the squatting of a house, whoever it belongs to, as a permanent theft and to speed up the eviction by the Security Forces as soon as they become aware of the squatted property. Defining squatting as robbery, given the magnitude of the stolen property, should be punished with prison, it is necessary to ensure the enforcement of sentences, on the other hand, the offender will lose official aid and subsidies and will not be able to aspire to the benefit of official housing. If we reward the crime of squatting with subsidised housing, we do a tremendous injustice to the people who use the legal path to aspire to official aid and benefits. The squatter must be clear that this is not a solution or a shortcut to get housing, the path of crime will only lead him to prison.
A social problem is added to a squat: deterioration of neighbourhood coexistence, tension and insecurity, we have to face it, because every day we see more violent reactions in the neighbourhoods and neighbours who try to take justice into their own hands, which leads to a notable insecurity and degradation of the quality of life of a community, on the other hand, the guarantee laws on the theft of property go against coexistence and social justice.
“A crime without punishment and penalty would be to allow and tolerate it” and would represent a great offence to coexistence. A government that allows injustice is a harmful and dangerous government for society.
Wednesday, October 6, 2021
Liberia's Commerce Minister Diggs Outlines country's Post WTO Accession Progress.
Commerce Minister Diggs Addresses 62nd Series of Assemblies of the World Intellectual Property Organization, Outlines Liberia’s Post WTO Accession Progress.
Geneva, October 5, 2021: The Minister of Commerce and Industry, Hon Mawine G. Diggs has addressed the World Trade Organization high-level panel chaired by Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (Director-General) and the 62nd assemblies of Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva respectively. The Minister gave the State of Play and reflection on the five years of Liberia’s WTO membership including recent economic Developments and performance since our accession as a member of the World Trade Organization and recommitted Liberia’s to the global effort for the protection and promotion of Intellectual Property.
Addressing the Launch Study of Liberia’s Five years of WTO membership, Minister Diggs disclosed that Liberia’s path to the WTO membership was not an easy road before becoming a model for others. She, however, pointed out that bearing in mind the potential benefits of WTO membership, including increased investment inflows, the Government saw a huge potential to integrate the multilateral trade system, and to return Liberia to the position it once had as a country.
The Hon. Minister of commerce further gave some practical actions being taken by the Republic of Liberia under the leadership of H.E George Manneh Weah. According to the Honorable Minister, the practical actions include the single window endeavor at the Freeport of Monrovia undertaking large-scale accession commitments and implementing the WTO Post-Accession Implementation Plan aimed at continuing with the reforms and transformation in critical areas such as tariff regulation, trade facilitation, taxation, Technical Barriers to Trade and Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, economic diversification and many others. Madam Minister reaffirmed Liberia’s commitment to the World Trade Organization and the multilateral trade system.
For her Part, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala congratulated Liberia for the milestone achievement and extended greetings to H.E President George M. Weah and the government of Liberia for the ratification of the trade facilitation agreement (TFA). Madam Okonjo-Iweale asserted that the Liberian model is which was the first of its kind, is history and sets a ‘’new standard for LDC accession. She, however, re-affirmed WTO’s support to Liberia through all necessary assistance as much as possible.
Speaking at the WIPO Assembly, Madam Diggs said Liberia has made significant strides through the development of a balanced and effective structure that enables innovation and creativity for patents, copyrights, and trademarks where people earn recognition for what they invent or create. She told the body that Liberia is a member and signatory of several international IP conventions which speaks to the country’s commitment to the protection of Intellectual property worldwide through a collective global effort.
On the margin of the multilateral engagements, The Minister held bilateral talks with Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Peter Sziijarto where the discussion centered around enhancing corporation through trade between the two countries in the areas of Information Technology, energy, and water.
As head of the delegation, Minister Diggs is accompanied by Charge’ d’ Affaires (en pied), Liberia Permanent Mission to the United Nation Office and Multiple International Organizations, Mr. Paul W. Tate, Aderline Cooper, Director- General Liberia Intellectual Property, Minister Counselor/Public Affairs to the European Union, Senve D. Tehmeh, Abraham Kamara, Second Secretary, Liberia Permanent Mission to Geneva and Madam Esther Tolbert Chief of Staff (Office of the Minister of the Commerce).
Monday, October 4, 2021
Russia: the first royal wedding after the Bolshevik revolution in 1917
The first royal wedding since the Bolshevik revolution of 1917, which overthrew the Romanov monarchy, took place in Russia on October 1, with aristocrats traveling from all over Europe for the lavish ceremony.
Grand Duke Georgi Mikhailovich Romanov, 40, and his Italian fiancée Victoria Romanovna Betarini, 39, were married at St. Isaac’s Cathedral in the former imperial capital, St. Petersburg.
They met many years ago in Brussels, where they worked in various organizations within the European Union. At first they were friends, but at some point, as they remember themselves, they realized that this was fate. The Grand Duke made an original proposal – at the Brussels airport, presenting Rebecca with a gold ring with a ruby and diamonds inherited from his great-grandmother. He himself received it from his mother – the head of the Russian Imperial House, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna – on the day of his majority. With instructions to hand it over to the future bride.
Hundreds of foreign guests traveled to Russia’s second-largest city for the Orthodox Christian ceremony, including royalty from 20 countries such as Bulgaria‘s last king, Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Egypt and Sudan’s last king, Fuad II and Princess Lea of Belgium, AFP reported.
The guest list of about 1,500 people included other famous names such as Konstantin Malofeev, a monarchist and billionaire close to the Kremlin, and Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
Betarini converted to the Orthodox faith last year.
The young bridesmaids, dressed in orange, wore the bride’s veil with the coat of arms of the Russian Empire embroidered in gold. Betarini also wore a tiara inlaid with diamonds, made by high-class jewelers “Chaumet”.
Surrounded by priests in golden robes, Romanov and Betarini shone as Metropolitan Bartholomew of St. Petersburg and Ladoga blessed.
“We are happy that you love Russia and participate in charity projects,” he said.
The ceremony included an exchange of wedding rings made by Faberge. For the first time, the jewelry house created wedding rings for members of the Romanov family “before the Russian Revolution”.
Some women wore designer hats and furs, and some men wore Cossack uniforms decorated with medals.
Natalia Grigorovich, a descendant of Ivan Grigorovich, the last naval minister of tsarist Russia, described the ceremony as “touching”.
“My heart rejoices,” she added.
After the ceremony, the honor guard, carrying swords, greeted the newlyweds as they kissed in front of the cathedral.
More than 500 guests were invited to attend the wedding dinner at the city’s Museum of Ethnography later today.
The last wedding in Russia of the Romanovs’ heir was that of Nicholas II and Alexandra 127 years ago.
Before the ceremony, Romanov said the couple chose to get married in St. Petersburg because it was the first place in the country where the family returned in the early 1990s.
St. Petersburg is “the history of Russia,” he added, “the history of the Romanov House.”
Born in Madrid, Romanov was the son of Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna Romanova, who proclaimed herself heir to the imperial throne of Russia. She is the granddaughter of Grand Duke Cyril, cousin of Nicholas II, the last Russian tsar, executed along with his wife Alexandra and five children by the Bolsheviks in 1918.
Buried after their execution in a place long kept secret by the Soviet authorities, their bodies and those of their children were transferred in 1998 to Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg. The family was canonized by the Orthodox Church in 2000 as martyrs.
After the wedding, the newlyweds laid flowers at Peter and Paul Cathedral.
Romanov, who spent most of his life in France, graduated from Oxford and worked in the European Parliament. He also held a position in the Russian mining giant Norilsk Nickel. The couple moved to Russia three years ago, first settling in the suburbs of Moscow before moving downtown to the Kremlin.
Now Romanov is working on several charity projects. He said he believed European and Russian royalty could help Moscow and the West mend broken ties.
“I think we can be ambassadors of goodwill,” he said.
“This marriage is by no means on our agenda,” Dmitry Peskov said.
Here is a wedding, put up for review by the general public: a sable, a new-made tiara, some teenagers with sabers, golden vests, golden coats of arms … it’s even strange that a choir of bears with balalaikas does not sing in the background.
The first impression of the “royal” wedding is crowded. And very, very solemn. Never before, perhaps since the October Revolution itself, has such a high concentration of titled persons been achieved in St. Petersburg. What is the SPIEF – only presidents and ministers are visiting the SPIEF, and kings, principles, princesses, dukes and duchesses have gathered in Isaac. In total, the wedding was attended by about 500 guests of honor.
Initially, the calculation was for 1,000, but the covid intervened, and the number of guests had to be reduced.
The bride’s wedding dress, as expected, was the main surprise and was kept secret from the groom. Russian designer Elina Samarina worked on a creamy white silk dress. The accent was made on the many-meter train, on which the golden Russian coat of arms was woven. And in Rebecca’s hair was a Chaumet diadem set with 438 diamonds in white gold. The couple’s outfits are then planned to be exhibited in the Russian Museum.
There was no shortage of pompous outfits. The official protocol (out of the corner of our eye we spied one of the invitations sent to the honored guests by the Chancellery of Her Imperial Majesty) ordered men to appear in uniforms or strict “day suits with a light tie”, and women – in “mid-length day dresses with a hat or mantle.”
In Isaac himself, the guests were distributed according to their status. The presidium directly opposite the entrance accommodated the relatives of the newlyweds – the Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna herself and her cousin Helena Kerby on the part of her husband and diplomat Roberto Bettarini and Carl Virginia Cacchatore on the part of the bride.
The others lined up along the altar on the right hand.
The young people were crowned by the Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga Barsanuphius himself. The translator helped him in this – he immediately translated the text of the solemn oath and wishes for long years and family well-being into English for foreign guests of honor and Mrs. Bettarini herself. The latter, by the way, created a real sensation with its appearance – she was dressed in a snow-white satin dress with a six-meter train, on which the imperial coat of arms flaunted. The train was carried by young ladies-in-waiting in emerald dresses.
The festive events, which were attended by representatives of monarchical dynasties from all over the world, lasted three days. On the eve of the wedding, in the evening, a welcome cocktail for foreign guests was held in the Vladimir Palace (House of Scientists). There, the chef of the celebrations, Vladimir Garkavy (he, for example, was responsible for gala lunches and dinners at the opening and closing of the Olympics in Sochi), arranged a performance: using liquid nitrogen, in the clubs coming from him, he prepared ice cream right in front of the guests – the waiters carried him gathered in eggs, stylized as Faberge.
Most of the visiting high-ranking guests, like newlyweds, stayed at the Astoria Hotel. By the way, on this occasion, the hotel provided the couple with a royal suite – a luxurious 310-meter suite overlooking St. Isaac’s Cathedral – with a ceremonial dining room, a library, two dressing rooms, fitness and massage rooms.
At the gala dinner at the Ethnographic Museum, Victoria Romanovna was in a fluffy dress without a train, with a cropped jacket thrown over her shoulders: this outfit was developed for her by designers Rim Acra and Elina Samarina. This dress had a neckline and embroidery in a delicate pearl color.
For the last reception, at the Constantine Palace, Mrs. Romanova chose a trouser suit. “The groom did not particularly prepare his wardrobe for the wedding, he put on his classic black tie suit,” the press secretary of Prince Georgy Mikhailovich told AIF. And on Saturday, the “royal wedding” took place in the Constantine Palace. The dress code for the second day was “smart casual” and Rebecca came out to the guests in a black trouser suit. There were pancakes, pies, fire cutlets and other dishes of Russian cuisine. “Look, don’t mix up the forks!” – I remember, the editor told me a few years ago, when I first came to dinner with the head of the House of Romanov. It worked out then, it has done well now – everything is democratic, without embarrassing frills. And where without dancing – “Kalinka” and “Barynya” to the accordion went with a bang from foreigners.
By the way, an interesting detail – according to our interlocutors from among the guests, the protocol forbade bringing flowers and gifts to the wedding; otherwise the newly minted spouses would simply drown in them. However, Georgy Romanov and Rebecca Bettarini were not left completely without gifts. So, for example, from the Ryazan region to St. Petersburg, specifically in order to pay tribute to the heirs of the imperial family, they brought a scarf of the finest hand-made embroidery, made in the technique “Kadomsky veniz”, which is almost lost in our days. Petersburg artists Sergei Morozov and Elizaveta Skorikova presented the youngsters with a full-length portrait of Princess Maria Vladimirovna – it took a whole year to create it. In addition, icons were presented – including an icon of Xenia of Petersburg from the chapel at the Smolensk cemetery – and commemorative coins, including those made of pure gold.
The newly-minted spouses were accompanied by an honor guard from among the soldiers of the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment – in a word, everything is like the good old imperial times. At some point, shouts of “Bitter!” Were heard from the crowd. The young people succumbed to the general mood and right there, on the steps of the cathedral, gave each other the first kiss after the wedding. And then another one – especially for those photographers and cameramen who did not have time to catch this romantic moment. A few minutes later, a luxurious black Rolls-Royce, rumbling with a motor, took Georgy Romanov and his chosen one away – first to the Peter and Paul Fortress, where the couple laid flowers at the tomb of Alexander III, and then to the Ethnographic Museum for a dinner party.
But, in contrast to this theatricality, there is a civil ceremony of the same couple for a narrow circle: restrained colors and manners, everything is serious, everything is comme il faut. The etiquette in such things has been polished for centuries, everything has been thought out – from the degree of heirloom value of jewelry to the last napkin.
At the civil ceremony with Georgy Mikhailovich and Victoria, everything is as it should be, as at the weddings of other Romanovs, and even Maria Vladimirovna herself – the photos have been preserved, you can compare. Aristocracy and thoughtfulness in every smallest detail. So it was possible without kitsch? But for some reason, it was not without it. As if by the wedding they specifically wanted to emphasize: guys, we are not serious about the succession to the throne.
A spokesman for Vladimir Putin told reporters that the Kremlin has always wished happiness to all the newlyweds, but the president has no plans to congratulate the couple.
Reference to this article appears in Wikipedia
Europe's largest cocaine distribution network broken up
Operation “Musala” has been carried out by the Spanish National Police together with the police authorities of Germany, Colombia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Serbia.
A total of 61 people have been arrested after a year of police investigations, and 4,010 kilograms of cocaine and more than 600,000 euros have been seized.
The operation has been a major challenge for EUROPOL due to the high mobility of the members of the Balkan cartel, requiring exhaustive and permanent coordination of all the police forces involved in the investigation.
In Spain, simultaneous operations have been carried out in the provinces of Barcelona, Madrid, Malaga, Tarragona, Gerona, and Valencia.
Agents of the National Police, in a joint operation with the police forces of Germany, Colombia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Serbia, have dismantled the largest cocaine distribution network in Europe, seizing 4,010 kilograms of this narcotic substance and arresting 61 people.
The operation was carried out under the coordination of EUROPOL and is the result of international cooperation between the different European police forces involved, as well as the Colombian and US authorities, with whom the investigation was launched jointly.
The dismantled organization intended to carry out a drug trafficking operation from South America to Europe. In this context, EUROPOL activated an exclusive operation to dismantle this criminal group, which led to the detection of the presence of several members of the Balkan cartel in different countries.
This criminal organization was mainly composed of nationals of Eastern European countries, mainly from Serbia, Croatia, and Montenegro. The main characteristic of the group under investigation was its significant economic muscle and lack of roots, which allowed all its members to settle in different countries of the world, to travel for meetings and gatherings, and to enjoy a standard of living available to few people.
These meetings were held in short periods of time, and it can be seen how they stayed in and frequented luxury hotels and restaurants. In Spain, the organization had houses and vehicles that the members of the group made available to the top leaders in order to make police work more difficult.
The aim of the police investigation was to try to attack the top of the criminal organization by covering all the meetings held in each country. Thanks to the work carried out in Colombia by DIPOL, it was even possible to see how they were linked to the world of football. Through the purchase and sale of certain players, the laundering of profits from drug trafficking was tracked.
GEO’s boarding of a sailing boat starts investigation
Police investigations began in 2018 when a sailing boat carrying two Croatian nationals and one American national was arrested. That vessel was boarded by the GEO, the Special Operations Group of the National Police, whose agents seized 1.4 tonnes of cocaine that was being transported inside it at the time.
Since then, investigations have indicated that the dismantled group was responsible for the shipment of the drugs and that they had the resources and means to continue attempting the operation, as was finally demonstrated. However, despite the numerous data collected, it was not possible at that time to prove the involvement of this group in the operation.
Nevertheless, the investigation continued and, at the end of 2019, one of the most important members of the organization was detected again in Spain to carry out the preparation of a new criminal enterprise.
In this way, the efforts were focused on a Montenegrin who represented a powerful criminal organization associated or the main organizations operating from the Eastern countries, specifically the Balkan cartel. This cartel constituted a real threat to the security of Eastern European countries and was considered by the European authorities to be one of the most important criminal organizations operating in Europe, characterized by paramilitary members and engaged in a multitude of illegal activities, mainly drug trafficking, house and car theft, money laundering, extortion, and kidnapping.
From that moment on, the work of all the countries focused on trying to confirm the people involved in the operation and, at the same time, to be able to track them. The Montenegrin group established its base of operations temporarily in Malaga, although it frequently traveled to the provinces of Madrid and Barcelona, without forgetting that it also traveled to Serbia, Hungary, and Slovenia, among other countries.
Through the movements of this group, it was possible to determine how they intended to introduce a large consignment of drugs into Europe via Spain from South America. This required infrastructure and logistics only suitable for large criminal organizations with high economic power.
The leaders were not involved in compromising activities.
The top of this organization was led by criminals who only participated in the negotiations without engaging in any compromising activities, often remaining outside the police investigations. As a result of the course of the investigation and the contacts and movements of the organization, it was deduced that they were preparing a major cocaine import.
The trips of the main targets took place in the previous months, visiting Madrid, Barcelona, and Malaga before traveling to South America in order to finalize the details of the operation.
Thus, in the middle of last year, they intended to transfer drugs from the Colombian coast to a boat, having everything ready and prepared to carry out the drug transaction. The action of the American authorities led to the seizure of 1,350 kilograms of cocaine. This police action was a serious blow to the organization, which was unaware of where the operation had gone wrong. During these months, it became known that the organization had links or connections in Italy, one of the countries where part of the drugs were presumably destined for.
After some time analyzing where they had failed, the organization decided at the end of 2020 to undertake a new maritime operation. This time they would transport an approximate quantity of 1,250 kilograms of cocaine, which would travel from the coasts of Brazil to Spain, specifically Catalonia, where they intended to introduce this significant quantity of drugs.
This is the reason why the organized group was once again reactivated and held new meetings in Europe – in Madrid in the case of Spain – all with the aim of being able to finalize the details of the operation. Following these meetings, in January of this year, the two main suspects traveled to the Dominican Republic.
The agents’ attention was drawn to the fact that, after this meeting in the Dominican Republic, the two people in charge of the operation began their tour around Europe again, once they had reached an agreement on the percentages and commissions. At that time, it was confirmed that one of them would travel to Dubai, where he met with the maximum investor and head of the organization.
After the worst of the pandemic, the organization takes up the operation again
As the months progressed, the pandemic temporarily delayed the organization’s plans, to the point that it was not until the end of December that the operation was established. At that point, they decided to try the maritime operation again, but this time the drugs would be taken to the Brazilian coast, from where they intended to travel to the rendezvous point and transfer the drugs. This meeting at sea took place at the end of January 2021, and the 1,250 kilograms that the group had ready and prepared were delivered.
Once the drugs were received in international waters, they were transported by sea to Europe, where the criminal group had all the necessary means to receive and, if necessary, distribute them. It was also detected how one of the main responsible parties traveled to Tarragona accompanied by third members of the organization to await the arrival of the shipment.
There, he met with an investor, who not only provided him with his local contacts to be able to provide the financing for the operation but also helped him to obtain the documentation to appear as a resident in Spain and make it easier for him to move around the interior of the peninsula.
In Spain, he began to sell the drugs on the European market even before he had access to them. It was for this reason that he contacted an organization that wanted to collect part of the drugs, at which point the members of the organization were arrested.
The ramifications of the organization not only extended to Catalonia, Malaga and Madrid, but they also had several organizations with which they collaborated on a regular basis. To do so, they made use of one of the members of this group, located in Valencia and mainly in charge of providing secure communications.
At the time of his arrest, and following a search of his home, more than 20 telephone terminals were seized with the aim of guaranteeing secure communications. This person had a second function within the dismantled group, as he was dedicated to receiving and sending money, and probably acted as treasurer. This was accredited by the surveillance and by what was found in the search of his home, where up to 15 banknotes of around five euros were found with annotations of dates associated with certain amounts, and whose function was to accredit that the holder had delivered or received the fixed or agreed amount.
Caught when the drugs were being delivered and received
When the group was caught, they were found to be in possession of various firearms and even a badge emblematic of a Montenegrin police force. The investigation was carried out when the heads of the organization were in Spain to manage the preparations for the final reception of the narcotic substance. By taking extreme security measures and avoiding attending meetings in person, the main organizers supervised all operations. However, they used other members of the organization to carry out the most compromising activities.
In this way, they were caught when the 1,250 kilograms of cocaine were being delivered and received on the outskirts of Tarragona, and several house searches were successively carried out in Tarragona, Barcelona, Girona, and Valencia, and all those involved and investigated were arrested. Likewise, the organization’s financing system was dismantled, which was the cultivation and international distribution of marijuana and the purchase and sale of high-end vehicles.
Through them, 12 members were arrested. Two of those arrested were considered priority targets by EUROPOL due to their criminal record, being investigated by many countries.
Connections with other criminal organisations active in Europe
The organization under investigation had strong connections with other criminal groups in Europe, among them the KAVAC Clan, which, among other tasks, was mainly responsible for financing the operations of this group through marijuana trafficking.
The Slovenian authorities (OPERATION CUBE) and in cooperation with Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Croatia, and Serbia have simultaneously attacked this clan that operated in Eastern Europe and that was dedicated to any criminal act considered serious (drug trafficking of any kind, money laundering, arms trafficking, murders, etc…).
As a result of this close collaboration, 836 kilos of cocaine, 2,503 kilos of hashish, 12.5 kilos of heroin and 30 liters of amphetamine have also been seized in recent months, not to mention the arrest of 46 people as part of this organization.
The operation has culminated in the dismantling of one of the most active branches of the Balkan Cartel, attacking its logistical and financial apparatus, dismantling its leaders, and undermining its future operational capabilities.
Seized assets
In addition to the 61 arrests and the 4,010 kilograms of cocaine seized, the police operation has resulted in the seizure of 2,569 kilograms of marijuana, 173 kilograms of hashish, 12. 5 kilograms of heroin, 30 liters of amphetamine, and more than 6 million euros in cash, nine high-end vehicles, five motorbikes, a firearm, and 300 cartridges, a simulated weapon, a Montenegro police service identification badge, various bladed weapons, computer, and telecommunications equipment, camera detectors, frequency inhibitors and a multitude of documentation related to the organization’s companies.
Original article in Spanish HERE
Saturday, October 2, 2021
Trials and Escape of Princes Lobanov-Rostovsky (2)
There were people who helped the disguised princes get on the train
Roundup. Stop of the train. Many have been arrested. Heirlooms were found in the family. Shooting, how did it happen in those years? No! We managed to escape again.
But the terrible is just ahead.
“At that time, families did not let men go anywhere, fearing for them, and only women acted …”
Prince Ivan will be arrested three times. Later, Prince Ivan recalled:
“… at night a Chekist will suddenly come in, light up the electricity, rudely wake up his victim, hit him with a rifle butt and ask:“ How do you feel, Your Excellency? ” The gray head will go low and low; the victim is silent and only a tear will quietly roll down his cheek … During the night from 15 to 25 people were shot …
Yes, I am glad, of course, that I escaped from this hell, but I must say that I saw the edge of the sky there: so wonderful and sublime was the mood of many; among them I sometimes felt like a really Christian … “
And the following was told about the prince in prison. At night, seven hostages were “dressed up” to dig a hole.
“Should I dig a hole for our execution? ” – they asked … Only the prince did not ask anything, but he also stopped and persuaded others: “Do not be faint-hearted, gentlemen, let’s go to work as soon as possible; The Lord will not leave us – whether we go to death or not – He is always with us! ””.
The princess was far from prejudice of opinions: the red ones sometimes showed a “human face”, while the whites showed obvious envy.
“The memory of many terrible, unfair and terrible things left an irresistible feeling of revenge in the soul of the people. The best of them always unconsciously move in their souls: “If only the gentlemen lived in our skin for a little bit” …
How many victims this massacre of whites and reds gave! Some died soon … others languished longer, and many languish to this day, exhausted by tuberculosis, neurasthenia, complete disability and other ailments. We cannot count the number of these martyrs … ”, Vera Dmitrievna said.
The “new” life, as if appreciating the powerful nature of the Russian woman, the wife-mother-mistress, tested the princess Vera with all kinds of trials: both large and small (but therefore no less terrible), all kinds of human malice.
“Life began both ridiculous, and strange, and inconvenient – it was impossible to get used to it,” writes Vera Dmitrievna.
A kitten clumsily drowned in front of her eyes, whom she rescued, cured, and the neighbors later threw him out of the window; the wickedly plucked flowers that the youngest son planted, deprived of all the joys necessary in childhood, it hurts forever. But this is not the horror that she experienced during the Red Terror during 1919-1920. and which can make a person mad. The family ended up in Odessa. Vera Dmitrievna lived with her children and her old mother in the mansion of her relative, a former member of the State Council, Alexei Nikolaevich Lobanov-Rostovsky. By a fatal coincidence, it was in this mansion that the Chekists daily shot their victims:
“I walked on human blood for two weeks, my soles and heels were stained red.”
I walked on human blood for two weeks, my soles were stained red
Miraculously, the Lobanovs again remained unrecognized.
The nightmare of the Red Terror, which only miraculously bypassed the princely family for the time being, forced them to come to the only solution that would allow the family to survive – to a new escape from Odessa along the Dniester waters across the border with Romania. During the long journey to a foreign land, the family again faced danger, prison and hardship. In the figurative expression of the princess – “Fire to the right, water to the left, a wall in front, and an abyss behind.”
At the end of the journey, members of the Lobanov-Rostovsky family ended up in Bulgaria. For some time, under the Bulgarian Tsar Boris, the family lived happily. But not everyone managed to escape. The Lobanovs’ daughter, Anna Ivanovna, has disappeared forever in Sovdepia. In 1932, trying to return home, their son Ivan Ivanovich was shot. And in 1921 another son died – a white officer Nikita, who, thanks to courage, miracle and the prayers of his relatives, repeatedly escaped where it seemed impossible to survive. But salvation turned out to be only a “delay”. The aftermath of the Civil War caught up with him three years later, ending his young life. The princess recalled:
“He spent three years in a bloody bath, was wounded many times, was held captive by the Bolsheviks several times, stood at the“ wall ”the same number of times, and although every time he was miraculously rescued, he still did not avoid shocks. He also suffered from typhus; not yet cured, he went into battle, suffered from the consequence of frostbitten feet after the Reds drove him without boots to be shot in the snow, when, already falling from exhaustion, he was repulsed by a detachment of whites that arrived in time. And again: blood, blood and blood! This is what kind of continuous torment my son’s life was from the age of nineteen to twenty-two. The result was the death of Nikita in August 1921 … “[4]
Vera Dmitrievna left this world in 1943, not learning about the arrest of the family of another son – Dmitry Ivanovich, godson of the Grand Duchess, who, together with his daughter-in-law Irina Vasilievna (nee Vyrubova) and 11-year-old grandson Nikita, ended up in prison and passed their own, prepared for him the way of ordeals. I did not find out about their failed escape, the execution of Dmitry Ivanovich, about the terrible fate in the camp of the eldest son of Nikolai Ivanovich. Her grandson told about this in his memoirs [5].
These are the thoughts and aspirations about Russia expressed by Princess Vera, expressing the essence of Bolshevism in a chased style. Maybe her words will soon become a “quote from the classics”:
“Bolshevism is often identified with communism. But the latter represents only an abstract, albeit harmful, delusional ideal, rented by the Bolsheviks, working on the basis of evil and deceit. Soviet power (or Bolshevism) has no moral foundations. And it serves, consciously or unconsciously, secret dark forces. Decorated with what is currently beneficial to her for the destruction of the Christian world. Communism was a props for her. It turned out to be extremely inconvenient on a national scale. Therefore, he was shamelessly discarded. I believe that Bolshevism is living out its last period. “
Vera Dmitrievna addresses the entire Russian diaspora scattered around the world:
“I ask my readers, who are still young, to visit my homeland, when, having thrown off the shackles of slavery, it will rise to a new life after trials unprecedented in the world. When, realizing herself and happy, she will again be covered with the crosses of temples and monasteries. Then the wisdom of old shines in her again, to admonish and comfort her neighbor. Then it will be called again, as before, “Holy Russia”. ”
Everyone is chasing happiness. And it is in our hands – only no one sees it and does not want to see it
Despite the great misfortunes that befell Princess Vera and her family, she managed to keep the light in her soul.
“Years passed, the youth of the soul was gone forever. I not only turned over the pages of the book about life and death, but also read its impressive lines. And I realized by experience that death on earth, this tragic end of our earthly life, could only occur from disobedience to the Creator, disobedience leading to the loss of our peace and joy. I also learned from experience that everyone is chasing happiness. And it is in our hands – only no one sees it and does not want to see it, but, on the contrary, every day they move further and further away from it. “
Photo: Prince Nikita Dmitrievich Lobanov-Rostovsky, grandson of Prince Ivan and Princess Vera. St. Petersburg. “House with Lions”, owned by the Lobanov-Rostovsky.
Friday, October 1, 2021
With a ceremony, the United States will return to Iraq a 3500-year-old cuneiform from Gilgamesh
The clay tablet contains fragments of the Epic of Gilgamesh, considered one of the oldest literary works of mankind and tells of the adventures of a powerful king of Mesopotamia in search of immortality. It is believed to have been stolen from a museum in Iraq in 1991 during the Gulf War.
An American art dealer bought the cuneiform in 2003 from a family in Jordan who settled in London, although it was “illegible because of elements inlaid on the surface,” according to court documents.
The trader then sent the packaged shipment to the United States without specifying its nature to customs and sold it to antique dealers in 2007 for $ 50,000 with a fake certificate of origin.
The clay tile was eventually sold in 2014 for $ 1.67 million to the owners of the Hobby Lobby chain, the Green family, known for their Christian activity, who want to exhibit it at their Bible Museum in Washington.
In 2017, a curator at the museum expressed concern about the origin of the cuneiform, considering the documents provided at the time of purchase to be incomplete. Police seized him in September 2019.
The return of the precious cuneiform is “a great victory over those who are crippling the legacy” and allows “the Iraqi people to renew a page in their history,” according to a press release issued by Audrey Azoule, UNESCO‘s director-general, who will attend the ceremony. Washington on his surrender to Iraqi authorities.
In July, 17,000 archeological finds, most of them about 4,000 years old, were returned to Iraq from the United States. Most of them date from the Sumerian period – one of the oldest civilizations in Mesopotamia.
Iraqi antiquities have been looted for decades.
“Theft and illicit trafficking of ancient artifacts continues to be a major source of funding for terrorist groups and other organized crime organizations,” said a statement from the Paris-based United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Meanwhile, they unraveled the secret of an ancient Babylonian clay tablet
Plimpton 322 is an amazing mathematical work, a testament to undeniable genius, “said researcher Daniel Mansfield.
Australian scientists claim to have solved the mystery of a 3,700-year-old Babylonian clay tablet, defining it as the world’s oldest and most accurate trigonometric table, DPA reported.
Specialists from the University of New South Wales have deciphered the signs on the plaque, which puzzled experts since its discovery in the early 20th century in southern Iraq.
Scientists have concluded that the tile was used by ancient copyists of mathematical manuscripts to calculate how to construct palaces, temples and canals, according to a statement from the university team.
Known as Plimpton 322, the four-column, 15-row cuneiform tablet was discovered by archaeologist, scientist, diplomat and antiques dealer Edgar Banks, who inspired the Indiana Jones character.
“Plimpton 322 has puzzled mathematicians for more than 70 years after it became clear that the tile contained a special model of numbers known as the Pythagorean triplets. the numbers on the tile.
The present study shows that Plimpton 322 describes the shapes of right triangles based on innovative trigonometry.
The tile is an amazing mathematical work, testifying to an undeniable genius, “said Daniel Mansfield of the research team.
Illustration: The clay tablet contains fragments from the Epic of Gilgamesh, considered one of the oldest literary works of mankind (Photo: United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York)
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