Jan Šinágl angažovaný občan, nezávislý publicista

The destructive cocktail of vested interests and widespread corruption is the misfortune and pain of our state. Every year, billions from the budget end up in the private accounts of individuals. Corruption has a powerful influence on the decision-making of government and local politicians and lowers the standard of living of everyone. It affects all branches of government, from road and motorway construction to health care.

It is not just about financial donations; the forms of corruption are varied, from cash to paid trips, luxury gifts, lucrative contracts or grants to lucrative positions on supervisory boards or in the civil service, where ambassadorial posts are among the most popular.

But it doesn't stop there. Every newly appointed deputy, chief director and sometimes even "mere" director chooses an office and a secretariat, gets new equipment, brings in assistants. And, especially in the case of the State Department, they start travelling. The number of inspection, control and other missions increases by leaps and bounds. Towards the end of the term, these staff usually become ambassadors.

La Gendarmerie française et Europol ont réalisé ces deniers jours une grosse opération contre le blanchiment d'argent. Après une enquête de 18 mois et plusieurs raids menés depuis 2019, ils ont arrêté 18 suspects et saisi 4 millions d'euros d'actifs. Le réseau criminel impliqué dans ces opérations illégales aurait été impliqué dans un blanchiment d'argent d'une valeur de 90 millions d'euros par an, selon Europol.

"L'organisation criminelle très structurée a collecté de l'argent en France et en Espagne provenant du trafic de drogue. L'argent sale a été transporté à travers les frontières de la France au Maroc et via l'Espagne en le dissimulant dans des camions et des véhicules de transport", explique -t-on.

The fire in the Gorica Karst had not even cooled down when the fire broke out on the edge of the karst near Socerbo on Tuesday evening. The fire is still not extinguished, but is under control, the STA news agency reported this morning. The biggest obstacle to the fire's eradication is the storm that forced firefighters to battle all day yesterday. 

According to data from the RS Protection and Rescue Administration from Tuesday afternoon, the fire had an area of about 15 hectares, but according to the head of the intervention, David Hrvatin, this number increased slightly towards the evening. On the Italian side, two villages also had to be evacuated because of the fire. The latest fire is certain to further threaten the drinking water supply in Slovenian Istria.

It is interesting that no one is reporting on the cause of the fires, which have been particularly intense in Primorska this summer, despite the fact that most of the European Union has problems with them. While the regime's media and various influencers are looking for the cause of the fires in climate change and global warming, in the case of the latest fire in Socerbo, rumours are spreading that it all started with open burning, which is strictly forbidden at this time of year and which the locals observe. One of the possible causes of the fire is the littering of cigarette butts, a rather nasty habit even among Slovenian drivers, who throw still burning cigarettes out of open car windows. However, there is increasing speculation that the fires are also linked to increased migration.

Let's take a closer look 

Le secrétaire d’Etat français aux Affaires européennes, Clément Beaune, assure que la France est prête à se servir du levier des visas pour faire pression sur les pays refusant de reprendre leurs ressortissants en situation irrégulière, notamment ceux soupçonnés de radicalisation.

La France envisage une réduction «ciblée» du nombre de visas attribués aux pays qui rechignent à reprendre leurs ressortissants en situation irrégulière, notamment ceux soupçonnés de radicalisation.

«Il faut dire à ces pays qu’ils doivent reprendre les personnes qui sont identifiées comme leurs ressortissants», a déclaré le secrétaire d’Etat français aux Affaires européennes, Clément Beaune, dans l’émission «Le Grand Rendez-vous» sur la radio Europe 1.

The current terrorist attacks in France and Austria prove Consul Jana Chaloupková right. The explosive topic of issuing visas in Rabat remains an absolute taboo for the Czech media and Czech politicians. J.Š.

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France’s President called Quebec Premier François Legault to thank him for his defence of free speech, Legault said Tuesday.

The Quebec premier then criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the issue by suggesting he was giving into blackmail.

Legault said he and Emmanuel Macron spoke during a phone call Tuesday morning that touched on the recent terrorist attacks in France, which authorities have attributed to Islamic extremists. In one of the recent attacks, a French teacher was beheaded after showing students caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.

The Quebec premier said Macron called to thank him for the “clear position” he took in defending freedom of expression “without any hesitation.” Legault made the comments at a Monday news conference, during which he said, “I do not agree with Justin Trudeau; I agree with Emmanuel Macron … we need to protect freedom of expression.”

« Ce type de trafic est le quatrième plus important au monde et il représente une activité illégale lucrative, dont les conséquences sont dévastatrices non seulement pour l’environnement mais aussi pour la société, la santé publique et l’économie mondiale », commente le secrétaire général d’Interpol, Jürgen Stock, dans le communiqué. « Il s’accompagne souvent, en effet, de faits d’évasion fiscale, de corruption et de blanchiment d’argent, et même d’homicides, perpétrés par des groupes criminels ayant recours aux mêmes itinéraires de contrebande que le trafic d’armes, de drogue ou la traite d’êtres humains », ajoute-t-il. 

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Cargaisons de bois, tortues, oiseaux et reptiles par milliers, plus d’une tonne d’ivoire. Tel est le bilan des saisies coordonnées par Interpol dans 103 pays pour endiguer le trafic d’espèces sauvages et de produits naturels.

Menée entre le 14 septembre et le 11 octobre, l’opération Thunder, quatrième du genre depuis 2017, a permis aussi l’arrestation de 699 trafiquants, annonce l’organisation internationale de coopération policière, basée à Lyon, dans un communiqué publié lundi.

"Find the limit of work", writes Minister Lipavsky to diplomats...

In five months, the Foreign Ministry has been rocked by three sudden and untimely deaths of high-ranking Czech diplomats - "on duty" and in high-profile destinations. The office is considering a new regulation of working conditions under the Foreign Service Act. Access to psychological care for diplomats and their families is also to be improved.

The Czernin Palace has faced unprecedented pressure, especially from President Miloš Zeman and his entourage, which has accompanied the Castle's efforts to reverse the focus of foreign policy - from the West to the East and towards authoritarian regimes. Full article>

As a side note, the diplomat Jana Hybášková was caught drunk driving - and promoted. The brilliant diplomat Dr. Jana Chaloupková, who refused to behave in a way that was not in accordance with the rules, was literally thrown out of the MFA on the street. All this after many years of successful diplomatic work for our country (knowledge of 12 foreign languages).