Follow us down memory lane for the best and worst trash of 2024! by Elinor Jones

Happy Holidays, Trash Pandas! ‘Tis I, Elinor Jones, AKA the Ghost of Trash Past, here to guide you through 2024—a year that I could best describe as “a year that happened.”

January 8 

I hate to break it to us, but despite anyone’s resolutions, this is probably not going to be a year when anybody becomes better. You know how in professional sports, when a bunch of the big names have retired or left and then it’s just rookies and no-names, they call it a “Rebuilding Year”? 2024 will be the opposite of that for us. A destroying year. All of us are going to get worse, it’s just a matter of how quickly, and how much. 

February 12

I am all about the monoculture and I love to love things, but I am so tired of football and Taylor Swift! No more brain space; I simply cannot. I mean look: Am I glad she made it to the game in time after her Tokyo shows? Yes. Do I think this was a challenge or hardship for her when she has her own airplane and team of professionals to ensure it happens comfortably and efficiently? No. Am I impressed that her lipstick always looks so damn good? Yes. Did I like her pants? No, I hated them. Do I think it’s hilarious that Republicans hate Taylor Swift so much that they’d rather root for the team out of San Francisco than the corn-fed midwestern one? Yes, a thousand times yes, this is incredible, put it in my veins. Will I listen to her new album? OBVIOUSLY. But that’s it! No more thoughts!!

April 1 

The world has gone country, and by that I mean we have all been listening to Beyoncé’s latest album Cowboy Carter all weekend. I’m a fan! Several years ago I found a pair of those magical thrift store cowboy boots that somehow both fit perfectly and are extremely cool, and I always knew there was a reason to hang on to them. I’m excited to plan an outfit to wear to her next concert that probably won’t come anywhere near Portland anyway. A girl can dream. That’s country. 

April 15 

[Regarding a possible Monopoly movie.] “What’s next, Checkers? Jenga? You wanna make a Jenga movie? What, fuckin’ CONNECT FOUR?” And I will stop you right there, because that one works. Four is the correct number for a collection of people. It’s the best table in a restaurant—no pulling up an extra chair for some poor schmuck to sit at one end. Four is the maximum number of heads that will fit into a photobooth picture. Four is how many adults fit comfortably in a car. So let’s talk about this Connect Four movie: I am seeing three friends realize that something is missing and they desperately seek a fourth, but they keep being blocked by outside forces, until finally, one day, through either meticulous planning or pure dumb luck, the pieces line up just so, and they find their fourth friend, thus creating a powerful block which shall emerge victorious! “But Elinor,” you say. “Is this not the plot of the 1990s supernatural teen thriller THE CRAFT?” To which I say: “DING FUCKING DING.” A Connect Four movie already exists, it stars Fairuza Balk and Neve Campbell, and it’s perfect!

May 13 

First Lady Jill Biden stopped in Portland last week to attend a quick fundraiser in Lake Oswego. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler was there, and later told the press “it’s nice to see the First Lady supporting our city and taking an interest in what we do here.” Buddy! She wasn’t even in our city! Was there nowhere decent in Portland proper for her to glad-hand wealthy Democrats? You know, I almost think she was trying to keep away from the riffraff by going to Lake Oswego, and that is especially not “what we do here.” In Portland, riffraff is the name of the game!

May 20 

Rudy Giuliani somehow (and for days) evaded Arizona officials trying to serve him an indictment for his (alleged) 2020 election crimes. I could use a lot of words to describe Rudy Giuliani, but “indiscreet” and “stealthy” are definitely not among them. I feel like one could locate Rudy Giuliani using whatever magic makes a cartoon mouse float towards cheese, but the wafting odor is a mix of cigars, cologne, and farts. Alas, the man was found, and at his own 80th birthday party. Giuliani even shared an absolutely psychotic Amazon wish list of the stuff he wanted, which included “stain blocking ceiling paint.” That Giuliani worries about his ceiling getting dirty really captures the explosive gooeyness of this chapter in his life.

June 10

Sabrina Carpenter released a fun and steamy video for her new single “Please Please Please” which features boyfriend Barry Keoghan. These two are giving the sultry slutty young relaysh vibes they were trying to sell us with Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney last year. I could never fully get behind those two because they look like they were generated by an AI prompt of “hot white heteros.” Barry and Sabrina are hot too, but also interesting, sexy, a little dangerous, and maybe kinda mean? Like Glen and Sydney would break your heart by ghosting you, but they’d never tell anyone else your secrets, whereas Barry and Sabrina would get a tattoo of your name and then try to run over you with their car.

June 17 

The AtmosFEAR ride at Oak’s Park got stuck upside down last week, leaving some 30 people stuck upside down for 25 minutes. Roller coaster-avoiders like me will get YEARS of excuses out of this. It’s not that we’re scared; it’s that we’re smart. (We’re also very scared.)

July 8 

Gwyneth Paltrow held a party at her home in the Hamptons and somebody got diarrhea. I’m sorry, not just diarrhea—"catastrophic” diarrhea, which is a pretty horrifying combination of words! The diarrhea was allegedly caused by Ozempic, which all the stars are taking, so think about this the next time you see a star-studded red carpet: know that the bathrooms at that event are a grade-A paint show, and you’re lucky you’re not there.

July 15

Iconic sex therapist Dr. Ruth passed away last week at the age of 96. There was not a major event she couldn’t make into a reason to get laid, and it’s really a shame she died before this attempted assassination of Donald Trump; she would have made it so horny. 

August 5

I am loving the Olympics! God, the amount of pride I feel for the US Olympics Team is overwhelming; borderline ew, like am I becoming a flag girlie? Seeing tacky bedazzled Republicans at the RNC a couple weeks ago made me want to hurl, but throw some gemstones on a leotard and I am in line. I’ve been especially tickled by the vibes of the shooting competitors despite hating guns with every fiber of my being. The gun lobby might be appealing to the wrong instincts in trying to garner support. I mean, has the NRA ever considered simply serving cunt? 

August 26

Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance is trying to prove he’s not weird and failing spectacularly. He recently stopped by a donut shop where the workers didn’t want to be on camera and ordered “whatever makes sense,” for which he has been mercilessly mocked. And look, I get it: When JD Vance orders “whatever makes sense” it sounds like a robot prepping for his first day of human school. That said, I do think this makes sense! I like the idea of ordering “~items~.” Put “whatever makes sense” on the late-night menu at a bar and I guarantee you it will go gangbusters. Sometimes you’ll get a vat of french fries and a pitcher of beer. Other times you’ll get a Sprite and two ibuprofen. Credit where credit is due—this couch-fucker might be on to something! 

September 16

Actor James Earl Jones passed away last week at the age of 93. He was the last good Jones. Now it’s just me. And my Mufasa voice is shit.

October 14

The widow of Bobby Kennedy and mother of presidential candidate RFK Jr., Ethel Kennedy, passed away last week at the age of 96. I think if the son of a deceased person repeatedly requests that the casket not be locked and sealed, you gotta wonder what he’s got planned for that corpse.

What wonders will these final days of 2024 have in store for us? I have absolutely no idea, but you can guarantee that I’ll be around to make a silly joke about it (hopefully!) I hope your -ber months are safe, warm, and cute.

Santa-ly,

; Credit: Illustration: Dan Carino

Read the full article at LAist

Foxconn's shares have surged more than 100% so far in 2024, far outperforming the broader market's 28% gain. Foxconn said last month it was building in Mexico the world's largest manufacturing facility for bundling Nvidia's GB200 superchips, a key component of the US firm's next-generation Blackwell family computing platform.

Nearly four years after the economic downturn, many Americans are still keeping a tight rein on their expenditures, monitoring how much they spend on essentials, including groceries, and nonessentials, such as eating out. Not surprisingly, many food manufacturers and restaurants have been impacted by this new-found consumer frugality, prompting the former to trim unprofitable items from their product lines and the latter to add more specials to their menus.

Snack manufacturers are dipping into a new wave pool of offerings for consumers

Indiana's largest microbrewery embraces the sun.

Working displays educate dealers and consumers.

An Ohio K-12 school’s solar thermal system helps educate students on sustainable building practices.

Allen’s Plumbing continues to be at the forefront of solar thermal technologies in Hawaii.

Kentucky homeowners are beginning to look at solar to lower their energy costs.

Eastern Mennonite University’s focus on sustainability engages students and faculty to care for their environment.

Residential solar combisystems provide domestic water heating and some percentage of space heating. Although less known than domestic hot water-only systems, combisystems can be practical and efficient if properly sized and designed.

tekmar’s Setpoint Difference Control 157 uses variable-speed pump operations to get more heat from a solar thermal system, even on less-than-ideal days.

Wagner & Co. unveils its newest line of SECUSOL systems designed as standalone appliances for domestic hot water preparation.

Aquatherm introduces a new polypropylene-random to PEX transition. The transitions, available in 1/2”, 3/4” and 1” sizes, are made from PP-R and brass.

When we began publishing Solar Installer in 2008, our intent was to educate the readers of Plumbing & Mechanical about systems that use the renewable energy source of the sun to heat water and buildings. We

Wacoal Holdings has reported revenue of ¥90,167 million (~$586.1 million) in H1 2024, down by 5.2 per cent YoY. Gross profit fell 4.9 per cent to ¥51,056 million (~$331.86 million). Domestic revenue dipped 4.8 per cent to ¥45,006 million, while overseas revenue declined 1.4 per cent to ¥34,549 million. The company’s business profit was ¥2,304 million, down 39.6 per cent YoY in its overseas segment.

The Institutional Repository (IR) had a meteoric rise to fame. In a brief blaze of glory, it was heralded as the facilitator of a free exchange of information within the academic research community - a faster, cheaper and more effective way to conduct scholarly communications in the twenty-first century. Then, just as quickly, fame changed to infamy. The technology, the ownership, and the very ideal of the IR has been called into question by many and varied voices in the wider academic community and beyond. I would like to explore the really controversial aspects of the IR, and ask my audience to consider that perhaps, just perhaps, there was something useful there all along.

The Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI) reported decreases in commercial and residential air conditioning shipments year-to-date in the fourth quarter.

The Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI) reported that ductless split systems shipments had a major increase of 20 percent in the first quarter of 2016. Residential air conditioning showed an increase of 2 percent.

In May 2014, the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI), McLean, Va., launched a national effort to encourage consumers to take a fresh look at frozen foods.

The October jobs report from Australia was not as strong as we have become accustomed to:

• Australian October unemployment rate 4.1% (vs. 4.1% expected)

It was not a poor report, just not another blockbuster!

AUD/USD is not a lot changed. Earlier we had Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Bullock sounding not dovish:

• RBA Bullock says rates are restrictive enough, staying there until confident on inflation

The data is here from earlier:

• Australian October unemployment rate 4.1% (vs. 4.1% expected)
• AUD/USD little changed after the October employment report showed a steady jobless rate
  • (ps. AUD/USD has slid a little since this post, broadly stronger USD the culprit)

Westpac with the recap, in brief:

Australian labour market remains in relatively solid health

• employment growth slowing broadly in line with population growth
• average hours holding steady
• few signs that labour demand is capitulating to an extent that warrants concern
• labour market conditions remain somewhat tight ... this is not translating to stronger wage inflation pressures
• On balance, today’s update will see the RBA continue to remain focused on the dynamics around underlying inflation.

***

Speaking of the RBA, we heard from Bullock earlier, not dovish:

• RBA Bullock says rates are restrictive enough, staying there until confident on inflation

***

AUD/USD update:

Reporting objectively from a conflict is never easy. Concerns for your own personal safety and daily scenes of death and destruction mean that journalists can be overcome by personal emotion, while feelings of patriotism and “us against them” can be difficult to extinguish.

The professional ethical dilemmas presented by reporting from a conflict zone are very familiar to Anya, a journalist from the city of Donetsk, who has been covering the conflict in and around Ukraine from the beginning.

“It is difficult to remain objective in such situations,” says Anya, fully aware that journalists across all sides of the conflict face similar professional dilemmas. She was among 200 journalists and media experts from both sides of the line of contact who gathered in Mariupol, a city in the south of the Donetsk region, for the Donbas Media Forum from 9 to 12 June 2016 to discuss her personal and professional experiences of reporting on the conflict.

It was clear during the Forum, which was organized by local NGOs such as the Donetsk Institute of Information and the Donetsk Press Club that tensions among journalists deeply persist. These are partly down to the diametrically opposed political reporting on the conflict by the journalists. Indeed most of the journalists from the Donetsk region, including Anya, preferred to remain anonymous at the Forum.

[node id="250356" preset="medium" align="left" description="Oleksiy Matsuka, journalist, founder of the web-based project ‘News of Donbas’ and organiser of the Donbas Media Forum 2016, talks about difficulties media professionals face in the field, Mariupol, 10 June 2016. (Evgeny Sosnovsky)"]

Best practices on objective reporting

The discussions at the Forum explored ways of enhancing the professionalism of the reporting in ways which can help rekindle trust between communities and counter deliberate misreporting.

One of the tools presented was 'Conflict Sensitive Journalism - Best Practices and Recommendations’, a new manual published by the Officer of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine. Among many other things, the guide offers tips on how to work with vulnerable populations or how to verify facts and illustrates in plain language and through real-life case studies what media professionals need to do in the field in order to enhance their reporting.

“The guidelines aim to both advance the safety of journalists covering the conflict in Ukraine and support the development of conflict-sensitive media coverage”, says OSCE PCU National Project Officer Maryna Bezkorovaina.

Reporting from a conflict zone: Some tips

• No story is worth your life! Journalists need to ensure their personal protection in combat operations zones – preparatory planning in advance of the trip and attending hostile environment and first aid courses are crucial.
• Truth is the first victim in a conflict. Tensions are high and people pick sides. But it is crucial for journalists to stay impartial and to seek the truth – or at least be transparent in a story about the fact that information is hard to verify due to the reporting circumstances. 
• Do not stigmatise or discriminate when writing about displaced persons and other vulnerable groups and do not facilitate political manipulations on the subject.
• Make a person the centre of your story and think about consequences of your reporting.  
• Do not distort reality for the sake of a nice picture and sensational text. Journalists have no justification for twisting facts, inventing non-existent things or using footage that does not reflect reality.

Source: ‘Conflict Sensitive Journalism - Best Practices and Recommendations’, published by the Office of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (2016)

A threat to peace

Objective reporting from the conflict zone is important, because misreporting and propaganda can inflame tensions. The manual is therefore a product aiming to contribute to efforts to bring peace in Ukraine.

The lack of interest in and the dehumanization of the “other side” can threaten the potential for sustainable peace, says journalist Dejan Anastasijević with the Serbian weekly Vreme. At the Donbas Media Forum, he recalled his experiences as a correspondent on the Yugoslav wars of secession. “Do not make the situation worse by using harsh language against each other.”

The handbook features the results of a study implemented by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in partnership with the Ukrainian NGOs Telekritika and the Institute of Mass Media, which revealed serious misconceptions among leading editors and prominent Ukrainian journalists regarding the role of the media in times of conflict.

[node id="250361" preset="medium" align="left" description="Dejan Anastasijevic, Serbian journalist from Vreme newspaper states: “Do not make the situation worse by using harsh language against each other,” in a panel discussion at the Forum in Mariupol, 10 June 2016. (Evgeny Sosnovsky)"]

The study highlighted over-generalized reporting, narratives characterised by an 'us' versus 'them' perspective, inflammatory language and dehumanization of the conflict sides. Half of the analysed national online publications reported incomplete information about the conflict, while about a quarter of the material primarily relied on data from social networks. Moreover, the problems and needs of the people living in the areas not controlled by the Ukrainian government received little or no coverage.

“Journalists need to understand that they are not soldiers fighting for a particular side,” says Oleksiy Matsuka, a journalist and founder of the web-based project ‘News of Donbas’. “The manual helps journalists return to the origins and basic rules of their profession.”

The manual was a crucial element of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator’s “Supporting Conflict Sensitive Journalism in Ukraine” project, which is partially funded by the Government of the United Kingdom and the International Media Support (IMS) NGO. The manual draws on the most up-to-date practices based on the highest quality academic research.

The book was also earlier presented in Lviv Media Forum, in western Ukraine, and English, Ukrainian and Russian versions of the book are available on the OSCE website and as an app for iOS and Android devices.

“It is extremely useful for journalists to have a handbook they can easily access whenever and wherever they need it,” says Mariana Seminishin, organizer of the Lviv Media Forum. “The manual provides both life-saving information and guidance that could pave the way for peace in Ukraine.” 

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The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Baku and the Azerbaijani Press Council are pleased to announce two contests for media reports highlighting the problems of domestic violence in Azerbaijan.

The first contest is for the articles published in newspapers and online media, the second one for TV reports. An evaluation committee comprising the representatives of the OSCE, Press Council and the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs will award prizes for the best reports produced from 1 May 2015 to 30 November 2015.

The deadline for entries is 30 November 2015. The results will be announced in December 2015.

The competition is open to media representatives only. The authors of the winning articles and reports will receive certificates and cash prizes: first place - 1500, second – 1200 and third – 1000 AZN. Each contest also includes an award for the best report from young journalists – 1000 AZN. These contests are part of the PCiB’s project on supporting the implementation of the law on the prevention of domestic violence.

Questions about the contest may be directed to Zhala Azizova, National Project Officer, at zazizova@osce.org and Avaz Rustamov, representative of the Press Council, at evez.rustemov@gmail.com.

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The final report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on Serbia’s 24 April 2016 early parliamentary elections recommends a comprehensive review of legislation to further improve election process.  

The report, while finding the elections were efficiently administered and held in a competitive environment, spells out key areas that would benefit from such a review, including unclear rules on candidate registration, inadequate regulation of campaign finance, deficiencies and loopholes in dispute resolution mechanisms, an absence of sanctions for some violations and the lack of provisions on election observation.

The report, published on 29 July 2016, notes that, while fundamental freedoms were respected and candidates were able to campaign freely, biased media coverage, undue advantage of incumbency and a blurring of the distinction between state and party activities hindered a level playing field for contestants. To this end, the report recommends specific campaign regulations, including the introduction of ceilings on campaign expenditures and preventing the misuse of administrative resources and the abuse of office.  

In noting the absence of an effective mechanism for monitoring media conduct during the campaign, the report recommends clarifying the competences of the media regulatory body in investigating and sanctioning breaches of legislation in a timely manner.

A review of the election appeals system to guarantee an effective and timely remedy for all complaints, and particularly in cases related to electionday irregularities and election results, is also among the report’s recommendations.

Additional recommendations relate to providing unrestricted access of citizen and international observers to the entire electoral process, including voting, counting and tabulation, and enhancing the transparency of the tabulation of results.

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VIENNA, 1 August 2016 – At the end of the siege of police headquarters in Yerevan, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today sought reassurance from the foreign minister of Armenia that journalists’ rights and safety during times of civil unrest would be protected.

Mijatović wrote to Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian indicating that the Government “should implement practical steps to ensure restraint on the part of law enforcement representatives toward members of the media and suggested steps should be taken by the authorities to guarantee that the press is not targeted by the police or thugs. The police should be protecting journalists and members of the media.”

According to reports, on 29 July media reporting on the forced dispersal of demonstrators in the Sari Tagh district and other events were attacked, beaten and had their equipment destroyed. In some cases the attackers were uniformed police; in others, civilians armed with metal rods.

Those attacked include:

• reporter Aghvan Asoyan and camera operator Albert Galstyan from Armenia TV;
• journalist Mariam Grigoryan and camera operator Davit Harutyunyan from Arajin Lratvakan;
• reporters Karlen Aslanyan and Hovhannes Movsisyan and camera operator Garik Harutyunyan of Azatutyun;
• reporter Robert Ananyan and camera operator Tigran Badalyan from A1+ TV;
• camera operator Marut Vanyan from the Lragir.am news website;
• journalists Sargis Kharazyan and Mkrtich Karapetyan from CivilNet;
• reporter Hovik Grigoryan of Panorama.am; and
• camera operator Tigran Gasparyan who works for Life.ru.

Mijatović also noted in the letter the statement published by the Armenian media NGOs of 21 July about the police attacks on journalists that took place in Yerevan days and weeks earlier. The victims included:

• Gevorg Tosunyan, a journalist from iravaban.net;
• Artak Hambardzumyan, a reporter from Azatutyun;
• Arthur Hayrapetyan, a reporter from 4news.am; and
• Tehmine Yenoqyan , a reporter from lragir.am.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. She provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom. 

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WARSAW, 30 June 2016 – Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), expressed his concern following the rise in hate incidents reported to the police in the United Kingdom following the 23 June referendum vote to leave the European Union.

"These manifestations of hate and intolerance have a negative impact on the whole of British society, undermining the security of minority and immigrant communities. The current political climate in the United Kingdom provides absolutely no justification for racism and xenophobia," said Director Link.

He also commended the strong national response by Prime Minister David Cameron and other national leaders. "By publicly denouncing these incidents, the authorities have sent a strong message that bias motivated attacks have no place in the United Kingdom. I add my voice to those calling for the swift identification and prosecution of the perpetrators."

The National Police Chiefs’ Council reported a 57 per cent increase in reporting to True Vision, the online hate crime reporting site run by the police, between 24 and 27 June, compared to the same time in May 2016. ODIHR has also received reports of hate crimes and expressions of concern about the safety of people living in the United Kingdom.

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ASHGABAT, 10 June 2016 – Some 30 journalists representing national broadcast, print and online media from across the country as well as journalism instructors from Turkmenistan’s institutions of higher education completed an OSCE-organized training course on journalism reporting skills in Ashgabat today.

During the three-day training course, journalists shared views on the changes in the media landscape as a result of the development of multimedia and the role of journalists in the modern information environment.

International experts from Lithuania and the Russian Federation elaborated on the elements, structure and objectives of journalistic reports while highlighting the specifics of TV and news reporting and techniques of planning multimedia materials.

“The introduction of new technologies has challenged the traditional form of journalism due to the growing demand for real-time reportage of events, interactivity and multimedia content. As free and plural media is a vital precondition for international development and security, media development remains as important as ever,” said Radovan Znasik, Officer-in-Charge at the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

“We believe that this course will contribute to enhancing the capacity of Turkmenistan’s journalists to work in a modern media landscape.”

The course included practical exercises, in which the participants discussed case studies related to journalism ethics, practiced interviewing skills and developing detailed scenarios for multimedia reports.

The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized the training course as part of its activities to assist the host country in the area of media development.

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Serbia’s legal framework for governing elections to the High Judicial Council and the State Prosecutors’ Council is fairly comprehensive although there are a few minor issues with implementing the laws and regulations, partly as a result of gaps in the law. This is the conclusion of a joint Report launched on 24 May 2016 by the OSCE Mission to Serbia and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

The OSCE Mission and ODIHR followed the elections of judges and prosecutors to the High Judicial Council and the State Prosecutors’ Council throughout Serbia in December 2015, in partnership with the Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM), a local civil society organization. The election processes were conducted without any major irregularities observed.

The Report makes a number of recommendations, largely similar for both the judicial and prosecutorial councils, including amending and further developing the legal framework regarding the election process for the judicial and prosecutors’ councils, the candidates’ nomination process, and procedures for resolving disputes and providing effective remedies.

The findings and recommendations resulting from the election monitoring will help inform the public about the ongoing judicial reform process in Serbia. The relevant state institutions and justice stakeholders will also have an objective assessment to assist them in further strengthening the independence, accountability and efficiency of the Serbian judiciary.

The Report is available at: https://www.osce.org/odihr/242346

The OSCE Mission to Serbia and ODIHR stand ready to continue supporting the legal reform efforts of the Serbian authorities in line with the recommendations of this report and OSCE commitments.

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The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) issued a final report on 8 July 2016 on the postponed early parliamentary elections in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, which were scheduled for 5 June 2016. The final report assesses whether the electoral process and activities conducted before the postponement of elections were in line with OSCE commitments, other international obligations and standards for democratic elections, and with national legislation.  

While recognizing that 2015 amendments to the Electoral Code attempted to address most of the prior OSCE/ODIHR recommendations, the report notes that late changes negatively affected electoral stakeholders’ understanding of new provisions and impacted their ability to fulfil their functions. In addition, a number of previous recommendations remain to be addressed and legal inconsistencies eliminated. The report recommends conducting a complete review of the Code after consultations between all political stakeholders and relevant civil society organizations.  

As one of the priority recommendations, the report recommends the State Election Commission and the Ministry of Internal Affairs continue the process of updating the voter register through a co-ordinated effort ahead of the next elections. In order to increase the citizens’ confidence in the accuracy of voter registration, it also recommends that the process is transparent and ensures political parties and civil society access for verification.  

Noting that some measures to prevent intimidation and pressure on citizens were taken by authorities, it however mentions that a climate of intimidation persisted, attributed to a fear of retribution existing in state companies and institutions. The report recommends that authorities actively encourage citizens to report any cases of pressure and intimidation and thoroughly investigate such instances. 

While a number of aspects for the media coverage of election campaigns have been detailed in the Electoral Code, a need for continued substantial reform was highlighted. The report suggests amending the legal framework to further clarify the requirements for balanced reporting during the pre-campaign period.

Additional recommendations in the report include deciding on election-related cases within timely deadlines and harmonizing the Electoral Code with the Constitution, which provides for public hearings. It also recommends periodic review of district boundaries by an independent body to ensure the equality of the vote.

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The final report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on Serbia’s 24 April 2016 early parliamentary elections recommends a comprehensive review of legislation to further improve election process.  

The report, while finding the elections were efficiently administered and held in a competitive environment, spells out key areas that would benefit from such a review, including unclear rules on candidate registration, inadequate regulation of campaign finance, deficiencies and loopholes in dispute resolution mechanisms, an absence of sanctions for some violations and the lack of provisions on election observation.

The report, published on 29 July 2016, notes that, while fundamental freedoms were respected and candidates were able to campaign freely, biased media coverage, undue advantage of incumbency and a blurring of the distinction between state and party activities hindered a level playing field for contestants. To this end, the report recommends specific campaign regulations, including the introduction of ceilings on campaign expenditures and preventing the misuse of administrative resources and the abuse of office.  

In noting the absence of an effective mechanism for monitoring media conduct during the campaign, the report recommends clarifying the competences of the media regulatory body in investigating and sanctioning breaches of legislation in a timely manner.

A review of the election appeals system to guarantee an effective and timely remedy for all complaints, and particularly in cases related to electionday irregularities and election results, is also among the report’s recommendations.

Additional recommendations relate to providing unrestricted access of citizen and international observers to the entire electoral process, including voting, counting and tabulation, and enhancing the transparency of the tabulation of results.

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• International election observers in Serbia to hold press conference on Monday

This report is for media and the general public.

At 10:10 on 2 August, an armed man at a known Ukrainian Armed Forces position wearing military-style clothing with no markings stopped two SMM vehicles in government-controlled areas travelling east on the road from Lopaskyne (government-controlled, 24km north-west of Luhansk) to Lobacheve (government-controlled, 17km north-west of Luhansk).  When one of the SMM monitors stepped out of the vehicle to speak with the man, the latter chambered a round into his submachine gun (AKSU-74) and after removing the weapon’s safety, pointed it at the SMM monitor and put his finger on the trigger. Speaking in Russian, the armed man told the SMM “Stop. You are not going anywhere”.

The SMM requested the armed man call his commander, which he did. Standing approximately two metres away, the man kept his gun pointed at the SMM monitor and spoke to someone in Russian on his handheld radio. Approximately five to seven minutes later, another man arrived at the scene carrying an assault rifle (AK-74) with a silencer. He was accompanied by three other armed men carrying assault rifles, some of whom appeared to be intoxicated, and appeared to be in a position of authority. Some of the men were dressed in military-style clothing. Using Russian and speaking in an aggressive manner, the man said that he and the other armed men present were members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The SMM monitor asked the man who appeared to be in charge to order the armed man to lower his weapon. He did so but the weapon was not made safe.

Speaking with the commander of the group, the SMM monitor tried to diffuse the situation by explaining the Mission’s mandate and after approximately fifteen minutes, the SMM was allowed to leave the area and proceed to Lobacheve to complete their tasks.

The SMM returned safely to its base at 16:00. The Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination was informed.

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This report is for media and the general public.

On 6 August at 07:51hrs the SMM heard an explosion approximately 3.9km east of its location in Luhansk city.

The SMM went to the site from where it had heard the explosion located at the intersection of Karpynsky and Vatutyn Street in Luhansk city, 500m north-east of SMM’s accommodation. The site was cordoned off, by so-called “LPR” “police” and the SMM could assess from a distance of approximately 15-30 meters, that an explosion had likely been caused by an improvised explosive device (assessed as approximately 1kg of high explosives) placed next to or in, a lamp post about two meters away from the vehicle, which was damaged and downed, at the side of the road. The SMM saw a black sport utility vehicle “Toyota Landcruiser Prado” severely damaged with windows shattered and front and side airbags deployed.

“LPR” “police” members at the site told the SMM that there were two casualties, without giving further details. Mr Vladislav Deynego, “LPR” member, told the SMM that Mr Plotnitsky was “in a bad condition and not able to receive visitors.”  At the time of writing, the SMM could not reach personnel at either of the two hospitals in Luhansk city for confirmation.

The SMM will continue following up to confirm the information, and observe further developments.

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• Spot Report by OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine: SMM threatened at gunpoint near Lobacheve in Luhansk region
• Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, based on information received as of 19:30, 4 August 2016
• Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, based on information received as of 19:30, 3 August 2016

This report is for media and the general public.

On 6 August at 07:51hrs the SMM heard an explosion approximately 3.9km east of its location in Luhansk city.

The SMM went to the site from where it had heard the explosion located at the intersection of Karpynsky and Vatutyn Street in Luhansk city, 500m north-east of SMM’s accommodation. The site was cordoned off, by so-called “LPR” “police” and the SMM could assess from a distance of approximately 15-30 meters, that an explosion had likely been caused by an improvised explosive device (assessed as approximately 1kg of high explosives) placed next to or in, a lamp post about two meters away from the vehicle, which was damaged and downed, at the side of the road. The SMM saw a black sport utility vehicle “Toyota Landcruiser Prado” severely damaged with windows shattered and front and side airbags deployed.

“LPR” “police” members at the site told the SMM that there were two casualties, without giving further details. Mr Vladislav Deynego, “LPR” member, told the SMM that Mr Plotnitsky was “in a bad condition and not able to receive visitors.”  At the time of writing, the SMM could not reach personnel at either of the two hospitals in Luhansk city for confirmation.

The SMM will continue following up to confirm the information, and observe further developments.

Related Stories

• Spot Report by OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine: SMM threatened at gunpoint near Lobacheve in Luhansk region
• Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, based on information received as of 19:30, 4 August 2016
• Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, based on information received as of 19:30, 3 August 2016

Saudi Arabia 5G Technology Analysis Report 2024: Market to  GlobeNewswire

A new technology at BRG could improve patient care  Greater Baton Rouge Business Report

Google live sports reporting - There’s a moving green line underneath the ‘Live’ label to indicate and reassure the user that the page is active and reporting the live scores. 

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Mañana arranca la primera gran Operación Salida del verano y millones de conductores se echarán a la carretera para iniciar sus vacaciones estivales. En el momento de repostar sus vehículos, se seguirán encontrando un año más con un surtidor opaco y se preguntarán si la estación de turno les está pegando un palo por llenar el tanque. Aquí van algunos consejos para llevar mejor este momento.

Omnicom Media Group (OMG), Publicis Groupe, and dentsu lead Forrester's media agency Wave report, released today. The research firm evaluated 12 media agencies, both holding company-owned and independents, based on three criteria: capabilities, strategy, and customer feedback. Agencies were then grouped into three categories based on their score: leaders, strong performers, and contenders. OMG, Publicis...

Embracer has reported disappointing results for the second quarter of 2024, reporting a large drop in net sales of 21% across the gaming group to SEK 8.6 billion ($782 million), with net sales of its entertainment and services also dropping by 10%. Adjusted operating profit fell by 33% to $109 million between July and September […]

India's economic growth in the second half of this financial year will be driven by rural demand and government spending. The rural economy is gaining momentum. Consumer durables and non-durables are showing strong performance. The manufacturing sector is also exhibiting growth. However, there are signs of a slowdown in industrial growth.

November 12 saw 10,150 shares trade on the Bermuda Stock Exchange, valued at $370,475.00 BD. 10,150 shares were traded by Bank of N.T. Butterfield Ltd, closing up even at $36.50 per share. The BSX finished at 2,526.08, even on the day. There were 0 advances, 0 declines, and 53 remained unchanged. The full report for […]

Metallica have announced that Alice In Chains star Jerry Cantrell is the special featured guest on this week's episode

The Argus Group has released its third annual Sustainability Report, “charting meaningful progress in addressing challenges including climate change and social equity.” A spokesperson said, “The focus is on how Argus is living its purpose to be “a powerful force for sustainable wellbeing” by embedding enterprise-wide, material changes that benefit their people and the planet. “Featured […]

Leading artificial intelligence companies including OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic are facing "diminishing returns" from their costly efforts to build newer AI models, according to a new Bloomberg report. The stumbling blocks appear to be growing in size as Apple continues a phased rollout of its own AI features through Apple Intelligence.


OpenAI's latest model, known internally as Orion, has reportedly fallen short of the company's performance expectations, particularly in handling coding tasks. The model is said to be lacking the significant improvements over existing systems when compared to the gains GPT-4 made versus its predecessor.

Google is also reportedly facing similar obstacles with its upcoming Gemini software, while Anthropic has delayed the release of its anticipated Claude 3.5 Opus model. Industry experts who spoke to Bloomberg attributed the challenges to the increasing difficulty in finding "new, untapped sources of high-quality, human-made training data" and the enormous costs associated with developing and operating new models concurrently with existing ones.

Silicon Valley's belief that more computing power, data, and larger models will inevitably lead to better performance, and ultimately the holy grail – artificial general intelligence (AGI) – could be based on false assumptions, suggests the report. Consequently, companies are now exploring alternative approaches, including further post-training (incorporating human feedback to improve responses and refining the tone) and developing AI tools called agents that can perform targeted tasks, such as booking flights or sending emails on a user's behalf.

"The AGI bubble is bursting a little bit," said Margaret Mitchell, chief ethics scientist at AI startup Hugging Face. She told Bloomberg that "different training approaches" may be needed to make AI models work really well on a variety of tasks. Other experts who spoke to the outlet echoed Mitchell's sentiment.

How much impact these challenges will have on Apple's approach is unclear, though Apple Intelligence is more focused in comparison, and the company uses internal large language models (LLMs) grounded in privacy. Apple's AI services mainly operate on-device, while the company's Private Cloud Compute encrypted servers are only pinged for tasks requiring more advanced processing power.

Apple is integrating AI capabilities into existing products and services, including writing tools, Siri improvements, and image generation features, so it can't be said to be competing directly in the LLM space. However, Apple has agreed a partnership with OpenAI that allows Siri to optionally hand off more open-ended queries to ChatGPT. Apple has also reportedly held discussions with other LLM companies about similar outsourcing partnerships.

It's possible that the challenges faced by major AI companies pursuing breakthrough general-purpose AI models could ultimately validate Apple's more conservative strategy of developing specific AI features that enhance the user experience. In that sense, its privacy-first policy may not be the straitjacket it first seemed. Apple plans to expand Apple Intelligence features next month with the release of iOS 18.2 and then via further updates through 2025.

The French “whale” who bet millions on a Trump win raked in about $85 million in profits – more than $50 million more than previously reported, according to a report. The anonymous bettor, who goes by Théo, was previously believed to operate four separate accounts on Polymarket, the online betting…

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