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OSCE concludes series of training seminars on implementing the National Preventive Mechanism in Kazakhstan

The OSCE Programme Office in Astana concluded a series of two-day training seminars for some 100 members of the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) against Torture on 2 August 2016 in Aktobe, Western Kazakhstan.

From May to August 2016, participants were trained in Pavlodar, Almaty, Astana and Aktobe on practical aspects of the NPM’s implementation.

The training seminars aimed at increasing the transparency and effectiveness of the Mechanism in monitoring, reporting and conducting preventive visits at detention facilities. National experts discussed with the NPM members the working procedures and methodology, challenges in fulfilling human rights obligations and ethical aspects in line with national and international anti-torture standards. Special emphasis was placed on the necessary co-operation between NPM and the law-enforcement sector.

The set of seminars was organized in partnership with the Ombudsman’s Office of Kazakhstan and the Regional Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and is part of the Office’s long-standing commitment to reinforce the NPM and promote the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture.

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OSCE conducts regional seminar in Kazakhstan on Vienna Document 2011

ASTANA, 24 May 2016 – An OSCE-supported regional training seminar for some 50 military officers from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan on the practical implementation of the Vienna Document 2011 and confidence- and security-building measures began today in Astana.

The OSCE Programme Office in Astana organized the four-day event in co-operation with Kazakhstan's Defence Ministry and with the support of the OSCE field operations.

Military and civilian experts from France, Hungary, the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia will share their expertise. The participants will discuss developments in the field of confidence- and security-building measures, which are the focus of the Vienna Document 2011, as well as  its implementation aspects, such as inspection procedures, experience exchange and the demonstration of weapons and equipment systems.

Deputy Defence Minister of Kazakhstan Talgat Mukhtarov said: “The Vienna Document is one of the most important instruments of the OSCE’s politico-military dimension. It has long served to promote co-operation, transparency and confidence building as well as a system of verification. While the annual seminar serves to help us understand the ‘letter’ of the Vienna Document, it is always very important that our activities embrace its ‘spirit.’”

“The OSCE has been placing considerable emphasis on building confidence and security through closer co-operation of the armed forces in the region under the Vienna Document 2011,” said György Szabó, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana. “What makes the Vienna Document so exceptional is that it does not only helps de-escalate a potential conflict, but can help build relations between countries in such a way that war between them seems inconceivable.”

Robin Mossinkoff, Head of the Forum for Security Co-operation Support Section, highlighted the work done to build trust and confidence by OSCE participating States, supported by the OSCE. He noted that this was conducted not only under the Vienna Document, but also agreements such as the Code of Conduct on Political-Military Aspects of Security and the Document on Small Arms and Light Weapons, and Stockpiles of Conventional Ammunition.

The seminar will include theoretical exercises and a simulated inspection visit to the 36th Air Assault Brigade near Astana on 27 May. The participants will carry out an evaluation in accordance with the provisions of the Vienna Document on compliance and verification, and produce a report.

The Vienna Document was adopted by all OSCE participating States and obliges them to share information on their armed forces and military activities. It also contains provisions on compliance and verification, such as conducting and hosting inspections and evaluations, as well as on risk reduction, military contacts and co-operation, and prior notification of certain military activities.

The OSCE Programme Office in Astana has been organizing seminars on the Vienna Document in Kazakhstan since 2006. The seminar is part of the Programme Office's long-standing efforts to promote OSCE confidence- and security-building measures and regional security.

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OSCE Programme Office supports public hearings on libel and slander legislation in Kazakhstan

ASTANA, 21 July 2016 – Some 25 Supreme and Regional Court judges, lawyers, journalists, media experts as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps and civil society today in Astana participated in OSCE-supported public hearings on the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan’s Decree on the “Application of legislation on protecting the honour, dignity and business reputation in judicial practice”.

Participants reviewed current legal precedents on defamation-related cases, discussed national legislation and its compliance with international standards as well as recommendations to the Supreme Court’s draft decree.    

 “The OSCE advocates for the full decriminalization of defamation and the fair consideration of such cases in dispute-resolution bodies or civil courts,” said Colin McCullough, Political Officer at the OSCE Programme Office in Astana. “This is crucial to promoting freedom of the media, to effectively expose and fight corruption, and to eliminate the excessive protection of senior officials from legitimate public criticism.”

Bolat Kalyanbekov, Head of the Information Support Division of the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan, said: "Today's public hearings create a precedent for additional expert understanding of regulatory decrees. This is a relatively new format for meetings and it allows us all to hear expert opinions and conclusions on the issue, as well as to receive comprehensive recommendations on it.”

The event was supported by the OSCE Programme Office in Astana in co-operation with the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the US Agency for International Development, the Eurasia Foundation for Central Asia and the International Fund for the Protection of the Freedom of Speech Adil Soz. It is part of the Office’s activities aimed at promoting media freedom and freedom of expression in line with OSCE principles and commitments.

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HSTP-NFWT - Requirements for Network Address Translator and Firewall Traversal of H.323 Multimedia Systems<br/>

HSTP-NFWT - Requirements for Network Address Translator and Firewall Traversal of H.323 Multimedia Systems




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HSTP-FNTP - Firewall and NAT Traversal Problems in H.323 Systems

HSTP-FNTP - Firewall and NAT Traversal Problems in H.323 Systems




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HSTP-MCTA - Media coding toolbox for IPTV: Audio codecs

HSTP-MCTA - Media coding toolbox for IPTV: Audio codecs




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HSTP-H.510M - Usage of the H.510 protocol for the support of H.323 based Multimedia Services within GPRS/IMT2000 networks

HSTP-H.510M - Usage of the H.510 protocol for the support of H.323 based Multimedia Services within GPRS/IMT2000 networks




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HSTP-MMSM - Technical Paper on Service Mobility for new Multimedia Service Architecture<br/>

HSTP-MMSM - Technical Paper on Service Mobility for new Multimedia Service Architecture




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HSTP-MCTB - Media coding toolbox for IPTV: Audio and video codecs

HSTP-MCTB - Media coding toolbox for IPTV: Audio and video codecs




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HSTP-CONF-H762 - Conformance testing specification for H.762

HSTP-CONF-H762 - Conformance testing specification for H.762




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HSTP-CONF-H770 - Conformance testing specification for H.770

HSTP-CONF-H770 - Conformance testing specification for H.770




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HSTP-CONF-H721 - Conformance testing specification for H.721

HSTP-CONF-H721 - Conformance testing specification for H.721




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HSTP-IPTV-ISPF - IPTV retail service provider model

HSTP-IPTV-ISPF - IPTV retail service provider model




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HSTP-CONF-H721 - Conformance testing specification for H.721

HSTP-CONF-H721 - Conformance testing specification for H.721




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HSTP-IPTV-PITD - Delivery and control protocols handled by IPTV terminal devices<br/>

HSTP-IPTV-PITD - Delivery and control protocols handled by IPTV terminal devices




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HSTP-IPTV-AISC - Access to Internet-sourced contents

HSTP-IPTV-AISC - Access to Internet-sourced contents




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HSTP-AMSR - AMS Requirements

HSTP-AMSR - AMS Requirements




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HSTP-CONF-H762 - Conformance testing specification for H.762

HSTP-CONF-H762 - Conformance testing specification for H.762




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HSTP-CONF-H762 - Conformance testing specification for H.762

HSTP-CONF-H762 - Conformance testing specification for H.762




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HSTP-CONF-H701 - Conformance testing specification for H.701

HSTP-CONF-H701 - Conformance testing specification for H.701




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HSTP-CONF-H761 - Conformance testing specification for H.761

HSTP-CONF-H761 - Conformance testing specification for H.761




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HSTP-CONF-H762 - Conformance testing specification for H.762

HSTP-CONF-H762 - Conformance testing specification for H.762




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HSTP-IPTV-AM101 - Introduction to the ITU-T H.741-series - A new video engagement audience measurement standard

HSTP-IPTV-AM101 - Introduction to the ITU-T H.741-series - A new video engagement audience measurement standard




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HSTP-H810 - Introduction to the ITU-T H.810 Continua Design Guidelines

HSTP-H810 - Introduction to the ITU-T H.810 Continua Design Guidelines




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HSTP.DS-UCIS - Digital signage: Use-cases of interactive services

HSTP.DS-UCIS - Digital signage: Use-cases of interactive services




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HSTP.IPTV-Gloss - Glossary and terminology of IP-based TV-related multimedia services

HSTP.IPTV-Gloss - Glossary and terminology of IP-based TV-related multimedia services




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HSTP-CITS-Reqs - Global ITS Communication Requirements (Version 1)

HSTP-CITS-Reqs - Global ITS Communication Requirements (Version 1)




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HSTP-CONF-H721 - Conformance testing specification for ITU-T H.721

HSTP-CONF-H721 - Conformance testing specification for ITU-T H.721




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HSTP-H810-XCHF - Fundamentals of data exchange within ITU-T H.810 Continua Design Guideline architecture

HSTP-H810-XCHF - Fundamentals of data exchange within ITU-T H.810 Continua Design Guideline architecture
Superseded




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HSTP-MCTB - Media coding toolbox for IPTV: Audio and video codecs

HSTP-MCTB - Media coding toolbox for IPTV: Audio and video codecs




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HSTP-H810-XCHF - Fundamentals of data exchange within ITU-T H.810 Continua Design Guideline architecture

HSTP-H810-XCHF - Fundamentals of data exchange within ITU-T H.810 Continua Design Guideline architecture




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HSTP-CONF-H702 - Conformance testing specification for H.702

HSTP-CONF-H702 - Conformance testing specification for H.702




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HSTP-IPTV-GUIDE.1 - IPTV service deployment scenarios in high-speed broadband era

HSTP-IPTV-GUIDE.1 - IPTV service deployment scenarios in high-speed broadband era




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HSTP-H812-FHIR Interoperability design guidelines for personal health systems: Services interface: FHIR Observation Upload for trial implementation

HSTP-H812-FHIR Interoperability design guidelines for personal health systems: Services interface: FHIR Observation Upload for trial implementation




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HSTP-H810 - Introduction to the ITU-T H.810 Continua Design Guidelines

HSTP-H810 - Introduction to the ITU-T H.810 Continua Design Guidelines




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HSTP-H810-XCHF - Fundamentals of data exchange within ITU-T H.810 Continua Design Guideline architecture

HSTP-H810-XCHF - Fundamentals of data exchange within ITU-T H.810 Continua Design Guideline architecture




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HSTP-DIS-UAV - Use cases and service scenarios of disaster information service using unmanned aerial vehicles

HSTP-DIS-UAV - Use cases and service scenarios of disaster information service using unmanned aerial vehicles




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HSTR-IPTV-GB - IPTV Green Book

HSTR-IPTV-GB - IPTV Green Book




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HSTP.CONF-H764 - Conformance testing specification for H.764

HSTP.CONF-H764 - Conformance testing specification for H.764




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HSTP-H812-FHIR - Interoperability design guidelines for personal health systems: Services interface: FHIR Observation Upload for trial implementation

HSTP-H812-FHIR - Interoperability design guidelines for personal health systems: Services interface: FHIR Observation Upload for trial implementation




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HSTP.DLT-RF - Distributed ledger technologies: Regulatory framework

HSTP.DLT-RF - Distributed ledger technologies: Regulatory framework




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HSTP.DLT-UC - Distributed ledger technologies: Use cases

HSTP.DLT-UC - Distributed ledger technologies: Use cases




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HSTP-VID-WPOM - Working practices using objective metrics for evaluation of video coding efficiency experiments

HSTP-VID-WPOM - Working practices using objective metrics for evaluation of video coding efficiency experiments




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HSTP.CONF-H870 - Testing of personal audio systems for compliance with ITU-T H.870 (2018)

HSTP.CONF-H870 - Testing of personal audio systems for compliance with ITU-T H.870 (2018)




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HSTP.ACC-UC - Use cases for inclusive media access services

HSTP.ACC-UC - Use cases for inclusive media access services




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HSTP.DLT-Risk - DLT-based application development risks and their mitigations

HSTP.DLT-Risk - DLT-based application development risks and their mitigations




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HSTP-DLT-CG - Construction guidelines for city-level distributed ledger technology (DLT) infrastructure

HSTP-DLT-CG - Construction guidelines for city-level distributed ledger technology (DLT) infrastructure




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AP Mechanic job at NorthStar Aviation Services in Lake Havasu City AZ

NorthStar Aviation Services is hiring in Lake Havasu City AZAP Mechanic positions available. Visit us to learn more about NorthStar Aviation Services and see our job postings on www.avjobs.com Please reference Avjobs when applying. Like to see more from NorthStar Aviation Services.




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Fascism Rising & the Burning of the Reichstag: February 27, 1933


 

Fascism means an extreme concentration of power in one person who thereby rises above the law. Such irrational power concentration always arises from lies, delusions and hatred--such as racism. It always leads to violence, bloodshed and war. From its origins in Italy after World War I through today as manifest in Donald Trump, and his comrades in arms, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un and Xi Jinping, it always fails and leads to destruction and mass death. Human rights violations and oppression universally accompany fascism. Even a cursory review of history reveals that fascism entails pain, misery, and mass murder. Yet, fascism rises across the world and even in America. Tuesday, November 5, 2024, will determine whether fascism will march forward in the world or fail to overcome the freedom, prosperity and determination of the West. I will chronicle this contest here.

Along the way we will explore the history of fascism and its manifold failures. Fittingly,    today coincides with the 91st anniversary of the Burning of the Reichstag. This event launched Adolph Hitler toward totalitarian dictator. The next day the German President Paul von Hindenburg suspended civil liberties. Opposition to Nazis effectively became a crime. Today, controversy surrounds the Burning of the Reichstag. The new consensus in Berlin holds that the Nazis did it. In any event, it became a Big Lie that supported the onset of fascism in Germany. Things did not end well for the German people nor the wider world--over 8 million Germans perished.

Donald Trump already called for the suspension of the Constitution so that he may seize power. He promises to be a "dictator" on day one of his new administration. He claims power to override the Constitution via executive order--the first President to ever make such an outlandish claim. Trump will never concede defeat and acquiesce in the peaceful transition of power as he proved on January 6, 2020 when he led an insurrection rather than concede defeat. 

Trump proved he will never consent to the peaceful transition of power. Which is why his admission that he seeks to exercise dictatorial power on day one of his new administration should he win the election must be taken seriously:

It is hard to imagine a more clear and present danger to our Constitutional Republic than Trump's own admission that he seeks dictatorial power.

 




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Car Wrapped In Plastic Withstands Gonzalo

A car that was wrapped in plastic to help defend against Hurricane Gonzalo — with the photo of it becoming a hit on social media  – has come through the hurricane in picture perfect condition, with no scratches or debris. Bernews posted a photo of the car on social media just prior to Gonzalo’s arrival […]