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Wind energy powers job creation opportunities for Canadian manufacturers
The Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) and Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) announced today a strategic partnership to explore Canadian manufacturing opportunities in the growing global wind power industry. The announcement was made at the close of CanWEA's 25th annual Conference & Exhibition in downtown Toronto. The event was the organization's most successful to date, drawing more than 2,000 delegates and 235 exhibitors from Canada, the U.S, and around the world.
"Wind energy represents a significant opportunity to create new green jobs in Canada's manufacturing sector," said CanWEA President Robert Hornung. "The more than 8,000 parts that go into a wind turbine require highly skilled trades and quality manufacturing facilities, both of which are in abundant supply in Canada. It is estimated that between now and 2020, more than 2 million jobs will be created in the global wind energy industry, many of them in manufacturing and export."
The two national associations will partner this fall to produce a co-branded market report that explores and outlines the opportunities, the challenges, and the actions required to ensure Canada earns its share of new wind energy manufacturing and component production.
"We need to ensure that we can secure manufacturing capacity that will respond to the phenomenal growth in this industry," said CME President Jayson Myers. "In order to compete and win in the North American investment game, we need both government support and leadership. By taking the appropriate action today, we can ensure Canada is a global leader in this industry in the future."
Wind energy is one of the fastest growing sources of electricity in Canada as governments seek ways to meet increasing energy demands without producing greenhouse gases while also stimulating rural and industrial economic development. Almost 800 MW of new wind energy capacity will be installed this year in Canada, representing more than $1.5 billion of investment. By the end of 2009, wind energy facilities will be operating for the first time in every province of Canada, producing enough electricity to power almost 1 million Canadian homes.
About Canadian Wind Energy Association
CanWEA is the voice of Canada's wind energy industry, actively promoting the responsible and sustainable growth of wind energy on behalf of its more than 450 members. A national non-profit association, CanWEA serves as Canada's leading source of credible information about wind energy and its social, economic and environmental benefits. To join other global leaders in the wind energy industry, CanWEA believes Canada can and must reach its target of producing 20 per cent or more of the country's electricity from wind by 2025. The document Wind Vision 2025 – Powering Canada's Future is available at www.canwea.ca.
About Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters
Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) is Canada's leading trade and industry association and the voice of manufacturing and global business in Canada. The association represents more than 10,000 leading companies nationwide. More than 85% of CME's members are small and medium-sized enterprises. As Canada's leading business network, CME, through various initiatives including icosmo.ca and the establishment of the Canadian Manufacturing Coalition, touches more than 100,000 companies from coast to coast, engaged in manufacturing, global business and service-related industries. CME's membership network accounts for an estimated 82% of total manufacturing production and 90% of Canada's exports. Visit www.cme-mec.ca
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Headlines, hot news, and conversation starters on January 3, 2019!
After clearing out her Instagram feed last night, Liza Soberano uploaded her first post for 2019 and it was about "turning her back on 2018." In the caption, she thanked all her fans, co-workers, friends, and family for their support and kindness. She also wrote how she's "ready to face new challenges, meet new people, and learn more about myself and the world" in the New Year.
Kisses Delavin's parents, Gilbert and Carrie Delavin, renewed their wedding vows in Seoul, South Korea for their 25th wedding anniversary! Aside from being the main witness in her parents' Christian wedding ceremony, they all wore hanbok, traditional Korean attire worn during occasions such as festivals, celebrations, and ceremonies.
Heart Evangelista started her own YouTube channel on September 2018. After numerous vlogs and beauty tutorials, the actress-author-artist revealed in her IG stories that she has already reached 400,000 subscribers!
As of writing, she has 401,411 subscribers. Congrats, Heart!
Fans of Mike, Eleven, Dustin, Will, Caleb, and Max, rejoice! The highly-anticipated third season of Stranger Things will be released on July 4, 2019 on Netflix! While details for the new season are scarce, we do know it will take place in the summer of 1985.


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History, Challenges, and Future Directions of Bioinformatics in Biomarker Development
By Yu Liang, Ph.D., Director of Clinical Biomarkers, Calithera Biosciences
Yu Liang, Ph.D., Director of Clinical Biomarkers, Calithera Biosciences
In the past sixty years, bioinformatics evolved through two phases, and currently is in a new era with new challenges. It is fair to say that bioinformatics was born from the increasing demand for information collection along with the burgeoning molecular biology. The inception of the demand started when macromolecules, from proteins to nucleic acids, were decoded into their building blocks. Collection of data soon became insufficient because consortia of sequencing efforts expanded exponentially from one gene to multiple genes to the whole genome, from whole-genome to whole transcriptome and proteome, from a genome of one species to genomes of multiple species. Collection of the huge amounts of sequencing data was followed by analyses that include a comparison of sequences to delineate their similarities, to identify characteristic features or domains of the molecules, to deduce functions of these features and domains, and to interrogate the molecular basis of biology. Through phylogenetic relationships among genes in the same genome, and genes in different genomes, the analyses facilitated verification of the functions and biologies implicated from the sequences with the help of genetics and molecular biology, and it further provided feedback to improve and refine the annotation and prediction from new sequences. This established a foundation for the second period of time in the history of bioinformatics.
When genetic codes pass the messages into RNA, most of the fidelity is maintained, so the implicated functions and biologies at the RNA level are primarily reflected from a 2-dimensional profile, that is, what genes are expressed and how much they are expressed, or a 3-dimensional profile with time added on top of these 2 dimensions. Because transcription of genes represents how a genome responds to extrinsic and intrinsic stimuli, the demand for bioinformatics in this phase expanded towards using statistical procedures to decipher the gene expression profiles, that is, to identify genes with similar patterns of expression, functions these genes possess, and biological pathways they belong to.
Moving forward, it is desirable for bioinformatics to utilize artificial intelligence and develop powerful ML, continuing to improve and build diagnostic, prognostic, or predictive devices in precision medicine
Compendium of sequences and their computationally predicted or experimentally verified functions continued to grow during this time.
The statistical component of the bioinformatics activities became the most critical pillar, so false discovery rate and data over fitting can be properly controlled during meta-analysis and data-mining. A few biomarkers identified in this period through genome-wide expression profiling were successfully developed into actionable targets for therapeutics or medical devices. Ever-improving cutting-edge technologies continued to provide faster data delivery, higher throughput, and broader coverage, along with falling costs. However, the deluge of data and scientific discoveries in biomarkers did not translate into a comparable number of final qualified biomarkers that are used in practice. This highlights the inseparable role of bioinformatics in biomarker development and the importance of exerting statistical rigor during this process.
Increasing volume of data and complexity of analytics demands automation of processing. Using algorithms to speed up data processing and using machine learning (ML) to facilitate finding patterns and modeling prediction became an emerging trend. These are valuable for biomarker discovery within one or few platforms in exploratory settings initially, but their scope needed to be further expanded in the current era of the history of bioinformatics because of two factors. The first factor started with the emergence of systems biology. Systems biology is a discipline using computational and mathematical analyses and modeling as a platform to holistically interrogate complex biological systems. Data and analyses needed to be integrated from not only just within the same cells and same tissues, but also the crosstalk between cells and tissues, for example, interactions between cells, between tissues, between cells and their matrix, and between microbiota and its host organism. This systems approach was expected to provide insights for biomarker discovery in a more robust and mechanistically relevant fashion. Along the path of biomarker-driven development of devices, one big challenge to bioinformatics will be creating the capacity to integrate information beyond systems biology, namely systems medicine. Systems medicine covers how a human body interacts with the environment, and the information would likely be reflected from all the medical records, laboratory data, disease history, and response to prior treatments, etc.
The second factor is represented by the great success in treating cancer using immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in the past decade. ICI is a type of immunotherapy with impressive efficacy but only in a minority of patients, sometimes 10 to 30 percent depending on the tumor types. Increased expression of the ligand of the drug target enriches patients who would respond but only in certain settings. Incorporating multiple biomarkers such as quantity and distribution of subsets of immune cells, mutation burden could increase the predicting power of the markers, but the effectiveness is still uncertain, and the list of candidates is still growing. Moving forward, it is desirable for bioinformatics to utilize artificial intelligence and develop powerful ML, continuing to improve and build diagnostic, prognostic, or predictive devices in precision medicine.
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iHelplounge
iPhone 12 Pro beats the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
iPhone 12 Review: Specs, Feature, Camera
iPhone 12 Pro, impressive results in the first benchmarks
iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12…
Here is the new iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini
Home Android Google Pixel Slate Unveiled: Features, Price And Specs
Google Pixel Slate Unveiled: Features, Price And Specs
Sanie Jazz
One of the most important events of the year for phone enthusiasts happened yesterday, and the news did not stop for a second. Google introduced the Google Pixel Slate officially.
Google knows that at this point in the game there is no gap in the market for Android tablets but still, they have to find a solution for all those looking for an alternative to the Apple iPad with a versatility of an Android-based tablet. The idea to use Chrome OS operating system that gives life to this new Pixel Slate that has just been presented in New York.
Despite being a part of the Pixel family, the truth is that the
Pixel Slate design is different from other devices in this series. Its back does not have the iconic two-tone finish, but its panel is made of the same color as aluminum, and the only thing that reminds us of a Google device is the logo, big G in a corner.
It has a 12.3-inch screen with a resolution of 3,000 x 2,000 pixels and will be compatible with the Stylus Pixelbook Pen sold separately. Its brain is an Intel processor, which is accompanied by 4, 8 or 16 GB of RAM and 64, 128 or 256 GB of flash storage, and it will be possible to acquire a back-lit physical keyboard sold separately, which in turn will serve as a cover to protect the tablet and include a track-pad to control the tablet in a more accurate way.
Other details to highlight are the inclusion of a fingerprint reader on top, as well as two USB Type C ports. When connecting the keyboard, there is some magnetic connection pins, which suggests that third-party keyboards for can be used for this device.
When it comes to multimedia, the Android tablet is integrated with
two front speakers audio system and the camera has 8 megapixels in both the front and rear. With all of the Pixel phones specs, including HDR + mode and software-based portrait mode.
Thanks to the inclusion of Chrome OS, Pixel Slate is compatible with virtually all applications available on Android. Google also claims that the system interface has been perfectly optimized for use on the device, with much more intuitive touch controls. There is also no lack of the Google Assistant, perfectly integrated into the software of the device.
Price and availability of the Google Pixel Slate
The Google Pixel Slate will go on the market for now only in the United States for $599. If we want the keyboard, which goes part, you have to add $199 and another $99 for the price that the Pixel Pen has.
If you want the complete package, you will have to pay roughly $900, a price that may be too high to be a bet on iOS for iPad and Surface Windows with an ecosystem in terms of very green applications.
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Costa Memorial Home
St. Philip the Apostle R.C. Church Saddle Brook
More Obituaries for Anthony DiStefano
Anthony "Tony" DiStefano
Saddle Brook - Anthony "Tony" DiStefano 98, of Saddle Brook passed away on Wednesday, July 10, 2019. Born in Santa Domenica Vittoria, Italy to the late Arturo and Angelina DiStefano. He was an Army veteran of W.W.II. Before retiring, Tony was Director at the Teterboro School of Aeronautics in Teterboro. He was a member of the Teterboro Hall of Fame and a past president of the Aviation Technical Education Council from 1979-1980. He was a parishioner of St. Philip the Apostle R.C. Church in Saddle Brook where he was a former usher and Eucharistic Minister and a member of the Holy Name Society. Beloved husband of the late Carmen (nee Martinez) DiStefano. Devoted father of Angela Bortnick and her husband Michael and the late Anthony A. DiStefano. Dear brother of the late Marion DiStefano. Loving grandfather of Michael and his wife Elizabeth and Christopher. Cherished great grandfather of Jack and Luke. Funeral Liturgy from St. Philip the Apostle R.C. Church Saddle Brook on Monday, July 15th at 9: 30 AM. (All to meet at church). Interment following at George Washington Memorial Park, Paramus. Visitation Sunday, July 14th from 2-5 PM at Costa Memorial Home Boulevard and Central Ave. Hasbrouck Heights.. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to the Saddle Brook Volunteer Ambulance Corps or to would be appreciated.
CostaMemorialHome.com
"May your light continue to shine"
-BettyAnn Geiler


Requirements for law enforcement information systems are evolving rapidly, due to technological advances and changes in the political landscape. This is presenting law enforcement communities with challenges in building systems that meet both current and less- defined future requirements. This situation has brought into play broad requirements for effective data presentation methods, distributability of data sources, and system extensibility. One promising solution to meeting those long-term needs is to construct systems using an application framework. The Adaptable Distributed Architecture and PRC Toolset effort is presented as an example of an application framework architecture that can be reused to build evolvable, highly functional systems.


Puppies and a cutesy romance. Why not?
This is a review for the COYER challenge!
Hannah needed a project to get her through the long summer. Signing up at the local animal shelter, she finds exactly what she needs in the sad, lost dog Basil.
She sets her sights on finding his owner, promising him he would be reunited with his family. What she didn't anticipate was being distracted by her gorgeous co-volunteer, Harry.
Overcoming her inner shyness, Hannah needs to reel in Harry the hottie, find Basil's owner, and try to be a normal teenager for her mother. And do all this before the summer ends.
This book is exactly what I needed.
I've been slipping into a reading/blogging slump for a week or two, and fighting to stay out of it, but I wrote a few poems last week and read this little short story today (along with watching soooooooo much Netflix… and Film Theory…) and I already feel so much better. I love the COYER challenge, but it's long! I'm going to stick it out till the end. Only a couple of weeks left!
Everything you need in a little short story! The author does say as a disclaimer that this book is flash fiction, and is not meant to be a novel. I definitely appreciate that!
The main character is… Well, boring!
I'm not being insulting, just factual! Hannah likes school, along with organized, methodical things, and she enjoys her predictable life. When her mother forces her to get up and out of the house for the summer, she spots a volunteer opportunity at the local animal shelter.
The characters are fairly stereotypical, but in a lovable way.
The guy is the "hottest guy I've ever seen that can't possibly be single" and also happens to be amazing and totally interested in Hannah. But it's all about the puppies, so it's all good, right?
The writing is a little choppy at times, but it goes by quickly!
The writing is simply meant to be for a short story. Things happen very quickly, and there's not too much time spent on minute details. The story is quite cute though, and I'm a sucker for a cute puppy!
Overall, it was fun to read and definitely put a smile on my face.
I really can't resist puppies. They're just so cute and fluffy and….
I may pick up the sequel if I'm ever needing a short story or just some sweet puppies and cheesy, harmless romance.
Have any of you read this book? Plan to? Aren't puppies just the best? SO MUCH CUTENESS. Any puppy books you have to recommend to me? Let me know down in the comments, I've missed you guys!
Next ›After the End: NOT a post apocalyptic wasteland???


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Tick Talk
Thoughts and general ramblings about many things, mostly games...
Book Review: Meeples Together
Meeples Together (Christopher Allen & Shannon Appelcline) is the book I have spent about 10 years looking for. The format of this book is as close to my ideal 'game design' book as I have found. Now, this book isn't perfect, but it gets so much right, it should be considered a 'must read', allow me to elaborate...
Meeples Together is a book about co-operative game design and theory. The single strongest element of this book is the analysis and breakdown of various components and mechanics of games with cooperative elements.
The book doesn't just look at pure cooperative games, but rather many games that have cooperative elements, such as Overlord (Descent) and Hunter games (Last Friday). They even break down different types of "pure" co-ops, such as Traitor style games (Shadows Over Camelot, Battlestar Galactica, etc.).
That leads to probably my biggest, legitimate critique of Meeples Together. The book talks about the various types of games; they draw a lot of interesting conclusions and toe up to a very big one, but never connect the final dots. Which is: that cooperative games are actually 'team versus' games. Sometimes the game is asymmetrical, such as in The Others: 7 Sins, and sometimes one team is automated (a cardboard opponent if you will).
The authors break down co-op components and identify the "challenge system" and do a lot of interesting analysis around the mechanics, but it is really just an opposing team. A non-human team to be sure, but one that can be played by cardboard mechanics or digital (Mansions of Madness 2nd ed.). Overall, this did little to change my enjoyment of the book, but it was intellectually difficult to see the book stop just shy of the finish line.
Meeples also includes a brief history of co-op games and largely lays the title of first co-op on Arkham Horror (Launius 1987) and digs into the games that set it up, such as roleplaying games. Particularly of note is of course Call of Cthulhu. It would have been interesting to see some note of solitaire games, such as Klondike, and how they form a basis of co-ops, along with RPGs.
The third thing the book does, which I think is crucial for a design book, is it provides in depth analysis of existing games. This gives a chance to for the authors to show how the break down of games applies and what exactly is included when they talk about the triumvirate of Challenge System, Cooperative System, and Adventure system.
While abstraction is crucial for a discussion of various theories, it is also easier to speak in those terms, without considering edge cases and actual application of theory. Meeples does a very good job of providing concrete examples of theoretical mechanics. Usually in the form of citing specific games (of which there is a very nice glossary), but also specific game parts, such as when discussing the idea of "supporting other players".
I want to preface this section by saying that these are the things that I had issues with, but in the grand scheme of things, should not deter anyone from reading this book.
One of the earliest issues I had, is that the authors did not start with a definition of cooperative play. Over the course of the book this is made clear, but early on, in Chapter 1, section "What is a Cooperative Game", there is not a statement put forth and justified. It spends time looking at what games the authors consider cooperative, and various dictionary definitions. I felt this caused confusion when the authors unilaterally claimed Werewolf is just a voting game, but Dresden Files is a true co-op. More confusing is when this is walked back in later chapters.
There is some lack of consistency in Meeples Together. At one point, the book presents that the 'support' action is a critical part of cooperative play in Diplomacy, but then calls it a competitive mechanic in a sidebar about Death Angel.
Like all design books, authors will put forth many opinions, which supported properly with examples and facts will become accepted theory. Meeples largely does this, but there are some spots where I felt more support could have been provided. I acknowledge that a book can become bogged down by such discussion, but for example in the Terra analysis, the authors say it fails as a game because of Terra's anti-cooperative mechanics (stating that greedy players usually win), but don't discuss how greedy players winning disqualifies it as a game or even a cooperative game, specifically.
On Losing
A similar opinion, that I would have enjoyed seeing discussions and analysed, is that having an unwinnable game is only a big issue when the players can easily see that it is unwinnable. I wanted to see the authors point of view, as I emphatically and completely disagree.
When players lose, there is often evaluation (even unconsciously) of playing strategy. If players cannot see that they could not win, they will not attribute their loss correctly, and cannot learn and grow from it. For example, if a game of Pandemic is unwinnable (which the authors theorize, but do not confirm), players may suppose that their sharing of cards is what lead to their loss, and fail to share cards in future games, leading to further loss. This is clearly an undesirable cycle. In my experience, when a game is unwinnable, my group wants to identify that early and correctly. That way we can simply try again.
Meeples Together places big emphasis on a games's difficulty to win in relation to fun and enjoyment, but largely ignores players that enjoy winning or players that just enjoy the mechanics of the game (some Catan players simply like trading).
The book presents several different theories of the psychology behind fun and cooperation. However, the authors place great emphasis on Raph Koster's A Theory of Fun, which boils down to an emphasis on learning. The problems of that theory as the sole theory of fun are many, but ignores all non-learning forms of fun. I absolutely agree that learning can be one of many sources of fun, but A Theory of Fun is not academically rigorous, and Meeples reliance on it, is disappointing.
Along those lines, the authors spend a bit of analysis about "why players enjoy losing", which not only frames the answer as a question, but also ignores several issues with player loss. The thrust of the analysis is that players must enjoy losing, since the authors have anecdotal evidence of groups trying to play a game again, immediately after losing.
Replay is the true issue that should merit much more exploration. While I agree, that a narrow loss can be memorable and excite players to play again, that is far from the only player loss scenario.
Discussion of competitiveness and desire to win (or even enjoyment of winning is ignored) is missing. Even though the players may be competing against a challenge system (Pandemic), I have not noticed any less competitive behavior or desire to triumph.
While narrative of play is discussed, the implications on winning and losing is not explored fully. Players may see loss as part of a narrative journey, and the desire to play again isn't from enjoying the loss, but to finish the journey. Same imperative for binging a season of a television show; to finish; to resolve.
This topic could probably fill a book itself, but acknowledgement of complexity of player win and loss would make this a better book. Evidence should be offered for statements that players don't enjoy easy wins (this differs from my experience). I challenge the assumption that players enjoyment of the game is entirely (or strongly) predicated on their ability to win. That certainly isn't true for non-cooperative games, and I haven't witnessed any difference with cooperative games.
Meeples Together makes good use of examples and applied theories. Great job of detailing co-ops, if nothing else, is a fairly strong listing of co-op games. However, though they claim it isn't authoritative, there are gaps of mechanical significance. I found several gaps in pure co-ops, such as Legends of Andor, Yggdrasil, and Sentinels of the Multiverse. While Descent: Journeys in the Dark is mentioned, The Others: 7 Sins is not. Those games are popular and have unique properties, which could be explored or used as supporting examples.
The analysis of game parts is excellent. The thought behind them and the presentation make it clear what the 'moving parts' of a game design is. Sometimes, the hairs between mechanics might be too finely split for my taste, but overall, this is the kind of presentation that resonates with me.
The book also presents iconography for each mechanic and each category presented. This means that there are many, many icons, which I personally didn't find useful (particularly with no icon reference section), I appreciate the creation and thought behind them.
Looking at this review, you may see many more complaints than accolades. There are two reasons for this. The first, is that it is easy to complain. It is easy to nitpick and find the fault, because there is very little on the line and no responsibility to solve the issue.
The second and larger reason, is that I find it hard to praise the book without simply saying it is damn near perfect. Hopefully I have presented why I feel it is so good.
For me, a book about design should have three major components. Theory, Analysis, and Application. Meeples fully presents those components. The discussion of theory is well done and while it could be pushed, it is cohesive and well articulated. The Analysis is the strongest part of the book and almost every chapter analyzes and breaks down some aspect of cooperative play.
The Application component is usually the part that I miss when reviewing game design books. Showing specific concrete implementation of theory is the easiest way for me to connect the dots between theory and specifics.
It also helps me to tune in to the wavelength of the author(s), to get on the same page as it were. I have seen analysis based on theory that isn't well understood, and it can be confusing and conflicted. Therefore I cannot stress enough how much I enjoy seeing specific examples. That alone greatly boosted my enjoyment of this book.
Who Should Buy This Book
Anyone who enjoys games. I imagine there are people who enjoy rigorous analysis without enjoying the subject matter, and they too should read this book! I frankly loved this book because it is about game design, it analyzes the mechanics of the games, and it shows how the theories presented are manifested in specific examples.
If you are looking for a 'textbook' kind of experience for game design, this is it. I have read a number of design books and they can be frustratingly vague, which makes it hard to see how theory is put into practice. It also makes it hard to spot flaws in the theory, without a commitment to examples.
In spite of any faults I present, holistically, this book is essential to any game design library.
Book Review Game Design
Labels: Book Review Game Design
Disagree? Agree? Discuss respectfully!
Game Design: What the hell is game balance?
Please pardon the provocative title. There is a bit of debate about what exactly is game balance. Balance is a subjective assessment, similar to fun, but while balance may be subjective, there are concrete measurements that can be applied to determine how closely a design aligns to that subjective goal. In a word: metrics . For myself, I want a player to feel like their skill and perhaps some luck, contributed to their victory or defeat. I hate the feeling of realizing that something in a game is even moderately unbalanced. If the game is severely unbalanced, it reduces the game to an activity. For example, if a game has players select from unique abilities at the start (like a faction), but you realize that your faction is unbalanced, the game is no longer about skill and luck, but rather the choice you make at the beginning of the game. In which case, why play the rest of the game?
Design Lessons: Metroid Dread
Metroid Dread is a return to the original style of Metroid for the Nintendo Entertainment System, but some of the mechanics have evolved over the past 30+ years. Unfortunately, parts of the game don't feel retro, so much as regressive.
Book Review: Games, Design and Play
Games, Design and Play (by Colleen Macklin and John Sharp) is a solid practical book that lays out an iterative design process. While it focuses on video game development, more than 90% of the material applies to game design in general (product design to a degree). This book is a fairly quick read and full of practical advice.
Smuggins
Player Experience


Look at the people around them. Look at where they are "all" staring. Why are we so obsessed with celebrities ?
HAI ANOUSHKA HOW R U BABY,UR BABY LOOKING COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CWIT.LOOK LIKE DOLL. I LOVE U DA SAYANG.CWIT KISS 4 ANOUSHKA UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. BUBYE TAKE CARE OF MY CWIT KUTTY ANUOSHKA.
I like Anjali film very much, & i'm ur age.
Eager to see ur next film in Tamil.
nice pic… hi baby..coooooool anoushka…….
Thanks for the photo da. Anyway better to be obessed with celebrity than be obsessed with rajaram & sethuram no ?
Nice Family Photo…Both my husband & myself r ur fan from schooldays..
Looking forward for a great movie from ur end..
wow god give cute and beauty ful daughter she is so cute.


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Corruption rating declined from 3.25 to 3.00 because corruption permeates all aspects of political and social life in BiH, and anticorruption efforts are undermined by the institutions themselves.
With progress practically nonexistent, the overall state of democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is declining year after year. Politicians fail to respect the will of citizens, who are at the same time unable to hold leaders accountable for their actions. Despite agreeing on economic and social reforms and committing to European Union (EU) accession—and finally, after seven years, activating a Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU in June 2015—the authorities failed to take any concrete actions. Constant crises, produced by interparty, personal, and ethnic conflicts on all levels of governance, are paralyzing all institutions, including the judiciary. The current system exists as a purpose unto itself, feeding an enormous bureaucratic machine and awarding those loyal to it. This status quo, however, may become more difficult to sustain in the future as the standby arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expired in July. Following the IMF's decision not to disburse the remaining loan monies, both the Serb-dominated Republika Srpska (RS) and the Federation of BiH (FBiH) turned to commercial creditors to ensure their financial stability. The move raised criticism because not all terms of the loans were made public. In addition, the FBiH announced that it will decrease the amount of money distributed to cantons, which will heavily affect their functioning.
After years of constant quarreling and refusals to form a coalition, the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) leader, Bakir Izetbegović, and Alliance for a Better Future (SBB) leader, Fahrudin Radončić, reached a coalition agreement in October. This unlikely development suggested that they are interested in retaining power above all other objectives. The first coalition of FBiH parties, formed in March by the SDA, the Democratic Front (DF), and the Croat Democratic Union (HDZ), lasted less than 100 days; the DF left in June. Affairs were at a standstill for most of the year, with parties waiting to appoint their representatives into governing positions and to reach agreement on the distribution of privileges for their members.
While the RS government is relatively stable, the ruling Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) and its leader Milorad Dodik called a referendum on the state-level judiciary, potentially threatening the country's stability. The referendum was also a convenient excuse to remove economic problems, like the budget deficit, from the public discourse—a standard political practice in BiH. Dodik has been undermining state institutions for years, especially the judiciary, claiming that only Serbs get convicted for war crimes and that state judicial bodies are biased against the RS. Members of Parliament (MPs) from SNSD boycotted sessions and blocked decision-making in the BiH parliament for a significant part of the year, while in December RS police suspended cooperation with state institutions.
Due to overlapping jurisdictions, numerous institutions without real power, political pressures, and a lack of will, there was little progress achieved in fighting the country's widespread corruption. The legal and institutional framework remains weak, enforcement is lacking, and in 2015 implementation of several anticorruption laws was postponed because institutions were not ready. In addition, whistleblowers usually encounter problems instead of support when reporting corruption.
Conflict of interest is not properly monitored and cases are rarely discovered. Despite many arrests and investigations, high-profile politicians rarely get convicted, which intensifies distrust toward the judiciary and police. The judicial system's ineffectiveness is a serious problem, with entities failing to implement even verdicts of the state Constitutional Court. Key evidence is often lost, while trials last for years. According to reports from the security services, office holders and legislators collaborate with criminals. Several scandals have revealed that judges and investigators are not immune to wrongdoings themselves. For instance, Court of BiH judge Azra Miletić was arrested in February and accused of taking bribes from a former cantonal police commissioner and his accomplice, who were being tried for organized crime and abuse of office at the time.
The country's mood is bleak, and people have little faith that positive change is possible. The momentum of the 2014 protests has ebbed, and no significant protests sprung up in 2015. In both entities, politicians are quick to adopt important legislation, such as labor laws, in urgent procedures, making constructive criticism impossible. In February, RS authorities expanded the definition of "public spaces" to include the internet, which now allows them to legally restrict the space for civil society activity and journalism. This move was widely considered a blow to democracy. To prevent protests, police throughout the country are provided with new equipment, and authorities in some parts of FBiH, like Tuzla Canton, have limited the legal ways for people to publicly express dissatisfaction. In two separate bills, RS authorities also attempted to take control of NGOs that are financed by international donors and limit public gatherings. These legislative drafts were eventually withdrawn from the parliament.
During 2015, ethnic relations were much more tense than in recent years, with incidents on all sides. In the RS, Bosniak returnees were beaten up on numerous occasions. In April, an alleged radical Islamist attacked a police station in the Serb-dominated city of Zvornik, killing one officer and injuring two others. In November, a gunman killed two Bosnian soldiers in Sarajevo before blowing himself up. Authorities dealing with radical Islamism have neglected the problem for years and politicized the issue for the purpose of everyday political fights instead of addressing root causes.
Tensions between BiH and Serbia reached a peak when police arrested former Srebrenica war commander Naser Orić in June, based on the request of Serbian authorities. Following the arrest, SDA president and member of BiH Presidency Bakir Izetbegović canceled the visit of Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić, while Aleksandar Vučić, Serbia's prime minister, was attacked with stones and water bottles in July during a commemoration for the victims of the Srebrenica massacre. Relations between the two countries had improved somewhat by year's end.
Publication of the 2013 census results was further postponed during the year; this time, authorities could not agree on how to process the data. The 2013 census was the first since 1991, and its results will likely affect future governing structures, which are still based on 1991 ethnicity data.
Outlook for 2016: Despite general commitment to EU integration and reforms, it is difficult to envisage a major improvement in the near future in any of these areas. Should BiH authorities submit the application for EU accession, it would be meaningless because the required conditions remain unfulfilled. The local election campaign is expected to take up most of the year, diverting attention from dealing with the country's problems. It is hard to imagine a serious determination to fight corruption in the near future, but more politicization of the judiciary, including political arrests, is quite likely.
The expiration of the IMF loan left a huge gap in the entities' budgets, which will only increase with the announcement of the 2016 FBiH budget that aims to send less money to cantons. For a short time, entity governments are capable of maintaining a fragile fiscal stability while buying social peace, but serious cuts or new arrangements with monetary institutions are necessary to keep the system working. Otherwise, social unrest is to be expected, especially if the governing structures fail to pay civil servants' salaries on time.
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is divided into two autonomous administrative units: the Serb-dominated Republika Srpska (RS) and the Federation of BiH (FBiH), composed of 10 cantons; and the Brčko District, a separate unit with its own governing institutions. In the RS, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) holds a relatively stable majority and dominates the RS government. On the state level, however, their opposition, a group led by the Serb Democratic Party (SDS), participates in the ruling coalition, a fact that led to endless disputes throughout the year.
Unlike in the RS, where parties formed a government soon after the elections, in the other entity, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), the parties' inability and unwillingness to agree postponed government formation both on the entity and state level until late March 2015. The initial coalition consisted of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), Croat Democratic Union (HDZ), and Democratic Front (DF),1 but the last party left in June. In October, the SDA formed a new coalition with their strongest opponent up to then, the Alliance for a Better Future (SBB).2 At the entity level, the replacement of DF ministers who had left earlier caused additional delays, while at the state level, two ministers were yet to be appointed by year's end.
In January, the Presidency of BiH, a tripartite rotating institution, signed a Statement of Commitment toward the European Union (EU),3 which was later confirmed by the parliament of BiH and most party leaders. The Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), a key step toward EU membership, was activated by the EU Council in April and became effective on June 1.4 Only ten days after its coming into force, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn canceled his visit because of the authorities' failure to take any concrete steps as a follow-up to the January statement.5 No progress was made, for example, on outlining a coordination mechanism between all levels of government on EU matters.6
In July, the Council of Ministers and both entity governments adopted a so-called reform agenda, which is supposed to start a broad set of reforms in the public sector.7 As part of the process, both entities adopted new labor laws. Unions and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) protested,8 arguing that the laws go against workers' interests.9 In FBiH, the Law on Public Servants was amended despite warnings from NGOs and the international community that it allows for more political appointments in managerial positions.10
Milorad Dodik, RS and SNSD president, as part of a longtime wider campaign against state-level institutions, constantly accused others of undermining RS institutions.11 In an apparent effort to clear his name, Dodik filed a criminal charge against himself in November and provided his opponents' accusations as evidence.12 From the beginning of the year, SNSD withdrew its deputies from the state parliament and blocked decision-making.13 The deputies argued they would not attend sessions while Šefik Džaferović, an SDA member who had allegedly failed to report war crimes against Serbs,14 is the president of the House of Representatives.15 They returned in August after Džaferović's mandate ended.
On July 1, the standby arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expired, and the IMF decided not to pay the rest of the loan based on the authorities' failure to implement fiscal and social reforms. This left huge gaps in the entity budgets, forcing them to turn to commercial creditors. To prevent social unrest and continue payments to the public sector, the FBiH planned to borrow 100 million euros16 and the RS 265 million euros. The RS loan triggered criticism because it originated from a little-known Florida-based fund, apparently managed by a Russian citizen.17
In June, after former Srebrenica war commander Naser Orić was arrested in Switzerland, Bakir Izetbegović, SDA president and member of the BiH Presidency, canceled the visit of Serbian president Tomislav Nikolić.18 During the commemoration for the victims of the Srebrenica massacre on July 11, protesters threw stones and water bottles at Serbian prime minister Aleksandar Vučić, contributing to instability in the region.19 Tensions subsided in November when Izetbegović called Nikolić to visit the Bosnian capital, and the Serbian and Bosnian governments held their first joint session in Sarajevo, signing several agreements.20 In the same month, Vučić went to Srebrenica again to pay respects to the victims of the massacre and promised donations in an investment summit.21
Despite plans to do so, the authorities failed to publish the results of the 2013 census as they could not agree on data processing methods, particularly on determining residency status. The 2013 census is the first since the war, and its results are expected to have an impact on ethnic representation in future governing structures. 22
1Srecko Latal , "Bosnia Beats Deadline to Form New Governments", Balkaninsight.com, 1 April 2015, http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/bosnia-gets-new-governments-bud…
2Mimi Đurović Rukavina,"Dogovorena koalicija između SDA i SBB na svim nivoim, potpisivanje slijedeće sedmice" [SDA-SBB Coalition Agreed on all Levels, Signing in the Next Week], Oslobodjenje.ba, 14 October 2015, http://www.oslobodjenje.ba/vijesti/bih/novi-sastanak-izetbegovica-i-rad…
3E.S.H.,"Članovi Predsjedništva BiH potpisali izjavu o opredjeljenosti ka Evropskoj uniji" [Members of Presidency of BiH Signed a Statement on Commitment Towards European Union], Klix.ba, 29 January 2015, http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/clanovi-predsjednistva-bih-potpisali-izj…
4While the SAA was signed in 2008, it did not come into force due to unfulfilled commitments, including important constitutional changes related to the country's ethnicity-based limitations on political representation. In 2014, the EU shifted its focus to economic issues, social welfare, and the judiciary.
5"Johannes Hahn otkazao posjetu BiH: Vlasti moraju interese građana staviti ispred stranačkih" [Johannes Hahn cancelled visit to BiH: Authorities Have to Place Citizens' Interests Before Parties' Interests], Klix.ba, 10 June 2015, http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/johannes-hahn-otkazao-posjetu-bih-vlasti…
6"Rad Vlada godinu dana nakon izbora" [Work of Governments, a Year After Elections], Istinomjer.ba, 13 October 2015, http://istinomjer.ba/rad-vlada-godinu-dana-nakon-izbora/
7Elvira M. Jukic, Srecko Latal, "Bosnian State, Entities, Adopt Key Reforms", Balkaninsight.com, 24 July 2015, http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/as-bosnia-adopts-reform-documen…
8Zvjezdan Živković,"Sarajevo: Usvojen Zakon o radu, završen protest radnika" [Labour Law Adopted, Protest of Workers Over], Slobodnaevropa.org, 30 July 2015, http://www.slobodnaevropa.org/content/u-sarajevu-protesti-zbog-novog-za…
9"Provisions and the adoption method of the Labour Law of the Republic of Srpska are unaccaptable", Ti-bih.org, 25 December 2015, http://ti-bih.org/neprihvatljive-odredbe-nacin-usvajanja-zakona-o-radu-…
10E. Mušinović, "Uoči današnje sjednice: Žestoke kritike na Prijedlog Zakona o državnoj službi FBiH" [Before Todays' Session: Strong Criticism on the Draft of the Law on Public Servants], Klix.ba, 23 October 2015, http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/uoci-danasnje-sjednice-zestoke-kritike-n…
11"Milorad Dodik:Srbija i Republika Srpska će biti jedno" [Milorad Dodik: Serbia and Republic of Srpska Will Be One], Blic.rs/SRNA, 18 October 2015, http://www.blic.rs/Vesti/Politika/599206/Milorad-Dodik-Srbija-i-Republi…
12"Dodik podnio tužbu protiv sebe" [Dodik sued himself], Klix.ba/FENA, 2 November 2015, http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/dodik-podnio-tuzbu-protiv-sebe/151102080
13Elvira M. Jukic, Srecko Latal, "Serb Party Boycott Deepens Bosnia's Paralysis", Balkaninsight.com, 18 March 2015, http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/bosnian-serb-party-risks-sancti…
14"Poslanici SNSD-a napustili sjednicu Predstavničkog doma PSBiH" [SNSD PMs Left Session of the House of the Representatives], Klix.ba/FENA, 23 February 2015, http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/poslanici-snsd-a-napustili-sjednicu-pred…
15Parliament of BiH contains two chambers: House of Representatives and House of Peoples.
16N.N.,"Vlasti potvrdile: FBiH će se zadužiti kod komercijalnih banaka za 200 miliona KM" [Authorities Confirmed: FBiH will take 200 million of KM from Commercial Banks], Klix.ba, 17 September 2015, http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/vlasti-potvrdile-fbih-ce-se-zaduziti-kod…
17Srecko Latal, "Bosnian Serb Leaders Under Fire Over Loan", Balkaninsight.com, 16 October 2015, http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/new-loan-for-bosnian-serb-entit…
18Srecko Latal, "Bosnia-Serbia Relations Hit as Nikolic Cancels Visit", Balkaninsight.com, 16 June 2015, http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/tensions-deepen-in-relations-be…
19Denis Dzidic, Katarina Panic, "Attack on Vucic at Srebrenica Widely Condemned", Balkaninsight.com, 13 July 2015, http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/vucic-srebrenica-attack-brings-…
20Rodolfo Toe, "Serbia, Bosnia Pledge Closer Ties After Tensions", Balkaninsight.com, 4 November 2015, http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/serbia-bosnia-vow-to-boost-ties…
21"Vucic visits Srebrenica memorial center", B92.net, 11 November 2015, http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics.php?yyyy=2015&mm=11&dd=11&nav_id=9…
22N.N.,"Potvrđeno: Kasnit će objava rezultata popisa stanovništva" [Confirmed: Publishing of Census Results will be Late], Klix.ba, 21 May 2015, http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/potvrdjeno-kasnit-ce-objava-rezultata-po…
Since parliamentary elections took place in 2014 and local elections are scheduled for 2016, the year 2015 saw no major changes. Still, because elections in BiH are conducted every two years, politicians and political parties are constantly campaigning, which exacerbates government inefficiency on all levels.
In May, a Central Election Commission (CIK) report revealed that during the 2014 elections, electoral committees made mistakes in 88 out of the more than 5,000 voting posts.1 Earlier in the year, Stjepan Mikić, the president of CIK, said that the functioning of the electoral committees constitutes the biggest problem in the electoral process and added that the Electoral Law needs to be amended.2 Since its adoption, the law has been changed 19 times, but several deficiencies remain. Members of electoral committees are elected from party membership (which affects their independence), ethnicity can easily be misused to access high salaries in elected positions, and the law still discriminates against some minorities.3
The BiH constitution allows that only the country's three main ethnic groups—Croats, Serbs, and Bosniaks—be elected to the state Presidency and House of Peoples. In the 2009 Sejdić-Finci case brought by Romany and Jewish defendants, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled that this practice violates human rights norms. In 2014, the court made a similar ruling in the case of Azra Zornić, who complained that she could not run for office because she declared herself a citizen of BiH, with no ethnic affiliation. No concrete steps were taken in 2015 to resolve these issues.
During 2015, early elections were held in six municipalities.4 In four cases, the mayors had taken on higher-level positions after the 2014 elections, while in two municipalities, mayors were removed by no-confidence votes.
The newly founded RS municipality Stanari, near Doboj, held its first election in February. The SNSD candidates won in a close race against SDS and other opposition parties, both in the municipal council and for the mayoral position.5
1"Usvojen izvještaj o nepravilnostima u radu biračkih odbora" [A Report on Irregularities in Work of Electoral Committees Adopted], Izbori.ba, 7 May 2015, http://izbori.ba/Default.aspx?CategoryID=64&Lang=3&Id=1744
2"Mikić: Potrebne izmjene izbornog zakona" [Mikic: Changes of Electoral Law Needed], Nezavisne.com/SRNA, 5 February 2015, http://www.nezavisne.com/novosti/bih/Mikic-Potrebne-izmjene-izbornog-za…
3Aida Đugum,"Slabe karike izbornog zakona: Od manipulacije glasovima do korupcije" [Weak Parts of Electroal Process: From Manipulation With Votes to Corruption], Slobodnaevropa.org, 6 March 2015, http://www.slobodnaevropa.org/content/slabe-karike-izbornog-zakona-od-m…
4Early Elections 2015: Results for Fojnica, Živinice, Kalesija, Domaljevac-Šamac, Stanari and Istočni Drvar, http://izbori.ba/Default.aspx?CategoryID=544&Lang=3
5Early Elections 2015: Results for Stanari, http://izbori.ba/Rezultati/2015/Prijevremeni_izbori_1/potvrdjeni/files/…
In February, only a few hundred people showed up to mark the anniversary of the 2014 antigovernment protests, which resulted in major civil unrest stemming from public resentment and disappointment over the country's failure to achieve lasting change.1 The joint July protest of trade unions in Sarajevo against the adoption of a new FBiH Labor Law also failed to make any impact. Union leaders were divided on the issue, and the new law was adopted on the day of the protest without resistance.2 In the RS, a union leader was expelled from the National Assembly session during the adoption of the same law.3 Smaller protests took place sporadically across the country, usually led by workers of ruined companies, but did not lead to any change. In Tuzla, workers clashed with police in August4 and blocked streets in several instances.5
Organizing protests will become more difficult overall in the future. After the 2014 demonstrations, police departments across the country invested more than 11.5 euros million in new antiprotest equipment, such as shields, nightsticks, tear gas, and even rubber bullets.6 In October, police removed tents that workers set up near the Tuzla cantonal government building7 after the cantonal assembly amended the Law on Public Gathering in a shortened procedure and without public debate. According to the amendment, individuals may now legally protest only when they notify the authorities in advance; protests may take place only between 8:00 am and 10:00 pm; and protests cannot be held in proximity of public institutions.8
In February, the Law on Public Peace and Order was amended in the RS to expand the definition of "public space" to include the internet. This change could potentially have negative effects on freedom of assembly and allow police to put pressure on journalists as well as activists organizing protests. It could also result in the criminalization of social media use.9 In an explanation of the amendments, the RS government noted that "social media is being used to organize violations of the public peace and order."10 Incidentally, all major protests and gatherings have been organized and coordinated via social media, including those in 2014.
In May, a draft law was proposed in RS that aimed to limit the time protesters may spend near government institutions. After the parliamentary Committee for European Integration and Regional Cooperation argued that it is too restrictive and would violate EU legislation, the draft was withdrawn.11 A separate draft law—similar to a recent law in Russia—would have allowed for government control of foreign-funded NGOs but was withdrawn after an unfavorable opinion in the same committee. Human rights advocates strongly criticized the law, with Transparency International (TI) arguing that its adoption would have allowed authorities to ban organizations they do not like.12
BiH still lacks a common registry of civil society organizations. Financed overall by local governments or international donors, NGOs have little influence on policymakers and governments. Those financed by local governments are highly dependent on politics and usually need not report on their activities and spending. Some NGOs funded by international donors play an important watchdog role in monitoring corruption, human rights, and governmental spending but have failed to make a strong impact on government structures.
During the year, ethnic tensions were high in BiH. Bosniaks were attacked several times; for example, three young men were beaten up in Prijedor in August.13 In the Croat-dominated town of Tomislavgrad, a mosque was damaged, also in August,14 while five teenage soccer players from a mainly Croat town were attacked in March in the predominantly Bosniak capital Sarajevo.15 The attacks led to an increase in hate speech and calls for violence online.16 According to the Union for Sustainable Return and Integration in BiH, the safety of returnees was worse in 2015 than in the years following the war.17
In April, an alleged radical Islamist attacked a police station in Zvornik, in the RS, killing one officer and injuring two others before being shot dead.18 In November, five days after the Paris terrorist attacks, a gunman, also allegedly connected with radical Islamism, shot dead two Bosnian soldiers and fired shots at a city bus in Sarajevo before blowing himself up in his house when police surrounded him.19 In late December, 11 men were arrested in Sarajevo, allegedly connected with ISIS and preparing a terrorist attack.20
Political, religious, and ethnic divisions are reflected in every segment of life, including in the educational system. In FBiH, the segregated "two schools under one roof" system still persists.21 In parts of the RS, some Bosniak parents prevented their kids from attending classes for the second year in a row,22 protesting the lack of "national subjects" like history and language. In June, the RS Education Ministry changed the name of the Bosnian language to "Bosniak" in official documents, after which some parents refused to sign their children's end-of-year reports.23 While the Office of the High Representative (OHR) noted that the three languages in BiH are Serbian, Croatian, and Bosnian (not Bosniak),24 for years it was impossible to register a newborn as Bosnian. Infants could only be registered as Bosniak, Serb, Croat, or "Other." In January, this form of ethnic discrimination was successfully challenged for the first time.25
1I.P.,"Stotine građana u BiH obilježilo godišnjicu februarskih protesta" [Hundreds of Citizens Marked Anniversary of February Protests], Klix.ba, 7 February 2015, http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/stotine-gradjana-u-bih-obiljezilo-godisn…
3"VIDEO: Ranka Mišić izbačena iz sale Narodne Skupštine RS", [Ranka Misic Expeled From the National Assembly], N1info,com, 28 December 2015, http://ba.n1info.com/a75439/Vijesti/Vijesti/VIDEO-Ranka-Misic-izbacena-…
4"Tuzla: Radnici TTU-a se sukobili sa policijom ispred zgrade Vlade TK" [Tuzla: TTU Workers Clashed With Police in front of the Tuzla Government Building], Klix.ba, 13 August 2015, http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/tuzla-radnici-ttu-a-se-sukobili-sa-polic…
5D. Brkić,"Radnici Aide se naguravali s policijom, Bego Gutić napustio Vladu TK" [Aida Workers Pushed Police, Bego Gutic Left Tuzla Canton Government], Klix.ba, 16 March 2015, http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/radnici-aide-se-naguravali-s-policijom-b…
6Semir Mujkić, "Vlasti u strahu: Za gušenje građanskih nemira policiji kupljena oprema vrijedna 23 miliona KM" [Authorities in Fear: For Suppression of Citizens' Unrest Police got Equipment Worth 23KM million], Zurnal.ba, 8 Januray 2015, http://zurnal.ba/novost/18625/vlasti-u-strahu-za-gusenje-gradanskih-%20…
7M.H,"Policija uklonila šatorsko naselje sindikata solidarnosti u Tuzli" [Police Removed Tents of the Solidarity Sindicate in Tuzla], Klix.ba, 17 October 2015, http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/policija-uklonila-satorsko-naselje-sindi…
8"Tuzla: Izmjene i dopune Zakona o javnom okupljanju" [Tuzla: Changes and Additions to the Law on Public Gathering], Bhrt.ba, 2 October 2015, http://www.bhrt.ba/bhr1-emisije/tuzla-izmjene-i-dopune-zakona-o-javnom-…
9"Newly Adopted Legislation Criminalises Posts on Social Media", Civilrightsdefenders.org, 9 February 2015, http://www.civilrightsdefenders.org/news/newly-adopted-legislation-thre…
10Government of Republic of Srpska, "Prijedlog Zakona o javnom redu i miru", [Draft Law on Public Peace and Order], December 2014, http://www.cenzolovka.rs/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Prijedlog-Zakona-o-…
11Uroš Vukić, "Pao zakon o javnom okupljanju" [Law on Public Gathering not Adopted], Nezavisne.com, 18 May 2015, http://www.nezavisne.com/novosti/bih/Pao-zakon-o-javnom-okupljanju/3058…
12"Severe Blow to the Work of NGOs", Ti-bih.org, 11 May 2015, http://ti-bih.org/udar-na-rad-nevladinih-organizacija/?lang=en
13"Trojica mladića Bošnjaka vrijeđani i pretučeni u Prijedoru" [Three Young Bosniaks Insulted and Beaten up in Prijedor], Klix.ba, 12 August 2015, http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/crna-hronika/trojica-mladica-bosnjaka-vrijed…
14"Osumnjičenima za napad u Omerovićima određen pritvor" [Suspects for the Attack in Omerovici in Custody], Klix.ba/FENA, 18 August 2015, http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/osumnjicenima-za-napad-u-omerovicima-odr…
15Elvira M. Jukic, "Hooligan Attack Raises Ethnic Tensions in Bosnia", Balkaninsight.com, 16 March 2015, http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/hooligan-attack-raises-ethnic-t…
16"Zajednička reakcija BHN, HND i NUNS nakon događaja u Zvoniku" [Joint Reaction of BHN, HND and NUNS After Zvornik Events], Bhnovinari.ba, 29 April 2015, http://www.bhnovinari.ba/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7…
17E.F.,"Povratnici ugroženiji sada nego u prvim godinama nakon rata" [Returnees are More Endangered Now than in First Years After the War], Klix.ba, 21 July 2015, http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/povratnici-ugrozeniji-sada-nego-u-prvim-…
18Elvira M. Jukic, "Bosnia Police Station Attack Raises Ethnic Tensions", Balkaninsight.com, 28 April 2015, http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/deadly-terrorist-attack-on-poli…
19"'Islamist' gunman kills two Bosnian soldiers in Sarajevo", Bbc.com, 19 November 2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34866890
20Dženana Halimović, "Hapšenjima u Sarajevu spriječen eventualni teroristički napad" [Arrests in Sarajevo Prevented a Potential Terrorist Attack], Slobodnaevropa.org, 22 December 2015, http://www.slobodnaevropa.org/content/hapsenja-sarajevo-terorizam-feder…
21Croat and Bosniak children study in the same building but have separate entrances, classrooms, and curricula.
22Nataša Tadić, "Roditelji djece iz Konjević Polja najavili bojkot nastave" [Parents of the Konjevic Polje Children Announced Boycott of the Classes], Ba.n1info.com, 18 August 2015, http://ba.n1info.com/a58619/Vijesti/Vijesti/Djeca-iz-Konjevic-Polja-nas…
23Katarina Panic, "Bosnian Serbs' Renaming of Language Anger Bosniaks", Balkaninsight.com, 25 June 2015, http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/bosnia-s-serb-entity-change-of-…
24Er.M.,"Stav OHR-a jasan: Tri službena jezika u BiH su bosanski, hrvatski i srpski" [OHR Attitude Clear: Three Official Languages in BiH are Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian], Klix.ba, 17 October 2015, http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/stav-ohr-a-jasan-tri-sluzbena-jezika-u-b…
25Elvira M. Jukic, "Bosnian Baby Beats Ethnically Divided System", Balkaninsight.com, 23 June 2015, http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/bosnian-baby-beats-ethnically-d…
The Bosnian media market is oversaturated, which results in less advertising money for individual outlets and makes media more susceptible to financial and political pressures. In 2015, 10 daily newspapers, 8 news agencies, more than 100 print periodicals, 46 television stations, and 151 radio stations operated in the country.1 In order to survive, many private and public outlets depend on public financing, including advertising by public companies. This makes them easy targets for the political centers of power and threatens their professional integrity.
Low salaries and high unemployment have been a problem in the media sector for years. Journalism graduates, with an average monthly salary of 340 euros, are among the lowest paid degreed professionals in the country. BiH trains around 400 new journalists or communications majors every year, while the actual need is not even half that number.2 Two independently conducted research papers, published in March and April, showed that political and economic pressures are the main factors affecting the work of reporters3 and the main barriers to a free press. According to a survey, more than two-thirds of respondents think media are not free or are only partly free in both entities.4
In July, state radio and television BHRT announced it was having liquidity problems.5 Two months later, the institution laid off 80 people and announced it would lower salaries.6 BHRT cited the debts of two other members of the Public Broadcasting System, entity radio and television RTRS and RTV FBiH, and a 10-percent decrease in TV subscription tax collection as the main reasons behind the layoffs. The problem had yet to be solved by year's end.
Media reporting remained "deeply divided ethnically and politically," especially in the public service and print media, which resulted in a lack of solidarity among journalists, even when they are threatened, and diminished their power in collective organizing.7 In 2014, 44 cases of endangering the freedom of the press were reported,8 and the trend continued throughout 2015. In March, RS president Dodik insulted an Oslobođenje reporter and said that he personally canceled subscriptions to that newspaper for all RS institutions.9 In the same month, another SNSD representative called a reporter of the Srebrenica TV station and said that they "can expect all the worst now."10 In October, the car of a correspondent for the public broadcaster BHRT was set on fire, following several threats.11 Since 2006, 67 criminal offenses have been committed against journalists, but only 15 percent of the cases have been solved in their favor, and many are still pending.12
The full transition from analog to digital broadcasting was planned to be completed by June 17, 2015,13 but a bureaucratic deadlock stalled the process—the RS did not want to be jointly managed by the three public broadcasters. As stakeholders finally agreed on equipment allocation in mid-2015, test runs were scheduled to start, but nothing happened by the end of the year.14 The procurement procedure for the second phase of equipment has yet to start. First, BiH authorities refused to shut down analog transmitters because it was estimated that half of the population would be left without television. However, since analog broadcasting is disrupting digital broadcasting in neighboring countries, Bosnia had to shut down a transmitter that supplied the east of the country with programs when Serbia complained in June.15 As a result, thousands remained without access to state television.
In its annual report, the BiH Communications Regulatory Agency (CRA) noted there were 2.78 million internet users at the end of 2015, which is 72 percent of BiH's population.16 Thanks to the widespread use of smartphones, there is a rise in consumption of media over the internet. The number of websites is constantly increasing, but ownership of online media is unregulated and there is no effective oversight. In many cases, owners are unknown and often even basic contact information is lacking, which allows for political control and copyright violations.17
The director-general of the CRA has been serving in an acting capacity since 2007. In 2014, the CRA Council selected a new director, but the Council of Ministers never confirmed the appointment. Instead, in December 2015, they appointed a new interim director—a prominent SDS party figure—which is worrying in terms of the regulator's political independence.
1"Print media in BiH", Press Council of BiH, Vzs.ba, January 2016, http://www.vzs.ba/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=5&Itemi…; "Licences", Communications Regulatory Agency, Rak.ba, January 2016, http://rak.ba/eng/index.php?uid=1276851773
2"Working Conditions for Journalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Journalists in a Gap Between Devastated Media and Legal Insecurity", Media.ba, February 2015, http://www.media.ba/sites/default/files/working_conditions_bosnia_and_h…
4"Predstavljeni rezultati istraživanja 'Mediji u BiH 2015: medijske slobode, profesionalizam i izazovi'" [Results of the Research 'Media in BiH 2015: Media Freedom, Profesionalism and Chalenges' Presented], Bhnovinari.ba, 3 May 2015, http://www.bhnovinari.ba/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7…
5"BHRT: Konstantan pad naplate RTV takse" [BHRT: Constant Drop in Collection of TV Tax], Klix.ba/FENA, 16 July 2015, http://www.klix.ba/biznis/bhrt-konstantan-pad-naplate-rtv-takse/1507160…
6"Zbog finansijske krize na BHRT-u bez posla ostalo 80 radnika" [Thanks to Financial Crises on BHRT, 80 Employees Were Fired], Klix.ba, 22 September 2015, http://www.klix.ba/biznis/zbog-finansijske-krize-na-bhrt-u-bez-posla-os…
8"E-novinar Newsletter", Bhnovinari.ba, June 2015, http://bhnovinari.ba/images/stories/pdf/enovinar/bhn_e-novinar-juni2015…
9"Radojičić ostao kod kuće, Vasić u prvim redovima, Dodik zabranio 'Oslobođenje'" [Radojicic Stayed at Home, Vasic in Front Rows, Dodik Forbid Oslobodjenje], Klix.ba, 14 March 2015, http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/snsd-radojicic-ostao-kod-kuce-vasic-u-pr…
10"Saopćenje o prijetnjama novinaru Marinku Sekuliću" [Press Release on Death Threats to Journalist Marinko Sekulic], Bhnovinari.ba, 16 May 2015, http://www.bhnovinari.ba/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7…
11"Emil Karamatić: Paljevina mog automobila je rezultat mog cjelokupnog rada" [Emir Karamatic: Burning my Car is the Result of my Pverall Work], Faktor.ba, 7 October 2015, http://faktor.ba/emil-karamatic-paljevina-mog-automobila-je-rezultat-mo…
12"Osuda napada na novinara Emila Karamatića" [Condemnation of the Attacks on Journalist Emir Karamatic], Bhnovinari.ba, 7 October 2015, http://www.bhnovinari.ba/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8…
13"Digital broadcasting set to transform communication landscape by 2015", Itu.int, 16 June 2006, https://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2006/11.html
14"Do kraja godine testni DVB-T signal" [Test DVB-T Signal by the End of the Year], Teve.ba/BHT1, 1 October 2015, http://teve.ba/article/21767/do-kraja-godine-testni-dvb-t-signal
15"BiH jedina u Evropi bez digitalne tv" [BiH Only Country in Europe Without Digital TV], Teve.ba/BHT1, 18 June, 2015, http://teve.ba/article/21129/bih-jedina-u-evropi-bez-digitalne-tv
16"Godišnji izvještaj Regulatorne agencije za komunikacije za 2015. godinu" [Annual Report of the Communications Regulatory Agency for 2015], Rak.ba, Communications Regulatory Agency, April 2016, 5 http://rak.ba/bos/index.php?uid=1272548129
17"Transparentnost vlasništva nad online medijima u BiH" [Transparency of the Ownership of Online Media in BiH], Internews.ba, 2015, http://internews.ba/sites/default/files/resursi/transparentnost%20vlasn…
The rights of cities and municipalities are protected by entity constitutions and the laws on local self-governance. Ten cantons—the levels of power between municipalities and FBiH—were supposed to harmonize their legislation with the entity law, but progress has been slow. By 2015, only two had done so.1 This led to unclear distribution of power and overlapping jurisdictions in certain areas, like the judiciary and management of natural resources, but no implementable solution seems to be in sight.
Local self-governments are financed from several sources, including local revenues and taxes, as well as grants, transfers, and donations from higher up. The last makes them highly dependent and subject to political pressure. Tax incomes, grants, and transfers declined in both entities between 2011 and 2013, but especially in the municipalities and cities of the RS.2 At the same time, the cost of salaries has been rising in most local governments,3 which threatens financial sustainability.
In terms of financing, the BiH capital Sarajevo has had a special position. Until 2014, it had been financed by Sarajevo Canton, but this practice discontinued with the adoption of the new FBiH Law on Public Revenues in 2014. In September, the Sarajevo mayor said the capital would sue the canton for endangering its functioning and asked to be included in the FBiH budget.4 In November, the FBiH government agreed to include Sarajevo5 but announced a decrease in financial transfers to smaller and financially less sustainable cantons, which can potentially lead to their collapse.6
In a separate unresolved issue, the city of Mostar lacked legally elected representatives as of year's end. Due to a 2010 Constitutional Court ruling that noted the Mostar Statute is discriminatory, the city has failed to hold elections since 2008. In addition to the statute, the Electoral Law should also be amended, but Bosniak and Croat politicians, especially the members of ruling SDA and HDZ parties, have been unable to reach an agreement.7
In June, a paper by the Centers for Civic Initiatives showed that only one-fifth of BiH cities and municipalities provide transparent and up-to-date information. Most of their websites are outdated, have little content, and are often used to promote their leaders and local politicians instead of publishing relevant information on local services. About ten local governments do not have websites.8
In July, TI published preliminary results of research noting that local self-governments lack the instruments and capacity, as well as support from higher levels, to fight corruption.9
1"Pregled finansija lokalne samouprave u BiH" [Overview of the BiH Local Self-Governments Financing], Cpi.ba, February 2015, http://www.cpi.ba/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Pregled-finansija-lokalne-…
4Jasna Demirović, "Nema novca za Grad Sarajevo, ko je kriv?" [NoMoney for the City of Sarajevo, Who to Blame?], Ba.n1info.com, 3 September 2015, http://ba.n1info.com/a59008/Vijesti/Vijesti/Problem-finansiranja-Grada-…
5"Riješen problem finansiranja Grada Sarajeva: Manje novca za kantone, posebno za KS" [Problem of City of Sarajevo financing solved: Less money for cantons, especially SarajevoCanton], Klix.ba, 5 November 2015, http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/rijesen-problem-finansiranja-grada-saraj…
6S.H., "Finansijski neodrživi kantoni u 2016. godini od Vlade FBiH neće dobiti pomoć, prijeti im kolaps" [Financially unsustainable cantons will not receive help from the FBiH Government in 2016, there is a threat for their collapse], Klix.ba, 18 November 2015, http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/finansijski-neodrzivi-kantoni-u-2016-god…
7Vera Soldo, "Mostar bez glasa Mostaraca" [Mostar Without the Votes of its Citizens], Dw.com, 6 August, http://www.dw.com/hr/mostar-bez-glasa-mostaraca/a-18632318
8"Samo petina lokalnih samouprava u BiH redovno objavljuju informacije od javnog značaja za građane" [Only One Fifth of Local Self-Governments Publish Information of Public Importance for Caitizens on Regular Bases], CCI.ba, 17 June 2015, http://cci.ba/media/1/39/298.html
9"Bosnia and Herzegovina: The Bobar Banka case", Osservatorio Balcani e Caucasio, 20 August 2015, http://www.balcanicaucaso.org/eng/Areas/Bosnia-Herzegovina/Bosnia-and-H…
With four separate administrative levels (BiH, RS, FBiH, and the Brčko District), conflicts of jurisdiction are frequent, and the court system is plagued by backlogs, lack of staff, and political pressures. Trials are stalled for years while courts and prosecutors' offices send important cases back and forth, not wanting to take responsibility for them. An investigation of alleged fraud at Bobar bank, for example, had been passed around by several prosecutors—the Bijeljina District, RS Republic, and RS Special prosecutors' offices—before ending up at the BiH Prosecutor's Office in June.1
Throughout the year, RS authorities continued to oppose state judicial institutions. In July, the RS National Assembly voted to stage a referendum on "anti-constitutional and unauthorized laws imposed by the high representatives of the international community in BiH, especially the imposed laws on the Court and the Prosecutor's office of BiH, and application of their decisions on the RS territory."2 The reason behind the call was allegedly the Swiss authorities' extradition of former Srebrenica commander Naser Orić, who is suspected of war crimes, to BiH instead of Serbia.3 RS president Dodik argued that the judiciary is biased against the RS, as shown by the fact that the majority of those charged with war crimes are Serbs.4 The plan to hold a referendum met with extensive criticism. In September, High Representative for BiH Valentin Inzko sent a report to the UN accusing the RS of violating the Dayton Peace Agreement; the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo said that "nothing good" can come out of it; while the EU Delegation noted that the referendum is shifting attention from more important social and economic issues. Bosniak representatives added that it might be a first step towards the secession of the RS.5 Despite plans for the referendum to take place in November, its date had not been set by year's end.
Dodik already launched a similar initiative in 2011 but eventually stepped back thanks to EU engagement and the so-called Structured Dialogue on Justice. The dialogue was supposed to make the judicial system more independent, effective, and accountable, but little has been achieved in practice. A 2012 draft Law on the Courts of BiH included the establishment of a state-level Appeals Court, which never came to fruition because RS authorities did not want the state to have such extensive jurisdiction. This postponed the adoption of the "Strategy for Justice Sector Reform 2014–2018" and led the EU to stop payments of a grant assisting war crimes prosecutions in early 2015.6 The strategy was finally adopted in September,7 and the representatives of BiH agreed on continuing with the Structured Dialogue. RS authorities drafted their own Law on Courts of BiH in August, and now the key discussion in the Dialogue is about the jurisdiction and role of the state court.8
A November verdict of the BiH Constitutional Court that banned Republika Srpska Day (held on January 9) exemplified the judiciary's politicization. The initiative came from Bosniak politicians who said the date has a positive meaning only for Serbs. RS politicians decided to ignore the court's decision. In December, after the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) conducted an action at the police and municipality buildings of the RS town Novi Grad, the RS government decided to stop all cooperation with state police and judicial bodies.9 RS Police Minister Dragan Lukač even said they would use weapons if weapons were pointed at them.10 Tensions subsided by year's end, and police structures resumed cooperation.
Prosecutions, especially high-profile cases, are often unsuccessful because of procedural mistakes, such as the disappearance of original documents. Key documents went missing in a 2005 case against Milorad Dodik and a 2010 case against member of BiH Presidency Dragan Čović.11 In November, one state prosecutor received a 20-percent salary cut for three months because she had failed to take a single action for almost eight years in the two war crimes cases she had been adjudicating.12
The judicial system is overwhelmed with old cases. Besides war crimes cases—with more than 1,200 investigations ongoing as of 201513 and additional cases launched against unknown assailants—the highest number of pending cases are connected to 1.8 million unpaid utility bills, 49 percent in Sarajevo Canton.14 In addition, authorities in both entities have failed to implement 91 verdicts of the Constitutional Court since 2004. The court transferred these cases to the Prosecutor's Office of BiH, but no indictments had been raised by year's end.15
In 2015, several judicial employees ran afoul of the law, including three judges.16 An investigator of the state Prosecutor's Office, Mujo Smajlović, was accused in October of taking a bribe and offering special treatment to suspects and defendants.17 Earlier, in February, Court of BiH judge Azra Miletić was arrested on allegations of taking bribes from former Una-Sana Canton police commissioner Ramo Brkić, who had been on trial for organized crime, the production and sale of narcotics, and abuse of office. Her colleague, Dragica Miletić, was indicted and suspended in the same month for abuse of office while working for the BiH Attorney General. She was acquitted later in the year.
1"BiH municipalities must adopt plans for the fight against corruption", Ti-bih.org, 20 July 2015,
http://ti-bih.org/opstine-u-bih-moraju-usvojiti-planove-za-borbu-protiv… /
2"Objavljeno u službenom glasniku: Referendum u RS-u 15. novembra" [Published in the Official Gazette: RS Referendum on November 15], Klix.ba, 25 September 2015, http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/objavljeno-u-sluzbenom-glasniku-referend…
3Denis Dzidic, "Bosnia Confirms Indictment of Srebrenica Commander Oric", Balkaninsight.com, 10 September 2015, http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/bosnia-confirms-oric-indictment…
4Elvira M. Jukic, "Bosnian Serbs to Hold Referendum on State Courts", Balkaninsight.com, 16 July 2015, http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/bosnian-serbs-to-hold-referendu…
5"Inzko obavijestio UN: Republika Srpska krši Dejtonski sporazum" [Inzko Notified UN: RS is Breaking Dayton Agreement], Slobodna-bosna.ba, 17 September 2015, http://www.slobodna-bosna.ba/vijest/23956/inzko_obavijestio_un_republik…; "Ambasada SAD-a: Iz ovog referendum ne može proizaći ništa dobro" [US Embassy: Nothing Good can Come out of this Referendum], Klix.ba, 15 July 2015, http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/ambasada-sad-iz-ovog-referenduma-ne-moze…; Er.M.,"EU: Referendumom u RS-u se odvlači pažnja od socijalnih i ekonomskih problema" [EU: RS Referendum Distracts Attention from Important Social and Economy Issues], Klix.ba, 17 October 2015, http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/eu-referendumom-u-rs-u-se-odvlaci-paznja…; M.N.,"Ramiz Salkić za Klix.ba: Ovo je uvod u referendum o otcjepljenju od BiH" [Ramiz Salkic: This is Introduction to Secession from BiH], Klix.ba, 15 July 2015, http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/ramiz-salkic-za-klix-ba-ovo-je-uvod-u-re…
6Marija Tausan, Denis Dzidic, "Bosnian Prosecutors Left Without Salaries Due to Delays in EU Grant Payments", Justice-report.com/BIRN BiH, 15 April 2015, http://www.justice-report.com/en/articles/bosnian-prosecutors-left-with…
7"Usvojena Strategija za reformu sektora pravde u BiH" [Strategy for Justice Sector Reform in BiH Adopted], Mpr.gov.ba, 9 September 2015, http://www.mpr.gov.ba/aktuelnosti/vijesti/default.aspx?id=4679&langTag=…
8"Sjednica VSTV-a BiH: U fokusu Nacrt zakona o sudovima BiH" [VSTV Session: Draft of the Law on Courts of BiH in Focus], Nezavisne.com/FENA, 21 December 2015, http://www.nezavisne.com/novosti/bih/Sjednica-VSTV-a-BiH-U-fokusu-Nacrt…
9"Srpska Bodies Cut Cooperation With SIPA, Court and Prosecutor's Office", Srna.rs, 10 December 2015, http://www.srna.rs/novosti/360051/srpska-bodies-cut-cooperation-with-si…
10"Lukač: SIPA-e nećemo dozvoliti pretres institucija RS" [Lukac: We Will Not Allow Raids in RS Institutions], Nezavisne.com/SRNA, 13 December 2015, http://www.nezavisne.com/novosti/bih/Lukac-Necemo-dozvoliti-pretres-ins…
11N. Novalić,"Kad papiri utihnu: Kako su iz sefova državnih institucija nestajali ključni dokumenti" [When the Papers go Quiet: How Key Documents Disappeared from the Safes of State Institutions], Klix.ba, 30 March 2015, http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/kad-papiri-utihnu-kako-su-iz-sefova-drza…
12"Tužiteljica Tužilaštva BiH kažnjena zbog odugovlačenja u radu" [Prosecutor of the BiH Prosecutor's Office sanctioned for stalling], Klix.ba/FENA, 3 November 2015, http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/tuziteljica-tuzilastva-bih-kaznjena-zbog…
13Denis Dzidic, "Spor oko Apelacionog suda koči reformu pravosuđa" [Conflict Over Appeal Court Hampers Judiciary Reform], Balkaninsight.com, 7 May 2015, http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/bih-spor-oko-apelacionog-suda-k…
14"Održan sastanak Upravnog odbora za smanjenje broja sudskih komunalnih predmeta u Kantonu Sarajevo" [A Meeting of the Managing Board for Decreasing Number of Utility Court Cases in Sarajevo Canton], Pravosudje.ba, 14 October 2015, http://vsts.pravosudje.ba/vstv/faces/vijesti.jsp?id=57718
15N.N.,"Ko još mari za Ustavni sud BiH: 91 odluka nikad nije provedena, niko nikada nije odgovarao" [Who Cares for the Constitutional Court of BiH: Its 91 Decisions Haven't Been Implemented, but Nobody Was Ever Guilty for That], Klix.ba, 30 November 2015, http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/ko-jos-mari-za-ustavni-sud-bih-91-odluka…
16"Judges in Conflict With the Law", Cin.ba, 26 February 2015, https://www.cin.ba/en/sudije-u-sukobu-sa-zakonom/
17"Investigator Accused of Taking over EUR10.000 in Bribes", Cin.ba, 7 October 2015, https://www.cin.ba/en/istrazitelj-optuzen-za-mito-od-10-hiljada-eura/
The Agency for the Prevention of Corruption and Coordination of the Fight against Corruption (APIK) was founded in 2009, but its functioning has been undermined from the start. The agency is in charge of implementing the Strategy for the Fight Against Corruption 2015–2019 and its Action Plan, which were adopted in May after five months of delay.1 Still, since the previous strategy is far from being fully implemented, no major progress can be expected. In June, APIK director Sead Lisak said that based on the reports they receive, corruption is mostly widespread in the public administration, healthcare, education, judiciary, and police.2 Later in the year, Lisak added that he is unsatisfied with the work of the police and prosecutors.3
Conflict of interest at the state level has not been monitored since 2013, when the government transferred this jurisdiction from the Central Election Commission (CIK) to a commission dominated by members of the state parliament. The change was widely criticized as an impediment to effective control. In October, the FBiH parliament amended the FBiH Conflict of Interest Law and made the state commission responsible for its implementation as well.4 Since its formation, however, the commission has yet to take any formal steps. Another hindrance is that conflict of interest laws among different levels of governance are not harmonized, and while information on politicians' assets is collected by the CIK, it is not published or checked by any institution.5 Despite recommendations from the Ombudsman's Office, the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council has declined to disclose prosecutors' and judges' asset declarations, which damages public trust in the transparency of the judiciary.6
Whistleblower protection is insufficient; the law on whistleblower protection has been adopted only at the state level, and individuals are afraid to report corruption because of threats. APIK received seven requests for whistleblower status in 2015, but following additional checks, approved only two as valid.7 As a positive development, an individual who was fired after reporting corruption in the BiH Office for Indirect Taxation regained his employment thanks to his whistleblower status.8
FBiH lawmakers approved a set of laws on corruption in 2014, including laws on the prevention of corruption and organized crime, on confiscation of illegally acquired property, and amendments to the laws on criminal proceedings and courts. Their implementation was scheduled to start in January 2015 but was postponed due to lack of "material, technical and infrastructural capacities,"9 which shows that the institutions were unprepared.
In the RS, the National Assembly concluded that the 2014 recordings of RS prime minister Željka Cvijanović—allegedly discussing the bribing of MPs to secure a majority for her SNSD party—were published with the aim of "destabilizing" the RS and the constitutional order. The SNSD-dominated assembly claimed there was no political corruption10 but declined to discuss the content of the recordings. TI noted that while in 2014 RS police said the tapes were fake, the Special Prosecutor's Office notified TI in April 2015 that no forensic investigation took place.11
Former FBiH president Živko Budimir and his associates were arrested in 2013 for allegedly illegally pardoning criminals, but their trial did not begin until two years later. They are charged with corruption, abuse of office, and illegal mediation.12 In July, the FBiH Law on Pardons was amended to allow the FBiH president to issue pardons without prior consultation with vice presidents and to issue duplicate pardons to the same people—exactly what Budimir did while in office and the offense for which he now stands trial.13
According to the Report on the State Security in BiH, civil servants, office holders, and legislators collaborate with criminals in exchange for cash or other services.14 Several high-level cases were under investigation in 2015, but similar cases in the past demonstrated a will to investigate more than a real effort to prosecute corrupt officials. In July, the Prosecutor's Office of BiH indicted state Minister of Defense Marina Pendeš for paying a salary to her HDZ party colleague and former member of the BiH Presidency Ivo Miro Jović despite never showing up to work.15 In September, People's Party Work for Betterment leader Jerko Ivankovic Lijanovic was arrested on suspicion of abuse of office during his time as FBiH minister of agriculture.
1"APIK pozdravio usvajanje nove Strategije za borbu protiv korupcije" [APIK Welcomes Adoption of the New Strategy for the Fight Against Corruption], Apik.ba, 7 May 2015, http://www.apik.ba/aktuelnosti/saopcenja-za-javnost/default.aspx?id=394…
2Amra Brkić - Čekić,"Sead Lisak: Zahvatila nas je epidemija zvana korupcija" [Sead Lisak: Epidemic Called Corruption Caught Us], Oslobodjenje.ba, 30 June 2015, http://www.oslobodjenje.ba/za-one-koji-znaju-citati/intervjui/sead-lisa…
3N.A.,"Sead Lisak: Prema onome što rade sudovi, u BiH korupcija ne postoji" [Sead Lisak: According to What Courts do, There is no Corruption in BiH], 24sata.info, 27 August 2015, http://24sata.info//vijesti/bosna-i-hercegovina/238237-sead-lisak-prema…
4"The proposed amendments to the Law on Conflict of Interest in Governmental Institutions of the Federation of BiH are only an interim solution", Ti-bih.org, 8 October 2015, http://ti-bih.org/predlozene-izmjene-zakona-o-sukobu-interesa-fbih-samo…
5"Conclusions of the Conference Conflict of Interest and Property Records – long-term solutionsfor institutional and legal framework", Ti-bih.org, 29 October 2015, http://ti-bih.org/zakljucci-sa-konferencije-sukob-interesa-i-imovinski-…
6"Property Belonging to Judges and Prosecutors to Remain Confidential", Cin.ba, 4 November 2015, https://www.cin.ba/en/imovina-sudija-i-tuzilaca-ostaje-tajna/
7"APIK organizirao konferenciju o zaštiti uzbunjivača: Bitan korak u prevenciji korupcije" [APIK Organized a Conference on Whistleblowers Protection: Important Step in Corruption Prevention], Apik.ba, 25 March 2015, http://www.apik.ba/aktuelnosti/saopcenja-za-javnost/default.aspx?id=349…
8"APIK pozvao građane da bez straha od odmazde prijavljuju korupciju" [APIK Invited Citizens to Report Corruption Without Fear of Retribution], Apik.ba, 8 June 2015, http://www.apik.ba/aktuelnosti/saopcenja-za-javnost/default.aspx?id=409…
9"Historijsko odlaganje borbe protiv korupcije" [Historical Postponement of the Fight Against Corruption], Istinomjer.ba, 30 January 2015, http://istinomjer.ba/historijsko-odlaganje-borbe-protiv-korupcije/
10"Poslanici zaključili da nije bilo političke korupcije" [MPs Concluded There Was No Political Corruption], Nezavisne.com/SRNA, 5 February 2015, http://www.nezavisne.com/novosti/bih/Poslanici-zakljucili-da-nije-bilo-…
11"RS Special Prosecutor's Office Confirmed that Forensic Investigation on Recording of 'Buying' of MPs has not been Conducted", Ti-bih.org, 16 April 2015, http://ti-bih.org/specijalno-tuzilastvo-rs-potvrdilo-da-nije-radeno-vje…
12"Budimir Trial to Start in September", Cin.ba, 3 July 2015, https://www.cin.ba/en/sudenje-budimiru-pocinje-u-septembru/
13"Legalizing Duplicated Breaks for the Same Crime", Cin.ba, 30 July 2015, https://www.cin.ba/en/legalizacija-duplih-pomilovanja/
14"Officeholders and Legislators Collaborate With Criminals", Cin.ba, 6 August 2015, https://www.cin.ba/en/predstavnici-izvrsne-i-sudske-vlasti-saraduju-sa-…
15"Pendeš Accused Because of Ivo Miro Jović's Salary", Cin.ba, 16 July 2015, https://www.cin.ba/en/pendes-optuzena-zbog-plate-ive-mire-jovica/


in the heart of the region where Germany, France and Luxembourg meet. Around the Saarschleife, which roughly translates as the 'Loop of the Saar', you'll discover that the term 'all inclusive' takes on a whole new meaning.
An insider tip for anyone seeking peace and relaxation but also for those wanting to stay active while on holiday. There's certainly plenty to do here: cycling, walking, boat trips, sightseeing and trips to historic cities on both sides of the border – Trier (40 km), Luxembourg (40 km), Saarbrücken (50 km) and Metz (70 km) have something for everyone.


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Q: Unable to access file larger than 10mb in Android application I have one index.html file and other supporting css javascript files.
The css and javascript files are 8mb , and the html file is nearly 15mb as it is a flash book (a type of e-book) and as such contains lot of data.
I keep all the data in the html file and now I have to access it from my android application.
Is there any way to do this?

A: try php?
filesize cant be set in html from my knowledge, it can in php.
look at this
http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/linux-unix-apache-increase-php-upload-limit/

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