- World Report 2024: Serbia/Kosovo (hrw.org)
Independent journalists continued to be subjected to threats and intimidation in 2023. War crimes prosecutions remained slow, inefficient, and marred by delays. Attacks and threats against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and organizations continued. Serbia and Kosovo signed a joint declaration on missing persons in May as part of an EU-brokered normalization process, but relations deteriorated after clashes in northern Kosovo later that month linked to a contested election.
- Deception Pass (wa100.dnr.wa.gov)
At Deception Pass in northwestern Washington, an elegant, arching, steel structure spans a crystal-blue strait flanked by craggy knobs of rock. The bridge here connects Whidbey and Fidalgo Islands along State Route 20 and is one of the most photographed bridges in the State. The land on both sides of the pass belongs to Deception Pass State Park, where you can camp, paddle, hike the rugged shores, or hunt for critters in the tide pools. The rocks exposed here are clearly the centerpiece of the park’s beauty. These rocks tell a story that spans millions of years, starting with their formation on the ocean floor and followed by the arrival of the ice age glaciers which slowly carved their mark into the landscape. The rocks here continue to evolve as the natural forces of wind and water etch patterns onto the exposed surfaces of the dark lavas.
- Serbia (Wikipedia)
Serbia, officially the Republic of Serbia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Southeast and Central Europe, located in the Balkans and the Pannonian Plain. It shares land borders with Hungary to the north, Romania to the northeast, Bulgaria to the southeast, North Macedonia to the south, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the west, and Montenegro to the southwest. Serbia claims a border with Albania through the disputed territory of Kosovo. Serbia has about 6.6 million inhabitants, excluding Kosovo. Its capital Belgrade is also the largest city.
