Wybory parlamentarne w Serbii w 2020 roku – szczyt dominacji politycznej Serbskiej Partii Postępowej?

Serbia’s Parliamentary Elections in 2020: The Peak of Political Domination of the Serbian Progressive Party? The Serbian parliamentary elections in 2020 were not groundbreaking in political terms, but their results directly determine the immediate future of Serbs. Taking into account the current geopolitical situation in Serbia, it should be emphasized that the next four years may prove critical for the international position of this country. The elections on June 21 were special due to the circumstances in which they were held. Among them, the global problem should be mentioned – the coronavirus pandemic, which paralyzed the functioning of many countries, including Serbia. The second important factor relates to the largest anti-government protests since 2000, which began in late 2018 and lasted until the state of emergency declaration due to the threat of COVID-19. The results of the parliamentary elections in 2020 should be interpreted as the strengthening of the Serbian Progressive Party and its leader Aleksandar Vučić. Moreover, it is a clear signal that the opposition still do not have adequate public support to compete effectively with the ruling party. Nowadays, there are no political conditions for an alternation of power in Serbia. Following the impressive victory in the parliamentary elections, the Serbian Progressive Party may continue the process of increasing influence in the most important state organs.

Innovation and opportunity: review of the UK’s national AI strategy

The publication of the UK’s National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy represents a step-change in the national industrial, policy, regulatory, and geo-strategic agenda. Although there is a multiplicity of threads to explore this text can be read primarily as a ‘signalling’ document. Indeed, we read the National AI Strategy as a vision for innovation and opportunity, underpinned by a trust framework that has innovation and opportunity at the forefront. We provide an overview of the structure of the document and offer an emphasised commentary on various standouts. Our main takeaways are: Innovation First: a clear signal is that innovation is at the forefront of UK’s data priorities. Alternative Ecosystem of Trust: the UK’s regulatory-market norms becoming the preferred ecosystem is dependent upon the regulatory system and delivery frameworks required. Defence, Security and Risk: security and risk are discussed in terms of utilisation of AI and governance. Revision of Data Protection: the signal is that the UK is indeed seeking to position itself as less stringent regarding data protection and necessary documentation. EU Disalignment—Atlanticism?: questions are raised regarding a step back in terms of data protection rights. We conclude with further notes on data flow continuity, the feasibility of a sector approach to regulation, legal liability, and the lack of a method of engagement for stakeholders. Whilst the strategy sends important signals for innovation, achieving ethical innovation is a harder challenge and will require a carefully evolved framework built with appropriate expertise.

Fleeting gestures and changing styles of greeting: researching daily life in British towns in the long eighteenth century

Researching the history of daily greetings is challenging, because references are casual and scattered through many sources. Nonetheless, some broad trends are apparent. In eighteenth-century Britain, the old tradition of deep bowing and curtseying was slowly attenuating into a brisker touching of the cap or head (for men) and a quick bob (for women). Yet that transition was not the whole story. Simultaneously, a new form of urban greeting, in the form of the handshake, was emerging. The strengths and weaknesses of many different sources are here assessed, including novels, plays, letters, diaries, etiquette books, travelogues and legal depositions, as well as artwork. Strategies for analysis are identified, with a warning against generalizing from single references in single sources. Finally, the emergence of the handshake among the middle class in Britain's eighteenth-century towns gives a clear signal that socio-cultural change does not invariably start at the ‘top’ and ‘trickle down’.

The COVID-19 Pandemic in the IGAD Region: Consequence and Responses

This article examines the consequences of COVID-19 pandemic in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) region. In its epidemiological, as well as socio-economic dimensions, the pandemic presents extraordinary difficulties. The states in the region already suffer of dearth of basic medical equipment, medicines, personnel, health infrastructures and other health related materials. Early on, it also became clear that the Western world would not extend helping hand, in particular, with regard to crucially needed medical equipment and masks. The European Union’s decision not to sell medical equipment outside the bloc sent a clear signal that the region is on its own. Releasing this the governments of the region focused on measures of prevention. They, while on the one hand introduced severe lockdown, state of emergency and curfews, and on the other began to mobilise their social capital. The consequences of the total lockdown are yet to be properly assessed; however, socio-economic impacts are already immense. The article argues that dealing with the consequences of the pandemic requires pulling together all the resources of the region that depend on effective and coherent mobilisation and organisation of resources, capacities and social capital.

Biden-Moon summit indicates a new realism in Seoul

Significance The first was Japan’s prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, in April. While this priority sends a clear signal to Beijing, in each case there was also a substantial bilateral and regional agenda. Impacts Beijing sees itself as targeted and may react tangibly. Since South Koreans mistrust China even more than Japan, Moon need not fear public opinion if relations with Beijing worsen. Pyongyang could respond with a missile launch. Closer trilateral cooperation with Tokyo, as Biden wants, will meet resistance at home and may have to await Moon’s departure from office.

NEPSE in Bollinger Bands

<abstract> <p>An investor uses the graphical presentation of Bollinger Bands to get signals of the ups and downs, as well the volatility of the market from the expansion and tightening of the UBB and LBB, reflecting higher and lower volatility. The percent (%) b helps determine the opportunities during extreme periods from the market, looking at the concentration of line graph at the value "0" or "1" reflecting the bearish and bullish trend, respectively. The Bandwidth Index was able to picture out the bullish trend with a squeeze at the upper band. The positive unimodality of Q for NEPSE daily return for the period of the fiscal year 1998–1999 to the fiscal year 2019–2020 indicated normality for the market return. Nevertheless, the results for the trading signals based on the Bollinger bands are seen as useful for an investor by giving a clear signal to "buy" or "sell". At the same time, relying only on Bollinger Bands with a specific period MA, i.e. the Bollinger Bands with a shorter moving average (MA) shows higher fluctuations and vice-versa, hence, could show false signals while choosing inappropriate MA, therefore, help of other technical analysis tools should be taken while going for an investment decision.</p> </abstract>

Rape: An unreasonable belief in consent should not be a defence

Section 3 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 32 of 2007 defines rape in the following terms: ‘Any person (‘A’) who unlawfully and intentionally, commits an act of sexual penetration with a complainant (‘B’), without the consent of B, is guilty of the offence of rape.’ This paper focuses on one component of the definition, namely fault. It is argued that a mistaken but unreasonable belief in consent should not be recognised as a defence and that a normative approach could soften the focus on the behaviour of the complainant and send a clear signal that our commitment to constitutional values requires us to take due care in our interactions with others. The argument is made with full awareness that law reform is a very small cog in addressing the scourge of rape.

‘The Ghost of Roger Casement’

The final chapter is concerned with the enormous number of poets that have responded to Casement. Beginning with poetry written by Casement’s close friend and intellectual companion, Eva Gore-Booth, this chapter discusses a range of poetry from throughout the twentieth century. As the chapter illustrates, this poetry depicts Casement in various guises, from the tragic nationalist hero of 1916 in Gore-Booth; to a man wronged and shamed by the British in Yeats’ poems from the late 1930s; to a symbol critiquing regressive U.S. politics and troubled transatlantic relations in Paul Muldoon’s ‘A Clear Signal’. This chapter traces how, throughout the twentieth century, we see poets begin to view the nebulous nature of Casement’s multiple and shifting allegiances as enabling, rather than anxiety inducing, and poets like Muldoon and Medbh McGuckian mobilise Casement as a hopeful symbol of plurality.