Today, new kinds of space travel are emerging. The year 2001 marked the beginning of space tourism, as a wealthy California businessman, Dennis Tito, became the first paying passenger for a space flight. He paid $20 million to be launched by Soyuz TM-32 via arrangements made between an American company called Space Adventures and a Russian company MirCorp, which oversaw the Mir space station. The ticket sale was to fund the maintenance of the Mir space station; however, a premature deorbit decision diverted Tito’s destination to the International Space Station…
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THE INEVITABLE SPACE MILITARISATION NOT WEAPONISATION
The satellites are increasingly being utilised as dual-use (can be used for both military and non-military purposes). A number of countries own between 10- 20 satellites, but at least 115 countries (approximately) in total own a satellite or a share the resources of one. There are about 529 plus operational dedicated military satellites worldwide, with the US operating approximately 239 satellites and China approximately 140 satellites followed by Russia approximately 105 satellites. These are the three countries with the most military satellites owned outright. Space is emerging as an important…
Read MoreSAFETY STANDARDS AND CERTIFICATION FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN ROBOTICS
There is currently much discussion on how to ensure Artificial Intelligence(AI) applications do not lead to undesirable outcomes, particularly bias in algorithms that power recommendations such as who is a suitable job candidate. In most of these instances it is important to be able to establish what data the algorithm was trained on to ensure the data is representative as well as how the algorithm reaches its conclusions. Much of the proposed regulation around Artificial Intelligence(AI) – such as the European Commission’s ‘Proposal for a Regulation on a European approach…
Read MoreTHE ROLE OF DOMESTIC SHELL COMPANIES AND OFF SHORE FINANCIAL CENTRES IN FINANCIAL CRIMES
The term “shell company” generally refers to limited liability companies and other business entities with no significant assets or ongoing business activities. Shell companies – formed for both legitimate and illicit purposes – typically have no physical presence other than a mailing address, employ no one, and produce little to no independent economic value. Shell companies are often formed by individuals and businesses to conduct legitimate transactions, such as domestic and cross-border currency and asset transfers, or to facilitate corporate mergers and reorganizations. Shell companies can be publicly traded or…
Read MoreHUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE ERA OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND CHALLENGES OF HUMAN RESOURCES
Before starting to examine the impact of Artificial Intelligence(AI) and robots to organization and person working inside, it will be necessary to review briefly an artificial intelligence, more exactly what it is. Unfortunately there is no shared definition on AI and everybody has his own definition. This problem is understandable in that it is a research area where everything is rapidly developing and constantly evolving with an accelerating speed. However, it is also true that this lack of shared definition makes it difficult to study the impact of AI on people…
Read MoreWHAT MEDIA DOES TO PEOPLE: MEDIA EFFECTS APPROACH
Among the first approaches scholars used to conceptualize the role of media in human development was the media effects model. Within this model, the content of media is believed to affect the emotions, thoughts, behaviours and attitudes of the user. Proponents of this model view media as external to the user, with its effects flowing unidirectionally-from the outside in. Although not explicitly stated, the media effects approach views users as passive recipients of media influence, with the inference being that media uniformly impacts adolescents, rather than considering individual differences in…
Read MoreNEEDFULNESS OF LEGAL ORGANISATION AND DEFINITION FOR SPACE POLLUTION: REVIEW OF SPACE LAW
International states are free to use and exploit space orbits, in accordance with the principles of international law, the Charter of the United Nations and space law and environmental, terrestrial, oceanic or space orbits, in accordance with the text of Principle II of the 1992 Rio Declaration. In view of the rapid and dangerous development of space activities and clandestine research, it has become increasingly difficult to identify and determine the environmental damages caused. The environmental pollution of outer space is one of the most serious contemporary international environmental issues.…
Read MoreBIOLOGICAL ARMS CONTROL AND DISARMAMENT REVIEW AND BIOLOGICAL WARFARES FUTURE
Negotiations to prohibit biological weapons became part of the agenda of the international community with the organization of the United Nations. Initial discussions focused on a treaty aimed at both chemical and biological weapons, but little progress was made until the mid-1960s. At the insistence of the British, negotiators began to focus on a treaty limited solely to biological weapons. The result was the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), which prohibited possession of any biological and toxin weapons. Although the treaty does not define what constitutes a biological weapon, subsequent deliberations…
Read MoreGLOBAL GOVERNANCE REFORMING UNITED NATIONS
Since its foundation in 1946, the United Nations has undergone a continuous process of reform, each phase reflecting the renewed priorities of its membership. The decolonization period and the subsequent independence of numerous States in Africa and Asia provided a unique opportunity for the United Nations to address the needs of the newly independent nations. Within twenty years of its creation, UN membership more than doubled reaching 118 by 1965. The emergence of new States showed the need for a strengthening of the United Nations system in the area of…
Read MoreDIGITAL AGE: PRIVACY CONCERN AND LOOPHOLES IN LEGISLATION
The development of new information technology has improved the ability to communicate and share information with others, thus enhancing freedom of expression and democratic participation. However, these technological developments have also made it possible for electronic surveillance and communications interception to be carried out on a large scale and with relative ease. Furthermore, arbitrary communications surveillance poses a threat to anonymity of communications and in turn human rights defenders, whistleblowers and investigative journalism – all of which are important elements of a free and democratic society. Article 17 of the…
Read MoreDRUG DEVELOPMENT FOR COVID – 19 : CHALLENGES AND KEY CONSIDERATION FOR CLINICAL TRIAL DESIGNS
Identification of the 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and the associated coronavirus disease (COVID- 19) global pandemic is the foremost human tragedy affecting our life today. This disease has reached nearly every country, causing significant morbidity and mortality as it continues to spread. The development of drugs and vaccines is critical to win the battle against the COVID-19 virus. At present, although different countries have employed different methods of controlling COVID-19 based on their national conditions and health-care systems, the general strategy is consistent: Flatten the growth curve of COVID-19 infections…
Read MoreIMPORTANCE OF ANTIBODY TITERS AMIDST COVID – 19 PANDEMIC AND ADOPTION OF cDNA MICROARRAY TECHNOLOGY FOR GLOBAL HEALTH STABILITY
An antibody titer is a test that can be done to find out that a person is immune. For this test, a blood sample is sent to a laboratory and tested for antibodies. If a person has developed a sufficient level of antibodies, they may not need the booster dose of vaccine. An important thing to be aware of before going to a booster Covid -19 dose such that • If you have a record of the previous vaccinations you have received, get your titers drawn first. • Measure your…
Read MoreDRONE WARFARE AND INTERNATIONAL LAW
Under the United Nations Charter, states agree to “settle their international disputes in a peaceful manner” and “refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.” This is generally viewed as a blanket prohibition on the use of force by one state inside the borders of another sovereign state. Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter outlines just two exceptions to this prohibition. First, if the Security Council identifies “any threat to the peace, breach of the…
Read MoreDIGITAL AUTHORITARIANISM AND ITS EFFECTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY
Digital authoritarianism is “the use of digital information technology by authoritarian regimes to surveil, repress, and manipulate domestic and foreign populations”. Essentially it refers to the use of digital and technological means to increase control and limit the freedom and rights of citizens. For example, digital authoritarianism entails actions such as; limiting internet freedom, internet access and free speech online, collecting personal data for illegitimate purposes, surveillance and tracking of online activities, especially those of regime critics. We can sums up digital authoritarianism in six different techniques: surveillance, censorship, social…
Read MoreEPISTEMOLOGY ON COVID-19 VACCINE AND IDEAL VACCINE CHARACTERISTICS REQUIREMENT FOR COVID-19
Vaccination is the process of administering a vaccine, i.e., a biological substance intended to stimulate a recipient’s immune system to produce antibodies or to undergo other changes that provide future protection against specific infectious diseases. Immunization is the stimulation of changes in the immune system through which that protection occurs. These two concepts differ slightly in that administration of a vaccine may not always result in satisfactory immunization (protection) and that immunization may sometimes occur as a result of processes other than administration of a vaccine, e.g., through the body’s…
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