Around the Bloc: Kazakhstan Tightens Squeeze on Media
Astana reinforces its status as a no-go area for independent media, while ostensibly more open Kyrgyzstan cracks down on opposition TV station.
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Astana reinforces its status as a no-go area for independent media, while ostensibly more open Kyrgyzstan cracks down on opposition TV station.
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There are numerous useful methods that can be conducted in data analysis in order to check data correctness and authenticity. One of contemporary and efficient methods is application of so-called Benford's Law. In this paper we examine ways of application of this law in investigation of specific net income number set. Our aim is to make a conclusion if this number set conforms to Benford's Law. An examination target focus is set on values of top 500 central and east European companies according to their income. Data set contains 1,500 records and spans through 3 years (2007, 2008 and 2009) including 500 net incomes per year. Research is based on net income profit and loss subsets as well as absolute values of net income. Analysis covers first digit Benford's Law test and proves conformance to Benford's Law of all observed subsets.
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In the democratic system, an informed and educated public and an open government are two main guardians of democracy. It is often viewed that the media is the traditional and regular means by which the public gains knowledge of government activities in a democracy. The long-running controversy over the Wiki Leaks case, which was the public release of classified United States government documents by an international nonprofit organization, illustrated the strong tension between the desire for government to keep many of its actions in secret and the desire of the public to know what its government is doing. Those who disclose government’s misconducts have the compulsion to uncover any wrongdoings in government in order to protect the democratic process. On the other hand, they fear that disclosing secret information may harm the government. Despite the uncertainties and the potential risks, government whistle blowing does seem a necessary aspect of the democratic process. There is a very simple yet very important question that remains unanswered which is what, if anything, government should or must keep secret and to what extent government should keep secret including in the name of national security?
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Since the analysis of the reform process in the domain of the public service in Romania has not been explored often enough, the present paper aims to identify various types of bureaucratic dysfunctions of public service with special focus on the causes of these dysfunctions. The paper also points out the strategies and mechanisms proposed by the government to reform the public service, an area of crucial importance for the activity of public administration. For a better understanding of the causes of bureaucratic dysfunctions, the article makes a brief comparative analysis of the solutions of reform applied by other European states in order to find possible ideas or models that could be also efficient for the Romanian public administrative system
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In the vision of the Council of Europe, good administration has the meaning of ensuring quality legislation, quality services rendered based on a proper evaluation of the society needs, an efficient public management, efficiency and effectiveness, corruption exclusion and recruitment, and training a quality staff. But, first of all, by good administration is understood the observance of individuals' rights, openness and transparency in public activity. And the activity carried out by the European Court of Human Rights, based on the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, ensures the observance of human rights and has supported the development of European democracies, and, implicitly, achievement of a better governance and administration in the European countries.
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By binding global computers networks, the issue of cybercrime acquired the features of cross-border criminality, becoming a global problem, whose settlement got the attention of regional and international organizations. Because computer crimes go beyond national borders, without the criminals or the goods resulting from the crime necessarily needing to cross such limits as well, the question “who should investigate such deeds?” requires a carefully analysed answer. The problem of multiple jurisdictions that might interfere with the investigation of such cybercrimes and the acknowledgement that national laws are very different, many of them lacking the specific provisions regarding cybercrime (in the early ‘80s), triggered, especially within the international organizations, debates regarding this phenomenon and the creation of efficient combat instruments.
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Author describes very important matter related to sovereignty of the State — it’s energy safety. In this paper he synthetically discusses programme of the Prawo i Sprawiedliwość — a Centre-Right party, devoting a lot of its attention to Poland’s energy safety — especially its dependency from Russian supplies and solutions which would allow to acquire more energy from renewal resources and fossil fuels.
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The article raises awareness on the expanding phenomenon of cyber harassment, with special regard to vulnerable groups: women and children. It summarizes key findings of the Global Information Society Watch 2015 edition for Romania, focused on cyber harassment and gender-based violence on the public agenda. It also gives a snippet view on a research project aimed at assessing digital literacy of children from Romania, and the need for an early age media education in the country.
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The practicing of any profession is conditioned by the legislative framework which defines its aspects. Considering the fact that in Romania there is no special law concerning the practice of journalism a series of important issues remain without guidance or they are regulated by general norms only. Sometimes these are not really adequate and they are not meant to protect the professional independence of the journalists, although this is of utmost importance from the point of view of the freedom of press. This study is concerned with the key issues of labour law regulations considering the most important problems of this domain viewed from the perspective of the practice of journalism.
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This article concentrateson one of two vital aspects of the category of internal sovereignty, namely onthe lawgiver. The issue is portrayed with reference to the Constitution of the Republic ofPoland, in which the bearer of an internal sovereignty has been exposed. Contemporary,this subject should be considered in the context of the competence to regulate entirerelations in the state. Moreover particularly significant is the fact that internal sovereigntyis precised by the principles of human dignity and common good.
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The Author concludes that the RulesDeputies’ and Immunity Affairs Committee should not continue to examine applicationrequest of the subsidiary prosecutor after the court of appeal has finally dismissed thecriminal proceedings. It should be assumed that revoking of a valid procedural decisionterminating these proceedings will give rise to the necessity of submitting a new applicationfor waiver of immunity. An entity that submitted an application for waiver of immunitymay freely dispose of it until the Sejm adopts a resolution regarding the consentto bring the Deputy to criminal accountability or until the Deputy’s submission of thestatement referred to in Article 105 para. 4 of the Constitution.
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The Author states thatthe National Media Council cannot be an addressee of an interpellation or a Deputy’squestion. As a rule, admissibility of submitting interpellations and Deputy’s questions,whose subject matter would be the functioning of the Council, is exclued. In additiona particular practical situation, when a member of the Council of Ministers undertakesactivities related to the functioning of the NMC, was discussed.
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The submitteddocument opens the debate on the future of European defence. In the presentgeostrategic context, it is advisable that the European Union should increase its militarypotential by, inter alia, reducing the number of weapon systems, strengthening cooperationregarding defence industry, increasing operational interoperability and achievingstrategic autonomy. The authors point out that the implementation of these goals maybe difficult due to the fact that they assume, to a lesser or greater extent, limiting defenceautonomy of member states, as well as due to the controversy that would arisearound a “fair” distribution of costs and profits among individual states related to theprocess of integration of the European defence industry.
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The subject of the assessment is a petition requesting the change of Article 245 § 1 of CCP by indicating a method of contact of a detainee with an advocate or a legal advisor. The petitioner suggests that the code should state that the contact can also be made by means of remote communication, including telephone or electronic means of communication. In the opinion of the author, the submitted proposal to supplement the article will not change the current normative scope of this regulation. Consequently, it will not improve the legal situation of the detainee.
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In the author’s opinion, proposals regarding levelling rights of employees –other members of close family taking maternity leave (or parental one) – with rights of anemployee – father raising a child, extending deadline for an employee to apply for correctionof a work certificate, and applying to a labour court for correction of this documentare justified. Significant doubts are related to introduction of the possibility of issuing bythe court a decision replacing the certificate of employment. Finally, a positive opinionconcerns the proposed amendment to Article 1050 of the Code of Civil Procedure, consistingintroduction of the principle that enforcement of non-pecuniary benefits in thefield of labour law, may be carried out before a court of an alternating jurisdiction, whatwill facilitate a lawyer submission of an application for such enforcement.
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The bill containsan amendment of Article 50536 of the Code of Civil Procedure enabling the defendantto file an objection against a an order for payment issued in the course of electronicwrit-of-payment proceedings. The reasons of procedural economy are justify introducingchanges that make it possible to partially appeal from the EPU’s payment order. In theauthor’s opinion, the implementation of the reasons of the bill does not require additionof new paragraphs. In order to achieve the same result, it is enough to modify the indicatedarticle in such a way that the acceptable scope of the appeal and the effects of raisingthe objection are set out in provisions concerning the “traditional” writ-of paymentproceedings.
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Property components belonging to a joint property ofspouses specified in the Family and Guardianship Code are an exemplary calculationand in the context of Deputy’s obligation to disclose financial assets, each of the componentsrequires a separate interpretation. According to the interpretation of the Bureauof Research, a Deputy staying in a spousal property partnership should disclose incomereceived by the spouse in pecuniary resources held on the date of filing the financial declaration. If the property is a part of the spousal property partnership, it must be indicatedin the Deputy’s property declaration.
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In the opinionit was stated that although examining identity documents is associated with a temporary restriction of freedom of a Deputy by an authorized body, it does not constitutea violation of the privilege of parliamentary inviolability. Undertaking Deputy’s activities related to the exercise of the mandate in a border zone, does not require an appropriate consent. The privilege of inviolability does not absolve the Deputy from the obligationto respect the law. As a rule, a Border Guard officer cannot detain the Deputy during performing activities falling within the scope of the parliamentary mandate in the borderzone. Deputies may be detained only in the event of joint fulfillment of requirements provided in the Article 105 para. 5 of the Constitution.
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The subject of the opinion is the issue of complaint regaring payment services in relation to an incorrect operation of an ATM. It was found that the complaint and possible claims related to an improper course of transactions using the ATM should be addressed to the bank that issued a given payment card. It was notedthat as a part of the complaint procedure the bank cannot provide a client with a video recording from the camera located in the ATM, but is required to present such recordings upon a request of law enforcement authorities or as evidence in civil proceedings.
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The draft Sejm’s position concerns the issue of handing overa vehicle removed from a road and towed to a guarded cark park. A situation in which the vehicle is issued after showing a proof of payment for its compulsory removal andparking was assessed as consistent with the Constitution.
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