The Impact of Covid-19 on National Security of Nepal

Unity Journal ◽

10.3126/unityj.v2i0.38852 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

pp. 263-274

Author(s):

Susma Giri

Keyword(s):

National Security ◽

Cyber Security ◽

Physical Distance ◽

Public And Private ◽

Security Forces ◽

Work From Home ◽

Digital Era ◽

The Impact ◽

State Secrets ◽

Different Sources

With the announcement of a nationwide lockdown from 24th March 2020 in Nepal, national security is no longer limited to the proper use of economic power, political authority, and diplomacy. Public and private offices have asked their employees to work from home in the online space considering the uncertainty about the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. The introduction of the ‘new normal’ to maintain physical distance and perform the task from cyber/online space has demanded the redefinition of the concept of national security, i.e., beyond the protection of nation and citizens from potential attacks and ensuring the guard of the state secrets. With the responsibility to undertake the regular duties including preparation for war, investigation of crimes, safeguard of national territories, and the establishment of peace and order, the security forces of Nepal are piled up with another challenging responsibility of preventing cybercrime and its by-product in this ongoing digital era. As the security forces of Nepal are occupied with the task to address the pandemic situation, it is likely that criminals and terrorists take advantage of it and cause rampant cybercrimes. Electronic Transaction Act, 2063B.S (2008A.D) is the major law that authenticates, regularizes, and controls the unauthorized use of electronic records in Nepal. This article focuses on the discussion if more than a decade older Act is sufficient to address the new cyber issues mushrooming in speedily running cyberspace. This article aims to explore various impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on different aspects of the national security of Nepal with special emphasis on cyber security. The study is conducted based on data obtained from different sources. Published articles, news, documentaries, and comparative study related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on national security are searched and reviewed for this study.

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Cross-Border Funding and Microfinance Mission Drift: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

10.51240/jibe.2016.2.3 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 20-40

Author(s):

Akem Forkusam

Keyword(s):

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Microfinance Institutions ◽

Public And Private ◽

Mission Drift ◽

Cross Border ◽

The Social ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

The Impact ◽

Different Sources ◽

Ssa Countries

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has become the top priority for international funders and they are now increasing their cross-border funding to microfinance institutions (MFIs) in the region. This foreign funding is considered an additional source of capital for MFIs in the region who are facing difficulties in meeting the demand of the poor. However, these funds are provided by public and private funders who each have different motives. The paper examines the impact of these different sources of funding on microfinance performance and mission drift in SSA, which is the world’s poorest region. The study utilizes data from 212 MFIs in 30 SSA countries accessed over a three-year period (i.e. 2007, 2009, and 2011). The findings show that cross-border funding does not affect either the social or financial performance of MFIs when time and country effects are accounted for.

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Linguistic examination of social networks under conditions of hybrid challenges to Ukraine's national security

Actual issues of Ukrainian linguistics theory and practice ◽

10.17721/apultp.2020.40.119-139 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 119-139

Author(s):

Larysa Kompantseva

Keyword(s):

Social Networks ◽

Social Network ◽

National Security ◽

Integrated Approach ◽

Academic Community ◽

Political Activity ◽

Advisory Opinion ◽

Public And Private ◽

Intercultural Communications ◽

The Impact

The article analyses the applied aspects of linguistic examination of social networks under conditions of hybrid threats to the national security of Ukraine. It is argued that the intensification of intercultural communications, the formation of a single geopolitical space, the activation of destructive influences on the behaviour of social network visitors have led to an increase in discursive situations that a linguist can evaluate as an expert. For these reasons, there is an urgent need to separate and legislate linguistic examination of social networks, i.e. linguistic analysis of social network discourses using an integrated approach, the results of which can be completed as an advisory opinion or forecast concerning the impact of virtual communication on socio-political activity in the real world. This type of examination has got importance under conditions of hybrid aggression of the Russian Federation, which is mainly aimed to reshape the system of values and behaviour in target audiences, though it is of a consciental nature. The expert approach is the most relevant for identifying social cyberattacks, i.e. anonymous manipulative influences on social network visitors to create chaos, panic, and mass unrest. This identification should consider the following discursive characteristics of social networks: the creation of attractive content, its coordinated distribution through public and private channels, the use of social bots, the horizontal broadcasting of narratives. As an example, it is proposed the linguistic examination of the Russian propaganda fake “anti-Semitism in Ukraine”, which purpose is to ignite ethnic agitation. Therefore, active integration of academic community into the analysis of modern threats and counteraction to them, creation of a pool of professional experts, legislative regulation of the status of linguistic examination of social networks are on the agenda.

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Cyber-threats in Ukraine as a problem in conditions of geopolitical rivalry

University Economic Bulletin ◽

10.31470/2306-546x-2019-40-70-76 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 70-76

Author(s):

Ljudmila Shimchenko

Keyword(s):

National Security ◽

Cyber Security ◽

National Level ◽

Training System ◽

The State ◽

Control Mechanisms ◽

International Agencies ◽

Cyber Threats ◽

The Impact ◽

Ukrainian Society

The subject of research is cyber-threats as an instrument of geopolitical rivalry.The goal of research is to study the impact of cyber-threats on Ukrainian society in conditions of geopolitical rivalry.The research target is to consider the format of the terminological uncertainty of the cyber-threatening problem at a national level; to study the impact of diverse cyber-threats on Ukrainian society and the state; to focus attention on the proposed control mechanisms against the growing cyber-threats in the conditions of geopolitical rivalry.Research methods. In the process of the study, the following research methods were used: a system approach, a search method, synthesis and generalization, an analogical method.Methodological basis of research were the Ukrainian scientists’ works and analytical materials.The results of work. Researching the issue of geostrategic rivalry, the most of the focus is on cyber-struggle. It is found that cyber-security problems increasingly become a problem of the national level, which is traced at the speed of adoption of normative legal decisions with legitimate mechanisms of counteraction to cyber-threats, in the creation of special cyber units to secure cyber resistance and others. The article emphasizes cyber-threats that were the most resonance for the Ukrainian society and the state over recent years, and also attention was paid to the mechanisms used by the authorities to counteract. The field of application of results. The results of this research can be applied in higher educational establishments of Ukraine to teach such disciplines as National Security, Information Security, Socioeconomic Security, etc. Conclusions. Cybercrime, cyberattacks, cyberwar are a result of the formation of an information civilization that not only enables to build a more efficient and successful society, but also forms new threats to national security, leads to geopolitical rivalry. The greatest controversy unfolds in regard to cyberspace, so the state should pay more attention to the system of formation of information policy in all its aspects: to provide terminological definiteness; to promote the formation of the proper coordination of activities of various information departments related to cyberspace opportunities; to create an effective training system for special structural cyber units; to cooperate with international agencies trying to provide cybersecurity in the world.

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Socially Distanced or Socially Connected? Well-being through ICT Usage among the Indian Elderly during COVID-19

Millennial Asia ◽

10.1177/0976399621989910 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 097639962198991

Author(s):

Trisha Bakshi ◽

Asmita Bhattacharyya

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Cyber Security ◽

Well Being ◽

Negative Experience ◽

Health Crisis ◽

Adoption Of Technology ◽

Social Distancing ◽

Work From Home ◽

Technical Instructions ◽

The Impact

The ageing of the national population along with the rapid diffusion of technological innovations necessitate it to turn our attention to the significance of considering the adoption of technology by the Indian elderly. The impact of social distancing and the role of technology on the everyday lives of the older people during the pandemic remain under-researched. The public health crisis created by COVID-19 has deepened the roots of digital divide by digitally marginalizing older people especially in the developing nations who often lack awareness, access and training to use technology. This study captures the success stories, ordeals or challenges faced by the older people in coping with social distancing measures through the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Results of the qualitative in-depth interviews conducted on 30 professionals aged at least 60 years, residing in a metropolitan city in eastern India show that as the participants feel isolated, they reconfigure their traditional norms of face-to-face social interaction and rely upon their touchscreens and keyboards to continue everyday interaction, to work from home, access information and avail ‘essential services’. Apart from focusing on their impetus to adopt ICT, the study highlights the blocks in active usage of ICT namely attitudinal barriers, prior negative experience, concerns over cyber security, complicated technical instructions and lack of supportive learning environment. In order to create a technologically inclusive society for the older people, it is essential to cater to their unique needs and design elderly friendly technologies.

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Social and political dimension of stigmatization: The development of Natasha and Maria images for immigrants in Istanbul

MIGRATION LETTERS ◽

10.33182/ml.v13i1.270 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 159-168

Author(s):

Bayram Unal

Keyword(s):

Public Perception ◽

Daily Life ◽

Legal Framework ◽

State Law ◽

Migrant Women ◽

Political Dimension ◽

Security Forces ◽

Official Discourse ◽

The Third ◽

The Impact

This study aims at understanding how the perceptions about migrants have been created and transferred into daily life as a stigmatization by means of public perception, media and state law implementations. The focus would be briefly what kind of consequences these perceptions and stigmatization might lead. First section will examine the background of migration to Turkey briefly and make a summary of migration towards Turkey by 90s. Second section will briefly evaluate the preferential legal framework, which constitutes the base for official discourse differentiating the migrants and implementations of security forces that can be described as discriminatory. The third section deals with the impact of perceptions influential in both formation and reproduction of inclusive and exclusive practices towards migrant women. Additionally, impact of public perception in classifying the migrants and migratory processes would be dealt in this section.

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Role of chromium (III) in the nutrition of pigs and cattle

Agricultural science and practice ◽

10.15407/agrisp3.02.056 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 56-62

Author(s):

R. Iskra ◽

V. Vlizlo ◽

R. Fedoruk

Keyword(s):

Growth And Development ◽

Reproductive Function ◽

Metabolic Effect ◽

Considerable Part ◽

Cultural Medium ◽

Milk Performance ◽

Chromium Compounds ◽

The Impact ◽

Different Sources

The results of our studies and the data of modern literature regarding the biological role of Cr(III) compounds in conditions of their application in the nutrition for pigs and cattle are discussed. The metabolic impact of Cr(III), coming from different sources – mineral and organic compounds, obtained by chemical synthesis or a nanotechnological method (chromium citrate), as well as in the form of biocomplexes from the cultural medium of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts was analyzed. The metabolic connection between the impact of Cr(III) and the biosynthesis of some hormones – insulin, cortisol – as well as the sensitivity of some tissues and organs to the effect of chromium compounds was studied. A considerable part of the review material was dedicated to the metabolic effect of Cr(III) compounds on the reproductive function of pigs and cattle and their impact on the viability of the offspring and gametes of animals. The data about the stimulating effect of Cr(III) on the growth and development of the organism of piglets and calves, meat and milk performance of these species of animals are discussed. The relevance of dosing Cr(III) in the nutrition of pigs and cattle is highlighted.

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Investigation of Cost-Influencing Factors Potentially ‎Controllable by Main Contractors in Construction Projects in ‎Iraq

Engineering and Technology Journal ◽

10.30684/etj.v38i7a.546 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 38 (7A) ◽

pp. 1069-1076

Author(s):

Layth T. Ali ◽

Raid S. Abid Ali ◽

Zeyad S. M. Khaled

Keyword(s):

Construction Projects ◽

Project Managers ◽

Cost Overrun ◽

Public And Private ◽

Importance Index ◽

Labor Recruitment ◽

Supply Planning ◽

Major Factors ◽

And Control ◽

The Impact

Cost overrun in construction projects is a common phenomenon in Iraq. This might occur due to diversity of factors. This study aims to identify the factors influencing construction projects cost that are potentially controllable by main contractors. A field study through a questionnaire survey was directed to a sample of related Iraqi professional engineers from general contracting companies at both public and private sectors. Their opinions on the impact and frequency of each factor were investigated. The questionnaire offered (59) factors classified in (8) categories namely; legislations, financial and economic, design, contractual, site management, material, labor and equipment. The factors were ranked according to the highest Relative Importance Index (RII). The study revealed (10) major factors that are potentially controllable by main contractors namely; labor productivity, sub-contractors and suppliers performance, equipment productivity, site organization and distribution of equipment, experience and training of project managers, scheduling and control techniques, planning for materials supply, planning for equipment supply, materials delivery and planning for skilled labor recruitment. Recommendations to aid contractors and owners in early identification of these factors are also included in this study.

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