Opinions

Opinions, Technology 10. August 2024

United Nations: Member States Finalize a New Cybercrime Convention

After three years of work, the committee established by the UN General Assembly to negotiate a new convention on cybercrime agreed today on a draft convention text. The draft convention is expected to be adopted by the General Assembly later this year, thus becoming the first global legally binding instrument on cybercrime. This achievement represents the culmination of a five-year effort by UN Member States, with the input of civil society, academic institutions and the private sector. UNODC served as the substantive secretariat for the negotiations. “The finalization of this Convention is a landmark step as the first multilateral anti-crime…

Culture & Literature, Opinions, Technology 1. August 2024

Forum Alpbach 2024 Planned to Start on 17 August

The European Forum Alpbach engages key actors of various fields and generations to take part in fruitful discussions. Together, they experience the power of open dialogue and a common purpose. By driving ideas and sparking action for a strong and democratic Europe, the EFA24 is bound to become a transformational event in building strong and sustainable relationships, connecting in field of expertise, expanding professional horizon, gaining visibility for cause and sharing a table with like-minded individuals and people with different opinions. At the intersection of Finance and Economy track with all other EFA tracks (Climate, Security, Democracy and the Rule…

Culture & Literature, Opinions, Technology 21. July 2024

UNPA Issuing Postage Stamps and Souvenir Sheets Featuring Lunar Missions

To commemorate International Moon Day the United Nations Postal Administration, UNPA, is issuing six postage stamps and three souvenir sheets featuring various pictures from lunar missions. The UN General Assembly declared International Moon Day to be observed annually on 20 July in its resolution on “International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space”. The day was chosen to honor the anniversary of the first landing by humans on the Moon, as part of the Apollo 11 mission, and to raise awareness about the commitment to sustainable lunar exploration on the part of national and international space programmes worldwide. The…

Interviews, Opinions 10. July 2024

Announcement of the Upcoming Forum on “ZOOM and EU Security”

We are proud to announce our next online forum on the topic of “ZOOM and EU Security”. A popular online video conference platform, Zoom has been widely used in Europe. It offers advanced features for hosting webinars and large meetings. In comparison to Cisco Webex Meetings or Microsoft Teams, Zoom has presumably much more power and scale in collecting personal and cooperate data, though. Based in the USA, Zoom is subject to the cloud act, the Patriot Act and the FISA Act, which means that it must pass on all data from non-US citizens to the US secret services. Therefore,…

Allgemein, Culture & Literature, Opinions 26. June 2024

The biggest mural in VIC Calling for Sustainable Development Goals

The biggest mural in Vienna is being inaugurated at a special ceremony at the Vienna International Centre with representatives of the Host Country, City of Vienna, 22nd municipal district, the United Nations and the Calle Libre Street Art Festival as well as the artist himself. A tactile information board courtesy of Zero Project and partners will also be unveiled which will make the artwork accessible for people with disabilities. Over the last three weeks one of the towers of the UN building has been transformed into a work of art by the Australian artist Fintan Magee. The street art is…

Allgemein, Opinions 14. June 2024

Zoom and the EU Security

Last year, the “Big Brother Award”, a negative price for surveillance by the civil rights organization Digitalcourage in Germany, was given to Zoom in the “Communication” category. Based in the USA, Zoom is subject to the cloud act, the Patriot Act and the FISA Act, which means that it must pass on all data from non-US citizens to the US secret services. Zoom is therefore not legal in Europe. An online video conference platform established in 2011, Zoom enjoyed rapid increase of popularity during the pandemic years. Meanwhile, it has been found with severe security gaps like the undesirable penetration…

Allgemein, Interviews, Opinions, Technology 17. May 2024

The Strength of the Chinese Economy in 2024 and its Significance for the Future World

The Strength of the Chinese Economy in 2024 “China’s role in the world economy is substantial. It accounts for around 10% of world trade and stock market capitalization, around 18% of GDP (at market exchange rates), around 16% of world oil demand, and over a quarter of world broad money,” according to Oxford Economics. The robust growth in China is based on a cocktail of state-driven investment, supply-side stimulus, and a boost in “green” manufacturing, said its lead economist Sean Metcalfe. The continued government stimulus concentrated in green equipment and high-tech manufacturing is not only part of the economy’s shift…

Interviews, Opinions 7. May 2024

In the Year of the Dragon – Hungarian Chinese Cooperation at its Peak

 (Written by Dr. László Benedek FLAMM, Historian, foreign policy expert)    Since the beginning of this year, a number of meetings took place in Budapest and Beijing, giving further impetus to the bilateral cooperation between Hungary and China. From May 8 to May 10,  Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, will visit Hungary. The highest-level event also marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of Hungarian-Chinese diplomatic relations.  This year there will be at least 17 direct flights between the two countries per week. This is the highest figure in the Central Europe that Hungary shows. Direct flights can…

Allgemein, Opinions 20. March 2024

Belgium and the European Union sign the “Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships”

Belgium and the European Union signed the United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships (the “Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships”) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 14 March 2024. Belgium is the eighteenth State to sign the treaty. The European Union signs in accordance with Article 18(1) of the Beijing Convention on Judicial Sale of Ships which provides that a Regional Economic Integration Organization that is constituted by sovereign States and has competence over certain matters governed by the Convention may sign the Convention. Article 18(2) of the Convention…

Chinese Community in Vienna, Interviews, Opinions, Technology 2. January 2024

PASCO’s In-Depth Discussion on GPT-like Artificial Intelligence

Since the release of the application ChatGPT, which is based on the Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) model, GPT-like generative artificial intelligence tools have become integrated into various aspects of our lives over the past year. This integration has synergized human intelligence with artificial intelligence, providing numerous conveniences. While benefiting from the advantages these AI tools bring, people are also contemplating and researching the future development of this technology, its impact on individuals and the society, as well as the coexistence of humans with artificial intelligence. (Fig.1:  Daily applications of ChatGPT – by courtesy of Dr. Shiyi Wang) Following the presentation and…