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Copyright of Zeitschrift für Bildungsforschung is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The research analyzes the process of formation of the ethics committee as a new institution in the system of regulation of genetic research. The external factors of this process are the increasing digitalization of medical and research practices, as well as the special situation that is developing in the field of genomic research and the use of genetic technologies, where issues of philosophy, jurisprudence and administration have generated many fundamentally new, and sometimes unexpected contexts. The author shows the similarity and difference of approaches to the inclusion of the ethics committee in the national regulatory systems of different countries and determines the prospects for further integration of the new institution into normative and administrative-regulatory and law enforcement practices. The research applies all the main methods of system analysis and structural and functional analysis, as well as the comparative legal method. At the stage of generalization of empirical material, the author turns to the means and methods of philosophical phenomenology and phenomenological sociology. The study revealed that the ethics committee may have different institutional and regulatory functions in a variety of management and legal systems. Being hybrid in nature, the ethics committee performs various functions, and in various state legal systems and traditions it can combine elements of legislative, executive and judicial power. At times, the ethics committee may go beyond the scope of both a purely administrative and exclusively legal regulator. All this indicates that the integration of this institution into the legal system and into a variety of social practices is far from being completed.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has undergone rapid development and is becoming one of the major social issues. The advent of generative AI is not only associated with potential benefits but also poses a number of risks, such as increasing malicious misuse. This brings the issue of regulating new AI technologies into focus. In the search for solutions, the article revisits the problem of applying the precautionary principle. We critically evaluate regulatory approaches, particularly with regard to maintaining an innovation-friendly environment. A prudent approach to new AI technologies not only requires regulatory measures but also places new demands on the education system. We also discuss the regulation of AI from the perspective of Czech legislation in a broader international context. Current challenges in the field of AI competence are highlighted. To make the issue more tangible, we provide specific examples from the Czech Republic.

Emperial Anti-Judaism in Moravia in the First Quarter of the 18th Century. Attempts to Regulate the Jewish Minority The paper focuses on the territory of Moravia between 1708–1728, when the Habsburg state produced a series of legislative measures that had a lasting impact on the status of the Jewish population. The au-thor sees this process as the formation of a monarchical anti-Judaism that gradually abandoned the old- er models of the Estates State and adopted the principles of absolute monarchies. In addition to formal shifts, the paper focuses primarily on the themes of these measures, the targets of which – the Jewish home, the synagogue, the ghetto, the family – tended to change frequently as the state sought the most an effective method for regulating the Jewish minority. Last but not least, the paper focuses on the actors who initiated the individual measures or were involved in their practical application.

The introduction of hydrogen as a safe energy carrier needs a robust knowledge base, tools for the design and safety assessment of hydrogen technologies built on it, and an internationally harmonised set of rules. Many of the innovative technologies imply hydrogen at high pressures and/or cryogenic temperatures, with which private users come into contact for the first time in distributed applications. In order to avoid over‐conservative, expensive safety solutions, while demonstrating the feasibility and safety of hydrogen applications and maintaining acceptance for the technology, also safety research must keep pace with, or better anticipate, trends in technological development. Thus, this overview article describes not only the current state of knowledge and technology regarding hydrogen safety, but also its further development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of WISTA Wirtschaft und Statistik is the property of Statistisches Bundesamt and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Although artificial intelligence (AI) and automated decision-making systems have been around for some time, they have only recently gained in importance as they are now actually being used and are no longer just the subject of research. AI to support decision-making is thus affecting ever larger parts of society, creating technical, but above all ethical, legal, and societal challenges, as decisions can now be made by machines that were previously the responsibility of humans. This introduction provides an overview of attempts to regulate AI and addresses key challenges that arise when integrating AI systems into human decision-making. The Special topic brings together research articles that present societal challenges, ethical issues, stakeholders, and possible futures of AI use for decision support in healthcare, the legal system, and border control.

Although artificial intelligence (AI) and automated decision-making systems have been around for some time, they have only recently gained in importance as they are now actually being used and are no longer just the subject of research. AI to support decision-making is thus affecting ever larger parts of society, creating technical, but above all ethical, legal, and societal challenges, as decisions can now be made by machines that were previously the responsibility of humans. This introduction provides an overview of attempts to regulate AI and addresses key challenges that arise when integrating AI systems into human decision-making. The Special topic brings together research articles that present societal challenges, ethical issues, stakeholders, and possible futures of AI use for decision support in healthcare, the legal system, and border control.

A "smart city" involves planned urbanisation, a system which has been adopted in many countries involving tailor-made solutions to suit local challenges while making the most of local opportunities. Smart city initiatives started in Mauritius in 2015 after the "Smart City Scheme" (SCS) Regulations were issued the same year under the Investment Promotion Act (IPA). By 2021 there were twelve approved smart cities in the main island of Mauritius in different phases of completion, while other such projects are seeking approval. While the smart city concept encourages the development of land into coordinated urban planning, it is mostly agricultural land in Mauritius which is being targeted for such real estate investment. The conversion of some lands belonging to large sugar companies for development into hotels and leisure facilities was part of the Mauritian government strategy to diversify the sugar industry after the dismantling of the African Caribbean Pacific-European Union (ACP-EU) Sugar Protocol. Since 2002 the IPA has enabled the development of luxury residential property in the Integrated Resort Scheme (IRS). As from 2007 the Real Estate Development Scheme (REDS) included not only the IRS but also the Real Estate Scheme (RES) and the Invest Hotel Scheme (IHS), which are smaller in size and more affordable. In 2015 Mauritian decision-makers came up with the "smart city" concept as a blueprint for coordinated urban planning with large-scale mixed-use developments involving smart technology and pioneering innovation. Regulatory approval for a "smart city" project includes a SCS certificate, a Land Conversion Permit where necessary, an environment impact assessment (EIA), a licence and a Building and Land Use Permit, all of which are issued via a fast-track procedure. As a small island developing State (SIDS) Mauritius has limited land resources and it is important that the setting up of smart cities should be limited and environmentally sustainable. Setting up a smart city involves more than mere urbanisation and property development, and the plan must be carefully evaluated. This paper critically reviews the regulation of smart cities and smart city initiatives in the context of land use planning in Mauritius to consider the extent to which they are environmentally sustainable, and makes recommendations to improve their environmental sustainability.

On September 8th, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals of the United States partially upheld a decision that found several public officials had coerced social media companies into censoring speech protected by the First Amendment. Americans call this area of the law jawboning, in reference to the jawbone that is moved when we talk, which is the mechanism through which pressures of these sorts are exerted. It is an extremely complex area of law, in part because distinguishing when public officials cross that fuzzy legal line depends on assessing the nature actions that happen in private settings in light of vague and ambiguous criteria. In this piece, I explain why the occurrence of jawboning might be an inevitable feature of modern administrative governance, and outline both the unique challenge that underpins any attempt to legally regulate it as well as the urgency of doing so.

The purpose of the article/hypothesis: The purpose of this article is to present the impact of capital gains tax on the returns of the two most popular cryptocurrencies: BITCOIN and Ethereum Classic (ETC). Methodology: In this study, the rates of return on selected cryptocurrencies were proposed as a variable that may be affected by taxes on capital gains. The article presents a new approach to the analysis of issues related to cryptocurrencies. Results of the research: The results show that for selected countries (Hungary, Italy, Poland, the USA) there is a correlation between the tax rate on capital gains and the return on ETC. In the case of BITCON, however, there is no such a relationship.

Innovation and public procurement law – a contradiction? Projects that receive public funding are regularly subject to formal procurement law, the regulations on public procurement. At first glance, the formal regulations and an innovation – in this case the erection of the carbon reinforced concrete building CUBE – seem to be in conflict. However, there are sufficient exceptions in public procurement law that allow for a flexible award procedure while observing the principles of public procurement law, such as equal treatment, transparency or proportionality. The article describes how the procedure was organized, what intermediate steps, difficulties and changes were made and how the procedure was ultimately successfully concluded. Decisive for this success was the close, transparent, and leading cooperation of all parties involved, as well as the willingness to repeatedly adapt the process to the required scope of services, the construction methodology, and the construction technology and time schedule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Neue Kriminalpolitik is the property of Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of SWS - Rundschau is the property of Verein fur interdisziplinare sozialwissenschaftliche Studien und Analysen and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Medieval religious orders implemented a series of devices to control the behavior of their members. In the case of the Order of Friars Minor, the systematization of the general constitutions that regulated the life of the brothers came with the generalship of Fray Buenaventura. The behavior of the friars that was standardized affected the interior and exterior spatiality of the convents. The aim of this article is to analyze to what extent the behavior of the friars is regulated and conditioned in the directives given by the chapter; as well as to establish which are the main spheres of interference on the movement of the friars between the conventual space and the outside and what guidelines of conduct and punishment are established.

The purpose of the article is to analyze and assess the situation of the market for environmental goods and services in the EU as well as the formation of its support and regulation system. Methodology: The market for environmental goods and services has experienced the dynamic growth and development in the last two decades, especially in economically developed countries. The research concerns the peculiarities of the development of the organic products market, sources of support for the development of organic production in the EU. The research uses the desk research method, which provides a possibility of using a wide range of materials in various areas and periods. Additionally, relevant legal acts, official documents and reports were used in the study. Results of the research: The structure of certified agricultural lands in the EU is thoroughly analyzed in the article. Emphasis is placed on the study of the EU market for organic products development peculiarities, which include a constant growth of demand for these products and their rising prices. The main elements of the ecological goods and services market regulation system are also characterized. The conclusions contained in the article refer to the possibility of using one of these instruments: financing from the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, crediting, venture financing, green bonds, fundraising, crowd funding, crowd landing as well as own means of enterprises. Generally, financial support should be more flexible and tailored to the needs of beneficiaries.

Abstract: Objective: Germany´s federal government has decided to legalize the non-medical use and supply of cannabis, and presented core elements of the proposed regulation framework. Select core regulatory details are being assessed and commented on from a viewpoint of international scientific evidence and experiences in regard to cannabis legalization, with a principal focus on efforts and objectives of public health. Methods: Select summary and policy-analytical application of scientific evidence. Results: A substantial proportion of cannabis-related health problems is associated with the use of high-potency (THC) products; however, categorical THC-limits for legally available cannabis would overall be unlikely to reduce the total of these adverse outcomes, but rather retain many high-risk users involved in illegal supply systems. The minimum legal age of 18 years for legal cannabis appears to primarily reflect political considerations, and does not necessarily reflect optimal health or social protection efforts for young users; notwithstanding, cannabis use among youth will likely remain high. A cross-substance, public-health-oriented integration of regulatory restrictions with those for other substances (e. g., alcohol) would make sense. Driving under cannabis impairment is relatively common, and increases the risk for related injury and death, and consequentially results in substantial burden of disease; its control requires targeted education and deterrence measures. Cannabis legalization is generally difficult to reconcile with seminal international (e. g., UN) conventions; rather, it should be used as impetus to advocate for fundamental reforms of these treaties on the basis of public health principles and their protection. Conclusions: There are no golden recipes for the regulations for cannabis legalization in Germany; some of its core objectives will only be achievable by way of compromise approaches, which may need to be adjusted depending on outcomes experienced. Once implemented, Germany will be able to offer valuable data on cannabis legalization as a policy option, for which systematic and comprehensive process and outcome monitoring will need to be conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Österreichische Zeitschrift für Soziologie is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Digital Beacons of Hope? The Challenges and Potentials of Digital Health Applications for Children and Adolescents with Mental Disorders in Germany Abstract: With the Digital Healthcare Act, Germany has taken a decisive step toward promoting high-quality, evidence-based digital health applications (DiHAs). Presently, there is a significant gap in the provision of mental health services throughout Germany, particularly regarding children and adolescents and especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. DiHAs as low-threshold, location- and time-independent additional mental health services - may offer a way to address this situation. Particularly in the emerging generation of digital natives, there is a high demand for digital mental health services. However, despite the rapidly growing supply of DiHAs for adults, there is a lack of approved DiHAs for children and adolescents with mental disorders. Rather, the demand for care is left to the unregulated market of diverse internet- and mobile-based interventions; early studies have questioned the evidence base, safety, and quality. This discrepancy arises from various specific challenges and risks that reduce incentives to develop DiHAs for this particularly vulnerable target group, including (1) limited evidence, (2) high complexity in study execution, (3) high complexity in the development of applications, (4) poorly researched specific risks, and (5) high regulatory requirements. This article discusses these challenges and risks and outlines the perspectives for a high-quality, safe, and evidence-based digital mental healthcare for children and adolescents.

Etkili bir okul yönetimini sağlamak ve okulda bulunan bireyleri belirlenmiş amaçlar doğrultusunda harekete geçirmek için okul yöneticisinin, sahip olduğu yasal gücün yanı sıra teknik, insani ve kavramsal boyutlarda kimi becerilere sahip olması beklenir. Okul yöneticilerinin; liyakate dayalı olarak, nesnel ölçütler aracılığıyla seçilmesi ve görevlendirilmesi etkili bir okul yönetimi açısından bir sorun alanıdır. Bu çalışmanın amacı Millî Eğitim Bakanlığına Bağlı Eğitim Kurumlarına Yönetici Görevlendirme Yönetmeliği (2017), Millî Eğitim Bakanlığı Eğitim Kurumlarına Yönetici Görevlendirme Yönetmeliği (2018) ve Millî Eğitim Bakanlığına Bağlı Eğitim Kurumlarına Yönetici Seçme ve Görevlendirme Yönetmeliği’nin (2021); eğitim kurumu müdürlerinin, müdür başyardımcılarının ve müdür yardımcılarının ilk defa görevlendirilme şartları ile usul ve esaslarını karşılaştırmaktır. Çalışma, doküman analizi türünde bir araştırmadır. Araştırmaya konu edilen üç yönetmelik yöneticiliğe ilk kez görevlendirme bağlamında karşılaştırılmıştır. Verilerin analizi betimsel analiz yöntemiyle gerçekleştirilmiştir. Sonuç olarak yönetmeliklerin; bürokratik sürece hâkim ve teknik yönü ağır basan bir yönetici tipinden öğretimsel lider profilinin öne çıkarıldığı bir anlayışa evrildiği gözlenmektedir. Bunun yanında 2021 yönetmeliğinde yazılı ve sözlü sınav ile değerlendirme formunun oransal ağırlıklarını içeren çok boyutlu bir değerlendirme modelinin görevlendirilmeye esas alındığı belirlenmiştir. Değerlendirmenin çok boyutlu oluşunun, kapsam ve yordama geçerliği ile güvenilirliği olumlu yönde etkileyeceği düşünülmektedir. 2021 yönetmeliğinde görevlendirmede eğitim yönetimi sertifikası şartı getirildiği görülmektedir. Ancak eğitim yönetimi alanında lisansüstü eğitim derecesine sahip adaylara eğitim yönetimi sertifikası konusunda muafiyet getirilmemesi önemli bir eksiklik olarak değerlendirilmektedir. Araştırma sonucunda bulgulara dayalı olarak yönetici görevlendirme konusuna ilişkin yönetici ve öğretmenlerin görüşlerine dayalı nicel ve nitel araştırmalar önerilmektedir.

Abstract: Background: Gambling is considered a demerit good that is associated with addiction risks and social costs for society. Accordingly, there is a great need for regulatory interventions that foster the protection of minors and gamblers in an evidence-based manner. To achieve this goal, a high-quality, comprehensive and multidisciplinary evaluation of the respective regulatory approaches and their individual elements needs to be implemented. Aim: In a first step, the article aims at critically assessing the status quo in terms of (previous) evaluation efforts in Germany. Based on this, in a second step, with reference to the State Treaty on Gambling 2021, recommendations for scientific action are presented. The focus lies on aspects of the effectiveness of the measures as well as on aspects of the implementation of the measures. In addition, there are some general considerations on an appropriate evaluation procedure. Conclusion: For the first time, this position paper presents proposals for a scientifically based evaluation of the State Treaty on Gambling 2021, considering both content-related and structural elements. Evidence-based addiction prevention can only occur if there is indeed a serious political interest in such a research agenda and if this agenda is adequately funded and independently conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Kriminologisches Journal is the property of Julius Beltz GmbH & Co. KG Beltz Juventa and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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Copyright of Monatsschrift fuer Kriminologie und Strafrechtsreform is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article focuses on efforts to regulate live-in care in Swiss households. Based on a sociology of legitimation, the model is conceptualised as a fragile order with a need for legitimation, and expectations towards its regulation are examined. While claims to justice serve as principles of criticism, austerity-based claims legitimise the arrangement. The need for adjustment is dealt with in a way that the model remains possible. Regulation remains fragmented and the debate about costs overshadows the question of how to (re-)organise long-term care.

İstanbul ve çevresinde verem savaşımı için 1903 yılında Ligue contre la Tuberculose (Phitisie pulmonaire) de Constantinople adıyla bir dernek kurulmuştur. Dr. Kleovulos H. Kokolatos (Cléobule C. Coccolatos, 1865-1944) tarafından kurulan bu dernek, 1912 yılında Société internationale contre la Tuberculose de Constantinople adını almıştır. Böylece, I. Dünya Savaşı’nın sonunda kurulan Veremle Mücadele Osmanlı Cemiyeti’nden önce, İstanbullu hekimlerin Vereme (Fitizi Pulmoner, Akciğer Tüberkülozu) Karşı Savaşım Birliği’ni oluşturarak Türkiye’nin öncü sağlık örgütleri arasına katıldıkları saptanmaktadır. Kleovulos Kokolatos, aynı yıllarda ayrıca Bulletin médical de Constantinople adlı aylık bir dergi yayımlamıştır. Derneğin 1903 ve 1912 tarihli tüzüklerinde, din, milliyet ve cinsiyet ayrımı yapılmadan İstanbul halkına veremden korunma çarelerini öğretme, yoksul hastalara parasız sağlık hizmeti sunma, dispanser ve sanatoryumlar kurma amaçları öne çıkmaktadır. Dernek üyeleri, özellikle tüberküloz hastalığının erken tanısı, sağaltımı ve genel hijyen uygulamaları eğitiminde başarı sağlamış görünmektedir. Dr. Kleovulos Kokolatos’un yirminci yüzyılın başında tüberküloza karşı başlattığı uluslararası savaşım Türkiye’nin verem savaş derneklerine örnek olmuştur.

The article questions the previous explanations of the economic policy of the German Empire. On the basis of the divergence in the regulatory regimes of central banks and stock credit banks, it can be shown that the regulation of the financial markets hardly followed a coherent regulatory policy course, but was at best committed to the establishment of a solid money market. This corresponded less to the image of an »intervention state« than to the function of the state as an institutional guarantor of capitalist economic activity.

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The landscape of the health sector in South Africa as seen from a regulatory perspective is rapidly changing under the disruptive impact of digitalisation. Drawing on a paradigm of "strong rights" protection, particularly a robust privacy law fit for the digital age and sourced in the nation's Constitution, the operationalisation and application of health privacy regulation in post-apartheid society is briefly described. The note then enumerates and assesses a number of specific digital health technologies currently in use in interventions in South Africa. To do so, we adopt the international World Health Organisation (WHO) classification of digital health interventions. We also cover the recent South African response to the COVID-19 pandemic, noting the establishment in South Africa of the COVID-19 Tracing Database and subsequent technological interventions aimed at enhancing contact tracing and other responses to the pandemic. The establishment of the initial database was a development at the interface of the law enforcement and health sectors, which raised concerns regarding its risks to privacy, but it also raised hopes regarding its potential rewards in protecting public health.

One of the most modern inventions of financial technology (FinTech) since after the global financial crisis of 2008 is the crypto or virtual currency/asset. Since the creation of the first cryptocurrency, the Bitcoin, in 2009, it is estimated that over five thousand variants of the Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have emerged. Virtual currencies have become widespread across the globe but their legal status and uses in various countries have remained uncertain. They have been variously classified as currencies, securities, properties, assets, commodities and tokens, and used as means of exchange but are not legally recognised as legal tender. In many jurisdictions their emergence was greeted with scepticism and express or tacit rejection by financial and securities markets regulators, but over time, owing to their increasing popularity, characteristics, positive and negative potentials, there has been a gradual shift towards their formal recognition and regulation. Regulatory authorities in many countries are now grappling with designing appropriate policy and regulatory framework for the crypto phenomenon. This paper interrogates the current legal status and efforts to regulate cryptocurrencies in two leading African nations, Nigeria and South Africa, and highlights the challenges of designing an appropriate regulatory framework for this enigmatic technology. The paper adopts the doctrinal legal research methodology, employing the descriptive, analytical, and comparative approaches. It follows a structured review and analysis of relevant extant legislation on currencies and securities in the countries to ascertain whether they cover cryptocurrencies. It then compares the current position of the law on the subject in the two countries. Bearing in mind that it may not be possible to totally ban dealing in cryptocurrencies, the paper concludes that regulation has become imperative. Drawing from the position on the subject in more developed nations, the United States of America (US) and the European Union (EU), this paper proposes a model of regulation of virtual currency not only for Nigeria and South Africa but also for other African countries.

The advent of mobile money innovations has given people in rural areas, informal settlements and other poor communities an opportunity to participate in Zimbabwe's mainstream financial economy. However, the technology-driven money services have presented some challenges to the traditional banking sector in general and the regulation of financial services in particular. Firstly, most mobile money services are products of telecommunication corporations, which are not banks. Telecommunication companies use their network reach to provide mobile money services via mobile devices at a cheaper cost than banks across the country in Zimbabwe. As such, banks face unprecedented competition from telecommunications companies that are venturing into financial services. It also appears that prudential regulation of banks cannot keep up with the fast pace at which technological innovations are developing and this has created a disjuncture between the regulation and the use of technological innovations to promote financial inclusion in Zimbabwe. The Banking Act [Chapter 24:20] 9 of 1999, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Act [Chapter 22:15] 5 of 1999 and the National Payment Systems Act [Chapter 24:23] 21 of 2001 have a limited scope in terms of the regulation of mobile money services in Zimbabwe. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development launched the National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS) 2016-2020 to provide impetus to the financial inclusion of the poor, unbanked and low-income earners in Zimbabwe. However, the NFIS appears to push more for bank-led financial inclusion than it does for innovation-driven initiatives such as mobile money services. This article highlights the positive influence of mobile money services in improving financial inclusion for the poor, unbanked and low-income earners in Zimbabwe. The article also seeks to point out gaps and flaws in the financial services regulatory framework that may limit the potential of mobile money services to reach more people so that they actively participate in the Zimbabwean economy. It is submitted that the Zimbabwean mobile money services regulations and the financial regulatory framework should be carefully amended in line with the recent innovations in mobile money to adequately regulate the use of mobile money services and innovative technology to address the financial exclusion of the poor, unbanked and low-income earners in Zimbabwe.

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In democratic pluralistic and secular societies, freedom of religion is a fundamental right to be enjoyed by all individuals and religious organisations. A unique feature of this human right is the extent to which it is premised on a personal belief. The latter can be "bizarre, illogical or irrational", but nevertheless deserving of protection in the interests of freedom of religion. However, when the expression of a religious belief or practice transgresses the civil or criminal law it must be dealt with in the relevant legislative framework to hold the transgressor liable. Measures taken by the state to regulate religious bodies in terms of a general supervisory council or umbrella body are an unreasonable and unjustifiable interference with freedom of religion, and hence unconstitutional. I am of the view that the right to freedom of religion depends for its constitutional validity – and viability – on there being no interference (or regulation) by the state except in instances as provided for in terms of relevant legislation.

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