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This paper examines the activities of terrorist groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. The author focuses on the comparison between the opportunities offered by the pandemic to terrorist groups and the factors hampering terrorist activities. It could be expected that extremist groups may succeed in exploiting the pandemic to increase recruitment and disruption. But the predicted surge in terrorism did not happen. Coronavirus restrictions disrupted terrorist groups' operations, travelling and fundraising. However, in some states where the spread of the disease took place in the context of ongoing armed conflict, the terrorist threat has increased. On the whole, the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic had a negative impact on public sentiment, creating a breeding ground for radicalisation on various ideological spectrums. Far-right and Islamist extremist groups have already incorporated COVID-19 into their narratives. The pandemic has provided them with new opportunities to spread extremist propaganda and ideology. The paper shows how terrorist groups have adapted and conducted their activities during the pandemic. Some terrorist and extremist threats have shifted from physical to online environment (communications, financing, propaganda, radicalisation, recruitment, etc.), and a wide range of new technologies and tools have become much more widespread. It is likely that the pandemic, ineffective governance and the withdrawal of Western counter-terrorism contingents from hot zones will contribute to the fact that terrorism (and, in particular, militant Islamism) will remain a global threat within the foreseeable future.

Using a transnational perspective, this article analyzes a web of relations forged by, around and among women in the age of babushka in the Russian-speaking families of Riga, Latvia, and the ways in which gender, age and power interface the relations in the sphere of the private, intimate, familial. My interest is in looking into how these relations position women of age in certain social formations, in the exchanges of material and intangible resources and symbols between their "origins" and their "place". The object of my fieldwork, analysis and argument is elderly women, or babushkas, in the age (Pearsall 1997; Rosow 1965) by which a Soviet woman had already fulfilled her duties and identities of "a working woman" and "a good mother". It is a woman's time that actually was never explicitly addressed by Soviet dominant gender ideology behind well-known cultural representations.

The Baltic States have made a considerable progress in meeting gender equality directives of European Union (EU) in line with the proclaimed fundamental democratic values of Member States and of Union enlargement policy. Despite progress, equality in day-to-day life is still undermined by structural gender in equalities and unequal access to rights enjoyed by women and men in practice. The issues of women's unemployment, poverty, age, and ethnic background clearly manifest the political preferences by national governances of the Baltic States for the expert-bureaucratic model, based on 'integrationist' approach to gender equality policies and gender mainstreaming, adapted to the national neo-liberal modifications of the former Soviet gender contract.

The Baltic States have made a considerable progress in meeting gender equality directives of European Union (EU) in line with the proclaimed fundamental democratic values of Member States and of Union enlargement policy. Despite progress, equality in day-to-day life is still undermined by structural gender in equalities and unequal access to rights enjoyed by women and men in practice. The issues of women's unemployment, poverty, age, and ethnic background clearly manifest the political preferences by national governances of the Baltic States for the expert-bureaucratic model, based on 'integrationist' approach to gender equality policies and gender mainstreaming, adapted to the national neo-liberal modifications of the former Soviet gender contract. ; Šiandieną lyčių lygybė Baltijos šalyse suprantama kaip vienas pagrindinių demokratijos ir pagarbos žmogaus teisėms principų, kuris deklaratyviai grindžiamas lygiomis lyčių teisėmis, atsakomybe, galimybėmis visose gyvenimo srityse ir vienodos elgsenos su abiem lytimis taisyklėmis. Tačiau moterų nedarbo, skurdo feminizacijos, moterų amžiaus ir etninės diskriminacijos raiška posovietiniame kontekste verčia abejoti pažangios lyčių politikos reprezentacijomis, jų atitikimu ES direktyvų reikalavimams ir lyties dėmens integravimo strategijos normatyviniams principams. Straipsnyje analizuojami lyties dėmens integravimo strategijos įgyvendinimo ypatumai Baltijos šalims integruojantis į Europos Sąjungą. Teigiama, kad politinius šių šalių lyčių lygybės prioritetus apibrėžia ekspertinis-biurokratinis modelis, susiformavęs transformuojant nacionalinius neoliberalius lyčių sutarties dėmenis.

As Ukraine proclaimed the model of innovative economic development in 2001 and chose `the development of new and resources-economy technologies in the industry and the agricultural complex´ as one of the priority directions, this topic is of great interest for our society. Development of genetic engineering, biotechnology and their safe application are the most urgent questions. There are some biotechnological risks, which are highly discussed in mass media. They are: - transfer of artificial genetic constructions to genotype of existing organisms and appearance of more viable unhealthy organisms which can displace other organisms; - appearance of new albumen and biologically active substances which are harmful for people and animals. These problems are known as `biosafety´. Scientists of the world develop theoretical basis of `biosafety´, create legislative base which could provide health and environment protection. Our Ukrainian scientists have good results in biotechnology. There are some examples: microbe super synthesis of some important albumen; creation of bio-sensory systems for medicine and ecology; creation of new transgene plants. These investigations are biologically not so harmful as they are not used in practice yet. Another danger exists. Foreign biotechnological companies are interested in the promotion of their products at Ukrainian market. These products are very often not checked. Now in Ukraine transgenic products are being tested although it contradicts to our legislation. Thus, genetically modified potatoes are tested in Ukraine (resistant to Colorado beetle, MONSANTO Company), as well as corn (resistant to insects, NOVARTIS Company), sugar beet, etc. Committee for safety questions was established at the Ministry of Science and Technology. Some conditions of ecological safety are included in the laws of Ukraine, but some standard legislative acts contradict to the Ukrainian legislation. Scientists of Ukraine proclaimed the necessity of intensification of the state control on safety during works in genetic engineering and on entry of unaudited products in Ukraine. Moreover, they emphasized the necessity of cooperation with European Community in terms of biosafety. So, conferences, symposia on legislative regulation are held. Not only specialists take part in such discussions but also mass media, Internet visitors discuss them on-line. The raising of the interest in biotechnology and ecological safety on the part of society is also necessary to mention.