Regulation of Genetically Modified Food Use in the Russian Federation

Practical application of new methods of а plant genome transformation resulted in the need for strict regulation of the safety assessment process of genetically modified organisms of plant origin, intended for use in food. The devise of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) of plant origin safety assessment system, which is currently valid in the Russian Federation, was initiated in 1995-1996. Not only does the system accumulate all domestic and foreign experience, it also includes the latest scientific approaches, based on achievements of fundamental science. In the present article authors focused on issues of the basic legislative regulations of plant biotechnology in the Russian Federation, and approaches to the safety assessment of GM food and control over such food. GMO safety assessment is carried out at the stage of State registration. The subject of registration is novel food products derived from GMO, manufactured in the Russian Federation, as well as food products, entering the Russian Federation for the first time. In the system of medical and biological assessment of the GMO safety, along with general toxicological research, the study of specific types of toxicity in in vivo experiments takes a prominent place. In accordance with established research practice, which uses an integrated approach, and provides with the most complete and reliable information on potential reprotoxic, genotoxic, immunotoxic and allergenic effects of GMO, as well as enables to reveal possible unintended effects of genetic modification. From 1999 to 2016 22 GM lines passed the entire cycle of medical-biological investigations. By 2016 there had been amassed scientific foundation on GMO safety, which includes the analysis of result of research, carried out within the framework of GMO state registration in the Russian Federation, as well as domestic and international data, presented by scientific literature on the problem of biotechnological food safety, at both registration stage and post-registration monitoring stage. To sum up, in the Russian Federation the most essential issues, allowing to use GMO for food purpose have been resolved: 1) legislation, normative and methodical foundations, regulating safety assessment and control over GMO turnover, as well as ensuring customer awareness about presence of GMO in food products, have been created;2) scientifically proven evidence on the lack of negative effects for human health, i.e. GMO safety has been amassed;3) the possibility of control over GMO turnover throughout the food market of the country has been sustained.

Some Aspects of Waste Management of Ukraine

The development of waste management can be considered in some way dictates of time. Ukraine has unique conditions of the secondary usage of natural resources, which is particularly important given to the increasing generation of waste and its progressive accumulation. The relevant provisions relate to the industrial sector as well as areas of consumption. However, for most of recyclable materials is still low. The formation of market relations in Ukraine contributed to enhance this process and relevant field of entrepreneurship. Now the formation of a separate segment is taking place. The state and the perspectives of the development of collection, accumulation and recycling of waste stream have been analyzed in the article. Conceptual position of the legislative regulation of this field is defined. The ways of improving the legal support of secondary raw materials have been defined. The peculiarities of waste management of Ukraine are considered.

Legislation to Regulate the Working Hours and Labor Intensity of Practitioners in the Platform Economy

Under the employment model of online car-hailing platforms,the extension of working hours and increase of labor intensity for practitioners are driven by the orders from these platform companies and labor-related third parties.Also,they are more attributable to the internal driving force of practitioners themselves who hope to have more orders and earn more.It is impossible to apply the regulation system of the existing labor law to protect the rights and interests of employees in terms of working hours and labor intensity.The author suggests that the state should make special labor legislation to make the following targeted provisions:Online car-hailing platform companies and labor-related third parties that implement labor management and control over practitioners shall,on the premise of abiding by labor standards and industry rules,set various reasonable indicators of working hours and labor intensity through rules and take effective technical measures to control these two dimensions,so that practitioners can avoid serious overwork.Besides,by encouraging the provision of certain convenience for practitioners to take intermittent breaks,jointly building a compatibility system for different online car-hailing platforms,and establishing relevant operating rules,we can restrain practitioners from being seriously overworked.This is actually a multi-cooperative boosting legislative regulation approach.

New Developments in Water Efficiency

An overview of significant new developments in water efficiency is presented in this paper. The areas covered will be legislative, regulatory, new programs or program wrinkles, new products, and new studies on the effectiveness of conservation programs. Examples include state and local level efficiency regulations in Texas; the final results of the national submetering study for apartments in the US; the US effort to adopt the IWA protocols for leak detection; new water efficient commercial products such as ET irrigation controllers, new models of efficient clothes washers, and innovative toilet designs.