India has been a member of the BRICS group since 2009. It has been a staunch advocate for the synergistic power. Their summits have focused on a wide range of topics, all of which share the common goal of reorganizing the global economic and political order. The BRICS nations have together accomplished several significant milestones which include the establishment of the New Development Bank, the BRICS Payment System, collaborative anti-terror programs, climate mitigation, green energy, and other such initiatives. South Africa played home to the 15th BRICS Summit, which took place in the August of 2023 and was centered around the theme of “BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development, and Inclusive Multilateralism.” This essay considers issues from an Indian perspective that may pop up in the future BRICS summit.

Geopolitical risk is now among the most important factors in the formulation of multinational corporate strategy and the US trade policy. The US has aggressively enacted national-security-based trade sanctions, which recently include export controls on semiconductor chips and restrictions on outbound and inbound investment. The US has also adopted major legislation providing historical subsidies and tax breaks. Congress and the courts have upheld the president’s use of national security as a basis of trade actions and generally supported his protectionist policies. Trade should not be restricted or weaponized. Global and national rules need to be strengthened and, perhaps, a bit updated, but protectionism in the name of national security is a losing argument. The growing movement by the US to rely more on national security and protectionism in formulating trade policy is a very worrisome development. No one in Washington is proposing a return to pre-Trump policies. The real question is how far US trade policy will continue to change in the near future. Geopolitics will give us the answer.

The deployment of drones for targeted killings in recent years has sparked intense debates regarding the ethical and legal implications of their deployment in contemporary conflicts. Through an examination of the complexities surrounding the application of fundamental international humanitarian law (IHL) principles - such as differentiating targets and ensuring a proportionate response – and their deployment, the article aims to illuminate the potential legal ramifications of using drones in targeted killing. It also highlights challenges arising from the ambiguous distinction between combatants and non-combatants, compounded by the remote nature of drone missions. The inclusion of a few relevant case studies enhances the analysis, providing practical insights into the nuanced legal landscape and emphasising the pressing need for a comprehensive legal framework tailored to regulate drone usage. This paper stresses the immediate requirement for an effective regulatory structure to ensure adherence to IHL, thereby upholding humanistic principles and reducing the human toll of conflicts.

Recently, domestic fishing production of Japanese horse mackerel has been continuously decreasing. To achieve sustainable fishing of this species, it is essential to acquire its target strength (TS) for accurate biomass estimation and to study its ecological characteristics. To date, there has been no TS research using a broadband echosounder targeting Japanese horse mackerel. In this study, for the first time, we synchronized an underwater camera with a broadband frequency (nominal center frequency of 200 kHz, range: 160-260 kHz) to measure the TS according to the body size (16.8-35.5 cm) and swimming angle of the species. The relationship between Japanese horse mackerel length and body weight showed a general tendency for body weight to increase as length increased. The pattern of the frequency spectra (average values) by body length exhibited a similar trend regardless of body length, with no significant fluctuations in frequency observed. The lowest TS value was observed at 243 kHz while the highest TS values were recorded at 180 and 257.5 kHz. The frequency spectra for the swimming angles appeared to be flat at angles of –5, 0, 30, 60, 75, and 80° while detecting more general trends of frequency spectra for swimming angle proved challenging. The results of this study can serve as fundamental data for Japanese horse mackerel biomass estimation and ecological research.

Specifically, the matter of coups against governments – particularly those resulting from legitimate democratic elections – requires a more resolute approach. This entails criminalizing such actions and imposing substantial penalties on the individuals responsible. By doing so, the goal is to dissuade potential revolutionaries from attempting this act, given the clear stance and condemnation it would receive from the international community. Furthermore, it is imperative to highlight the international community’s inconsistent response to coups. This inconsistency becomes evident in the varying levels of support for different coups, seemingly influenced by the international community’s relationship with the affected state and, notably, its ousted president. This underscores the necessity for well-defined and unambiguous regulations governing coups themselves. The article aims to address this issue comprehensively and impartially, avoiding selective treatment. The significance of this issue lies in the need to address a legislative gap in international law.

This research concentrates primarily on the foundation of the China International Commercial Court (CICC), considering the structure and functions of the Court. The main objective of CICC is to develop a dispute resolution mechanism for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Given its predominant Chinese orientation, CICC may encounter various challenges as the BRI’s contracting members possess diverse judicial systems. This article will focus on the jurisdiction of the court and the procedures of enforcement of its judgments, orders, and direction. The authors also discuss the types of legal and administrative changes necessary to make CICC an effective and successful dispute resolution body. The BRI is a crucial element of Chinese strategies to control the global economic system. Therefore, CICC can provide critical insight into the present Chinese goals about international order. This paper finally examines that CICC symbolizes a Chinese ambition to strengthen, modify, or challenge the current international system.

Traditional culture contributes to the diversification of modern fashion design and the inheritance of local cultural identity. This study aims to identify the characteristics of traditional handicrafts reflected in modern fashion design in India. For this purpose, it focused on Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Manish Malhotra, and Ritu Kumar, who are currently leading the Indian fashion design field. The methodology involved conducting literature research and analyzing case studies. In the literature, the techniques of Indian traditional crafts such as embroidery, dyeing, and weaving were examined and five design elements of traditional crafts were defined. Through content analysis of 30 images from the three designers’ Instagram accounts, the design characteristics of traditional handicrafts expressed in contemporary Indian fashion design were derived: cultural inheritance using traditional Indian clothing items, traditional materials and practices applied to contemporary clothing, craftsmanship that artistically improves complex details using embroidery techniques, various combinations based on the traditional meaning of colors, and narrative expression using patterns containing India’s cultural identity. Incorporating these traditional handicrafts into fashion design, closely linked to everyday life, aids in conveying and enhancing their significance. The cases demonstrate the successful integration of conservation into contemporary fashion design. This study sheds light on the application of traditional culture in modern fashion design.

This study examined whether the perceptions of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and individual and environmental factors related to healthy eating changed after the COVID-19 pandemic among adults living in Daqing, China. Data were collected through two rounds of online surveys conducted from April to May 2021 and from March to April 2023, using a questionnaire previously validated for use in Daqing. Using the snowball sampling method, 571 adult participants were recruited, most of whom were Daqing oilfield workers or members of their families. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to determine if the differences in the perceptions of the TPB and dietary environments exist during and after the pandemic after controlling for potential confounders. Scores of several subcomponents of TPB and mean scores of longterm intentions increased but scores of subcomponents and overall mean of motivation decreased after the outbreak. Multiple linear regression showed that only motivation for healthy eating decreased after the pandemic. Influenced by the pandemic, people increased their healthy eating behaviors. Nevertheless, as the pandemic subsided and the pace of life accelerated, people tended to choose convenient foods over healthy options. Consequently, the motivation for healthy eating has declined post-pandemic compared to during the pandemic.