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There is a widespread perception that power is shifting in global politics and that emerging powers are assuming a more prominent, active and important role. This article examines the role of emerging powers such as China, India, Brazil and South Africa (BASIC) in climate change politics and the extent to which their rise makes the already difficult problem of climate change still more intractable—due to their rapid economic development, growing power-political ambitions, rising greenhouse gas emissions and apparent unwillingness to accept global environmental 'responsibility'. By reviewing the developments in global climate politics between the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and Rio+20, this article unsettles the image of a clear shift in power, stressing instead the complexity of the changes that have taken place at the level of international bargaining as well as at the domestic and transnational levels. Within this picture, it is important not to overestimate the shifts in power that have taken place, or to underplay the continued relevance of understanding climate change within the North—South frame. Emerging powers will certainly remain at the top table of climate change negotiations, but their capacity actively to shape the agenda has been limited and has, in some respects, declined. Even though emerging powers have initiated and offered greater action on climate change, both internationally and domestically, they have been unable to compel the industrialized world to take more serious action on this issue, or to stop them from unpicking several of the key elements and understandings of the original Rio deal. At the same time, developing world coalitions on climate change have also fragmented, raising questions about the continued potency of the 'global South' in future climate politics.

This study highlights the effect of high-pressure torsion (HPT), a severe plastic deformation technique, on the magnetic properties of equiatomic FeNi alloys prepared from mechanical alloying. The prime objective of this study is to increase the interdiffusion of FeNi and accelerate the formation of L1 0 ordering. HPT processing on FeNi alloy was carried out at room temperature under 6 GPa for 5, 10 and 20 turns. Subsequently, the samples were subjected to heat treatment in a vacuum at 593 K for 1000 h without any magnetic field. Further heat treatment of 4 h was also performed at 593 K in the presence of a 1.5 T magnetic field. It is observed that HPT processing first increases the lattice strain; however, further processing causes strain relaxation due to dynamic recrystallization. Initially, for 5 turns of HPT, the saturation magnetization decreases. However, after 10 and 20 turns of HPT, the saturation magnetization increases due to recrystallization and formation of L1 0 ordering. After 5 turns, the coercivity increases by ~175% due to lattice strain. With further processing, the coercivity decreases by ~50% due to recrystallization. Heat treatment on the HPT-processed samples shows increased coercivity and remanence due to the annihilation of defects and formation of short-range L1 0 ordering.

The Himalayas experiences several cloudburst events due to its varied physiographical, geomorphological, and geological conditions and high rainfall. Uttarakhand is one of the Indian states circumscribed by the Himalayan ranges and has experienced a rise in the number of cloudburst catastrophes in the last few decades. These events cause substantial loss of life and property; however, very few studies have characterized these unpredictable cloudburst-induced flash floods in different regions of Uttarakhand. This study examines the geological and hydrological factors associated with the Raipur-Kumalda cloudburst event that occurred from 20 to 21 August 2022 in the Dehradun district of Uttarakhand. The resulting flash flood caused significant damage to roads, bridges, and settlements across the valley. The study aims to understand the geological and geomorphological controls of the event by analyzing the peak discharge and various flood parameters. The basin geomorphometry and rainfall intensity of the region reveal poorly developed drainage networks with low drainage density, steep slopes, rapid peak flows, a sharp peak hydrograph, and intense, concentrated rainfall, all of which worsen the impact of the flood. Various flood indices, including the rising curve gradient (K), flood magnitude ratio (M), and flood response time (TP), indicate a discharge 50 to 100 times higher during the event compared to the average monsoonal discharge. This study also discusses the role of mountain topography, climate, regional geology, and irreversible land use–land cover (LULC) changes associated with urbanization in intensifying the destruction.

Indians undergoing socioeconomic and lifestyle transitions will be maximally affected by epidemic of type 2 diabetes (T2D). We conducted a two-stage genome-wide association study of T2D in 12,535 Indians, a less explored but high-risk group. We identified a new type 2 diabetes–associated locus at 2q21, with the lead signal being rs6723108 (odds ratio 1.31; P = 3.32 × 10−9). Imputation analysis refined the signal to rs998451 (odds ratio 1.56; P = 6.3 × 10−12) within TMEM163 that encodes a probable vesicular transporter in nerve terminals. TMEM163 variants also showed association with decreased fasting plasma insulin and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, indicating a plausible effect through impaired insulin secretion. The 2q21 region also harbors RAB3GAP1 and ACMSD; those are involved in neurologic disorders. Forty-nine of 56 previously reported signals showed consistency in direction with similar effect sizes in Indians and previous studies, and 25 of them were also associated (P < 0.05). Known loci and the newly identified 2q21 locus altogether explained 7.65% variance in the risk of T2D in Indians. Our study suggests that common susceptibility variants for T2D are largely the same across populations, but also reveals a population-specific locus and provides further insights into genetic architecture and etiology of T2D.

Most of the research on color vision related behaviors in dogs has involved training the dogs to perform visual discrimination tasks. We investigated the importance of color to untrained Indian free-ranging dogs (FRDs). Using one-time multi-option choice tests for color preference in 134 adult dogs, we found the dogs to prefer yellow objects over blue or gray ones while there was no preference between blue and gray. We next pitted a yellow object against a gray object that had food. Here, the dogs ignored the food (biscuit or chicken) to approach the yellow object first indicating the color preference to be quite strong. Color preference has previously been investigated in many other animals and has implications for behaviors like mate choice and foraging. Our study provides a new perspective into the ecology of Indian FRDs and might have implications for companion dogs as well, if they too show this preference. Highlights Indian free-ranging dogs (FRDs) show preference for the color yellow over blue and gray. Indian FRDs show no preference between blue and gray colors. Attraction towards a yellow object can be stronger than attraction towards food rewards for Indian FRDs.

Pre-harvest fruit bagging is recognized as an eco-safe strategy to improve fruit quality and reduce biotic and abiotic stresses in high-value horticultural crops. However, its effectiveness in litchi ( Sonn.) across diverse agro-climatic regions remains insufficiently documented. This study evaluated the impact of bagging materials and application timing on fruit damage, yield, and quality in litchi under multi-location conditions in India. Field experiments were conducted across nine major litchi-growing regions over four consecutive seasons (2020-2023). Seven treatments were tested in a factorial randomized block design, including white and pink non-woven polypropylene bags applied at 15, 25, and 30 days after fruit set (DAFS), along with an unbagged control. Data on fruit cracking, sunburn, borer infestation, yield, fruit weight, total soluble solids (TSS), anthocyanin content, and acidity were recorded. Statistical analyses included ANOVA, hierarchical clustering, and principal component analysis (PCA). Bagging significantly reduced fruit cracking, sunburn, and borer infestation, with significant location × treatment interactions (P ≤ 0.05). Compared with the control, cracking and sunburn were reduced to ≤4-6% and ≤5-8%, respectively, while borer infestation remained below 3% in most locations. Yield increased by 10-35%, particularly when bagging was applied at 25-30 DAFS. Bagged fruits showed higher fruit weight, TSS, and anthocyanin content while maintaining desirable acidity. Pre-harvest bagging is a robust and location-resilient practice that enhances litchi yield and marketable quality across diverse environments, supporting its adoption as a sustainable production strategy.