Background Franchising in Saudi Arabia has been rapidly developing, which resulted in the adoption of the Commercial Franchise Law (CFL) in 2019 due to the Royal Decree M/22. This law was enacted to regulate franchising activities in Saudi Arabia, enhance transparency, fairness, and safeguard the rights of franchisees. Nevertheless, the success of the Commercial Franchise Law (CFL) in fulfilling these goals and particularly in protecting franchisees has come under scrutiny. Methods The present paper critically analyzes the provisions of the Commercial Franchise Law concerning mandatory franchise disclosure, as well as the rights and duties of franchisors and franchisees. It further compares these provisions with franchising practices in other jurisdictions, particularly the United States and France. The study also provides an overview of the regulatory environment, including key instruments such as the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) requirements and the relevant enforcement mechanisms. Results The study concludes that the Commercial Franchise Law contains clauses on the protection of franchisees including obligatory registration and disclosure, however, the law lacks effectiveness in certain aspects, especially the imposition of penalties in case of non-compliance. The absence of punitive measures against the failure to register agreements is another major weakness although it fosters transparency. Conclusions Commercial Franchise Law is a major milestone towards improving protection of franchisees in Saudi Arabia but should be improved further. It is suggested that the Saudi government should put more elaborate enforcement protocols in place, come up with templates that FDDs should follow and that disclosure requirements should be applied retroactively to the current franchises. Despite its strengths, the Commercial Franchise Law still faces challenges in full implementation, particularly in enforcing penalties for non-compliance. Further refinements are needed to ensure the law effectively protects franchisees and enhances market confidence.

Despite Nigeria’s abundant human and natural resources and sustained policy interventions, persistent poverty and uneven socioeconomic development continue to raise concerns about the effectiveness of existing growth strategies. Against this background, this study examined the roles of digital economy policy, entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, and sustainable development in shaping perceived economic growth in Nigeria. A quantitative research design was adopted, and data were collected from 361 SME operators and related business environments using a structured survey instrument. The study was guided by the research question: to what extent do digital economy policy, entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, and sustainable development influence perceived economic growth in Nigeria? Multiple regression and ANOVA analyses were employed to test the relationships among the variables. The findings reveal that all four constructs exert a statistically significant positive influence on perceived economic growth, with entrepreneurship emerging as the strongest predictor. Digital economy policy also demonstrates a strong and significant effect, highlighting the critical role of ICT infrastructure, regulatory frameworks, and digital competencies in enhancing productivity and business performance. Sustainable development exhibits a moderate positive influence, suggesting the gradual integration of environmental and social sustainability considerations into SME operations and strategic practices. Financial inclusion, although statistically significant, records the weakest effect, indicating that access to financial services alone may be insufficient in the absence of complementary structural, institutional, and technological support systems. The discussion further confirms that SMEs constitute a central driver of Nigeria’s economic transformation, particularly when supported by effective digital policies, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and inclusive institutional frameworks. However, disparities in infrastructure development, digital accessibility, and financial service penetration continue to constrain the full realization of inclusive growth strategies. The originality of this study lies in its comprehensive and integrated empirical framework, which combines digital economy policy, entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, and sustainable development within a single analytical model. This study therefore provides evidence-based insights for policymakers and development stakeholders on how coordinated, technology-driven, and inclusive policy strategies can strengthen Nigeria’s long-term economic growth trajectory and sustainable development outcomes.

The objective of this article is to analyze the COVID-19 pandemic in the socioeconomic and environmental determinants of health that is broadly influenced by political and environmental factors. It cast a disproportionate burden and disparities in livelihood, health care, and fundamental freedom and entitlements. The Indian government justified national lockdown under India's Constitution, 1950, besides vintage law in the Indian Penal Code , 1860, and Epidemic Diseases Act , 1897. Though the government moved to revamp the economy and foster investment, the lockdown-induced poverty is scaling new heights and public health governance in turmoil. The government moved to novelty of the Disaster Management Act , 2005, by resorting to omnibus power without relief and rehabilitation packages. Despite these measures, the labor and migrant workers slipped into unemployment and remained out of the pale of social security and labor welfare legislations. The government implored industrial houses for equitable and compassionate treatment toward workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, many states embarked on the exemption drive from the labor laws setting workers' rights in jeopardy. The right to health and equity as the state's paramount concern witnessed a series of judicial interventions, but the public health administration and governance remained throes of transition. The COVID-19 pandemic has exhibited skewed policy approaches of health equity and the social justice in India.

The use of deepfake technology in schools presents significant legal challenges, primarily related to intellectual property, fraud, and defamation. This essay examines the legal implications of deepfake technology misuse in schools and proposes policy solutions to address the issue. The existing legislations, such as defamation and copyright legislations, are discussed and criticized to determine their suitability for addressing instances of deepfakes in schools. It also highlights loopholes in existing legislation that can be exploited with deepfakes, such as the falsification of educational qualifications or tampering with learning materials. The research presents a critique of case law and judicial precedent surrounding deepfake technology, which is one of the reasons new legislation is being developed to safeguard schools and stakeholders. Governments and universities are provided with policy recommendations based on research on how to prevent deepfake misuse without compromising rights to education.

Environmental conservation, ecological system and climate resilience are core aspects for achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) in various countries including Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. However, there is less focus of attention for an in-depth and comparative analysis of legal frameworks on environmental conservations and practices towards strengthening mechanisms for achieving sustainable development goals (SDG) in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. This paper therefore tries to investigate specific environmental legal frameworks and practices that would enhance SDGs in both countries. Content analysis (CA) was part of qualitative research was used on secondary data. Hence, various databases, library resources, and Google Scholar were used to explore relevant scholarly studies. Visualization of Similarities (VOS) was employed to identify the themes through the employment of a search strategy. The results demonstrated that both Nigeria and Saudi Arabia have specific environmental legal frameworks such as Environmental Impact Assessment Act, Harmful Waste Act, and the Climate Change Act which are meant for environmental conservation and climate change resilience. However, various initiatives regarding sustainable development goals (SDGs), laws regulating environmental protection and management transparent legal and regulatory framework and integrating indigenous practices with modern legal frameworks are highlighted to be strengthened in both countries. It is therefore suggested that stakeholders should partake actively in the efficiency and compliance of legal frameworks on environmental laws and regulations in improving environmental conservation, ecology and climate change in order to achieve overall SDGs in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.