Poets call it one of the most beautiful places on earth. Analysts consider it to be one of the most dangerous areas in the world. But what is Kashmir in reality? (Picture:  Kashmiri muslim school girl dressed in traditional outfits sing during the full dress rehearsal for the Republic Day parade in srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, on 24/1/ 2013.)

The steady environmental deterioration in the Indian Himalayas spurred more than 4,000 volunteers to take measures to tackle plastic waste.

Last year, an  image of five extraordinary women, dubbed the “Silence Breakers”, was plastered on the cover of TIME magazine and seen by millions around the world. Selected as the face of the “MeToo” movement to break the silence about sexual harassment,TIME’s “person” of the year 2017 was five people Ashley Judd, Susan Fowler, Adama Iwu, Taylor Swift and Isabel Pascual.

In the past, whenever someone would tell me that they were in a long-distance relationship (LDR), one that crossed countries and time zones and cultures that I knew nothing about, my first reaction was always: “What is wrong with you? This isn’t going to work!” I’m so glad that I was proved wrong by a friend who went on to marry an Australian boyfriend she had met in South Africa during the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

Only about 400 Sumatra tigers can be found in the world today. Land opening and hunting are the main causes of their threatened extinction. A brave woman is one of their rescuers. She chose to be the tiger’s best friend.

In rural Bolivia, making a sustainable living is becoming difficult for smallholders. But the country’s women, who are traditionally responsible of farming, are demonstrating resilience to the effects of climate change.

Kamini Manikam in a thematic Bharatanatyam Recital called Dancing With Shiva © Kamini Manikam

WHEN other 13-year-olds were frequenting fast food joints, Kamini Manikam decided to become vegetarian after reading a book about cruelty to animals.