A historic bill passes: One-third of Indian Parliament seats to be reserved for women
The Lok Sabha, India's lower house of Parliament, passed a revolutionary bill that guaranteed one-third of seats in both the parliament and state assemblies to women. This historic decision comes after years of debate and criticism, and it represents a big step forward in Indian politics toward Read More...
Seattle becomes first US city to outlaw caste discrimination
Following a decision by the city council, Seattle has become the first city in the United States to outlaw caste discrimination. Councilwoman Kshama Sawant, who drafted the law, said the struggle against caste bias "is deeply connected to the fight against all forms of oppression". Proponents Read More...
Welcome to Modhera, India’s first village entirely powered by solar
Modhera in Gujarat became India's first solar-powered village, setting a precedent for what UN Secretary-General António Guterres called a "reconciliation between humanity and the planet," according to Euronews. UN News reports that the solar project provides residents of Modhera with an Read More...
Openly gay prince turned palace into safe haven for LGBTQ+ Indians
Countries around the world make encouraging and incremental progress toward equality every day. Many countries are banning inhumane practices such as conversion therapy, and some are making restitution to former victims of overturned anti-LGBTQ+ laws. While this is emboldening the fight for equal Read More...
In India, all women have the right to safe and legal abortions
Women's rights advocates applauded the Supreme Court of India's judgment, which stated that a woman's lack of marital status could not restrict her ability to choose to terminate a pregnancy at any time up to 24 weeks. The historic Roe v. Wade ruling, which had legalized the operation in the Read More...
India bans single-use plastics
India experiences worse-than-average plastic pollution with single-use plastic water bottles and containers finding their way into streets and important waterways. To rein in this pollution, the Indian government announced from the capital of New Delhi on Friday that it will be imposing a ban Read More...
This beautiful eco-school protects students from harsh desert heat
In the north-western Indian city of Jaisalmer, female literacy ranks below 40 percent. The staff at a new, sustainable school located in the nearby Thar desert, aims to change that. Students in the region often have to brave scorching temperatures of 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) to Read More...
Indian court rules in favor of “mother nature’s” rights
It’s hard to describe the growth of an environmental movement without an inappropriate natural disaster metaphor: a wave of legislation, laws spreading like wildfire, or a mighty wind of change. None of those feel quite right, but the wave — darn it — for nature’s rights is moving fast and Read More...
How slum residents in India are redesigning their future homes
How do you successfully help residents of a slum move into housing that improves their quality of life while maintaining a strong sense of community? You let them in on the design process and hear them out. At least that is what is happening in an informal settlement in the Indian city of Read More...
Cheetahs to be reintroduced into India after more than 70 years
The population of cheetahs in India once numbered in the tens of thousands. But following the animal’s extensive capture, the graceful feline eventually became extinct in 1952. Seventy years later, the world’s fastest land animal is now expected to make a comeback in the South Asian Read More...