Features

The poor of Delhi and beyond are not just breathing polluted air – they are breathing the consequences of delayed justice. Blue skies remain a distant dream while painful breaths define their daily reality.

The gulper shark controversy in the Maldives encapsulates a broader global tension: how to steward oceanic biodiversity amid competing economic interests. For a nation once celebrated as a conservation pioneer, the unfolding debate raises hard questions about identity, priorities and legacy.

Experts say the warning signs are unmistakable: without decisive intervention, Pakistan’s bears could slip irreversibly toward extinction, marking a profound loss not only for biodiversity but also for the ecological balance of the region.

The roots of this epidemic trace back to a cultural fascination among Pakistan’s elite, where lions and tigers serve as status symbols – often paraded on social media or at events.

Local communities, for their part, have begun to address some of these issues: they are forming their own trader groups to facilitate legal trade and negotiate better prices.

Pakistan's experience reflects a broader paradox: pioneering legal frameworks coexist with entrenched prejudice, religious pushback, and international aid disruptions.

The holding centres often lack necessities like water and sanitation, and the people held there are lucky if they even receive two meals a day, as food stocks are often too low to supply enough meals. The need for blankets and winter kits is increasing.

One of the starkest examples is Imja Lake in Nepal’s Everest region. Until the 1960s, it was only a relatively small pool of meltwater high in the mountains.