World Soil Day 2017 is celebrated on 5 December under the theme "Caring for the Planet starts from the Ground," with activities aiming to communicate messages on the importance of soil quality for food security, healthy ecosystems and human well-being.Soils not only produce 95% of the food we consume, they also have a huge potential for taking carbon from the atmosphere and offsetting the greenhouse gas emissions. Keeping the soil healthy can bring a multitude of gains, from food security to sustainable livelihoods and climate benefits.

Indian sporting legend M.C. Mary Kom (48kg) clinched an unprecedented fifth gold medal but Sonia Lather (57kg) settled for silver at the ASBC Asian Confederation women’s boxing championships.This was Mary Kom’s first international gold medal since the 2014 Asian Games.

Indian short film ‘The School Bag’, which tells a story based in Pakistan, has won the Best Short Film Award at the South Asian Film Festival of Montreal (SAFFM).It is directed by Dheeraj Jindal.