Cyclone Fani has torn through India's eastern coast as a grade 5 storm, lashing beaches with rain and winds gusting up to 200km/h and affecting weather as far away as Mount Everest as it approached the former imperial capital of Kolkata.

In recent weeks, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar expressed a new commitment to confronting climate change.

It’s about refusing to allow your dreams to destroy you, writes Richard Hogan

Nick Edmund is counting down the days to the end of his Wild Atlantic Way walk, writes Kevin Markham.

The elusive snow leopard - long considered endangered - has been upgraded to "vulnerable," though conservationists warned the new classification does not mean they are safe.

The events of this summer show a world in which nations seem notably closer than ever before to turning to force, writes Peter Apps            

The incursions of the People’s Republic into neighbouring states has backfired in an embarrassing standoff with India in the Himalayas, says Brahma Chellaney.       

Here's your lunchtime news bulletin.

Latest: Gunmen opened fire on a passenger bus bringing Hindu pilgrims back from a cave shrine in Indian-controlled Kashmir, killing at least seven of them, including five women, and wounding 14 others.

As China continues to expand its sphere of influence, Brahma Chellaney looks at the steps the US can take to demonstrate its concerns.

As he gets ready for his lecture tour of Ireland, wildlife camera man Doug Allan tells Richard Fitzpatrick about some of his amazing animal encounters

* Beetroot and lentil salad

I’m in a terrible way this week, and there is no point in me telling you otherwise.

The creator of the psychedelic pop sound is more than happy to be playing a concert in his adopted home of Cork, he tells Ed Power

Hillwalker Teresa Wall, who was injured when she fell on a rotting boardwalk on the Wicklow Way, was yesterday awarded €40,000 damages against the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Bamboos can bring a tropical touch and evergreen screening to your garden, writes Peter Dowdall.

A 59-year-old hill walker who has climbed in the Himalayas and to base camp on Mount Everest has sued the Irish National Parks and Wildlife Service for €60,000 damages following a fall on the Wicklow Way.

Peter Dowdall gives great praise to this scented winter lovely, saying it makes a great seaside hedge, but he bemoans the fact that it’s very prone to fungal infection.

Michael Palin’s live show will mix tales of his travels with memories of those halcyon days with Monty Python, writes Noel Baker

John Leonard is one of the best GAA goalkeepers you may never have heard of. As understudy to Stephen Cluxton, most of his inter-county life was spent on the subs’ bench. Amazingly, his incredible rise onto the Dublin senior football panel was achieved against a backdrop of a troubled life, battling drug addiction and alcoholism...

If, like your correspondent, you suffer even a little from vertigo, then Everest (12A) should either be avoided entirely or watched from the front row.

A Corkman who has never run a high-altitude marathon in his life will attempt one of the world’s most gruelling ones in the Himalayas next month in an effort to raise money for the victims of last April’s Nepal earthquake.

More than one in two people have a ‘bucket list’ — places they want to see and things they want to do before they die, a survey reveals.

What's on telly for bank holiday Monday.

Kilmacurragh’s gardeners champion native meadow and hedgerow in one of our most important repositories. Michèle Browne reports.

Thousands of fear-stricken people spent the night outdoors after a new earthquake killed dozens of people and spread more misery in Nepal.

Far Cry 4 was easily one of the best games of last year, with a huge open world to run, drive, shoot and sky-dive in on your way to take out an evil dictator called Pagan Min.

The mighty Himalayas are the clearest sign that Nepal lies in one of the most dangerous earthquake zones on Earth.

An Irishman is waiting to hear if his application for a seasonal job in the world’s most southerly and possibly coldest post office has been successful.

Read on for ur spolier-free guide to tonght's telly.

Richard Fitzpatrick reveals some books that are certain to cause a stir this spring.

Your spoiler-free guide to tonight's TV.

ENGLAND: A 57kg former police dog is poised to be the latest weapon to be used to sniff out sewer-blocking fat, oil, and grease.

LARGE amounts of water flowing into the North Atlantic from melting Polar ice caps, as a result of global warming, could have serious consequences for growing conditions along our south and west coasts.

And the passengers are all having the time of their lives.

This video has been doing the rounds on Facebook since July but it received a new burst of publicity after being shared on Reddit today.

THE stars kept on coming yesterday at the Web Summit. Even as your correspondent was heading for the train, for instance, Adrian Grenier, better known as Vince from Entourage, was ascending the press conference stage to field questions.