For many, 2020 has been a year we’d rather forget. But there have been some glimpses of light. We look back at some of the most inspiring women of the year. India’s first female rock band sings for empowerment India’s first female rock band, Meri Zindagi, sings for gender equality and empowerment, their songs tackling major social issues that women regularly face in India, such as domestic violence, female infanticide and child marriage. Read more here Scientist’s mission to find life on Mars Angélica Anglés’ passion for planets started as a young girl growing up in the Spanish city of Valencia, stargazing with her grandfather. Now based in Hong Kong, the planetary scientist, astrobiologist and astrophysicist is encouraging more schoolgirls to take STEM subjects. But her main mission is to find life on Mars. Read more here Funeral director demystifies death for Singaporeans Ang Jolie Mei helps grieving Singaporeans work through their sorrow by inviting them to help wash, beautify and dress dead relatives for their funerals. She has modernised the funeral business in other ways, such as by providing special services for children and even fetuses, and written a book about it. Read more here Burmese food expert on her ‘unusual life’ Born on the eve of popular revolt in Burma in 1988, Hnin Yee Htun did not see her parents for 12 years until they were reunited in a refugee camp in Thailand. Educated in Australia, she went back to army-ruled Myanmar, and opened a restaurant; she has now helped introduce a taste of Burmese cuisine to a friend’s restaurant in Hong Kong. Read more here Chinese editor gives voice to East Asian creatives Helena Lee saw a cinema laugh at Bruce Lee ’s humiliation in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood , and knew she had to change views about Asians. “Absolutely crushing” and “devastating” is how she describes her fellow cinema-goers’ reaction to the scene in Tarantino’s film. It led the British-born Chinese editor to launch a cultural salon to give voice to East Asian creatives such as authors, a filmmaker and fashion designers. Read more here Cancer survivor beats illness twice Cancer survivor Denise Tam, 36, beat the disease twice, and shared her story on how overcoming her fears about cancer, and a change in mindset, made her immune system more resilient. Research has shown negative emotions can have health consequences for your body as well as your mind. Read more here Decriminalising abortion in the Philippines Clara Rita Padilla, a lawyer and human rights activist in the Philippines, has drafted a bill that would remove legal sanctions on having an abortion in the Catholic-majority country. She says it would save women’s lives. Read more here Which stories mattered most to you in 2020? Find out with our Year In Review 2020 retrospective.