🎓 A 37.5% fee hike, mid-degree

🎵 Currently listening - a little Iktara for the weekend

Good morning.

A 14-year-old has just won the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year award. His winning subject? A dung beetle pushing its ball uphill in Zimbabwe. See the winning photograph

Also in today's issue: a college fee ruling worth knowing, a farmer who taught himself law, and a little Bollywood nostalgia for your Saturday.

Wang Enlin, a farmer from China, had only studied until Class 3. But when a chemical company polluted his village's farmland, he decided to learn law himself. He spent years reading law books and even traded corn to get help copying them.

After 16 years, he and 55 families won their case in 2017, although the ruling was later overturned.

Who knew a few sacks of corn could help start a legal battle?

Remember Shah Rukh Khan dancing on top of a moving train in Chaiyya Chaiyya?

Answer at the end!

Imagine arranging an education loan for a four-year course, only to discover halfway through that your college has raised the fees.

The Supreme Court has now ruled that self-financing professional colleges must generally fix fees for the entire course before admitting students.

The ruling came after students at Dr B C Roy Engineering College in West Bengal faced a 37.5% fee hike midway through their course.

Colleges can still increase fees in exceptional circumstances, such as unexpected expenses. Read more

Why it matters
Families often plan their savings and loans around college fees. Finding extra money halfway through a degree can put them in a difficult spot.

A little folk music for your weekend scroll. 🎶

🥈 Sports: Vishvajit More won silver at the U23 World Wrestling Championships, becoming the first Indian to reach a Greco-Roman final at the event.

🌿 Environment: Chandigarh's Sukhna Wetland and Uttar Pradesh's Sauj Jheel have gained international recognition, taking India's total number of Ramsar sites to 103.

💱 Economy: The rupee recorded its strongest weekly gain in seven months. Oil prices and foreign investment flows remain important factors for its future direction.

🤖 Science & Technology: India's Aditya-L1 and Europe's Proba-3 missions have combined observations for the first time, helping scientists better understand how powerful eruptions develop on the Sun. 

🌿 North East: Sikkim is setting up a new Ayurveda and Wellness Centre in Pakyong that will bring together Ayurveda, yoga, meditation and holistic healing, while also aiming to create jobs and grow wellness tourism in the state. 

🧳 Travel: Planning a festive break? This guide rounds up Indian destinations for family trips, solo travel, beaches, mountains and cultural city breaks.