Thursday, July 10th, 2025

Good Morning! 🌞

Funny how the week drags… then suddenly disappears, right? Today, we’ve lined up a few stories that might make you pause, smile, or see things in a new light before the weekend rush truly hits.

Here’s what caught our eye—maybe it’ll catch yours too. Read on.

Environment

Ocean Treaty Draws Support

Eighteen more countries have recently ratified the High Seas Treaty, bringing the total to 49—just 11 short of the 60 needed for the agreement to enter into force. The surge in support builds momentum for what could be a historic shift in how the world protects and manages the open ocean.

What is the High Seas Treaty?
Formally known as the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, the High Seas Treaty is the first legally binding framework aimed at safeguarding marine biodiversity in international waters. These waters, lying beyond the jurisdiction of any single nation, make up nearly two-thirds of the ocean and cover almost half the planet’s surface. Until now, no comprehensive legal structure has existed to create marine protected areas or enforce conservation efforts on the high seas.

Why is it needed?
Despite their remoteness, the high seas are under mounting pressure from overfishing, climate change, and emerging threats like deep-sea mining. Environmental advocates warn that without action, these fragile ecosystems could face irreversible damage. “It has been the wild west on the high seas,” said Megan Randles, global political lead for oceans at Greenpeace. “Now we have a chance to properly put protections in place.” The treaty is also key to achieving the global “30x30” goal: protecting 30% of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030.

How the treaty works and what’s next
The treaty provides a legal path for countries to create marine protected areas in international waters and regulate risky activities like deep-sea mining and geo-engineering. It also promotes technology sharing, scientific collaboration, and funding. Rather than individual countries acting alone, decisions will be made multilaterally through Conferences of the Parties (COPs). When 60 countries ratify, a 120-day countdown will begin before the treaty officially enters into force—unlocking the power to designate protected areas and launch oversight mechanisms. COP1, the first major meeting of signatories, must be held within a year of that date to finalize governance, financing, and procedures for marine protection proposals.

Environmental groups are urging nations not just to ratify quickly, but to ensure broad global participation. Only those that ratify by COP1 will have a vote on critical decisions that shape the treaty’s future. “To reach 60 ratifications would be an enormous achievement,” said Rebecca Hubbard, director of the High Seas Alliance. “But for the treaty to be truly effective, we need countries from all over the world to engage in its implementation.” With momentum building, advocates hope the High Seas Treaty will mark a true turning point in humanity’s efforts to protect the ocean’s last wild frontier.

Economy

Local Entrepreneurs Rising

For Mansukh Prajapati, childhood in the western Indian city of Morbi began before sunrise with a six-mile walk to collect clay for the family business.

"My father was a potter," he recalls.

He often woke to the rhythmic sound of his father working the potter’s wheel.

"My mother and I would get up at four in the morning and walk for miles every day to get clay."

In the 1970s, clay pots were a household staple in India, used to keep water cool. But the income they brought was meagre, and the work carried social stigma.

"Nobody wanted to their daughter married in a potter's family," Mr Prajapati says. "They feared she will be burdened with endless labour."

At 31, disaster struck. The 2001 Gujarat earthquake destroyed his family home, shattering clay pots in the courtyard.

"A local reporter wrote that 'the poor people's fridge is broken'," Mr Prajapati says.

"Clay pots keep water cool in the summer, so they are just like a fridge. The thought got stuck in my head. So, I decided to make a fridge out of clay that doesn't need electricity."

Without formal training, he experimented with designs and materials.

"I first tried to make it like the modern fridge and even added a water tank, but nothing worked', he says.

"At one point I had $22,000 (£17,000) in loans and had to sell my house and small workshop. But I knew I had to keep going."

After four years of trial and error, he succeeded: a small clay cabinet with a water tank on top and shelves below. As water seeps through the porous clay walls, it naturally cools the interior. Mr Prajapati says it can keep fruit and vegetables fresh for at least five days — no electricity needed. He named it MittiCool, or “the clay that stays cool.” At $95, it’s affordable and now sold through 300 stores across India, with exports to the UK, Kenya, and UAE.

"Fridges are a dream for many poor families," Mr Prajapati says. "And such dreams should be within reach."

His story is part of a rising wave of grassroots innovation in India, driven by necessity. Prof Anil Gupta, who runs the Honeybee Network supporting such ventures, calls these "frugal innovations".

"It is a mindset," says Prof Gupta. "Frugal innovation is about making solutions affordable, accessible, and available. Many of these innovators don't have formal education but are solving real world problems."

Though no full study has been done to count them, Prof Gupta argues these start-ups are vital: they create rural jobs and spark economic change. Mr Prajapati now employs 150 people and has branched out into cookware, clay water filters, and is even exploring clay houses.

In Manipur’s Thanga village, near India’s largest freshwater lake Loktak, another entrepreneur is rethinking waste.

"People in my village use the petals of lotus flowers for religious offerings. But their stems often go to waste and that's what I wanted to change and thought of doing something sustainable," says Bijayshanti Tongbram. A botanist by training, Ms Tongbram developed a way to extract silk-like fibres from lotus stems. Today, she leads 30 women spinning threads into unique scarves and garments.

"It takes two months, and 9,000 lotus stems to make one scarf," she says.

She pays the women $80 a month.

"This isn't just about fashion. I am giving women in my village a chance to do something other than fishing and earn money," she says.

Ms Tongbram hopes to scale up and explore overseas markets.

"Funding is the biggest challenge," she says.

Prof Gupta agrees:

"There are government schemes and small grants, but rural entrepreneurs often don't know how to access them. "Even venture capitalists who are looking at IT innovations rarely invest in these kinds of start-ups because of high transaction costs," he says.

Yet innovators keep emerging.

In Karnataka's Vijaynagar, Girish Badragond is developing a “smart farming stick” for blind and partially-sighted farmers. It uses soil sensors and weather data to deliver crop information through audio messages and vibrations.

"There are so many blind people in India who want to farm but they can't trust others to guide them. This will help them become independent and empower them," says Mr Badragond.

He’s gathered parts from local shops and is now seeking backing to bring the device to market, showcasing it at government exhibitions.

"It's a prototype but I am hopeful that people will support me to change lives of others," he says.

Lifestyle

Hidden Gourmet Gold

They look like knobby black lumps, smell a bit like damp socks (in the best way), and can sell for the price of a small car. But what actually makes truffles so wildly expensive?

In this fascinating video, you’ll get a peek beneath the forest floor — quite literally. From specially trained dogs that sniff them out, to the delicate dance of deciding if a truffle is ripe enough to pick at all, it’s clear these little fungi don’t come easy. And unlike tomatoes that ripen on your windowsill, truffles start losing their magic scent almost as soon as they leave the ground — talk about pressure.

Personally, it’s oddly comforting to see that even luxury foods owe as much to stubborn weather, patient farmers, and muddy boots as they do to fancy auction houses. And yes, there’s a science bit too: the weird chemical behind truffle oil’s famously “earthy” aroma is also found in — of all things — foot odor.

Curious yet? Watch the full video to see why truffles remain nature’s most expensive gamble, and why a little rain (or the lack of it) can change everything.

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Mind Stretchers

⁉️

I have no tongue, yet sing in waves;
I hold no shape, yet carve out caves.
Restless, endless, deep and free —
What am I?

Yesterday’s Answers to the Mind Stretchers:

— cheaper by the dozen, James Godfrey got this correct first! 🌞 

Be the first to send us the correct answer for today’s mind stretcher for a shout-out with the answer tomorrow. Just send us the answer and your name to[email protected]or reply to email.

If you have any uplifting stories and experience you might want to share, send those over to [email protected] for the chance to be featured.