A charity which provides outdoor education to thousands of schoolchildren has welcomed the Princess Royal as its new patron.
Princess Anne visited the headquarters of the Field Studies Council at Preston Montford in Shropshire on Tuesday.
She met children who were visiting, and centre manager Arran Holdsworth said they “chatted at length”.
Becks Evans, assistant headteacher at Shrewsbury Academy, said her students had been “buzzing for weeks” and she added: “They were really proud to talk to her today about the time they spend here at the Field Studies Council.”
The environmental education charity, which was established 80 years ago, said it caters for more than 100,000 young people at its network of field study centres across the UK.
It said it was “engaging some of the most deprived young people in outdoor learning and giving them access to nature”.
During her visit the Princess Royal met trustees, staff from across the UK and visitors, including a group from Grantham Prep School near Nottingham.
One year six student, Freddie, had caught a butterfly when she came to speak to his group.
He said: “We thought it was a red admiral, and we were talking about ways to identify it when Princess Anne spoke and mentioned that there was a phone app to identify the butterflies.”
“I thought that was funny. She was very interested in what the children were doing and it’s been a lovely experience for us all.”
Ethan, who was taking part in a bug hunt, said: “She was very nice. I’ve seen her on the TV many times so it was amazing to meet her.”
At the end of the visit, Princess Anne was asked to unveil a plaque to mark her patronage of the charity and was given locally-grown flowers.
Later in the day, the princess visited HM Prison and Young Offender Institution at Stoke Heath near Market Drayton.
She was there in her capacity as patron of the Butler Trust, a charity which celebrates excellence in UK prisons, probation, youth justice and escort services.
Haas drivers Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman were both left frustrated at the end of the British Grand Prix, with Ocon admitting that he felt both he and his team mate “deserved more” on a day in which they collided during the latter stages.
It was an eventful afternoon for Ocon, the Frenchman – who started from P14 – having been squeezed at the start of the race by Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson and the Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda before he then made contact with Lawson.
While he was able to continue, Ocon again suffered a collision later on, this time with the other Haas car of Bearman. Both cars spun around on the track and, while each still made it to the finish, neither driver scored points, with Bearman only just missing out in 11th while Ocon classified in 13th.
“It was an extremely frustrating race, for sure,” Ocon conceded after the Grand Prix, which played out in mixed weather conditions.
“From the beginning really I was unfortunately in the middle of two cars, so I saw there was going to be a contact and at the moment I realised that this was happening I try and back off.
“But, yeah, at the moment that this happened I think Liam… basically there was no space for three cars, so I backed off and he took all the energy of the hit, so I’m glad he was okay.
“[It’s] a miracle that my car was alright after that, and after [that] we did all the right choices until we didn’t box for a new set of inter[mediate tyres] really. That slipped through our hands, and it’s not usually something that happens to me. [I’m] pretty p****d off about the race overall.
“The thing that happened with Ollie at the end, I’m sad about the situation, sad for the team because we deserved, me and him, more today. We deserved to be in the points, both of us, from where we came from. We will review to improve on those, and not do these kind of mistakes.”
It also proved to be challenging maiden home event in F1 for Bearman. The British driver started from P18 – having been handed a 10-place grid penalty for a red flag infringement in final practice – and was one of several drivers to gamble on pitting for slick tyres at the end of the Formation Lap.
From there it was a tricky race for Bearman, who was involved in a collision with Tsunoda – for which the Red Bull driver received a 10-second time penalty – before then making contact with Ocon later on. Amidst all of this, the 20-year-old was left disappointed to not come away with points.
“It was a tough race,” Bearman explained. “A few wrong decisions, particularly from my side. Switching to the slick in the early laps was in hindsight not the right call with the rain which was coming, and [I was] losing a lot of time in the race.
“I got tapped around at one stage. That slick lost me so much time, but still we were P11 and fighting for the points so it’s a real shame. The car has been so fast today and this weekend, and it’s a shame really not to come away with anything.
“It’s tough conditions with only one line. [I] couldn’t overtake [George] Russell in the end and it was a tough race.”
When quizzed on what he would take away from his first British Grand Prix, Bearman answered: “Definitely a lot. The car has been really fast so that’s positive, and I feel really positive about the car balance and the step that the car has taken. I’ve had a lot of confidence in it, so I think we can take a lot away from this weekend.”
Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and peripheral artery disease or diabetic foot ulcers who initiated semaglutide instead of other glucose-lowering medications had a significantly reduced risk for the composite outcome of peripheral percutaneous transluminal angioplasty or critical limb ischemia and were less likely to require a lower extremity amputation.
METHODOLOGY:
The management of peripheral artery disease in diabetes involves controlling risk factors and using standard atherosclerosis therapies, and recent trials have shown that certain GLP-1 receptor agonists reduce cardiovascular risk and improve limb perfusion and walking ability.
Researchers conducted a single-center retrospective observational study to compare the occurrence of major limb events in patients with T2D who initiated either injective or oral semaglutide vs other glucose-lowering medications (metformin, SGLT2 inhibitors, sulfonylurea/glinides, insulin, and pioglitazone) in a real-world setting between January 2020 and April 2025.
They included two propensity score-matched cohorts of 167 participants each, comprising patients with T2D for at least 1 year; documented peripheral artery disease or diabetic foot ulcers with an exposed tendon, joint, or bone; and data on outcomes of major limb events available.
The primary outcome was major limb events, defined as a composite of peripheral percutaneous transluminal angioplasty or critical limb ischemia.
TAKEAWAY:
During a mean follow-up duration of 30.1 months, the risk for major limb events was 23% lower with semaglutide than with other glucose-lowering medications (hazard ratio [HR], 0.77; P = .029).
Compared with other medications, semaglutide was associated with a 24% lower risk for peripheral percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (HR, 0.76; P = .045) and a 50% lower risk for lower extremity amputation (HR, 0.50; P = .008).
Only 8% of patients experienced adverse events (mainly gastrointestinal) with semaglutide, and none required treatment discontinuation.
IN PRACTICE:
“Among persons with T2DM [type 2 diabetes mellitus] and PAD [peripheral artery disease] or foot ulcers, the use of semaglutide was associated with a significantly lower risk of major limb events than other GLT [glucose-lowering therapies]. This is coherent with the cardiovascular benefits associated with the use of certain GLP-1RAs [GLP-1 receptor agonists],” the authors of the study concluded.
SOURCE:
This study was led by Paola Caruso, PhD, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, University Hospital Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy. It was published online on July 07, 2025, in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.
LIMITATIONS:
The observational and retrospective nature of the study design are major drawbacks of this study. As a single-center study, the findings have lower external validity and generalizability compared with multicenter studies. The authors noted that residual confounding may exist due to measurement error and unmeasured factors, such as socioeconomic variables that are associated with worse prognosis of diabetes and its vascular complications.
DISCLOSURES:
This study did not receive any funding. Some authors disclosed that they received consultancy fees from and/or gave lectures for certain pharmaceutical companies.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
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Got a sore throat and the sniffles? The recent rise of rapid at-home tests has made it easier to find out if you have a serious illness like COVID-19 or just a touch of spring allergies.
But while quick and convenient, these at-home tests are less sensitive than those available at the doctor’s office, meaning that you may still test negative even if you are infected.
A solution may come in the form of a new, low-cost biosensing technology that could make rapid at-home tests up to 100 times more sensitive to viruses like COVID-19. The diagnostic could expand rapid screening to other life-threatening conditions like prostate cancer and sepsis, as well.
Created by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, the test combines a natural evaporation process called the “coffee-ring effect” with plasmonics and AI to detect biomarkers of disease with remarkable precision in just minutes.
“This simple yet effective technique can offer highly accurate results in a fraction of the time compared to traditional diagnostic methods,” said Kamyar Behrouzi, who recently completed a PhD in micro-electromechanical systems and nanoengineering at UC Berkeley. “Our work paves the way for more affordable, accessible diagnostics, especially in low-resource settings.”
The technology was developed with the support of seed funding from the CITRIS and Banatao Institute at the University of California and is described in a recent study published in the journal Nature Communications.
Combining coffee rings and nanoparticles
Look closely at any coffee or wine stain, and you might observe that the outline of the stain is much darker than the interior. This is due to a physical phenomenon called the coffee-ring effect: As a droplet of liquid evaporates, it generates a flow that pushes suspended particles towards the edge of the droplet. If the particles are pigmented, as they are in coffee and wine, the resulting stain will be darker around the rim than in the middle.
In 2020, Behrouzi was developing a biosensor for detecting COVID-19 when he noticed that droplets of his experimental solution were leaving ring-shaped stains as they dried. He realized that this coffee-ring effect could be used to easily concentrate particles of the COVID-19 virus, potentially making them easier to detect.
“We figured out that we could use this coffee-ring effect to build something even better than what we initially set out to create,” Behrouzi said.
The rapid test technology uses tiny particles called plasmonic nanoparticles that interact with light in unique ways. To conduct the test, a user first adds a droplet of liquid containing disease-relevant proteins — such as from a cheek or nasal swab — to a membrane. As the droplet dries, it concentrates any disease biomarkers at the coffee ring. The user then adds a second droplet containing plasmonic nanoparticles that have been engineered to stick to the disease biomarkers. If the biomarkers are present, the nanoparticles will aggregate in certain patterns that change how light interacts with the membrane. This change can be detected by eye or using an AI-powered smartphone app.
The technology gives results in less than 12 minutes and is 100 times more sensitive at detecting COVID-19 than equivalent tests.
“One of the key proteins that we are able to detect with this method is a biomarker of sepsis, a life-threatening inflammatory response to a bacterial infection that can develop rapidly in people over 50,” said study senior author Liwei Lin, a Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley. “Every hour is critical, but culturing bacteria to determine the source of the infection can take a few days. Our technique could help doctors detect sepsis in 10 to 15 minutes.”
The researchers have created a prototype of a home testing kit, similar to at-home COVID testing kits, that includes 3D-printed components to help guide the placement of the sample and plasmonic droplets.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, we relied on at-home tests to know if we were infected or not,” Lin said. “I hope that our technology makes it easier and more accessible for people to regularly screen for conditions like prostate cancer without leaving the home.”
Reference: Behrouzi K, Khodabakhshi Fard Z, Chen CM, He P, Teng M, Lin L. Plasmonic coffee-ring biosensing for AI-assisted point-of-care diagnostics. Nat Commun. 2025;16(1):1-13. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-59868-y
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Scale of destruction at flood-hit Texas summer camp seen from spacepublished at 09:49 British Summer Time
09:49 BST
Paul Brown BBC Verify senior journalist
Image source, Maxar Technologies
Image caption,
Satellite imagery showing Camp Mystic before the flood (left) and after (right)
New satellite imagery released by specialist space technology firm Maxar shows the extent of the devastation left by the recent floods in Kerr County, Texas, in which more than 100 people have died.
Among the images taken yesterday are several from the Camp Mystic girls’ retreat where at least 27 people are known to have died when flash flooding swept through the site last Friday. The flooding appears to have receded at the time the images were captured but the extent of the damage is clear.
Close-up images of the camp show previously plush, green areas now awash with mud and debris. elsewhere trees have been ripped from the ground and there is damage to some of the camp’s structures.
You can see in the image above that on the left – from 23 June before the flood – there are blue tennis courts at the camp which are not present in the 8 July image on the right.
Hundreds of girls were staying at Camp Mystic when the banks of the Guadalupe River broke. Many of them were sleeping in low-lying cabins a short distance from the river.
RESEARCHERS at the University of Queensland in Australia have developed and tested a software package that designs pest control solutions without relying on synthetic pesticides or genetic modification.
The open-source software package, dsRNAmax, harnesses an existing crop protection method known as RNA interference to target and kill pests and pathogens. Typically, the process involves applying double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) to plants, which interferes with the genes of unwanted organisms such as insects, viruses, fungi, and parasites.
The researchers believe their software is an important step forward in the goal of designing customisable pest killers that can each target a wide variety of pest species without impacting specified “beneficial organisms” – species of insects and microorganisms that aid crop growing.
The research, published in May in NAR Genomics and Bioinformatics, was led by PhD student Stephen Fletcher and Chris Brosnan, a research fellow at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation. Fletcher, who led the software development, said their motivation was to create software capable of designing a single dsRNA structure that can be used on “almost anything” while simultaneously having no impact on specified beneficial organisms.
The researchers lab-tested the software by using it to design a single dsRNA structure capable of targeting four species of root-knot nematodes – worm-like parasites measuring around 0.5 mm long. The design included specifications to have no impact on a C. Elegans nematode, known for its susceptibility to RNA interference, to demonstrate the software’s ability of excluding off-target species. Brosnan, who led the lab testing, said the results demonstrated the software’s effectiveness.
Use of dsRNA structures to kill pests and pathogens is seen as a more sustainable alternative to synthetic pesticides. A UN study in 2022 found that pests and pathogens cause annual production losses of around 40%, amounting to US$220bn, but typical methods of protecting crops often involve synthetic pesticides that can be environmentally harmful. Other methods based on the genetic modification of crops, meanwhile, can lead to “regulatory and public acceptance challenges”, the Queensland team says.
The researchers say that software packages similar to dsRNAmax have existed for “decades”, but most attempts have failed to design a single dsRNA structure that can target a wide variety of species while not impacting beneficial organisms. They now plan to optimise the software. “We’ll be using machine learning to improve the design to make our dsRNA 5–10% more effective, which would make a huge difference in a production system,” said Fletcher. “It also means we could use less dsRNA, which will bring down the cost.”
Smoke billows out after IAF’s Jaguar fighter jet crashed near Churu in Rajasthan, on July 9, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI
IAF Jaguar fighter jet crashes in Rajasthan’s Churu district
| Video Credit:
The Hindu
Two pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were killed on Wednesday (July 9, 2025) morning in a crash of a Jaguar trainer aircraft near Churu in Rajasthan.
The IAF said a court of inquiry has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident.
“An IAF Jaguar Trainer aircraft met with an accident during a routine training mission and crashed near Churu in Rajasthan, today,” it said in a brief statement.
“Both pilots sustained fatal injuries in the accident. No damage to any civil property has been reported,” it said.
The IAF said it “deeply regrets” the loss of lives and stands firmly with the bereaved families in this time of grief. “A court of inquiry has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident,” it said.
Earlier, Rajasthan police officials said the jet crashed at around 1.25 p.m.
The aircraft crashed in an agricultural field in Bhanoda village around 1.25 p.m., SHO of Rajaldesar, Kamlesh, added. He said human body parts were found near the crash site.
Shortly after the crash, locals rushed to the site and found burning debris. Police from Rajaldesar and Ratangarh, fire brigade officials and ambulances were rushed in, and the area was cordoned off.
Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagade and Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma have expressed grief over the incident.
“Sad news of the crash of an Indian Air Force plane in the Ratangarh area of Churu district has been received. Immediately after the incident, the administration is in alert mode and instructions have been given to the officials for relief and rescue work,” Mr. Sharma posted on X and prayed for the peace of the departed souls.
The Governor also expressed condolences over the deaths.
Third crash this year
Wednesday crash marks the third such incident involving an IAF Jaguar fighter jet. Earlier in March a Jaguar fighter jet on a routine sortie crashed at Ambala in Haryana after encountering a system malfunction. The pilot manoeuvred the aircraft away from any habitation on ground, before ejecting safely.
In April however, one pilot was killed when the Jaguar fighter jet on a routine sortie, crashed near Jamnagar. “ The pilots faced a technical malfunction and initiated ejection, avoiding harm to airfield and local population. Unfortunately, one pilot succumbed to his injuries,” the IAF had said.
Special Week in Umamusume: Pretty Derby is a beloved protagonist. Being a versatile racer, Special Week excels in medium/short-distance races. She can shine brightest, dominating as a front-runner build and outpacing rivals, when built with racing strategy. Here is a guide that will help optimize her as the top-tier front-runner and unleash her full potential.
Umamusume Pretty Derby Special Week stat distribution
Special Week thrives, seizing the lead early and holding on to it. So, Speed for her is non-negotiable. Just push hard and hit at least 700 for medium distance races. It will let her dictate the pace and fend off the challengers, too. To neglect Speed means to lose Special Week’s core advantage, before a race even truly begins.
Tracen Academy Student Introduction #1: Special Week
Power follows closely. You can target 500+ Power to ensure Special Week muscles are past the rivals. It is especially crucial when she is exiting turns or making some decisive moves. Stamina here sits at the third vital place. Having 500+ will prevent Special Week from fading dramatically in the final stretch, which is a common pitfall for many leaders. Despite all, if Special Week struggles within her final stretch, consider adding stamina-restoring skills.
Umamusume Pretty Derby Special Week Support Card
Umamusume Support cards choice made directly shape the efficiency of training. Aim to have a balanced loadout with three Speed-focused cards and one dedicated Stamina card. While Speed cards will provide massive boosts that are needed for Special Week’s primary stat, the Stamina card would offer her the ability to avoid any late-race collapses, ensuring she is able to maintain a furious pace.Pro tip: For the long-distance races, shift to 2 Stamina, 2 Speed, 1 Wisdom and 1 Power card too, for ensuring she lasts the entire race.To complement this with 1 Power card would further bolster Special Week strength to overtake. As for a Wisdom card pick, it will aid Special Week’s skill activation and help her manage her mood during the gruelling training session while keeping her progress steady. Give priority to bonding using these cards early on for unlocking maximum training bonuses.
Umamusume Pretty Derby Special Week skills to sharpen the edge
Skills make a huge difference between winning and losing. Give priorities to the abilities that can amplify the natural front-running style of Special Week. Straight Speed and Corner Speed boosts are invaluable here. They enhance Special Week’s ability to maintain momentum, where the races are quite often decided. These offer direct support to Special Week to stay ahead at all costs.
【UmaMusume】 specific skill by Special Week Summer ver
Stamina recovery skills, too, are equally critical here. You can look for some triggers like Runner’s High or the mid-race restoration effects. These can compensate for heavy stamina drain, which is inherent to leading. Some leadership-specific skills, like pacing stabilizers or the front-position bonuses, even cement Special Week’s control over the race.
Special Week’s inheritance strategy to secure the legacy
The starting aptitude of Special Week benefits her significantly from the right legacy. Give priority to parents who are known for strong leadership aptitude and their medium and long-distance skills/abilities. Some proven choices like Rice Shower, TM Opera O and Mejiro Ryan pass down some valuable traits which align perfectly with Special Week’s front-running build.Make sure you avoid Chaser or completely Sprinter-focused parents. The inherited tendencies there clash with the optimal pacing strategy of Special Week. It potentially undermines her consistency. Keep focus on lineages which enforce Special Weeks’ need for a sustained speed, leadership dominance and stamina resilience, from the starting gate.
Umamusume training tips for Special Week
Special Week in Mood [Umamusume: Pretty Derby Indonesia] #shorts #umamusume #anime #animeedit
Train her Speed early on to unlock Level 5 Speed drills, before the major races.
Ensure to balance power and stamina. Do not neglect either of these, or Special Week will struggle in her final stretches.
Monitor the Special Week’s mood. A lower mood will reduce the training efficiency. Use Wit drills or Recreation to keep her motivated.
Using the right approach, Special Week will become a dominant force on the track. Keep focus on Speed and support her using the right cards. Also, equip some game-changing skills for securing her victory.
Liverpool City Region political reporter, BBC News
Family handout
Alex Eastwood died three days after an unsanctioned fight
A review of the safety of children who compete in combat sports has been ordered by the government following the death of a 15-year-old world kickboxing champion.
Alex Eastwood, from Fazakerley in Liverpool, died on 29 June 2024, three days after he collapsed following an unsanctioned charity fight against a 17-year-old opponent in Wigan, Greater Manchester.
Sports Minister Stephanie Peacock told MPs that Sport England would work with the martial arts sector to identify safety improvements and present a plan “in the coming months”.
She was responding to calls for better regulation of martial arts competitions from Liverpool Walton MP Dan Carden, who is supporting Alex’s parents.
‘Safeguarding failures’
Carden said he had called the debate in the House of Commons with “a heavy heart” and that “Alex’s death was not simply a tragic accident but a preventable loss” which had “highlighted a dangerous gap in our duty to protect children”.
Alex’s father Stephen Eastwood and step-mother Nikita were in the public gallery to hear the debate.
Speaking outside Parliament while holding a photograph of his son, Mr Eastwood said several safeguarding failures had come to light during Alex’s inquest.
He said parents often “assumed” sporting events were sanctioned and regulated, but that had not been the case with the charity fundraiser fight at TKMA Gym in Platt Bridge, Wigan.
Mr Eastwood said he and his wife had fallen “victim” to the assumption “that everything was above board – we assumed that everything was in place”.
He said it was only during last month’s inquest that the family had discovered “that wasn’t true”.
Family handout
Alex Eastwood’s death has been described by an MP as “not simply a tragic accident but a preventable loss”
Mr Eastwood said he would not like to see kickboxing banned for children since “it helps keep them off the streets, it helps tackle obesity, it’s good for mental awareness [and] it gives them a springboard going into future life”.
But he said there needed to be better safeguarding, first aid facilities and medical care available.
Mr and Mrs Eastwood are due to meet Sport Secretary Lisa Nandy on Monday and will ask her to implement “a minimum standard for gyms that have children in”, including “proper DBS checks and proper safeguarding”.
Mrs Eastwood urged other families involved in kickboxing to ask questions of the venues where their children train and compete.
She said: “Ask, is this a regulated gym? Where are your DBS checks? Who’s your health and safety officer? Who’s your safeguarding coach?”
She suggested that gyms could also display this information on their walls.
Peacock said her department and Sport England would work together to develop guidance for the martial arts sector and review safeguarding codes to ensure they were fit for purpose.
She said Sport England would also work with the children’s charity NSPCC to help educate parents and carers on what to look for when considering martial arts tuition.
Peacock said her department was also exploring ways to strengthen safety standards in clubs and competitions that are not affiliated with national governing bodies.
She said conversations were also being had with the martial arts sector to understand how to help parents and carers be confident that their children are safe when participating.
‘Unsanctioned and unregulated’
Carden told the Commons the inquest into Alex’s death heard that standards around safety, medical oversight and safeguarding varied widely, and in many cases were absent.
He added: “If a match is unofficial or unsanctioned, there is no guideline minimum standard that must be met to provide safeguarding for a child participant, no minimum standard of medical support that might be required, no maximum rounds, no periods of rest, no welfare checks on participants, and no risk assessment and critical incident plan.
“It should stop us all in our tracks to learn that in this country, children can be placed in combat situations without clear, enforceable national protections.”
Carden said Alex’s family had “done everything right – everything a loving family would do. They encouraged him to get involved in a range of sports and activities and supported him when it became clear that he had a talent for kickboxing”.
But he said “they and Alex were failed by a lack of safeguarding, responsibility and regulation”.
He told MPs: “Every single day, children up and down the country take part in activities like Alex did. They lace up gloves, put on headgear and step into training halls and rings, with no minimum standards in place to ensure their safety.”
He said parents like the Eastwoods would be oblivious to some of the risks of unsanctioned and unregulated bouts.
Peacock said: “The coroner’s report on the case of Alexander Eastwood highlighted specific issues around clubs and competitions that are not affiliated with a national governing body. We are now looking into that as a matter of urgency.”
