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BBC News
7 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Two races, two golds - Woolnough on 'awesome' debut
Rower Fergus Woolnough has said it was an "awesome feeling" to win two gold medals in his first two senior races for Great Britain. Woolnough was part of the men's eight crew that took gold at the European Championships in Bulgaria and the World Rowing Cup in Italy, two weeks 22-year-old was only selected for the squad for the first time in April. "Even being selected for the boat feels like a massive accomplishment and then going out to races and being able to deliver some really good performances, that is an awesome feeling," Woolnough told BBC Radio Gloucestershire."It makes all the very cold windy mornings through the winter worth it." Woolnough, from Gloucester, grew up playing rugby union for his local club in Dursley, but it was a PE teacher at his school who recommended he try rowing because of his height. He was pointed in the direction of a talent-spotting session in the sport."For a long time I was very much under the impression I was going to go the way of rugby, but I'm very glad I didn't choose that way," Woolnough said."It's worked out amazingly for me. It's the first year of the cycle but even now it's been amazing, the journey I've had. Everywhere I've been, the things I've done, the places I've been able to row.""I can't wait to hopefully continue for a long time."Woolnough went on to attend Hartpury College and University before completing his studies at Oxford Brookes University, where his rowing experience and exposure increased. "It's a very weird thing thinking I started when I was just 15 at school doing a bit of sport and now it's my job and my life," he said. Next up for Woolnough is the second regatta of the World Cup series in Switzerland from 27-29 Britain are the reigning Olympic champions in the men's eight and with two wins to their name in 2025 so far, Woolnough said the challenge now was to keep the standard high."Winning the first couple of races this season has been a really good start but I think the guys in the eight last year won a lot of races," he said. "We've continued having a target on the men's eight's back for the time being, we've got to keep improving and hopefully keep winning to keep that."
New York Times
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
How the Beach Boys' ‘Pet Sounds' Entered the Pop Music Pantheon. (Eventually.)
Making a list of the best rock albums ever is easy: Something old (the Beatles), something new or newer (perhaps Radiohead), something borrowed (the Rolling Stones' blues or disco pastiches) and Joni Mitchell's 'Blue.' And, of course, bursting into the top 10 — and often higher — of any respectable list: 'Pet Sounds.' The overwhelming brainchild of Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys' chief songwriter whose death at 82 was announced on Wednesday, 'Pet Sounds' is beautiful — with gorgeous vocal harmonies, haunting timbres and wistful lyrics of adolescent longing and estrangement. It was a landmark in studio experimentation that changed the idea of how albums could be made. But one thing that stands out about the Beach Boys' masterpiece is how gradually it came to be widely celebrated, compared with many of its peers. 'When it was released in the United States,' said Jan Butler, a senior lecturer in popular music at Oxford Brookes University in the United Kingdom, 'it did pretty well, but for the Beach Boys, it was considered a flop.' Released in the spring of 1966, 'Pet Sounds' represented a break from the catchy tunes about surfing, cars and girls that the group had consistently rode to the top of the charts. The opening track is called 'Wouldn't It Be Nice,' but previous Beach Boys songs had described how nice it was. The album peaked at No. 10 — low for one of the most popular acts at the time — and was the first Beach Boys album in three years not to reach gold status, Butler wrote in a chapter of an academic book. The Beach Boys' record company, Capitol, rushed out a greatest-hits that outsold the album of original music. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Hindu
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Sri Lanka's 13th Amendment at a Crossroads: Can the NPP Deliver on Minority Rights and Devolution?
Published : Jun 11, 2025 14:42 IST - 5 MINS READ Until a new, inclusive constitution is developed, Sri Lanka should implement the provisions of the 13th Amendment to its Constitution and hold elections to the provincial councils in the island nation, an academic study has said. The study, titled 'Divided and weakened: the collapse of minority politics in Sri Lanka', has been authored by Sri Lankan-British scholar Farah Mihlar and was released on June 11 by the Minority Rights Group, an international human rights organisation, and Oxford Brookes University. According to the study, the need of the hour was 'constitutional reforms that strengthen minority rights and non-discrimination'. The study also wanted the Sri Lankan government to find 'a political solution to the ethnic conflict acceptable to all communities that involves devolving power to minorities beyond the Thirteenth Amendment.' Also Read | Anura Dissanayake: The outsider with a difference The report acknowledged the fact that the Anura Kumara Dissanayake-led National People's Power (NPP) government, with its two-thirds majority, has a unique opportunity to transform the national narrative. Historic opportunity for NPP It said: 'The NPP historic opportunity to produce a constitution that represents all communities in Sri Lanka. Considering the many rights and justice claims that have a long history and were causes of the conflict, earnestly resolving them should be a priority for all political parties, mainstream national and ethnic minority ones alike, to ensure a just and lasting peace in Sri Lanka.' The 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution devolves powers to the Tamil-dominated Northern and Eastern provinces, and was part of an accord signed by Sri Lankan President J.R. Jayawardene and Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1987. That accord still remains the only hope for some autonomy for the Tamils of Sri Lanka. Rajiv Gandhi's defeat in the 1989 general election and the subsequent instability in India's polity for the next few years gave Sri Lanka the escape route it was looking for. The killing of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 and the lack of interest in the Sri Lankan solution during Narasimha Rao's tenure as Prime Minister (1991-96) ensured that India did not push forward the implementation of the accord. However, many Sri Lankan politicians, across the ethnic divide, find the 13th Amendment unacceptable. Sinhala politicians consider it Indian interference in Sri Lankan affairs, while Tamil politicians say that the amendment will be of no effective consequence because power will only be transferred from the Sinhala majoritarian government in Colombo to the Governors appointed by the same federal government to the provinces. The NPP government, which was propelled to power because of people's disenchantment with the established political parties, has held elections to the local bodies. But so far, it has not announced a firm date for elections to the provincial councils. In the local body elections, NPP won a huge majority, winning over 250 of the 339 local body councils, but its vote share dropped by an alarming 34 per cent compared to the 2024 parliamentary election. In April 2025, when Dissanayake met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, Modi urged him to hold provincial elections. Collapse of minority politics The Farah Mihlar study noted that 'ethnic minority parties from all three minority communities [Tamils, Muslims and plantation Tamils] have splintered into several factions, and the larger, more popular ones are internally deeply divided. These divides have been caused in part as a consequence of majoritarian nationalism, but also due to weak leadership and allegations of corruption within parties.' The study concluded that minorities in the country have 'lost almost all space in the big political parties in Sri Lanka'. These parties cater to Sinhala nationalism and view this as the one and only route to political power. Minority politics in the nation is collapsing because of a host of factors ranging from corruption to minority political parties taking extreme positions. Since the end of the civil war in 2009, prominent minority parties, including the largest party, the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK), have struggled to define their political path, given the prevalence of Tamil ultranationalism in the areas formerly affected by the civil war. The study said: 'Ethnic minority parties from among the second largest minority, Muslims, and the smaller Malaiyaga Tamil community (of recent Indian origin), present a story of disarray, division and lost credibility. These parties have erratically switched allegiances with nationalist mainstream parties trying to capitalise on shifting alliances and coalition formation, which eventually damaged them deeply. Their own lack of openness to new leadership and progressive reforms, amidst allegations of corruption, has not helped their cause.' Change in strategy At the national level, the study noted that there has been a change in strategy on minority representation: instead of fielding minority candidates, these parties are forming alliances and coalitions with ethnic minority parties while offering less space inside their own parties for both minority representatives and minority issues. Also Read | Is Sri Lanka witnessing a shift in its ethnic politics? It added: 'Minority representatives who have been elected from the former two major parties, the United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), and their various fronts have felt isolated, with little opportunity to take up minority issues in national party agendas.' It is in this context that recent NPP actions in many councils need to be seen. In Batticaloa, for instance, ITAK joined hands with the main opposition party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya. to win the post of Mayor. The NPP, which stands for clean politics, joined hands with Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal, whose leader, Pillayan, is in jail on a kidnapping and killing charge. He is also accused of aiding and abetting those behind the April 2019 Easter attacks. Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, MP and ITAK leader, said: 'Given that Pillayan remains in custody over multiple serious allegations, the NPP's willingness to align with such a figure in pursuit of power has raised serious concerns.' As of today, with 159 MPs NPP's dominance in parliament is absolute. But it is increasingly under attack for its policies and what is seen as a lack of competence in governance. Despite the setbacks in governance, NPP has the unique opportunity to go beyond what other ruling combines have attempted on the political reconciliation front so far.
The Print
08-06-2025
- Science
- The Print
Largest-ever map of universe is as big as a 13x13 feet mural, with 800,000 galaxies
What is striking about the map is its gigantic size and scale. If the Hubble telescope image of the universe is printed on a sheet of A4-size paper, the new map would be a 13-foot by 13-foot mural, said a scientist associated with the COSMOS project . Released by NASA in 2004, the Hubble image, encompassing 10,000 galaxies, had remained the most in-demand image of the universe before the release of the COSMOS map. A team of 200 researchers from over 12 countries came together for an international project and created the COSMOS map with data from the James Webb Space Telescope. The scientists have made the raw data from the telescope publicly accessible to every student, researcher and scientist. New Delhi: On 5 June, scientists unveiled the COSMOS map, the largest map of our universe to date, encompassing 800,000 galaxies. Not only does the COSMOS map provide in-depth imagery of the universe, but it also challenges several notions. For instance, the number of early galaxies that existed in the universe, considering the ones captured on the COSMOS map. With the map made public, the scientists hope it will encourage more research on the universe. Increase in captive lions in Thailand A new study by Oxford Brookes University and Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand tracking the number of captive lions in Thailand from 2018 to 2024 has found an increase from 131 to 444 lions, marking a threefold rise in just six years. The study has pointed out that the trend is worrying, especially in the context of white lions. Of the 101 cubs born every year in captivity in Thailand, white lions accounted for 45%. In zoos and parks, white lions are considered a Thai speciality, but their colour is due to a recessive gene caused by inbreeding. The study has found more lions in captivity in private homes and zoos since the Thailand Wild Animal Preservation and Protection Act of 2019 came into force. It has also noted an unregulated increase in breeding among the big cats in captivity, further increasing their number—a trend detrimental to lion conservation. The study has called for improved legislation and stricter enforcement of laws that ban keeping lions captive in private homes and ensure the safety of the already-captive lions. Also Read: Humans depended on whales even 20,000 yrs ago. Discovery of tools in Spanish cave is proof Natural history museums & pollution studies A paper released on 30 May by the University of Texas, Arlington, stands out for the new way it has found to track the history of environmental pollution—museum specimens. According to the paper, natural history specimens such as preserved birds and fish can act as time capsules, helping scientists trace pollution trends over the past 200 years. The specimens, they have found, often store traces of pollutants such as metals and soot from the environments around them. The researchers could detect pollution from eras long before modern monitoring tools existed by analysing the feathers, tissues, and dust on old bird skins. An example in the paper was of a field sparrow specimen from the Rust Belt region of the US from 1906. It was coated in black soot from coal-burning industries, whereas another field sparrow specimen from 1996 was relatively clean. The difference was a visual of how air quality has changed over time. The authors have argued in the paper that their discovery opens up a whole new arena of research on the environment and the history of pollution. Early cancer detection in bloodstream Cancer, a new study by Johns Hopkins University has revealed, can be detected years before its diagnosis. Scientists involved in the research have shown that studying genetic material that tumours shed into the bloodstream of humans can detect cancers earlier than currently possible. Published in the Cancer Discovery journal, their paper has said that cancer is detectable in the bloodstream—up to three years before diagnosis because the tumour-derived genetic material shows up in the bloodstream way before actual cancer symptoms start appearing. The scientists, who used sensitive sequencing tools and analysed blood from a large National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded heart study, have found that multi-cancer early detection (MCED) test could catch cancer-related mutations—even years in advance. In one part of the study, four out of six people had detectable tumour DNA in samples taken more than three years before their diagnosis. While this has huge promise for early cancer detection, the technology is still in the works, and there are certain questions on how to follow up once the test is positive. (Edited by Madhurita Goswami) Also Read: 007 would drool. Chinese researchers invent contact lenses that let you see even with your eyes closed
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Northern Ireland Department of Education To Launch Research Study to Evaluate AI's Role in Advancing Literacy for Students
Research initiative, led by Oxford Brookes University (OBU) and using Amira, will evaluate evidence-based AI reading interventions to support students and inform national literacy policy BELFAST, Northern Ireland, June 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Northern Ireland Department of Education announced it will fund a national research study to evaluate the impact of AI-powered literacy interventions on reading outcomes with Amira Learning (Amira), particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), as part of the RAISE initiative. The study, led by Oxford Brookes University (OBU) and using Amira, will assess the effectiveness of evidence-based AI literacy tools on improving reading outcomes. The study will use a matched-pair design to identify rigorous, policy-relevant evidence to inform national literacy policy and support targeted interventions. For this study, over 15,000 participating pupils will first complete a brief 15-minute baseline assessment to evaluate their literacy skills and identify potential challenges such as dyslexia. This assessment utilizes Amira's AI-powered technology, developed from decades of research at Carnegie Mellon and validated by leading universities, which listens to students read aloud and identifies reading challenges through next-generation assessment capabilities. Over the duration of the study, pupils will engage with Amira, an AI-assisted reading tutor for frequent sessions totaling 20-40 minutes weekly for 12 months. The research methodology includes continuous monitoring and data collection to evaluate effectiveness. Teachers will receive face to face and online training from Oxford Brookes University to support teachers to interpret assessment data through detailed reports, enabling them to identify struggling readers and then implement individualized, evidence-based, targeted interventions aligned with the Science of Reading. This comprehensive approach supports Northern Ireland's ongoing shift toward evidence-based tools making a positive impact on reading outcomes while providing data-driven insights to inform both classroom practices and broader educational policy decisions. Professor Tim Vorley, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Oxford Brookes University, said, "This study gives us a chance to rigorously test how tools like Amira can support what we already know works in primary reading. It's about applying the evidence, not replacing it—with technology that complements and boosts the professionalism of the teachers, rather than competing with it." Minister of Education, Paul Givan MLA, said, "Literacy is core to allowing pupils to access knowledge and all areas of learning within the curriculum. It is the key to unlocking the curriculum and a love for learning. I am looking forward to the outcomes of this research project and how these can inform my Department's policy going forward." Mark Angel, CEO of Amira Learning, said, "Literacy is the foundation of all learning, and it's critical that we ground our efforts in evidence-based practices that actually move the needle for students. This study is an important opportunity to show how AI and the Science of Reading can come together to deliver real, measurable impact in the classroom. At Amira, we're proud to support educators with reading solutions that are not only research-backed, but proven in practice." For more information, visit: About Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes is one of the UK's leading modern universities, and is amongst the world's top universities in 23 subject areas. Set in a world-famous student city, it enjoys an international reputation for teaching excellence as well as strong links with business, industry and the public sector. The University is a national leader in teacher education, with over 25 years' experience in preparing teachers, supporting schools, and shaping education policy. Its research in primary literacy, inclusive pedagogy and professional development has informed practice across the UK and beyond. Through its education publishing and development arm, Hamilton Brookes, the university works directly with schools and systems to co-design practical resources that help teachers apply research in real-world settings. Visit for more information. About Amira LearningAmira Learning accelerates literacy outcomes by delivering the latest reading and neuroscience with AI. Propelling gains exceeding human tutoring, Amira is the only AI edtech validated by university and SEA efficacy research. Amira bridges assessment, instruction, and tutoring across one seamless cycle, helping districts achieve instructional coherence. Serving more than 4+ million students and trusted by more than 2,000 schools worldwide, Amira is the intelligent assistant teachers need to turn students into motivated and masterful readers. Visit to learn more. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Amira Learning
