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Officials prepared Roman to receive a potential uncrewed servicing mission. NASA attached a grapple fixture on the bottom of Roman similar to those used by the robotic arms on the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle. Roman also has navigation aids—a retroreflector and external reference points—to help guide a servicing mission on final approach. “While Roman is nowhere near as serviceable as the Hubble Space Telescope was, we do have everything that’s necessary to enable the rendezvous and capture and docking with a hypothetical servicer; that’s the point of the grapple fixture,” said Jackie Townsend, Roman’s project manager at…

Louise Haigh, the UK first secretary, got a standing ovation from trade union members in Brighton this week, as she acknowledged what she called “the necessity to be bolder in this second chance that we’ve been allowed”.Haigh was the stand-in at the annual TUC congress for Andy Burnham, absent because of his father’s death.The headlines from the seaside gathering were dominated by party funding, after Reform announced £72m of donations in a single weekend and Unite called for a cap on donations by individuals in response.But as they gathered to swap gossip in Brighton’s pubs and hotel bars, senior union…

The GunaiKurnai, an Australian Aboriginal nation, are recognized as the traditional custodians of Gippsland and the southern Victorian Alps. Caves within their lands have long been linked to spiritual practices. Accounts recorded in the 19th century, together with oral traditions, describe them as places where powerful learned women and men known as ‘mulla-mullung’, along with other spiritual practitioners, carried out rituals involving magic, healing, and cursing. Archaeological evidence now shows that one of these sites, Cloggs Cave, was used for such activities over an extraordinary span of roughly 25,000 years. “Here we show that the Old Ancestors selected whole grasses…

Orioles slugger Pete Alonso punctuated his return to Citi Field with a clutch home run on Tuesday night against his former team. Alonso, who spent his entire professional career with the Mets until this season, played for the first time as a visitor at Citi Field in Queens on Monday with the opener of the interleague series. Alonso in that 2-1 Baltimore win went 0 for 3 with a walk. Tuesday night’s game turned out to be much more memorable for Alonso, who remains a beloved figure among Mets fans. With the Orioles trailing 1-0 in the ninth, Alonso stepped in with…

Like David Letterman before him Stephen Colbert honored the end of his late-night talk show by growing a beard. The former Late Show host showcased the beard during the Emmys, where his show won seven awards, but admitted last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live that his wife Evie is not a fan. “I was so excited to win because Evie hates my beard,” Colbert told Kimmel. “So much. And the kiss count has gone way down. She warned me, if you grow a beard the kiss count’s going to go way down. Smoochy time, much shorter because it’s prickly. But…

By Golok Nanmwa, Jos Three vigilantes were reportedly killed by armed men who attacked NTV community in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State on Tuesday night. The incident, which occurred around 11pm, has heightened tension in the community, as the gunmen reportedly opened fire on the vigilantes who were on duty protecting residents and their homes. A resident of the community, Gabriel Ayuba, who confirmed the incident to newsmen, said, “The incident happened around 11pm. The men were watching over the community when the gunmen shot at them.” “It is very sad that people who were only protecting…

Von der Leyen told the EU’s State of the Union address that the bloc and Canada “see the world with the same eyes”, including on topics ranging from AI, to climate change and geopolitics.”And we have stood together: on Ukraine, on defence, on raw materials and on supply chains. But above all…Europe and Canada believe in democracy.”She also listed energy, critical minerals, batteries, AI, cyber and economic security, as other fields of cooperation.The move comes as EU members have also been hit trade tariffs under Trump’s administration.Von der Leyen also proposed the formation of a European Security Council, which would…

ToplineRep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, accused President Donald Trump of going into a “tantrum” on Tuesday after learning that a federal judge had sided with her and blocked the Kennedy Center board’s efforts to inscribe the president’s name on the building’s facade, which Trump signalled is a necessary condition for starting necessary renovation work at the center.Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, said she clashed with President Donald Trump during a meeting of the Kennedy Center’s board on Tuesday.CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty ImagesKey FactsBeatty said the president’s reaction to the ruling was the “most unprofessional thing” she had ever seen, and she…

Mayors and other local political leaders could be given powers to oversee water companies under plans being considered by the government.Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s plan is to create nine new regional bodies responsible for planning, setting objectives, and holding water companies to account.The idea, first reported by The Telegraph, external, was a key recommendation of Sir John Cunliffe’s Independent Water Commission published in June last year.Improving the water industry has been a focus for Burnham since he took to power, as water customers in England and Wales continue to face steep bill hikes.But there has been little detail of what…

Saudi Arabia has said that a drone launched by the Houthi rebel group towards Mecca was intercepted on Tuesday, although the Houthis denied targeting Mecca. The country said the drone was intercepted and destroyed, preventing an escalation that could threaten the holy city. The Saudi-led coalition spokesperson, Turki al-Maliki, said the Royal Saudi Air Defence Forces successfully intercepted the drone before it entered restricted airspace. The Saudi-led coalition is a multinational military alliance formed in 2015 and led by Saudi Arabia to fight the Houthi movement in Yemen. Al Jazeera reports that Saudi Arabia issued a security alert on Tuesday…