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Future of Essex building undecided as Adult Community Education Centre moves out

2 months 2 weeks ago
The future of a building in Brentwood which is currently the home for an adult community education centre is still under discussion - following a decision to move lessons to other sites. Bishops Hill Adult Education Centre could be used for office space when adult community learning moves out at the end of July, the deputy leader of Essex County Council Councillor Louise McKinlay has said.
Piers Meyler

NASA tests shrinking metals to help it find more exoplanets

2 months 2 weeks ago
Mysterious ‘Alloy 30’ gets smaller when heated, which could help stabilize super-sensitive space telescopes

NASA is exploring the properties of a metal alloy that shrinks as it is heated, as boffins in its Astrophysics Division think it may be needed if the planned Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is to succeed.…

Simon Sharwood

UK Eyes New Law as 1885 Telegraph Act Proves Inadequate for Cable Sabotage

2 months 2 weeks ago
The UK government is preparing new legislation to address undersea cable sabotage as current laws are proving inadequate for modern threats. Ministry of Defence parliamentary under-secretary Luke Pollard told lawmakers yesterday that the Submarine Telegraph Act of 1885, which imposes 1,000 pound ($1,370) fines, "does seem somewhat out of step with the modern-day risk." The government's Strategic Defence Review proposes a new defence readiness bill to cover state-sponsored cybercrime and subsea cable attacks. Chris Bryant, minister of state for data protection and telecoms, said fines could be increased to 5,000 pound ($6,850) through secondary legislation but "that just doesn't seem to meet the needs of the situation." Recent incidents include Sweden's deployment of forces to the Baltic Sea following suspected Russian attacks on underwater data cables in January. The China Strategic Risks Institute found that eight of ten identified vessels in 12 sabotage incidents between January 2021 and April 2025 were linked to China or Russia through registration or ownership.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

msmash

Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill bankrolls $85M Space Shuttle shuffle

2 months 2 weeks ago
NASA science might be cut, but cash can be found to move a 'space vehicle' from museum to museum

Lurking in the text contained within the One Big Beautiful Bill, which was passed by the US Senate yesterday, is an $85 million allocation for shifting a "space vehicle" to a new location, widely interpreted as a move of the retired Space Shuttle Discovery orbiter from Virginia to Houston.…

Richard Speed