Object

Investigators looking into whether incidents at Leipzig are linked after DHL plane forced to make emergency landingA DHL cargo plane was forced to make an emergency landing after colliding with an unknown object as it was climbing away from Germany’s Leipzig airport, where police later found a drone on the ground.The German government on Wednesday confirmed the incident, which led to serious disruption of air traffic. Continue reading...

• NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is analyzing "little red dots" (LRDs), a class of distant objects first discovered in 2022. • Researchers are using high-resolution data to trace the "family tree" of these objects, identifying how LRDs evolve into progeny galaxies. • This study builds upon earlier findings from the retired Spitzer Space Telescope, which first hinted at the existence of dust-obscured, compact galaxies in the lower-redshift universe.

• China's top-secret "Shenlong" (divine dragon) space plane has deployed another unidentified object into low Earth orbit. • This latest release brings the total number of mysterious payloads deployed by the spacecraft to at least nine. • The operation is significant due to the secretive nature of the Shenlong program, as the craft has never been officially photographed.

• NASA's exoplanet-hunting spacecraft has discovered a highly unusual planetary system featuring an "improbable" and "wonky" orbital configuration. • The system's instability is driven by a massive, eccentric object within the system that disrupts the typical planetary alignment. • This discovery is significant because it provides crucial insights into how planets can form and survive around massive objects with extreme orbits.

Environment secretary reportedly raised concerns that customers would face ‘undue burden’ from £10bn planThames Water should be nationalised, says BurnhamBusiness live – latest updatesThe UK environment secretary has reportedly objected to a £10bn rescue proposal for Thames Water because it would place an “undue burden” on consumers, pushing the troubled utilities firm closer towards public ownership.Emma Reynolds, the environment secretary, wrote to Ofwat, the regulator, on Monday to raise concerns about the plan for the UK’s biggest water company, according to the Times, as she is worried that customers will lose out. Continue reading...

• The Trump administration and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposed rewriting federal grant rules on May 29, 2026, to ensure awards "demonstrably advance" the President's policy priorities. • The 400-page proposal would shift the criteria for government grants—ranging from childcare and public safety to research—away from objective standards toward political goals. • While the White House claims these changes will improve transparency, accountability, and oversight, critics argue that federal grantmaking will become overly politicized.

Hearing in New York state case over shooting of healthcare executive sealed at short notice ‘at request of the defense’Luigi Mangione’s New York state case in the killing of the healthcare executive Brian Thompson descended into secrecy on Wednesday when Judge Gregory Carro held sealed proceedings despite press objections.Mangione’s state trial for allegedly shooting dead Thompson on a Manhattan Street in late 2024 is scheduled for 8 September. Mangione also faces a federal trial in relation to Thompson’s killing. The murder triggered an intense manhunt but also prompted an outpouring of public rage against the practices of the for-profit US healthcare industry. Continue reading...