Riot in Sri Lanka’s Negombo prison leaves at least 23 dead
The country has faced criticism from human rights activists for the conditions in its prisons, including overcrowding and failing to protect inmates.
Will Prince Harry’s Trip to Britain Repair or Deepen the Royal Rift?
Harry arrived in London Monday night for a visit that has already been overshadowed by drama and confusion over his plans.
Malik calls for stronger Pak-Iran economic partnership
LAHORE – SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s former president Iftikhar Ali Malik on Sunday called for accelerating efforts to translate Pakistan’s diplomatic engagement with Iran into sustainable economic growth through enhanced trade, energy cooperation and investment. In a statement, he said Pakistan needed a two-pronged strategy focused on expanding economic ties with Iran while strengthening its presence on regional and global economic platforms to achieve long-term prosperity. He urged the government to institutionalize cooperation with Iran in the areas of energy, trade and logistics, saying such measures would bring long-term economic benefits for both countries. Malik said Pakistan should also focus on promoting its economic potential internationally, adding that the country had a strong base of family-owned businesses with significant investment capacity. He stressed that the private sector should be allowed to play a leading role in driving economic growth.
He said targeted fiscal and monetary incentives through commercial banks, simplified tax policies and the one-window facilitation mechanism of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) would help strengthen economic foundations.
He added that enhanced economic cooperation with Iran could lead to increased bilateral trade, affordable energy supplies, reduced smuggling and lower cross-border transaction costs, while also improving Pakistan’s international economic outlook.
He further said diplomatic initiatives could yield meaningful economic dividends if complemented by policies promoting export-led growth, value addition, foreign direct investment, job creation, import substitution and technology transfer.
NASA rover takes a closer look at organic carbon on Mars
Using NASA’s Perseverance rover, scientists are getting a greater understanding of the nature of some of the organic carbon — the molecular backbone for all known living organisms — detected on Mars as they explore the question of whether Earth’s planetary neighbour ever harboured life.
New research describes the structure of the organic carbon found last year by the rover in sedimentary rock that contained a potential biosignature — a possible sign of past microbial life. This mudstone formed perhaps between 3.2 and 3.8 billion years ago beneath a now-vanished body of water in Jezero Crater in the Martian northern hemisphere.
Organic carbon can be a clue as to whether Mars ever harboured life because it serves as the chemical underpinning for the molecules that build DNA, cells and proteins. But its presence is not proof of life because it also can arise in nonbiological processes such as chemical interaction between rock and water.
The detection of organic carbon in two rocks in Jezero Crater — given the names Cheyava Falls and Walhalla Glades — was disclosed last year when the researchers announced the discovery of a potential biosignature in one of them.
The two rocks were sampled by the rover at locations about 330 feet (100 meters) apart, according to planetary scientist Ashley Murphy of the Planetary Science Institute in Arizona, co-leader of the new research published in the journal Science Advances
Following last year’s discovery, NASA released an image of the Cheyava Falls rock showing a very fine-grained and rusty-red-colored mudstone bearing ring-shaped features resembling leopard spots as well as dark marks resembling poppy seeds.
Such features on Earth can be associated with microbial activity. A potential biosignature is defined as a substance or structure that may have a biological origin but needs more data or further study before a conclusion can be made about the absence or presence of life.
A closer look for signs of life
Using Perseverance’s SHERLOC instrument, the researchers in the new study took a closer look at the complex carbon, called macromolecular carbon, present in the two rocks. They said this carbon bears similarities to carbon formed either through biotic or abiotic processes on Earth and to carbon formed through abiotic processes found in meteorites.
This marks the first instance of macromolecular carbon being discovered in mudstones in Jezero Crater, where Perseverance landed in 2021. NASA’s other rover operating on Mars, called Curiosity, previously found macromolecular carbon at another site called Gale Crater, located about 2,300 miles (3,700 km) away.
“These findings indicate that the habitability of Mars and the availability of organic materials may have been widespread across the planet billions of years ago,” said planetary scientist Kyle Uckert of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and a co-leader of the study.
“This strengthens evidence that ancient Mars had chemical ingredients and environmental conditions that could have supported life, but does not provide proof of life, nor does it push the needle any further towards biotic or abiotic origins,” Uckert said.
The rover’s instruments do not have the capability to determine whether this carbon arose through biological processes possibly involving microbial activity.
“We need the return of these samples to Earth for more rigorous testing with higher sensitivity and higher resolution laboratory instruments,” Uckert said.
Now cold and desolate, Mars, during perhaps the first third of its existence, possessed a thicker atmosphere and warmer climate, allowing for liquid water on its surface. Like Earth and the solar system’s other planets, Mars formed roughly 4.5 billion years ago.
Water is considered a key ingredient for life — an important reason why Perseverance has been exploring Jezero Crater since 2021. This area of Mars once was flooded with water and home to an ancient lake basin. Scientists believe river channels spilt over the crater wall and created a lake. These bodies of water potentially could have been habitats for microbes.
“The only place in the universe where we know life has emerged is Earth,” Uckert said. “If life is discovered on Mars, it could indicate that the emergence of life is not restricted to Earth, assuming the right conditions and ingredients are available, which would be a profound discovery.”
Trump rings stock market’s opening bell to celebrate Trump accounts.
The government-funded savings accounts for children became available on Saturday.
Alibaba’s A.I. Is a Hit, but Hard to Turn Into a Moneymaker
The Chinese company’s models have won over developers worldwide, but they are open source — so they can be used and modified freely.
Wildfires Force Evacuation of Thousands in Southwest France
The blaze in the Pyrenees, a region bordering Spain, has scorched more than 11,000 acres so far.
Typhoon Bavi Pounds Guam and Northern Mariana Islands
There was an islandwide power outage on Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, as the Category 5 storm approached.
PSDF, FPCCI partner to strengthen industry-led skills development, employment pathways
LAHORE – Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF) and the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) have signed an MoU to strengthen collaboration between government and industry to align skills development ecosystem with Pakistan’s private sector as part of an upcoming Punjab Industrial Clusters Programme (PICP) under Maryam Nawaz Hunarmand Naujawan.
The MoU establishes a collaborative framework through which PSDF and FPCCI will work together to strengthen industry linkages, enhance labour market responsiveness, and facilitate greater private sector participation in skills development. Both organizations aim to bridge the gap between training institutions and employers while promoting a sustainable pipeline of skilled human capital for high-growth sectors of the economy. The partnership also focuses on expanding women’s access to skills development and employment pathways in non-traditional, technical, industrial, digital, and export-oriented sectors.
PSDF and FPCCI will establish mechanisms for industry engagement to identify emerging sectors, evolving occupational requirements, and future workforce demands. The collaboration will also facilitate internships, apprenticeships, work-based learning opportunities, career exposure initiatives, and employer engagement to strengthen the transition of skilled individuals into productive employment. The MoU further provides for joint seminars, technical workshops, policy dialogues, knowledge-sharing platforms and research initiatives to promote evidence-based approaches to workforce planning, sectoral competitiveness, and export-oriented human capital development.
Speaking on the occasion, Ahmed Khan, CEO of PSDF, said: “The future of skills development lies in strong partnerships with industry, which is why we are institutionalizing private sector engagement in the design and continuous improvement of skills development programs – to better understand labour market dynamics, anticipate emerging workforce needs, and equip our youth with industry-relevant skills to increase economic growth.” Representing Pakistan’s largest network of chambers and trade associations, including 170 sectors of the economy, FPCCI will play a pivotal role in mobilizing private sector participation, providing labour market insights, and facilitating employer engagement for employment and workforce development initiatives.
Zaki Aijaz, Regional Chairman and Vice President at FPCCI, emphasized on the importance of aligning workforce development with the country’s industrial ambitions. “Pakistan’s economic future depends on a workforce equipped with industry-relevant technical skills. We commend Chief Minister Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, for making skills training a strategic priority for the industrial sectors.” The partnership reinforces a shared vision of positioning skills as a catalyst for industrial growth, export competitiveness, and sustainable employment. By strengthening collaboration between the public and private sectors, PSDF and FPCCI aim to build a workforce that meets the needs of a rapidly evolving economy and improve employment outcomes while contributing to Punjab’s long-term economic transformation.
Belgium Expresses Shock After FIFA Lifts U.S. Player’s Suspension
The American striker Folarin Balogun is eligible to play in a World Cup match against Belgium on Monday night after soccer officials reversed his one-game ban.
