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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...
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Now for the country, please

PAKISTAN has earned international appreciation and respect for its role in mediating between the US and Iran and helping them achieve a ceasefire and a memorandum of understanding that aims to pave the way for a lasting settlement. This kind of mediatory role finds no precedent in Pakistan’s diplomatic history. It has raised Pakistan’s global standing and boosted its international image. The diplomatic achievement has sparked discussion in the country about the economic benefits Pakistan might gain. Certainly, economic opportunities that could open from these developments merit serious thinking and exploring. Also, if the war had not come to a negotiated end there would have been enormous pressure on Pakistan’s fragile economy from higher oil prices, disruption in energy supplies and uncertain remittances. This could have derailed its economic stabilisation efforts. But there has also been a fair amount of wishful thinking about the economic dividend...
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NHA increases toll tax on Islamabad-Lahore M-2 Motorway by 7pc

ISLAMABAD: The National Highway Authority (NHA) has announced an increase in toll tax on the Islamabad-Lahore Motorway (M-2) by 7 per cent. According to a notification issued on Saturday, the authority has raised its toll rates by 7pc for M-2 Motorway, and the revised toll rate shall be in effect till April 23, 2027. The toll was raised under the concession agreement between NHA and Motorway Operations and Rehabilitation Engineering (Private) Limited (MORE), a subsidiary of Frontier Works Organisation (FWO). The organisation is responsible for the rehabilitation and modernisation of the M-2 Motorway. The revised toll rates for vehicles travelling on the M-2 Motorway are as follows: Rs1,430 for cars, jeeps and taxis, Rs2,390 for wagons, Rs3,350 for coasters, Rs4,770 for buses, Rs6,210 for trucks (2- and 3-axle), and Rs7,980 for articulated trucks The rates have been increased according to the per-kilometre charge. On Friday, the Islamabad High Co...
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Global crises cannot be ignored, outgoing UK PM Starmer warns successor

LONDON: Britain’s outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned his probable successor, Andy Burnham, in an interview released on Saturday that he cannot ignore international turmoil and just concentrate on the country’s domestic problems. In his first interview since announcing his resignation June 22, Starmer said his successor as leader of the ruling Labour Party could not spend less time on turbulent international affairs. So far, Burnham, the former Manchester mayor, is the only candidate to take over the centre-left party. He could be in office by mid-July. “Whoever’s my successor is going to face the same global conflict,” Starmer told the BBC . “We keep saying, and it’s true, we’re in a more dangerous and volatile world than we’ve been in for probably most of my lifetime. That’s not just a phrase; that’s reality.” Burnham’s supporters have said he should put more focus on domestic issues, such as the cost of living and the decentralisation of government. But Starmer stressed...
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In pictures: Scenes from the state funeral for Iran's assassinated supreme leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran

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Mourners and leaders from around the world, including Pakistan, gathered at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla to pay tribute to Iran’s former Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in a US-Israeli strike on Iran in February 2026. The funeral ceremonies will pass through a series of locations — from the seat of power in Tehran to the holy cities of Qom, Karbala, Najaf and finally Mashhad — reflecting the religious, political and ideological pillars of the Islamic republic. His funeral, initially delayed at the height of the Middle East war, is taking place as Iran and the US observe a fragile ceasefire following the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding to halt the conflict. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir offering prayers during the state funeral of Iran’s late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. — AFP Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif writing in the condol...
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PTI boycotts AJK elections, citing regional crisis

MUZAFFARABAD: In a widely anticipated move, the PTI on Thursday announced its decision to boycott the upcoming Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) general election, stating it would instead stand by the people amid the prevailing political and social unrest. The announcement was made by PTI regional president and former AJK prime minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi through a statement shared with Dawn by his press secretary. “Expressing unwavering solidarity with the aspirations, right to self-determination, and democratic rights of the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the PTI has decided not to participate in the elections under the current circumstances,” Niazi said. He said that the decision was not a political strategy, but a principled stance aimed at aligning with the public. Regional president says party will stand with people amid prevailing political, social unrest Pointing to the ongoing turmoil across the AJK, the former premier noted that t...
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Lahore police register case against five suspects over abduction, sexual assault of two foreign women

LAHORE: Police in the provincial capital on Thursday registered a case against five suspects on charges of kidnapping for ransom and sexually assaulting two foreign women. The Police Emergency Helpline 15 received a call from Spain, made by the father of one of the women, reporting the incident. The alleged victims, who are nationals of the Netherlands and Venezuela, had come to Pakistan to visit their ‘friends’. DIG Faisal Kamran told Dawn that police acted accordingly, dispatched a team of senior officials, recovered the women, arrested four suspects and lodged an FIR. He said the suspects had been tracked and apprehended with the help of the Punjab Safe City Authority’s cameras installed in the city. The recovered foreign women were later produced before a judicial magistrate at Cantonment Courts to record their statements under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. A women’s counsel for the victims was also present in the courtroom during the recording of their stat...
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