Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Saturday called for political change in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), suggesting that such a shift would be more appropriate if it came from within the ranks of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), which currently holds a majority in the provincial assembly.
Speaking at a press conference in Peshawar, the JUI-F leader said it was immaterial whether the change emerged from internal dynamics or external pressure — what mattered, he insisted, was that change was now imperative.
“If PTI claims to have a majority, then change must come from within,” he remarked. “It should not appear as though the opposition is engineering the removal of the provincial government.”
The JUI-F leader alleged that PTI’s mandate in the province was “artificial” and lacked genuine public support. He stressed that any internal restructuring within PTI would be a preferable path to political stability.
On the upcoming Senate elections, Fazl said consultations with other political parties were in their early stages and declined to comment further.
He also distanced himself from the federal government, stating, “If I had agreed with the government’s decisions, I would have been part of it. When seats in the assemblies were for sale during the elections, how could I align myself with such a government?”
Despite sharp criticism, he maintained that if the government were ever to face external aggression or conflict, he would stand with it in the national interest. “Even with a thousand grievances, we will stand in one row if war is imposed on the country,” he said.
JUI-F chief further expressed deep concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in K-P, warning that the province could no longer afford political and security instability.
“The ordinary citizen no longer feels safe. People hesitate before leaving their homes,” he said, calling for an all-parties conference to address the security crisis. He said the JUI-F would be open to dialogue with other opposition parties on this issue.
Read More: Shehzad Akbar named key accused in £190m case
Commenting on his own past tenure, he said peace prevailed during his government. “There were no checkpoints, and people moved freely. Parties may disagree, but there is no enmity among us,” he said.
Reiterating his longstanding opposition to the merger of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) into K-P, he criticised all political parties for what he called a hasty decision. “Everyone jumped into that stream, but we kept warning it wasn’t right. Now we must accept that it was a mistake,” he said.
He argued that reversing the merger would be in the national interest and questioned why the extension of judicial and administrative systems to the region had not materialised.
JUI-F chief also mentioned that a grand tribal jirga was scheduled for tomorrow and expressed respect for the tribal representatives participating in it.
Also Read: India forcibly deported nearly 1,900 Muslims after Pahalgam attack: report
Addressing the issue of provincial spending, Fazl criticised the K-P government for what he described as wasteful expenditures. “Our province’s funds are being used to appoint parliamentary secretaries and to finance luxuries. This is a government born out of rigging and extortion,” he claimed.
In response to a question about former prime minister Imran Khan’s incarceration, he said, “No politician should be in jail, though politicians do end up there. Our goal should be the progress and prosperity of the country.” He also remarked that there was no objection if the PTI founder’s children came to Pakistan.
JUI-F chief concluded by reiterating that his party would never seek power through undemocratic means. “Whether it’s the federal or provincial government, both are sold out. We don’t want power granted to us by the boots—we want the support of the people,” he added.
President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened duties of 30% on products from Mexico and the European Union, two of America’s biggest trading partners, in an ongoing tariff campaign that’s upended global trade since he retook office in January.
“The United States of America has agreed to continue working with the European Union, despite having one of our largest Trade Deficits with you. Nevertheless, we have decided to move forward, but only with more balanced and fair TRADE,” Trump wrote in the letter to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, which he posted to Truth Social.
Trump has imposed a slate of tariffs on US trading partners this year – then paused, modified, raised or lowered them, in a chaotic barrage of policy actions that’s left everyone from major nations to individual Americans trying to figure out how to plan for the future even as economic uncertainty grows.
The EU and Mexico join a growing list of countries whose imports will face updated duties on August 1, since Trump began posting tariff letters on Monday with rates of up to 40%.
In his letters to the EU and Mexico, Trump said that all imports were subject to the 30% tariff, excluding “Sectoral Tariffs,” such as the 25% auto tariff.
Von der Leyen said in a statement that the EU remains “ready to continue working towards an agreement” by the August 1 deadline.
But, she said, a 30% tariff on EU exports would hurt supply chains, businesses and consumers on both sides of the Atlantic. The EU “will take all necessary steps to safeguard EU interests, including the adoption of proportionate countermeasures if required,” von der Leyen wrote.
Products from Mexico, meanwhile, have mostly been able to enter the country duty-free, granted they were compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Trump negotiated in his first term. In his letter addressed to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, Trump said that tariff barriers were imposed to stop the flow of fentanyl into the United States, which he has previously used to justify earlier tariffs on Mexico as well.
“Mexico has been helping me secure the border, BUT, what Mexico has done, is not enough,” Trump wrote.
Mexico’s economy minister Marcelo Ebrard posted on X that a Mexican delegation told United States officials during a Friday meeting that plans to establish a new tariff rate would be “unfair treatment and that we did not agree.” But the United States and Mexico are negotiating to find an “alternative to protect businesses and jobs on both sides of the border.”
In the tariff letters, which were dated on Friday, Trump said that any retaliation of tariffs charged on US imports would be met with pushback from the United States. Trump said that “whatever the number you choose to raise (tariffs) by, will be added onto the 30% that we charge.”
He blamed both tariff and non-tariff trade barriers as additional reasons for imposing tariffs on the EU and Mexico.
The Trump administration has taken particular issue with value-added and digital services taxes, which are prominent in several EU member countries.
Digital service taxes are levied on the gross revenue that online firms collect from offering services to users. Countries with these taxes would be able to tax all the revenue large companies that operate online collect — even if the business is unprofitable. That can include what they collect from selling data, advertising as well as payments they receive for subscriptions, software and other kinds of online services users pay for.
Trump and members of his administration said on multiple occasions that the EU was not negotiating in good faith. And two months ago, Trump was so enraged by the lack of progress in trade talks that he was prepared to slap a 50% tariff on goods from the EU come June 1. “I’m not looking for a deal,” he said at the time.
A 30% tariff on the EU is more than the 20% “reciprocal” tariff which goods from there faced before Trump paused them in mid-April.
After Trump made the threat in May, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a Fox News interview that the “EU proposals have not been of the same quality that we’ve seen from our other important trading partners.”
The letters to the EU and Mexico come after Trump threatened 35% tariffs on some Canadian goods on Thursday.
This story has been updated with additional content.
Presenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg•@bbclaurak
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It’s surely the darkest fear of any mum or dad – losing their child to a world that’s out of sight, a place where they can’t protect them.
Esther Ghey, Ian Russell, Mariano Janin, Liam Walsh, Ellen Roome, Lisa Kenevan, Hollie Dance and Judy Thomas.
They are all parents who believe the internet played a part in the death of their children: Brianna, Molly, Mia, Maia, Jools, Isaac, Archie and Frankie.
And they’ve courageously told us their stories, sharing their pain, partly in the hope of pushing the authorities to regulate what happens on the internet more effectively.
After years of campaigning and political debate, tech platforms will – within weeks – be legally obliged to stop kids seeing harmful content online, including pornography and material encouraging self-harm. They’ll be expected to check users’ ages, and if they don’t, they could be punished with heavy fines.
But the debate over whether the changes will have the right effect is already raging. In private, the government freely admits the new rules already need an update. So what is going on?
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Technological advances
“If it does what it says it does, it should be really big,” said one Whitehall source, with high hopes of the change on the way.
Ofcom will be responsible for enforcing new child safety rules which will require platforms to check users’ ages. These take effect on 25 July – and Ofcom’s chief executive, Dame Melanie Dawes, will join me live in the studio tomorrow morning to explain more.
The regulator won’t tell platforms exactly how to verify users’ ages. But it could be sharing a selfie in real time, or checking bank details. Without proving they are 18, a child or teenager should theoretically not be able to see content that might do them harm.
Ofcom’s measures to make tech firms remove illegal content have already come into force. A senior Whitehall source said: “We have had 20 years with no attention being paid to safety.” You can’t say that now.
But some observers take a very dim view of how much the new rules are going to change.
One campaigner said: “If we believed the breathless PR, we could all take to our deckchairs and just enjoy the sun.”
Rightly or wrongly, the new rules don’t cover what kids share with each other on messaging apps, and they don’t block risky stunts or challenges or in-app purchases like loot boxes that end up costing some families a fortune.
And as technology races ahead, the rules don’t fully cover AI chatbots which are increasingly grabbing kids’ attention.
The Online Safety Act, which was passed in 2023, didn’t tackle material that is harmful but legal for adults – not least because of an almighty row in the Conservative Party when they were in charge.
Nor was it set up to tackle misinformation or hate, which MPs warned on Friday left serious holes in the new system designed to protect everyone.
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The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, which investigated the law in the wake of the Southport riots, said internet users were being exposed to large volumes of harmful and misleading content “which can deceive, damage mental health, normalise extremist views, undermine democracy, and fuel violence”.
MPs in the committee concluded that the Act failed to keep UK citizens “safe from a core and pervasive online harm”.
Many safety campaigners think the rules simply don’t go far enough and that Ofcom has been far too cautious. A former cabinet minister tells me: “I just don’t understand their lack of pace or urgency.”
It took years to get the Online Safety Act passed as law in the first place. Parliament spent a long time grappling with real dilemmas – especially how to protect fundamental rights of free speech and privacy.
Then Ofcom took many months to write the codes of practice that have come into force over time. They wanted to create rules that were practical for the tech platforms themselves.
One industry source says Ofcom had been “sensible and grown-up”, and while the rules weren’t “revolutionary” they were important, positioning the UK between tighter regulations in the EU and a more lax regime in the US.
However you look at it, these new laws have been a very, very long time coming. And while Whitehall has been grinding along, technology, and the kinds of experiences we all have online, has been racing ahead.
Who had really heard of AI five years ago? Many sources I’ve spoken to question now if the way the whole system has been designed is the right one.
The former minister I spoke to said it was a “category error” to regulate the internet in this way, questioning whether Ofcom was the right body to do the job.
But ultimately, Ofcom can only work within the laws MPs set.
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Lord Michael Grade, chair of Ofcom
While we’ll be focusing in the studio tomorrow on the effect the new rules will have, there is already an obvious demand among politicians to go further.
Labour’s education secretary branded the Tories’ suggestion to ban phones in schools a “gimmick”. The PM said it was “unnecessary”. But the House of Lords might back the idea in votes in mid-autumn, pushing the question back to MPs.
Might some newly emboldened Labour backbenchers be tempted to support it too? One of them told me if there were a reshuffle, and a new education secretary, “I’d be straight in there to say, ditch the battle, get on the right side of the public and parents, and agree to the Tories’ proposal.”
But I understand there are new measures developed in government that might emerge even before then, shortly after the summer.
With the age verification measures about to come into force, the cabinet minister in charge, Peter Kyle, wants to shift the conversation towards healthy habits. The Online Safety Act focuses on what we can see on the internet. But Kyle’s next focus is on how we use it, considering how some apps could be addictive.
A source said: “kids shouldn’t have to be grateful they can’t see violent porn on their devices… the next debate is about what is healthy online.”
Ministers are considering how they could protect children from algorithms that “can make kids feel out of control”, or drive compulsive behaviour. Proposals on the table include an “app cap”, screen time limits, extra rules on live streams, and making more of a distinction between what 13 and 16-year-olds can do online.
More legislation is likely to bring in the next round of changes, but right now, as one MP said: “it is stuck somewhere in the system.”
You can expect the next round of conversations about how governments can protect the public from the worst excesses of the internet while enjoying its incredible opportunities to be part of the political soundtrack of the autumn.
Technology has changed so many aspects of our lives so fast for the better in recent years. But for too many families, their experiences online have brought terrible pain. Just as our heads might spin trying to understand all the changes, politicians have perhaps struggled to balance the dangers as well as the opportunities, and how they might be called on to protect the public.
What happens online is not the usual turf of politics like making ends meet, running schools or hospitals. But just as our virtual lives are an increasing part of our world, they are becoming a bigger part of our political life too.
A list of organisations in the UK offering support and information with some of the issues in this story is available at BBC Action Line
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Palestinians look on as a fire burns on a hilltop seized by Israeli settlers near Sinjil on 4 July
Two Palestinians have been killed in an attack by Israeli settlers on a town in the north of the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Sayfollah Musallet, a 20-year-old dual US citizen from Florida, was beaten to death during the incident on Friday evening in Sinjil, the ministry said.
The second man, Mohammed al-Shalabi, also 23, died after being shot in the chest, it added.
The Israeli military said stones were thrown at Israelis near Sinjil and “a violent confrontation developed in the area”. It added that security forces were looking into the reports of one Palestinian being killed, and the incident involving the second was under review.
The US state department said it was “aware of reports of the death of a US citizen in the West Bank”, and that it had no further comment “out of respect for the privacy of the family”.
Sayfollah Musallet, a businessman whose nickname was Saif, was born in Florida and travelled from his home in Tampa to the West Bank on 4 June “to spend time with his loved ones”, according to his family.
A family statement said he was “brutally beaten to death by Israeli settlers while he was protecting his family’s land from settlers who were attempting to steal it”.
“Israeli settlers surrounded Saif for over three hours as paramedics attempted to reach him, but the mob of settlers blocked the ambulance and paramedics from providing life-saving aid.”
“After the mob of Israeli settlers cleared, Saif’s younger brother rushed to carry his brother to the ambulance. Saif died before making it to the hospital.”
The statement added: “We demand the US state department lead an immediate investigation and hold the Israeli settlers who killed Saif accountable for their crimes.”
Official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Mohammed al-Shalabi was from the town of al-Mazraa al-Sharqiya, just south of Sinjil.
It cited the Palestinian health ministry as saying that he was shot in the chest by settlers, during the same attack in which Sayfollah Musallet was killed.
He was left bleeding for hours before paramedics were able to reach him, it added.
Wafa reported than another 10 Palestinians from Sinjil and neighbouring areas were injured in the clashes with settlers who were armed with automatic rifles.
The Israeli military said in a statement on Friday night that “terrorists hurled rocks at Israeli civilians adjacent to Sinjil”, lightly injuring two of them.
“A violent confrontation developed in the area involving Palestinians and Israeli civilians, which included vandalism of Palestinian property, arson, physical clashes, and rock hurling.”
The military said soldiers, police and paramilitary Border Police forces were dispatched to the area and “used riot dispersal means in response to the violent confrontation”.
It added that it was “aware of reports regarding a Palestinian civilian killed and a number of injured Palestinians as a result of the confrontation”, and that they were being looked into by the Shin Bet security service and the Israel Police.
When asked by the BBC on Saturday for a response to the reports that a second Palestinian was killed, the military said: “The situation is under review”.
Separately, the US embassy in Jerusalem has said it condemns recent violence by Israeli settlers against the Christian town of Taybeh in the West Bank.
Most of the land there is owned by Palestinian-Americans and, according to locals, some 300 residents are US passport holders.
Attacks, including by masked men torching cars and attacking homes, have ramped up. On Monday, settlers set fields ablaze close to a fifth-Century church, leading to a call for international action from the town’s priests.
The State Department said in response it had no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens overseas and that protecting Christians was a priority for President Donald Trump.
Israel has built about 160 settlements housing some 700,000 Jews since it occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem – land Palestinians want, along with Gaza, for a hoped-for future state – during the 1967 Middle East war. An estimated 3.3 million Palestinians live alongside them.
The settlements are considered illegal under international law – a position supported by an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last year – although Israel disputes this.
Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, settler violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank has surged. It had already been on the rise.
The UN says at least 910 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank, 13 by Israeli settlers, and another seven by either Israeli forces or settlers since the start of the war. At least 44 Israelis have also been killed in Palestinian attacks in Israel and the West Bank over the same period.
There has been a sharp increase in the number and severity of settler attacks in the West Bank in the same period. The UN says there were 136 attacks by settlers resulting in casualties or property damage in May alone.
On Thursday, a 22-year-old Israeli security guard Shalev Zvuluny was shot and killed when two Palestinian men opened fire and tried to stab passerbys in the car park of a shopping centre in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, in the south of the West Bank.
The attackers were shot dead by soldiers and armed civilians present at the scene, police said.
“Starting at age 40, routine mammograms are a must,” says Jessica Shepherd, M.D., a board-certified OB/GYN. Catching abnormalities early can save your life. If you have a family history of breast cancer, you may want to ask your doctor about starting mammograms even earlier—before you’ve hit the big 4-0.
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Blood Pressure Evaluations
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Hypertension (high blood pressure) often has no obvious symptoms. Since the condition can creep up on you without you even realizing it, Dr. Bhatia recommends blood pressure evaluations to all her patients in their 40s. “It’s important to stay on top of [it],” she explains.
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Cardiovascular Exams
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Pap Smears
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Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Bhatia, and Dr. Gaither all agree that routine pap smears are important—especially as you hit middle age. Pap smears screen for cervical cancer, and just like any cancer, early detection is key.
“Cervical cancer can affect any woman who is or has been sexually active,” Dr. Gaither says. “But it primarily occurs in women who have had HPV, are immune-compromised, have poor nutrition, and don’t get pap smears.”
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Eye and Ear Exams
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As we age, our vision and hearing often gets worse. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll go blind or deaf. But getting your sight and hearing checked annually can help you discover if you need glasses or a hearing aid.
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Colonoscopies
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Although consistent colonoscopies are recommended for women over 50, your 40s are a good time to talk to your doctor about the routine health screening—especially if you have a family history of colon cancer or polyps.
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Bone Density Evaluations
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As women age, they tend to lose bone density and strength, which can lead to osteoporosis. Because of this, Felicia Stoler, R.D.N., a nutritionist and healthy living expert, recommends getting a bone density screening every 10 years starting at age 40. This is especially important if you show risk factors for osteoporosis or frequently fracture your bones.
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Immunizations
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Routine immunizations are always important. But since our immune systems can weaken as we age, getting routine vaccinations—like the flu shot—is especially essential as you get older.
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Diabetes Screenings
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Not everyone will benefit from a diabetes screening. But if you’re nearing middle age and you live with obesity, you’re at higher risk of developing diabetes. “Obesity is a predisposing factor to diabetes development,” Dr. Gaither says. Your doctor can screen you for the condition and help you treat or prevent it, depending on your diagnosis.
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Hormone Checks
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Pre-menopause and menopause are full of hormonal ups and downs. And while common symptoms—like hair loss, insomnia, low sex drive, and brain fog—are often caused by the condition, they may also signal something more serious. Checking your hormone levels routinely can give your doctor more insight into what you’re experiencing.
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Complete Lipid Panels
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A complete lipid panel—or a cholesterol test—is important in assessing your risk for heart disease, which increases as you age. It’s usually part of a routine annual exam. But if your doctor doesn’t mention it, you can ask to have one done.
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Skin Checks
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Getting your moles checked by a dermatologist is a good idea at any age. But as you enter your 40s, your risk for skin cancer increases, simply because you’ve gotten decades of cumulative sun exposure. Remember, an estimated 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer by age 70. And when caught early, the 5-year survival rate for melanoma is 99%.
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Mental Health Screenings
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As women age, they’re more likely to develop mental health conditions than men. “Anxiety, depression, Alzheimer’s, and cognitive decline are most common,” Dr. Gaither says. There are many reasons this may happen, including fluctuating hormone levels. But getting screened for mental health conditions—especially if you don’t feel like yourself—can help you get the support and treatment you need.
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Thyroid Exams
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“Thyroid dysfunction is the most common hormonal imbalance in women,” Dr. Shepherd says. That’s why she recommends getting screened routinely. Thyroid dysfunction can cause weight gain, exhaustion, brain fog, and more. And when left untreated, it can lead to serious—and potentially life-threatening—health problems.
The United Nations warns that the fuel shortage in Gaza has reached critical levels.
Fuel is the backbone of survival in Gaza. It powers hospitals, water systems, sanitation networks, ambulances, and every aspect of humanitarian operations. Fuel supplies are needed to move the fleet used for transporting essential goods across the Strip and to operate a network of bakeries producing fresh bread for the affected population. Without fuel, these lifelines will vanish for 2.1 million people.
After almost two years of war, people in Gaza are facing extreme hardships, including widespread food insecurity. When fuel runs out, it places an unbearable new burden on a population teetering on the edge of starvation.
Without adequate fuel, UN agencies responding to this crisis will likely be forced to stop their operations entirely, directly impacting all essential services in Gaza. This means no health services, no clean water, and no capacity to deliver aid.
Without adequate fuel, Gaza faces a collapse of humanitarian efforts. Hospitals are already going dark, maternity, neonatal and intensive care units are failing, and ambulances can no longer move. Roads and transport will remain blocked, trapping those in need. Telecommunications will shut down, crippling lifesaving coordination and cutting families off from critical information, and from one another.
Without fuel, bakeries and community kitchens cannot operate. Water production and sanitation systems will shut down, leaving families without safe drinking water, while solid waste and sewage pile up in the streets. These conditions expose families to deadly disease outbreaks and push Gaza’s most vulnerable even closer to death.
For the first time in 130 days, a small amount of fuel entered Gaza this week. This is a welcome development, but it is a small fraction of what is needed each day to keep daily life and critical aid operations running.
The United Nations agencies and humanitarian partners cannot overstate the urgency of this moment: fuel must be allowed into Gaza in sufficient quantities and consistently to sustain life-saving operations.
Kourtney Kardashian Barker’s supplement company Lemme is unveiling the launch of Lemme Greens, $30, a daily gummy infused with 20-plus super fruits and vegetables. The formula, which features a sweet green and apple flavor, also includes a clinically studied probiotic, biotin, vitamin D and methylated vitamin B12. Lemme Greens will be available exclusively on the brand’s website and on TikTok Shop starting Tuesday.
“The genesis of this was knowing that from research and all the data available nine out of 10 Americans are not getting enough vegetable intake every day,” said Lemme cofounder Simon Huck.
Kardashian Barker added via email: “Most of us aren’t getting enough greens. Lemme Greens was formulated to fill those gaps…and it tastes so good, it actually becomes part of your routine.”
Huck said that this product has been in the works for over two years and was one of the brand’s most recommended stock keeping units.
“That balance of having the efficacy, having the clinically studied ingredients and then also making sure that the taste was delicious, that always takes a lot of time,” he said.
While greens powders have been a popular wellness staple, Huck and Kardashian Barker intentionally steered clear of the format.
“We were here getting a lot of feedback, certainly three years ago, that there was a little bit of powder fatigue around greens,” Huck said. “People were looking for options that were more portable, more convenient and something that they could add to their daily routine.”
Additionally, Lemme Greens takes on a different positioning than the majority of the brand’s product lineup.
“Almost all of our product launches that we’ve launched over the last three-and-a-half years have been specific to a need state: weight management, cravings, sleep, chill,” said Huck. “Although Greens hits on some of those needs states — digestion, bloating, we have biotin in there for hair, skin and nail health — we really think of it as a primer for your every single day. It’s [for] core vitality. It’s something that you take every single day.”
Benefits include “managing bloating, which obviously is a core concern for many, and then supporting healthy gut digestion. The biotin is in there for healthy skin and nail support, and then lastly, boosting energy [and] metabolism,” said Huck.
Lemme Greens
Courtesy of Lemme
As Greens is formulated with a clinically studied probiotic, it addresses one of consumers’ core concerns: gut health. Lemme has built out an arsenal of products to meet the demand for digestive support with Lemme Debloat, Lemme No. 2 and now, Lemme Greens.
According to Huck, one of the biggest challenges with this product was getting the flavor right, as consumers are often deterred from this category due to bitter or chalky tastes. For many Lemme users, the taste has been a key draw to the brand, ultimately resulting in consistent usage.
“If you get the taste right, people stick to their schedule, and they look forward to taking it,” Huck said.
This launch comes on the heels of Lemme Play, a sexual wellness gummy which was released in May, and has exceeded the team’s expectations.
“We have thousands of reviews on TikTok from men and women who are taking the product and are thrilled with the results,” said Huck. “Sexual health and sexual wellness is just such an emerging category that there’s so much room to grow in.”
For Lemme, there’s lots of room to grow across categories.
“We have multiple big launches, in September, October, November and December,” Huck said. “Two are in completely new categories.”
Lockheed Martin is trying to position itself as a savior for many NASA missions currently facing the chopping block at the hands of the Trump administration. The administration has already detailed massive budget cuts to NASA, which could include a complete shutdown of the Mars Sample Return mission, which Perseverance has been working on for the past several years.
However, Lockheed Martin — yes, the same company known for its extensive role in America’s defense system — has come up with a fixed budget plan to save the Sample Return mission and bring back the collections Perseverance has already made.
Over the years, NASA has struggled to bring its plans for Mars exploration to life. While the Mars Sample Return mission was a great idea, its actual execution has been less than smooth, with the budget often skyrocketing above the original numbers NASA provided years ago when it started operating on the mission. The numbers have changed so much, in fact, that even before the Trump administration’s shocking budget cuts, NASA was already looking at possibly canceling the MSR or finding cheaper alternatives. Thankfully, those cuts seem to have been relinquished for now, but it doesn’t mean NASA is out of the fire just yet.
But Lockheed Martin’s plan could make that unnecessary. According to a detailed post and video shared to Lockheed Martin’s website, the company has come up with at least one way it could utilize existing services and vehicles to complete NASA’s expensive Mars Sample Return mission. Further, the company says it would be able to pull it off for $3 billion, less than half NASA’s current $7 billion projection.
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If true, it could give NASA the extra hand that it needs to get the Mars Sample Return mission back on track. While Trump and others have put a renewed focus on actually getting humans to Mars, being able to understand the Red Planet better will be key to surviving there and creating a human colony that can thrive. That’s why these samples are so important.
They could finally help us answer vital questions about the history of water on Mars, as well as determine the best places to land and colonize the planet. Of course, NASA and the U.S. government have to say yes to all of that first. But it’s at least a nice plan that the bigwigs out there can mull over in the meantime. And, with a little luck, we could see the plans to can the Mars Sample Return turned on their head. And that would be a great thing to see.
Share on PinterestOmega-3 supplements combined with strength training could boost athletic performance and improve heart and brain health. Lan Zhang/Getty Images
Omega-3 supplements combined with weightlifting could result in improvements to strength and health.
A new study suggests that incorporating omega-3s into a strength training regimen positively impacts heart and brain health and can lead to fitness gains.
Due to the limited scope of the research, it’s unclear whether the findings are applicable to the broader population.
A study, recently published in Nutrients, found that athletes who supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids during a strength-training regimen experienced improvements in cholesterol profiles, brain-health markers, and, notably, strength gains compared with those who did not.
“The combination of omega-3 supplementation with resistance training resulted in meaningful improvements not only in biochemical markers but also in core components of physical performance such as muscular strength, agility, reaction time, and explosive power,” the study authors wrote.
However, significant limitations remain. The study included only healthy men with a history of strength training, making it unclear if the findings would translate to the general public, particularly those with existing chronic disease.
“Because this excludes the public, it is unclear if there would be such benefits for the entirety of a population,” said Alyssa Kwan, MS, RD, a clinical dietitian in cardiology at Stanford Medicine who wasn’t involved in the study.
Nonetheless, the study suggests that omega-3 supplementation may provide a cost-effective, convenient approach to enhancing exercise performance.
Researchers in Turkey conducted a randomized trial to assess the effects of omega-3 supplementation with weight training. Two groups of men followed the same weightlifting regimen, but only one group received the supplements.
Thirty men aged 18 to 30 were recruited for the trial. Participants were only included if they met a stringent set of criteria:
a strength-training history of at least three years
absence of chronic medical conditions
non-smokers
non-drinkers of alcohol
ability to train at least three days per week
A total of 15 participants were randomized to receive omega-3 supplements, while the remaining participants served as controls. The daily omega-3 dosage was 3,150 mg, selected based on prior studies reporting performance-enhancing effects at similar levels.
Both groups performed strength training three days per week, comprising one upper-body day, one lower-body day and one full-body day. Researchers standardized gym conditions — including lighting, temperature and equipment — to minimize performance variability.
Additionally, to minimize confounding factors, both groups followed a rigorously standardized diet supervised by a certified dietitian.
By the end of the trial, supplemented participants experienced multi-systemic health and performance benefits versus controls. Key health outcomes included:
Performance gains included:
13.6% increase in bench-press one-rep max (1RM)
9.7% increase in squat 1RM
improved power, speed, agility, and reaction time
“The fact that such improvements were observed even in healthy, physically active individuals suggests that omega-3 can be considered a valuable performance-enhancing aid for athletes and those engaged in regular physical activity,” wrote the study authors.
More research is needed to better understand how these supplements will affect a broader population.
It’s unclear whether the health and performance benefits of omega-3 supplementation and weightlifting would extend to the broader population.
Still, the health benefits observed would be meaningful, even if isolated from the aspects related to exercise performance.
“These benefits could have a large impact on longevity. While exercise is one of the best ways to reduce the risk of cardiometabolic diseases, omega-3s have also been shown to have a beneficial impact as well. Improvements in lipid profiles could reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke as well as cognitive decline,” said Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RD, a nutritionist at the Cleveland Clinic, and co-author of “Regenerative Health,” who wasn’t involved in the study.
Meanwhile, Kwan adds, “We do understand that omega-3s have anti-inflammatory benefits and are very important for immune resilience and a general health benefit.”
Your body doesn’t naturally produce omega-3s, which means they must be obtained from omega-3-rich foods like fatty fish, walnuts, or chia seeds. Omega-3 supplements, typically sold as pills or oils, can help fill the gap for those who don’t regularly consume sufficient amounts of omega-3-rich foods.
However, experts say food-based sources of omega-3s are generally preferable to seeking out a supplement.
“Health benefits can be linked and achieved by just a healthy diet alone, such as eating fish. This supports an overall healthy diet as well,” said Kwan.
Like other significant changes to diet and lifestyle, consult with a registered dietitian or your healthcare provider before taking an omega-3 supplement.
