Researchers have sequenced the first whole ancient Egyptian genome from an individual who lived 4,500 to 4,800 years ago — the oldest DNA sample from Egypt to date. The body belongs to an adult male who died more than 4,500 years ago during Egypt’s Old Kingdom.

The individual was “genetically male (XY sex chromosomes), consistent with the expression of standard skeletal features”. The ancient Egyptian individual is predicted to have had brown eyes, brown hair, and skin pigmentation ranging from dark to black skin with a lower probability of an intermediate skin colour.

As per the osteological examination, the man was 157.4-160.5 cm tall, and lived up to the age of 44-64 years. His age at the time of dying is based on the evidence of heavily worn teeth and age-related osteoarthritis in most joints and vertebrae. The results were published on July 2 in the journal Nature.

India captain Shubman Gill scored back-to-back centuries against England in the ongoing five-match Test series. Ahead of the marquee tour, there were concerns with Gill’s form, but the 25-year-old defied all the odds and became the fourth Indian captain to hit consecutive tons in two Test matches. He joined the legends such as Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli.

Notably, Gill had an average of 14.66 in England, but in 2025, the youngster played to his merit and is breaking records in every game. He also joined the list of most centuries by an Indian captain in England.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced the launch of a new initiative aimed at empowering the state's youth through skill development, internships, and career advancement opportunities. The scheme, titled CM-PRATIGYA (Chief Minister - Promotion of Readiness, Awareness and Technical Insights for Guiding Youth Advancement), has been approved by the state cabinet under the Saat Nischay-2 (Seven Resolves Part 2) development program.

Taking to the social media platform X, Nitish Kumar expressed his satisfaction over the approval of the scheme and funding allocation, highlighting the government’s commitment to creating a skilled, self-reliant, and employment-ready generation.

"The CM-PRATIGYA scheme will provide advanced skills, better employability, leadership development, and new opportunities to the youth of Bihar," he wrote. "This visionary initiative will play a significant role in shaping the future of our young population."

Renowned hypnotist, magician and personality development expert Dr BV Pattabhiram passed away at the age of 75 on Monday night following a cardiac arrest at his residence in Hyderabad. Dr Pattabhiram is survived by his wife Jaya and son Prashanth. His funeral will be held in Hyderabad on Wednesday, July 2.

A psychologist, illusionist and writer, Pattabhiram was popular for his motivational workshops across India and abroad, including in the US, Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and the Middle East. He was credited with helping thousands overcome stress, fears and self-doubt to achieve personal and professional growth.

He held postgraduate degrees in psychology and philosophy and a PG Diploma in guidance and counselling. He earned a PhD from Osmania University for his thesis ‘Yoga and Hypnotism — A Pragmatic Approach’. He also founded India’s first magic school, which was recognised by the Limca Book of Records.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, while launching the statewide Jan Suraksha Santrupti Abhiyan on Tuesday, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently placed the common citizen at the heart of all welfare initiatives.

According to the Gujarat CMO, the government is committed to ensuring that no eligible individual is left out of the benefits of social security schemes under the Prime Minister's leadership.

Patel further stressed that the administration is actively identifying and reaching out to underserved beneficiaries at their doorsteps to extend the full range of socio-economic entitlements.

Former India cricketer and head coach Ravi Shastri was among 11 sportspersons who were honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai here on Wednesday.

The others included former India women's cricketer Shubhangi Kulkarni, three-time Amateur World Champion in English billiards Michael Ferreira, Niraj Bajaj (table tennis), GM Pravin Thipsay (chess), shooters Anjali Bhagwat, Suma Shirur and Deepali Deshpande.

Hockey Olympians Mervyn Fernandes and Joaquim Carvalho as well as former national badminton champion and national team captain Sanjay Sharma were also honoured with the award.

The Quad grouping has launched an ambitious initiative to ensure a stable supply of critical minerals under a broader goal to strengthen economic security amid concerns over China's coercive tactics, including price manipulation and restrictions on the export of the vital resources.

The decision on rolling out the "Quad Critical Minerals Initiative" was announced after a meeting of foreign ministers of the member nations of the grouping in the US capital on Tuesday.

Critical minerals such as lithium, nickel and graphite are considered vital for high-end technology products, including electric vehicles (EVs), drones, and battery storage. China has been a dominant player

Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil today inaugurated a Unified Inundation Forecasting System C-FLOOD in New Delhi. This is a web-based platform that provides two-days advance inundation forecasts up to village level. The platform will act as a unified system integrating flood modeling outputs from national and regional agencies, offering a comprehensive decision-support tool for disaster management authorities. At present, the system covers the Mahanadi, Godavari, and Tapi river basins.

The Minister directed the concerned agencies to widely popularize the C-FLOOD portal to enhance public awareness and preparedness, and to prepare a comprehensive plan for inundation studies covering all river basins. The project marks a transformative step towards strengthening India’s flood management and disaster response framework. The initiative, executed under the National Supercomputing Mission jointly steered by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Department of Science and Technology.

In a groundbreaking step towards food self-sufficiency, Ghana has launched a climate-resilient wheat initiative in collaboration with India’s Arima Farms and CSIR-Crops Research Institute. With wheat imports crossing $400 million annually, this project aims to cut dependency and boost local farming. Arima Farms MD, Saalai Manikam, highlighted how South-South cooperation is driving agricultural innovation. She also shared how many Ghanaians admire and follow Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. A new chapter in India-Ghana partnership is being sown.

Strengthening India-Sri Lanka cultural and educational ties, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) in Colombo has launched a Hindi Language Learning Programme in partnership with the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC), the cultural arm of the High Commission of India.

The programme was jointly inaugurated by Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha and KDU Vice Chancellor Rear Admiral HGU Dammika Kumara in the presence of senior military officials, faculty, and students.

High Commissioner Jha highlighted that Hindi, spoken by over 600 million people globally, provides access to India’s literature, cinema, media, and professional opportunities. The Vice Chancellor emphasised the role of Bollywood and Hindi music in deepening cultural bonds between the two countries.