Tutankhamun  is arguably the most famous Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. However, remarkably little is known about the Boy King, including how he died, aged just 18. 

The cause of his demise has remained a mystery for over 3,000 years. However, new genetic research has shed light on what may have brought his reign to an untimely end. Scientists from the National Research Centre in Egypt and Cairo University have worked with two German DNA experts to examine tissue samples from several royal mummies. 

One of these mummies was Tutankhamun himself, who ascended to the throne at the age of nine. In light of the new examination, the Boy King, who reigned from 1332 to 1323 BC during the late Eighteenth Dynasty, is believed to have been killed by a combination of malaria and health problems linked to royal inbreeding.

The tests showed that he suffered from necrosis in his left foot. This meant he likely had to rely on a walking cane – several of which have been found in his tomb.

The DNA tests also reveal that his grandparents were linked to Pharaoh Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye. However, the identity of his parents remains a mystery. It has been suggested that his father may be Akhenaten, the “heretic king”, with Akhenaten’s sister potentially being his mother. The mummy found in tomb KV55 is believed to be Akhenaten’s. 

Inbreeding would not have been considered unusual among Egyptian royalty at the time. This was to ensure that a pure royal bloodline was maintained and to prevent outsiders from inheriting the throne. However, this will also have contributed to the Boy King’s frail health, experts have said.

In fact, Tutankhamun’s consort, Ankhesenamun, is understood to have been his half-sister or cousin. Two infant mummies found in Tutankhamun’s tomb are presumed to have been the daughters of Ankhesenamun.

The general manager of the Tutankhamun Exhibition, Tim Batty, said the results were “another piece of the great jigsaw” of Tutankhamun’s life.

“This is something people have been wondering about for over 100 years,” he added. “Now we’re starting to get real answers, and that’s incredibly exciting.”

Despite his reign lasting just 10 years, King Tutankhamun is often seen as Egypt’s best-known pharaoh, not least because of the wealth of treasures—including the iconic solid gold death mask—found during the surprise discovery of his intact tomb in 1922.

Donald Trump will “do a runner” from brokering peace in Ukraine soon, a former British defence secretary has said.

Former Tory MP Ben Wallace told Times Radio: “I’m not very hopeful, I’m afraid. Throughout this Donald Trump has consistently let Putin off the hook”, despite repeatedly threatening tougher sanctions.

“The reality is Donald Trump has no interest. It’s one of the deals that he will move on from – most of his career in business has been about ‘make a deal and do a runner before it actually unravels’. I think that’s what we’re going to see.”

Laying the blame for the millions of people killed, injured and displaced in the war solely at Mr Putin’s feet, he said: “Donald Trump seems to think spending a lots of time on the telephone to him and being constantly humiliated by him – when he just refuses to do anything that Trump requests – is somehow the way to proceed and let’s move on to a trade deal.”

Mr Wallace, who was defence secretary for the first 18 months of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, added: “No doubt there’ll be a golf resort somewhere near St Petersburg, I suspect, soon.”

The first photos of the late tech mogul Mike Lynch’s superyacht being raised from the depths have surfaced. The main boom and anchor from the Bayesian were retrieved from the ocean floor following the devastating sinking of the ship off the coast of Sicily, Italy, in August last year.

Mr Lynch, 59, and his daughter Hannah, 18, were among the seven fatalities when the 56-metre vessel went down. Fifteen individuals, including Mr Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, were rescued.

Salvage crews used a diamond cutting wire on the boom, sail and furling gear near the mast, hoisting them onto Hebo Lift 2, a versatile floating barge equipped with diving and remotely-operated underwater vehicle systems, as well as a support tug.

A remote-controlled submersible was then deployed to sever one of the ship’s anchor chains, enabling it to be raised. The recovered pieces will be transported to the nearby town of Termini Imerese, where Italian prosecutors investigating the sinking are based.

Additional specialist equipment needed for the eventual lifting of the Bayesian will be loaded onto the 5,695-gross-tonne Hebo Lift 10, reputed to be one of the most potent maritime cranes in Europe.

Salvage experts from Dutch companies Hebo and SMIT Salvage are ramping up the use of remote-controlled tools following the death of a diver during underwater operations on May 9, reports the Mirror.

Additional equipment and crew are being sourced from across the continent, including an extra remote-controlled submersible to aid in the salvage operation. Efforts have been successful in securing the Bayesian’s tank vents and openings, significantly reducing the risk of pollution during the ongoing operations, with no environmental damage reported so far.

Salvage teams have initiated the process of positioning steel lifting slings and other necessary gear beneath the Bayesian. The next phase involves removing the vessel’s complex rigging, towering 72-metre mast, spreaders, and any remaining sails to ensure a safe lifting operation.

Marcus Cave, representing the British salvage company TMC Marine at the helm of the operation, remarked on Tuesday: “Over the past 10 days, the team has developed alternate methods to undertake certain tasks for this project.

“This will minimise diving activity and increase the use of equipment that is controlled directly from the floating work platforms. Whilst this change will increase the time it will take to complete this project; it will continue to prioritise the safety of those working on this complex lifting and recovery operation.”

Around 70 specialist personnel have converged on the quaint fishing village of Porticello from various parts of Europe to partake in the recovery efforts that kicked off earlier this month. Concurrently, inquest proceedings in the UK are delving into the tragic deaths of Mr Lynch and his daughter, alongside Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, aged 70, and his wife Judy Bloomer, 71 – all of whom were British nationals.

The other victims of the tragic sinking were American lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo, along with Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was employed as a chef on the boat. Mr Lynch and his daughter reportedly resided near London, while the Bloomers were based in Sevenoaks, Kent.

The business magnate established software behemoth Autonomy in 1996 and was exonerated in June of the previous year of committing a colossal fraud related to the sale of the company to Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011. The ill-fated boat trip was intended as a celebration of his acquittal in the US case.