The cells of our body are frequently exposed to hazards that can cause them to be damaged, malfunction or die. Yet they have defence systems that can sometimes be strengthened by small doses of stress, a phenomenon known as hormesis. Scientists are investigating whether food compounds and medicines can harness these protective processes to benefit health.

The hazards of modern life are often discussed in terms of their potential to damage major organs. For example, air pollution can damage the lungs and contribute to asthma and other breathing disorders.

Although effects at the organ level are important, this view can miss the challenges faced by the individual cells that make up the lungs and every other part of the body. Our cells are frequently exposed to stresses including ultraviolet radiation from the sun, alcohol, pollutants and the byproducts of some medicines.

These hazards can damage DNA, which carries a cell’s genetic instructions, as well as proteins and the fatty membranes surrounding cells. If the damage becomes severe enough, it can cause cells to malfunction or die. Yet, despite this seemingly constant barrage of potential stresses, most of our cells adapt, survive and function effectively throughout our lives.

Stress responses

Our cells possess specialised stress responses that detect particular hazards and alter the activity of genes involved in protecting the cell. One of the best-studied examples is NRF2, a protein that acts as a molecular switch for hundreds of protective genes. When activated, these genes help cells limit damage and remove potentially harmful chemicals.

Other stress responses increase the ability of cells to remove and recycle damaged proteins, repair DNA or slow down cell division to conserve energy and prevent damage from spreading. Severe or prolonged stress can still overwhelm these defences and cause lasting harm.

One of the most remarkable features of these responses is their ability, under certain circumstances, to convert a small challenge into a useful adaptation that can leave cells better able to cope with a later challenge. This dose-dependent pattern, in which a limited exposure to a stressor stimulates a protective response while a stronger exposure causes harm, is known as hormesis.

Exercise provides a familiar comparison. Placing muscles under temporary strain, followed by recovery and repeated exertion, stimulates adaptations that make them stronger and better able to cope with future demands. Some cellular stress responses may work according to a similar principle, leaving cells better prepared to face a repeat challenge.

Researchers have proposed that these responses may also help us cope with some of the chemical compounds produced by plants to deter predators and pests. When we eat plants as fruits and vegetables, some of their compounds may create a mild challenge that activates protective responses in our cells.

Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables provide one example. When they are chopped or chewed, they produce sulforaphane, a compound that can activate NRF2 in laboratory-grown cells and animals.

The evidence that consumption of broccoli or sulforaphane stimulates the NRF2 response in people remains uncertain. A systematic review of 18 human studies found mixed results, and many of the studies had methodological limitations that could have distorted their findings. One barrier has been a lack of ability to measure effects on stress responses by taking a blood sample. Researchers are trying to identify such biomarkers to allow them to investigate the human health benefits of sulforaphane and other compounds in more detail.

Stress response targeting medicines

Fruits and vegetables supply fibre, vitamins, minerals and many other compounds. Their health effects arise through numerous interacting processes, with adaptive cellular stress responses potentially contributing alongside these other mechanisms.

Scientists have spent decades studying the intricate ways in which cells sense and adapt to different stresses. Learning how these protective responses are switched on could be useful beyond nutrition. Researchers are now using this knowledge to develop medicines that activate cellular defence systems as treatments for different diseases.

One example is omaveloxolone, which activates NRF2. In April 2025, it became the first medicine approved in the UK specifically for Friedreich’s ataxia, a rare inherited condition that progressively damages the nervous system and causes problems with movement. In a 48-week clinical trial, people receiving the medicine performed better on an assessment of physical impairment than those receiving a placebo.

As with all medicines, there are potential risks. Activating a cellular stress response too strongly or for too long may have harmful effects, so researchers must establish which stress responses can be targeted safely and which diseases could benefit.

Hormesis does not mean that deliberate exposure to pollution, ultraviolet radiation or other hazards are beneficial. Neither does it show that supplements marketed as NRF2 activators are beneficial in healthy people. The dose, duration and type of stress all influence how cells respond.

The cells of our body are constantly exposed to potential sources of damage. When a challenge is limited, cell defence systems may adapt, leaving them better able to cope with later stress. This process, hormesis, may help explain some of the health benefits of regular exercise and a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

As scientists learn more about the process of hormesis and how cells defend themselves, carefully targeted medicines may offer new ways to treat specific diseases.

Troops preparing to be deployed will continue to train as normal, according to reports, but cancelled exercises involve those using Apache helicopters

The British Army has been told to halt non-essential training exercises in an effort to save money.

Troops preparing to be deployed or on deployments, those who are on standby or in a quick-reaction role will continue to train as normal, The Times and the BBC reported.

But collective training exercises for UK-based units are being suspended for most of this year amid budget pressures.

Now-cancelled exercises included ones involving tanks and Apache helicopters, according to the reports.

The Army did not deny the cuts and said a training regime that has been informed by lessons from the Ukraine conflict – such as on drone warfare and modernisation – is being prioritised.

Andy Burnham is under pressure to hike defence spending to 3 percent of national income by 2030, rising to 3.5 percent by 2035.

The Prime Minister was this week urged by the chairman of the Commons Defence Select Committee, Labour MP Tan Singh Dhesi, to “urgently commit to charting a pathway to reaching 3 percent of GDP spend on defence by 2030 which, as his Chancellor rightly noted, is critical to keeping our country safe”.

Plans set out in the Defence Investment Plan (Dip) will see defence spending rise to 2.7 percent of GDP by 2027/28, but there are no firm details on how further increases will be achieved beyond that date.

The Treasury has consistently said the Government will set out plans for reaching both 3 percent and 3.5 percent at the spending review, due to take place next year.

An Army spokesperson said: “Our training continues and we are prioritising activity that contributes most directly to readiness, deployability and operational effectiveness. We are also investing £2 billion to transform training for the British Army over the next 15 years.”

Argentina’s President Javier Milei has said he will sanction oil companies working off the Falklands as he reiterated the country’s claim on the British overseas territory in the south-west Atlantic Ocean.

In a national address, Milei said the “winds of change” favoured Argentina’s claim to the Falklands, pointing to Washington’s readiness to review its neutrality on the dispute.

Milei said the Sea Lion oilfield, where a British and an Israeli firm are due to begin exploration work, was a “clear and present danger”.

More than 40 years after the armed conflict over the territory, the sovereignty of the archipelago remains hotly disputed between Britain and Argentina.

BBC News is seeking comment from the UK government on Milei’s statement. It reiterated this week that Falkland islanders “are British with a right to determine their own future”.

The Sea Lion oilfield contains an estimated 1.7 billion barrels of oil, and production is expected to begin in 2028.

“If we do not act swiftly in a few months, they will have the material capacity to access the oil that lies underneath our sea – something that has never happened before,” Milei said.

It is not yet clear how or to what extent the sanctions will be imposed or tightened. In Argentina, a current law already allows for restrictions of activities of oil companies participating in projects considered unauthorised on the islands.

In a 2013 referendum, residents of the islands voted overwhelmingly to remain a British overseas territory – with 99.8% voting in favour and just three voting against.

When asked in an interview with GB News earlier on Thursday if the US would “come to the UK’s aid” during a potential territorial dispute, Trump replied that Britain had “not been there to help me” with his country’s war with Iran.

Trump’s latest remarks come after he previously said the US could revise its neutral position on the islands’ sovereignty if the UK failed to increase defence spending.

Milei also announced plans for a naval base in Tierra del Fuego in the south of Argentina, saying Trump and the US were “assessing their historical position in regard to the Falklands”, which Argentina refers to as Las Malvinas.

“That is not empty words as they understand that Argentina is a reliable partner and a valuable ally for decades to come,” he said.

“There are winds of change in the world that are favourable to our claim,” Milei added.

“I want to be quite clear with everybody. The Falklands are Argentinean. Historically and legally,” Milei said.

Hours before Milei’s speech, Sarah Rogers, a senior official in the US state department, posted a photo of herself with Milei alongside the caption: “Exciting things are happening in the Western Hemisphere.”

Argentine forces landed on the Falklands to stake a territorial claim in 1982, sparking a 74-day war over the territory as a British military task force ejected them.

The conflict led to the deaths of 255 British military personnel, three islanders and 649 Argentine military personnel.

Peter Laws, 43, and 28-year-old Corey Carr are accused of robbing the assistant of cigarette lighters at Isha’s Mini Store, in South Moor, Stanley, on Monday July 13.

Lawyers for both told a hearing at Durham Crown Court in August that the case, “is capable of being resolved”, as both defendants would plead to assault, but deny the intention when entering the premises was to rob the assistant.

When the case came back before the court on Wednesday (September 2), Tony Davis, for Laws, re-iterated that a guilty plea would be forthcoming to a charge of assault, but his client would plead not guilty to robbery.

Alleged robbery took place at Isha’s Mini Store, in South Moor, Stanley, on July 13 (Image: Google)

“The allegation is all captured on CCTV and there was an assault and cigarette lighters were taken, but the defendants maintain that was not the purpose of the enterprise, at all.

“It was a fight which broke out among the men.”

Kelly Clarke, prosecuting, said she has been unable to speak to the reviewing Crown lawyer and so pleas to robbery would be all that would be accepted at the moment.

Read next … more stories from The Northern Echo, by clicking here

Judge Richard Clews agreed to adjourn the hearing for a week to enable the Crown to be consulted and to give its views over the acceptability of pleas to assault.

Both Carr, of Rydal Avenue, Stanley, and Laws, of no fixed abode, were remanded to remain in custody pending the next hearing, on September 9.

Carr appeared from Holme House Prison, Stockton, and Laws, from HMP Durham, via video link at the hearing.

Rob Pope was in the region as he takes on a new challenge, The Taste Trail, this September.

Ayrshire this week welcomed the UK’s ‘real-life ‘Forrest Gump.’

For British ultra-marathon runner, Rob Pope, was in the region as he takes on a new challenge, The Taste Trail, this September.

The challenge has been set by Nestlé, and will see Rob travel more than 500 miles on foot to follow the story of food from farm to fork in Britain today.

It comes as new research, commissioned by Nestlé UK & Ireland, highlights how removed many of those in Scotland feel from the people and places behind their food.

Around a third (35%) say they feel more disconnected from their food than ever, with the most common reasons including buying most food from supermarkets and rarely thinking about where it comes from (53%), and food being available all year round, making people think less about seasonality or origin (38%).

On 2nd September, his challenge started in Ayrshire.

Rob passed through and stopped by Nestlé’s Girvan factory before continuing on his journey to Brighton on his coast-to-coast challenge.

The whole route sees Rob follow the farm, factory and community story as he passes through York, the Midlands and Crawley before ending up on the south coast.

Advertisement

Along the way, Rob will discover how familiar ingredients are grown, produced and made, while encouraging people to slow down and reconnect with what they eat.

Rob Pope’s challenge forms part of Nestlé’s ‘Made by Britain’ campaign, which showcases Nestlé’s commitment to UK manufacturing, farming and local communities.

That commitment is rooted in more than 160 years of history in the UK, including where Rob’s journey begins in Ayrshire, where Nestlé’s Girvan site produces milk chocolate crumb, a key ingredient used in UK-made confectionery including KitKat, Aero and Quality Street.

The site is supplied with milk from farms through Nestlé’s Milk Plan and partnership with dairy cooperative, First Milk, and plays an important role in connecting dairy farming with the confectionery products made and enjoyed across Britain.

British endurance athlete, Rob Pope said: “As a runner, food was always fuel to me. And most people treat it the same way. We grab it, eat it and move on. We don’t always think about where it came from or who made it.

“Now I’m taking the long way back to it, slowing down to learn where my food is grown and produced right here in Britain.

“Today, I’m in Ayrshire to learn about how milk from British dairy farms is turned into milk chocolate crumb, a key ingredient in some of the UK’s favourite chocolate bars.

“Over 500 miles, coast to coast, my journey covers a dairy farm in Ayrshire, through chocolate city York, the distribution heartland in the Midlands, down to Brighton on the south coast, I will be properly reconnecting with where food comes from.

“I’ve spent my life trying to go faster. This time I’m doing the opposite – slowing right down to learn where my food is grown and produced right here in Britain.”

Dr Emma Keller, Head of Sustainability at Nestlé, said: “Most of us pick food up from a supermarket shelf without thinking too much about how it got there. But behind every product are the farmers, factory teams and local communities who make it possible. So much of the food we know and love are not just made in Britain but made by Britain.

“The Taste Trail is about following that farm to fork journey and meeting some of the people involved along the way. Rob is helping to shine a light on all the steps behind the food we eat, and just as importantly, how we make sure that any surplus food reaches those who need us most. We’re proud to be working with Felix, the UK’s largest food redistribution centre, to donate thousands of meals to those in need.”

Rob added: “I want to use my slowest trip yet to pay attention to where our food comes from.

“I’m excited to meet the people behind the ingredients which ends up in your morning coffee and your favourite chocolate bar.”

As part of the challenge, for every mile covered by Rob, Nestlé will donate more than 300 meal equivalents to Felix, the UK’s largest food redistribution charity.

An estimated total of more than 175,000 meals equivalents will be donated on completion of the challenge, helping more food reach people who need it most.

The public can donate too by visiting https://tinyurl.com/TheTasteTrail.

Rob’s journey will be shared in a series of mini-episodes, released throughout September on @nestleuki, following his visits to the farms, factories and communities that make up The Taste Trail.

Search ‘Nestlé The Taste Trail’ on YouTube to follow Rob’s journey.

The cricket club has applied to North Yorkshire Council for a new club premises certificate which would allow alcohol to be supplied on the premises between noon and 11pm, seven days a week.

The pavilion is almost complete after being built by members following a fundraising campaign.

The application will  be considered by North Yorkshire Council’s statutory licensing sub-committee on Thursday, September 10, after an objection was received during the consultation period.

The council’s report confirms that the objection means the licensing panel is legally required to hold a hearing to determine the application.

The objector, whose identity has been redacted from the documents, said they were concerned that allowing alcohol to be served every night until 11pm would cause “significant and unacceptable disturbance” through noise and lighting.

They said their home was around 200 metres from the new pavilion, with a direct line of sight and no screening for either noise or light.

The resident also raised concerns about the potential impact on nocturnal wildlife including bats, moths and hedgehogs.

They said they had lived at the property for 24 years and were accustomed to “complete darkness and quiet at night”.

However, the neighbour stressed they were not opposed to the licence application in principle.

Instead, they suggested the permitted hours should be restricted to noon until 10pm and argued that the premises should not be available for private hire in the future, particularly as the pavilion is close to Newton-le-Willows village hall, which already has a licensed bar and parking.

The consultation on the application ran from July 16 until August 13.

North Yorkshire Police requested additional conditions, which were agreed by the applicant.

Neither the council’s environmental protection team nor North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service objected, while no other representations were received from responsible authorities or members of the public.

Councillors will have several options when they consider the application.

They can grant the certificate as requested, approve it with modified or additional conditions, or reject all or part of the application.

The panel must consider whether any measures are appropriate to promote the four licensing objectives, which include preventing public nuisance, crime and disorder, protecting public safety and protecting children from harm.

A search and rescue effort is now underway after single engine aircraft crashed into the side of a mountain on Thursday, September 3, authorities have confirmed

Advertisement

Police have confirmed a search and rescue mission is now underway after a plane crashed into the side of a mountain.

Rescue squads in the US state of Colorado are now at the scene of Dolores Peak after the single-engine craft careered into the north side of the mountain.

As per a spokesperson from the San Miguel Sheriff’s office, search and rescue squads are currently being dispatched to the remote crash site via helicopters.

San Miguel Sheriff’s Office deputies, operatives from Search and Rescue, the Bureau of Land Management and personell from the Telluride Fire Protection District personnel are now responding to the emergency incident.

Advertisement

Dolores Peak is a remote, high-elevation mountain summit located in a rugged backcountry area of southwestern Colorado. The crash site is located about 15 miles from historic country town Telluride, in the state’s south west.

It is yet not known if any have survived the plane crash.

The San Miguel Sheriff’s Office said in a statement: “A single engine aircraft has crashed on the north side of Dolores Peak approximately 15 miles SW of Telluride.

“Teams are being inserted via helicopters to determine if there are survivors.”

This is a breaking story – more to come.

Three people were taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for treatment after two ambulances were sent to the scene.

A busy Edinburgh road was closed and buses diverted after a two-car crash left one vehicle flipped onto its roof.

Emergency services were called to Orchard Road, near Queensferry Road, at around 2.25pm on Thursday, September 3, following reports of a two-vehicle collision.

Images from the scene show a white car lying on its roof in the middle of the road, with extensive damage to the front of the vehicle and airbags deployed.

Debris can also be seen scattered across the road, while traffic began to build up behind the wreckage.

Police arranged for the vehicle to be recovered and one driver is set to be reported to the Procurator Fiscal.

Three people were taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for treatment after two ambulances were sent to the scene.

Buses had to be diverted along Craigleith Road and Orchard Brae in both directions due to the road closure.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 2.25pm on Thursday, 3 September, 2026, police received a report of a two-vehicle crash on Orchard Road, Edinburgh.

“Vehicle recovery was arranged and one driver will be reported to the Procurator Fiscal.”

A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesperson added: “We received a call at 14:23 hours today to attend a road traffic collision on Queensferry Road in Edinburgh.

“We dispatched two ambulances to the scene, with the first resource arriving within seven minutes. We transported three patients to New Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.”

Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources. Click HERE.

Ellie-Mae Doherty and Jessica Fitzhugh worked as West Midlands control room call handlers

Advertisement

Two women who worked as police have been jailed after accessing personal information. Ex-Derbyshire Constabulary Ellie-Mae Doherty and Jessica Fitzhugh, who worked in the force’s control room, abused their positions within the force.

The pair, both aged 22 years, accessed personal details about their “undesirable” criminal boyfriends while working for the force. BirminghamLive reports Doherty and Fitzhugh were charged with misconduct in public office in April following an investigation directed by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Doherty, from Ripley in Derbyshire, pleaded guilty to the offence after admitting passing information from police systems to a man linked to crime and not informing Derbyshire Constabulary she had a personal association with him.

Fitzhugh, from Belper in Derbyshire, denied misconduct in public office but pleaded guilty to computer misuse after admitting unauthorised access to information on police systems and taking photographs of material held on those systems without permission.

Doherty was jailed for 11 months and Fitzhugh handed a four-month prison term following a hearing at at Leicester Crown Court today, Thursday, September 3.

Advertisement

Doherty and Fitzhugh were charged following conduct referrals by the force to the Independent Office for Police Conduct in December 2023 and March 2024.

The IOPC decided the allegations needed investigating and that it was appropriate for the investigation to be carried out by the force’s Counter Corruption Unit under the direction and control of the IOPC.

Breakdown of offences

Prosecuting, Helen Rodger said each had a sexual relationship with men involved in crime, and should have known that these were “disclosable associations”.

The first time Doherty accessed information about an incident and passed it on to Robbie Braddock, with whom she was said to be in a relationship, was in December 2023, roughly two months after she completed her control room training.

Doherty shared details about the incident, a fight in which another male had smashed a window, with Braddock.

Ms Rodger said a second incident involving Doherty on March 6 2024 saw her access details about a search warrant being executed and pass on details about it to the same man as before.

Doherty viewed the details of the incident several times before also checking who was in custody at Ripley custody suite.

Fitzhugh, who was also said to be in a relationship with a man with a criminal record, looked up incidents in spring 2024, out of what the judge called “idle curiosity”.

The two women, who met while both working at McDonald’s before starting with the force, sat apart in the dock and were accompanied in court by their families.

Defending Fitzhugh, Elizabeth Power said that she had a “lack of awareness” about the “severity of the breaches that she made”.

Lowri Butterworth, for Doherty, told the court that she was “acutely aware” and had been using her time since to “give back” to her community.

In sentencing, Judge Timothy Spencer KC called them “naive” 19-year-olds whom he “loosely” described as “girlfriends of two undesirable young men”.

He said: “Regrettably and for reasons that now you will find impossible to rationalise, you both flaunted the clear training, the clear direction and the clear guidelines you were given by the Derbyshire Police.

“In your case Ellie-Mae Doherty it went further because the information you accessed was clearly passed on in two distinct ways at two distinct times.”

Fitzhugh started working at the force in January 2023, aged 19, as a call handler and then a dispatcher, before referring her friend Doherty for a job, who joined as a call handler in September 2023, the court heard.

Both women went through “intense” vetting and were required to read and sign declarations saying that they had no contacts who were “engaged in criminal activities”.

Judge Spencer speculated that maybe their “friendship has not survived this case” and said “I have little doubt that it will haunt you for the rest of your days”.

He said: “It’s impossible to recognise the young women who I read about, with such positive qualities, in the women who committed these offences.”

‘Public put their trust in us’

Both women were charged in April after an investigation led by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) after conduct referrals.

Derbyshire Police said a misconduct hearing for Doherty and Fitzhugh will now take place following their convictions

Speaking after the case, Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Michelle Shooter said: “Police officers and staff are given access to extremely sensitive information in order to keep our communities safe.

“The public put their trust in us and expect that we will use that information for the appropriate reasons.

“Both Jessica Fitzhugh and Ellie-Mae Doherty breached the trust and have faced the consequences of their actions.

“The force worked closely with the Independent Office for Police Conduct to carry out the investigation into Fitzhugh and Doherty following a conduct referral to the IOPC by the force.

“The case reinforces the clear responsibilities that officers and staff have – and that the force will take action against those who break the law and breach the standards of conduct that are expected of them.”

Ensure our latest stories always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings.

King Charles was joined by French President Emmanuel Macron and their wives Queen Camilla and Brigitte Macron as they viewed the Bayeux Tapestry on loan at the British Museum in London

King Charles displayed his playful side in an amusing exchange with Emmanuel Macron as the two examined the Bayeux Tapestry together on Wednesday (September 2). The celebrated the 70m-long 11th century cloth which is presently on loan from France at the British Museum in London.

The King welcomed the French President for an exclusive viewing of the tapestry, ahead of its public exhibition from September 10 to July 11, 2027. The pair were accompanied by their spouses Queen Camilla and Brigitte Macron, with Prime Minister Andy Burnham and his wife, Marie-France van Heel also present.

In footage posted to X, the monarch appeared cheerful as he highlighted his “favourite bit” of the Bayeux Tapestry.

Searching for President Macron, he joked: “Ah yes, this is my favourite bit was to discover… he [William the Conqueror] brought with him an enormous cask of wine from France for all the troops. Very sensible.

“Genuinely nice to see footage of a king of England being rather droll,” one X user remarked in response.

A second person added: “Very cool moment! Especially King Charles saying how there was wine for all the soldiers!”

While a third admitted: “I knew I liked him. No wonder my ancestors followed him over!”

Macron also referenced the wine in a speech. He later said: “For it [Bayeux Tapestry] is much more than just a linen canvas embroidered with wool. It represents a whole chapter of French, British and European history.”

He continued: “As you know, it tells the story of the feud between William and Harold – comrades in arms – before they became enemies. And the Norman army crossing the Channel, then the Battle of Hastings fought by William and his troops, which was of course proceeded by a great banquet with the wine barrels they had previously loaded on the sheeps.

“The French having always had a certain sense of priorities!”

King Charles then took to the stand too, adding: “I cannot help but feel that its protagonists, on both sides of the Channel, would look with satisfaction on the Franco-British gathering here today, and be pleased that our two great nations, which share such fundamental values, have prospered together, across the tides of History.

“As Shakespeare said in The Tempest, ‘What is past is prologue’. We have defended our values together in times of peril; we continue do so today across the world.

“It once depicted warriors crossing the Channel; yet today it forms part of a cultural exchange that will see some of the British Museum’s own precious artefacts travel to France in return, in a spirit of friendship.”