What jobs are most associated with deaths from radiation-related cancer? Surprisingly, the answer is cabin crew and pilots – ahead of nuclear technologists, whose work involves handling radioactive materials used in medical imaging and treatment.

That’s the finding of a new study that analysed more than 12.7 million death records from 2020 to 2024, covering more than 500 occupations. The researchers ranked the occupations by the proportion of deaths in which a radiation-related cancer was listed as a cause.

For the analysis, the researchers concentrated on cancers that previous research had suggested is associated with radiation, including breast cancer, leukaemia, brain tumours, prostate cancer and melanoma. About 6.9% of deaths among cabin crew and 6.7% among pilots were from these cancers.

The pattern was particularly interesting because it was not seen for cancers that were not considered radiation-related, nor among aircraft mechanics and engineers who spend their careers around aeroplanes but remain on the ground.

The obvious question is why working on an aircraft should expose anyone to much radiation at all. The answer has nothing to do with the aircraft itself. It comes from above it.

Cosmic radiation

The Earth is continuously struck by cosmic radiation, consisting primarily of extraordinarily energetic particles originating from outside the solar system. Many are thought to have been accelerated by violent events, such as exploding stars.

We are exposed to some of this radiation even while sitting at home, but there is an enormous difference between living at sea level and travelling at 35,000 feet.

As well as supplying the air we breathe, the atmosphere protects us from much of the radiation arriving from space. At ground level there is a huge mass of atmosphere above us, and cosmic particles must pass through it before reaching our bodies. During that journey, they collide repeatedly with atoms in the air and lose energy.

An airliner climbs above a substantial part of this protective blanket. At typical commercial aviation altitudes, measurements suggest that the radiation dose approximately doubles for each additional 1,830 metres, or 6,000 feet, of altitude. The metal skin of an aircraft provides comparatively little protection from these very energetic particles.

Altitude is only part of the story. The Earth has another remarkably effective radiation shield: its magnetic field.

Charged cosmic particles are deflected by this field, but the protection varies across the planet. It is greater near the equator and weaker towards the magnetic poles, which is why a long flight at high northern latitudes can produce a greater radiation dose than a similar flight nearer the equator.

Solar activity influences radiation levels too, meaning cosmic radiation exposure is not simply determined by how many hours someone spends in an aircraft. A short, relatively low-altitude flight near the equator is different from a long flight at 40,000 feet across the far north.

Measurements on commercial aircraft have found doses ranging from less than one microsievert on some flights to more than 60 microsieverts on others.

One calculation estimated an effective dose of about 67 microsieverts for a nine-hour flight from Athens to New York. These are small doses individually, but pilots and cabin crew repeat the exposure hundreds of times over many years.

That cumulative exposure is what makes cabin crew different from regular passengers.

The authors of the new study estimate that pilots and cabin crew receive around 3-6 millisieverts of cosmic radiation each year. Someone taking ten return cross-country flights annually in the US, by comparison, would receive around 0.4 millisieverts from flying. In other words, being an airline pilot or cabin crew is, from the point of view of radiation exposure, a genuine radiation occupation.

Why might that matter for cancer? Ionising radiation has enough energy to remove electrons from atoms and molecules. When that happens inside a cell, it can damage important biological molecules, including DNA.

Cells have sophisticated machinery for repairing DNA damage, and most damage is either successfully repaired or the damaged cell dies. Occasionally, however, the repair is imperfect and a mutation survives.

Cancer develops through the accumulation of such alterations in cells, which is why exposure to ionising radiation has long been known to increase cancer risk.

What about frequent flyers?

The new study doesn’t prove that cosmic radiation caused the cancers recorded among pilots and cabin crew.

The researchers knew people’s occupations from their death certificates, but not how many years they had spent flying, how many hours they flew each year, the routes and altitudes involved, or the radiation dose each individual had accumulated. There is nevertheless something intriguing about the pattern they found, and an interesting question is at what point a passenger becomes a genuinely frequent flyer.

Radiation does not know whether the person sitting in an aircraft is wearing a pilot’s uniform, serving drinks or answering emails. What matters is accumulated dose.

Someone taking dozens of long-haul flights each year, particularly on high-latitude routes, will inevitably receive more cosmic radiation than someone who flies twice a year.

There is no particular number of flights at which this suddenly becomes dangerous, and for most passengers cosmic radiation is not a reason to avoid flying. But for people whose lives involve exceptionally frequent long-haul travel, it is reasonable to recognise cosmic radiation as one of the less obvious consequences of spending so much time at altitude.

That is perhaps the clearest message from the new research. We usually think of radiation exposure as something associated with X-ray machines, nuclear reactors or radioactive materials, and therefore something that occurs in places where radiation is carefully controlled. But every passenger aircraft routinely enters a radiation environment quite different from the one in which we live on the ground.

For an occasional traveller, the additional exposure is small. For pilots and cabin crew, repeated flight after flight over an entire career, those small doses accumulate – and the new study suggests we should take that occupational exposure more seriously.

David Mitchell stars as puzzle-setter John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor in the hit BBC detective series returning for season two

Ludwig has returned for its second series, and devotees of the popular detective programme are delighted.

Featuring comedian David Mitchell as master puzzle-setter John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor and Anna Maxwell Martin as his sister-in-law Lucy, the British mystery drama has been hailed as the “ultimate comfort food” in a crime format.

Series two will continue from where the first concluded, with Ludwig now serving as a Crime Scene Consultant, collaborating with DCI Russell Carter (Dipo Ola) on ‘impossible’ crimes for the Cambridge Police Authority.

While the second series boasts an impressive ensemble cast, featuring guest appearances from Stephen Merchant and Sian Clifford, Cambridge, where the programme is both set and shot, assumes a significant role, reports Cambridgeshire Live.

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Discussing this, producer Georgie Fallon explained: “Cambridge, as a setting, is important to the show. We didn’t want to set it in London because so much is set in London, but Cambridge feels like a big enough, cosmopolitan enough city to justify the horrendous number of murders that they have there.”

“It’s also beautiful on camera and feels recognisable to viewers, but it hasn’t been seen loads. I think Cambridge has a nice mix of the beautiful old architecture, but also this really modern side with the science parks and all the research and that’s very interesting for us to set our world in.”

While lead actor David commented on Cambridge: “I went to university there, and I love it. You want people to enjoy slipping into this world like a pair of slippers, but with a dead body in them. Cambridge is obviously a great candidate for that.

“Inspector Morse is one of my favourite shows, but that was set in Oxford. That’s where people want to escape to in this kind of program. I think you’ve got to have a beautiful setting to juxtapose with the nature of the crimes.”

In a diary he maintained during Ludwig’s production, which he shared with Radio Times, the comedian also disclosed the challenges of shooting in Cambridge.

He noted: “Cambridge is an absolute nightmare to film in. It looks great, but you have to bring in a lot of vehicles full of lights and cameras and actors and make-up artists, and this city wasn’t built for traffic.

“So they set up a ‘unit base’ on the outskirts of Cambridge, and baffled drivers who don’t know the area try to negotiate their way through with the aid of Google Maps until they reach some bollards and a Cyclists Only sign and I say, ‘I can get out, I think I know the way from here.’”.

Executive producer Kenton Allen also discussed Cambridge’s significance. He remarked: “I think the setting is critical for any crime drama. When you think of Inspector Morse, you think of Oxford. When you think of Broadchurch, you think of the Dorset coast and the beach and cliff setting.

“I think Cambridge gives us another layer of specificity and a visual language. I think the more specific you can be about where you are, the stronger flavour your show can have.

“It’s a lot of period shows that feature Cambridge, but there’s not that much contemporary drama that’s been shot there. I think it feels fresh to a British audience.”

Series two of Ludwig will premiere on Thursday, August 20 at 9pm on BBC One. The first three episodes will drop on iPlayer at the same time.

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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jurors on Thursday heard Duane “Keffe D” Davis tell detectives in 2008 that his nephew Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson fired the shots that killed Tupac Shakur.

Davis, who said in the interview that he was also in the car with Anderson is accused of orchestrating the 1996 killing of the 25-year-old hip-hop superstar in Las Vegas. At the time of the interview, his nephew had been dead for a decade.

Davis said the white Cadillac he and Anderson were riding in with two other men pulled up alongside a car with Shakur inside, along with hip-hop mogul and Death Row Records head Marion “Suge” Knight.

“If we would have been on my side, I would have blasted,” Davis said. Instead, Knight’s car was on the other side, so Davis passed his gun back to Deandre “Big Dre” Smith. But Smith didn’t want it, Davis said.

Anderson, who was also in the back seat, took the weapon and started firing, Davis said.

Jurors watched the screen as the transcript of the audio recording rolled. Some occasionally took notes. At the beginning of the audio interview, Davis and his attorney whispered to each other. Shakur’s family sat still, occasionally looking at the screen or looking down to the floor. The room was quiet as Davis described the shooting.

It was the first time Davis directly discussed his involvement in the killing with authorities. The interview is essential evidence in the state’s case against the 63-year-old Davis. Prosecutors told jurors in opening statements that they would lean heavily on Davis’ own admissions in interviews with police and on podcasts, as well as the 2019 memoir he co-wrote, “Compton Street Legend.”

He also previously told the FBI that his nephew was not involved in the 1996 shooting of Shakur, and speculated that Knight or Combs were involved.

Davis has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer has called the prosecution’s narrative “fiction” and said Davis was “full of crap” when he told stories of his involvement, and that authorities knew it.

The Los Angeles police detectives had actually brought Davis in to talk about the 1997 shooting death of Shakur’s archrival, the Notorious B.I.G.

Davis had briefly been one of the suspects in that still unsolved killing, but he was later discounted.

Prosecutors allege Shakur was killed to avenge Shakur’s entourage attacking Davis’ nephew Anderson a few hours earlier at the MGM Grand after a Mike Tyson fight. Davis was at the fight but not the brawl.

Later in the evening, they were in the Cadillac and saw Shakur hanging out of a black BMW with people calling out “Tupac!”

He said that after Lane fired the shots, he thought Knight was dead.

Decades after his death, Shakur remains a cultural icon, and one of the most influential and versatile rappers of all time. He died as his popularity was peaking and his film career as an actor was taking off. His legend has only grown in the years since.

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Associated Press Writer Rebecca Boone contributed from Boise, Idaho and AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton contributed from Los Angeles.

For two of the show’s stars, Rachel Shenton and Nicholas Ralph, who plays vet James Herriot, read out letters from the fans.

Producers of the Channel 5 series have previously said they frequently receive letters from viewers about how the ‘ show has brought joy, comfort and relief in challenging times.’

Earlier this year, fans were invited to write a letter to the favourite cast member to be read out, with the first ‘reading’ taking place today.

Today, the two stars, who play onscreen husband and wife, took time out from filming to read out some of the letters to the delight of fans.

The letter stated: “You are all my friends on the other side of the screen”, prompting Rachel to say, ‘Aww, that is very sweet’.

The letter continues: “Watching All Creatures Great & Small is like wrapping yourself in a blanket, with a big cup of tea. A little every day escape and something that gives me breathing space in a world that is upside down.”

Nicholas responded: “We do have a lovely time making the show.

“I hadn’t come across All Creatures Great and Small before, and I think in the earlier auditions it actually worked in my favour, because I think if I knew how big it was, I would maybe be slightly more nervous.

“The overriding feeling was just one of excitement. It’s just been an incredibly rollercoaster since then, and its still incredibly joyful to do.”

The writer of the letter commented on the show’s Instagram page: “Yay!! That’s my letter. And Rachel holding it in her hands. Thank you for your answer. Made my day, or week, or year.”

More letters will be read out in the near future.

READ MORE: Exploring beautiful Grassington where All Creatures is filmed

The drama is filmed just over an hour away from Bolton in the beautiful village of Grassington, just over the border in Yorkshire and for fans who cannot wait, a trip to the village, which is transformed into Darrowby, maybe the next best thing, or to re-watch the series on Channel 5 catch-up.

As well as the new six episode series, there will be Christmas specials.

The series is inspired by Herriot’s timeless books, which have sold over 60 million copies globally and remain a cherished part of literary and television heritage. 

HONG KONG (AP) — Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung are two prominent Hong Kong activists who helped lead the group behind the city’s massive annual vigils commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. They were charged in 2021 with inciting subversion under Hong Kong’s national security law.

The former leaders of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China are awaiting a verdict in a case that has drawn international attention, with critics saying it highlights the erosion of freedoms in the territory under the law imposed by Beijing.

Here’s a brief look at the two activists:

Lee Cheuk-yan

Lee, 69, was the former chair of the Hong Kong Alliance. During the 1989 student-led Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement, he brought donations from Hong Kongers to Beijing in late May. When troops and tanks entered the heart of Beijing and opened fire to end the protests in June, he was at a hotel that night hearing the gunshots, he said in his testimony at court. The crackdown killed hundreds, possibly thousands.

Lee later boarded a plane to return to Hong Kong but was asked to leave the plane by police before it took off. He was detained. He was allowed to go back to Hong Kong on June 8 after being questioned and signing a letter of repentance, he said.

His experience made him devote himself to letting the world know about what happened. Beyond his Tiananmen activism, Lee is also a veteran labor activist in the city and a former lawmaker.

The national security trial has focused on the alliance’s core demand of “ending one-party rule.” The prosecution alleged that the group’s advocacy was about inciting others to use unlawful means to overthrow the leadership of China’s ruling Communist Party. Lee denied he held enmity toward the party leading the country, saying his desire to see it reform stemmed from his love for the people.

“I have no enmity in my heart, only love,” he said.

Chow Hang-tung

Chow, 41, began going to the vigils when she was just a primary school student. A natural sciences graduate of the University of Cambridge, she later studied law and became a vice-chair of the alliance.

Before the alliance voted to dissolve in September 2021, police had sought details about its operations and finances in connection with alleged links to pro-democracy groups overseas, accusing the group of being a foreign agent. But the group refused to cooperate, insisting it was not.

Chow, alongside two other core members of the group, was convicted in 2023 over their refusal and received a sentence of 4 1/2 months each. But last year, the trio overturned their convictions at the city’s top court.

While Chow was behind bars, she became one of the first people to be arrested under a newer, homegrown national security law in 2024. Authorities alleged she and several others had used a Facebook page to publish seditious posts, saying they were targeting a “sensitive date.”

“Speaking the truth has become inciting hatred, seeking justice has become exploiting suffering, accountability and limiting power have become violating the constitution, and returning power to the people has become subverting the state,” she argued in her closing statement.

Channel 4’s Taskmaster is back with Greg Davies and Alex Horne in the hotseats

Channel 4 ‘s Taskmaster is returning for a new series in a matter of weeks and the confirmation comes after Greg Davies admitted how his co-host “genuinely annoys” him.

Welshman Greg, who is from St Asaph, will return to Channel 4 alongside Alex Horne on Thursday, September 3 for series 22.

But recently, the 58-year-old stand-up comedian admitted there are things his co-host does that “genuinely annoys” him.

Greg told Metro: “I think he deliberately sits down and thinks: ‘I know how to get Greg into character, and it’s to properly wind him up.’ He says things that have no structure, punchline [or] comic premise, and it genuinely annoys me.

“[The scoring] is my revenge. It’s the little things he doesn’t like. When I give two contestants the same score, if you look into his eyes, his little brain is on fire with rage because he wants things put into boxes.”

But hopefully there won’t be too much squabbling between them when the series returns with a number of famous names among the cast including Peep Show’s Isy Suttie, Doctor Who’s Matt Lucas, ventriloquist comedian Nina Conti, stand-up comedian Chloe Petts and The Bad Guys’ Richard Ayoade.

The tasks this time around will see the celebs “crawl through secret tunnels, look for faces on toast, go on holiday with shoes and make interesting use of their armpits”, reports Digital Spy.

In an interview with Polygon in June, Greg said their “roles have become organically defined, rather than in those first few seasons — sorry, series — when we sat down and decided what the dynamics should be and how we should respond”.

He added: “They were almost ‘eggy’ in comparison to where we are now, which is that we both know the limits of our roles and what the dynamic is. It feels a lot more fun now, to be honest, because we know the [Taskmaster] world and the limitations to the world.”

Taskmaster has been expanding across the globe in recent years, with the YouTube channel almost doubling its views across 2025.

Earlier this year, it was announced that a Polish version is on the way, which is the 14th international version.

The upcoming season of Taskmaster UK will return to the UK on Thursday, September 3 at 9pm – its usual time slot – and will then drop an hour later on the Taskmaster YouTube channel around the world.

Taskmaster returns to Channel 4 on September 3

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been taken to a hospital in the capital, Islamabad, following complaints about his poor health.

Khan was taken from Adiala jail and sent to Shifa International Hospital under heavy security, according to his party. There is yet to be official confirmation he has been transferred.

The move complied with a ruling by a three-judge panel of the Supreme Court which had ordered that the cricketer-turned-politician be taken to the hospital within 48 hours to be examined by physicians.

This is the most significant relief Khan has received from the courts since he was imprisoned in 2023 on corruption charges, which he says were politically motivated.

As well as being transferred to hospital, this court order also specified Khan should be allowed to see his family, which he has not been able to do in months. On Tuesday night, his sister visited him in prison.

Khan’s political party, Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), is normally quick to claim court decisions that go against him are politically motivated. It has not publicly been drawn on speculation that the Supreme Court’s decision indicates political manoeuvring behind the scenes.

The area around Shifa International Hospital has been sealed off by police with barriers, officers and police vans in place. Outside the hospital the BBC saw cars being moved with a truck to clear the street while police cars and armoured vehicles patrolled.

The Supreme Court told Khan’s party not to conduct press conferences outside the hospital. This is a warning not to politicise his hospital stay.

The 73-year-old’s lawyers have said he’s suffering from various health conditions, including poor eyesight, and has been unable to access specialist medical care.

In February, Khan’s lawyer said his client had 15% vision left in his right eye after prison authorities failed to take action – an allegation the government disputed.

In Tuesday’s court order, the panel wrote: “We are mindful of the constitutional and legal obligation… to safeguard the life, health, dignity and security of the prisoner.”

Judges said an eye specialist would be involved in Khan’s hospital treatment.

The judges and members of PTI issued warnings to supporters not to gather outside the hospital – that would be a breach of the court order.

Khan, who previously captained the Pakistan national cricket team, served as the country’s prime minister from 2018 to 2022.

He was imprisoned in August 2023 and has faced charges in more than 100 cases, ranging from leaking state secrets to selling state gifts – all of which he decried as politically motivated.

Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were both sentenced to 17 years late last year.

His jailing triggered large-scale protests by supporters, which were met with a crackdown by authorities.

Despite his jailing, Khan remains a significant presence in Pakistani politics with a large number of supporters.

Fewer than a quarter of Britons believe Prince Harry and Meghan Markle should move back to the United Kingdom, a new YouGov poll has found. 

It was last night revealed that the Sussexes are relocating back to the duke’s home country before the end of the month. 

Harry and Meghan are understood to be moving for an ‘extended period’ and seven-year-old Archie and Lilibet, five, have already enrolled in a British school. It is, however, currently unclear where the family will be living. 

The move comes six years after the duke, 41, and duchess, 45, quit their duties as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family in a crisis dubbed ‘Megxit’. 

Harry has since become estranged from his brother, Prince William, after levelling a barrage of accusations against the 44-year-old, King Charles and Queen Camilla.

The couple’s U-turn, then, has unsurprisingly sparked an intense public debate, though sources insist that it is not in the Sussexes’ ‘plan’ to return to the royal fold.

A YouGov poll sampling more than 5,000 people of varying ages today found that just 21 per cent of the public believe the pair ‘should’ return to Britain, while 33 per cent said they ‘should not’.

Those figures are only exacerbated when focus is put on the answers of those aged 65 or older, with just 20 per cent of the belief that Harry and Meghan should relocate to the UK.

Harry is pictured last night in Washington just hours after news of his return to Britain was made public

A staggering 47 per cent of Britons aged over 65 meanwhile said that Harry and Meghan should not return. That figure compared with the 24 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds of the same opinion.

The largest proportion (45 per cent) of Britons, however, said they were unsure whether the Sussexes should move back to Harry’s home country. 

The couple are understood to be living in a non-royal residence, and the King has made clear that there will be ‘no alteration’ to their status as private individuals. 

Just hours after news of his British return was made public, Harry was pictured beaming at a roundtable event in Washington on Wednesday night. 

The duke had already been scheduled to visit England to attend a WellChild Awards event next month and was set to stay in a room at Buckingham Palace. 

Harry last visited in July, when he and Meghan were invited to see the King at his Highgrove home in Gloucestershire. It marked the first time in four years that Charles had spent time with Archie and Lilibet. 

The duke is indeed thought to have missed living in the UK, and it has even been speculated that he is ‘desperate’ for the two children to experience life in his home country. 

But he and Meghan have faced falling approval ratings ever since their exit, which came in acrimonious circumstances amid a series of barbs directed towards the Royal Family.  

A YouGov poll found last month that just 22 per cent of Britons see Meghan in a positive light, compared with 65 per cent who hold an unfavourable opinion of the former actress, with 33 per cent seeing Harry positively and 58 per cent negatively.

The King, who is still living with cancer, was first made aware of their move on Sunday, only three days before it was made public, but is understood to welcome the opportunity to see more of the family both in a private and personal capacity.

But their status will remain the same, with the couple not being offered a ‘half in, half out’ option when it comes to their roles.

King Charles is said to ‘welcome’ Harry’s decision to relocate home (The pair are pictured together in 2022)

The Sussexes’ decision raises the question of how the news will be met by the Prince and Princess of Wales.

William – the future king – is estranged from his brother after Harry levelled  accusations against the prince and Kate in his 2023 memoir, Spare. 

The Sussexes will retain their homes in Montecito and Portugal, while the duchess will continue to run As Ever from their new base. 

Harry and former Suits star Meghan, who married at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in May 2018, were once dubbed part of the ‘Fab Four’ with the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

But in March 2019, Buckingham Palace announced Harry and Meghan would set up their own household, breaking from the joint operation they had with William and Kate, amid media reports of rifts between the two couples.

In January 2020, the duke and duchess announced they intended to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family, become financially independent, still support Elizabeth II, but split their time between the UK and North America. 

By March 2020, they had set up a permanent home in California, officially stepped down as senior royals and stopped using their HRH styles.

It was claimed earlier this year that Palace staff had given Meghan the nickname ‘Duchess Difficult’ during her time living in Britain. The American was accused of bullying and, on certain occasions, even making staff cry.

It was said that workers were left ‘in a psychologically delicate state’ and ‘viewed her capacity for revenge as infinite’, an expert has alleged. 

Meghan vehemently denied the allegations and described their release as an orchestrated smear campaign against her.

The bullying story was first reported in March 2021, just before Harry and Meghan were to appear on screen with Oprah Winfrey to discuss Megxit.

A spokesman for the duke and duchess has been contacted for comment today.