If you think your morning cup of coffee is a “guilty habit,” you might want to think again.

Drinking up to about three or four cups of coffee a day has been linked to a longer life. Black coffee with no sugar in particular could help us live longer and age better. However, we aren’t definite about why that may be.

But a new paper published in Nutrients suggests researchers have found a clue: it seems to relate to a process involving protein NR4A1.

The scientists wanted to look at the link between coffee and NR4A1 receptors, which are involved in a range of biological processes from tissue repair to metabolism.

NR4A1 is “involved in protecting the body from stress-induced damage,” Prof Dr Stephen Safe, who co-wrote the study, said.

“If you damage almost any tissue, NR4A1 responds to bring that damage down.. If you take that receptor away, the damage is worse.”

After looking closer at both coffee and this protein, they found that some parts of the caffeinated drink, including compounds like caffeic acid, seemed to bind to NR4A1 and change its activity level.

“What we’re saying is that at least part of coffee’s health benefits may come through binding and activating this receptor,” Prof Dr Safe said.

They also saw that compounds in the coffee seemed to reduce cell damage and slow cancer cell growth in lab models, an effect that disappeared when NR4A1 was removed from cells.

The researchers found that caffeine might not actually be a major driver of these effects. Instead, other components seemed to matter more.

“Caffeine binds the receptor, but it doesn’t do much in our models. The polyhydroxy and polyphenolic compounds are much more active,” said Dr Safe.

Still, the professor said, this is likely only one of many ways the beverage might help to protect us from the effects of ageing.

“There are many receptors and many mechanisms involved,” he shared.

But this finding “helps explain why coffee has the effects that it does,” and may show “there’s a mechanism behind it.”

I am that stereotypical runner and I am sure everyone in my life is sick of hearing about how strength training has transformed my workouts and my reasons for getting back into the sport in the first place.

Bad news for them. I have another running obsession.

“Jeffing,” named after Olympian and author Jeff Galloway, is a kind of lower-key fartlek (another 10/10 name). If both of those terms sound like gobbledegook, they refer to a period of slower walking (or running) before bursts of higher-energy sprints or jogging.

Jeffing, also known as the “run walk run” or Galloway method, is ideal for beginners – a version of it is often used by Couch To 5K apps.

But Galloway himself said that non-stop runners who adapt to the method correctly run “an average of 7 minutes faster in a 13.1-mile race” and over 13 minutes faster in a marathon.

Personally, it’s transformed my 10K time.

You can pick a ratio of walking to running that works for you. That might be 1:1 at the start (so one minute running to one minute walking).

As you progress, you might like to try 1:4 (30 seconds of walking for two minutes of running).

Women’s Running reported that Galloway doesn’t recommend more than a 30-second walk break if you’re trying to up your pace; you can stack these up if you save them, though.

For instance, if you choose a 1:4 pace, you can run for four minutes and walk for a minute instead of going for two minutes on and 30 seconds off.

You can use distance as a marker, too, or a combination of distance and time. I like having a 30-second walk at the end of each kilometre.

Some people calculate their ratio by looking at their heart rate, walking until their beats per minute lower back down to a certain number.

In general, Women’s Running pointed out, the more improvement you want to see in your pace, the shorter the walking sessions should be.

A 2016 paper found that runners who did a combination of running and walking in marathons had similar finish times to races run non-stop, but faced less muscle strain.

Galloway said he invented the method to combat muscle fatigue, lower injury rate (especially over long distances), and keep beginners motivated.

“By shifting back and forth between walking and running muscles, you distribute the workload among a variety of muscles, increasing your overall performance capacity,” he said.

“For veteran marathoners, this is often the difference between achieving a time goal or not.”

I’ve been more motivated to complete my runs and, to my shock, have since shaved six minutes off my 10K time (though part of it might be that I’m more excited to get running knowing I’ll have breaks, leading to more practice).

The method has improved my muscle recovery time, too.

The interval training style is yet another example of how going slower seems to have more benefits for runners than you might expect (good news for me personally).

In 2025, there were about 10.2 million pet cats in the UK; almost a quarter of all UK households (24%) have a feline friend.

But, per Cats Protection, 3% of these were injured by cars outside the home, and the most common cause for injury was fights among other cats in the great outdoors (15%).

Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that a new paper has suggested the best way to help our cats live longer is the simple, free technique of keeping them indoors.

Roaming cats may die as many as 10 years before their indoor peers, the researchers wrote.

This is partly because outdoor cats are exposed to “substantial risks of traumatic injury and infectious disease, plus lesser risks of poisoning and abuse”.

They added that the “cohort of outdoor cats has approximately 70-80% of the lifespan of the cohort of indoor cats”, and that chronic conditions created by e.g. injuries sustained outdoors can create expensive vet bills for owners.

Additionally, they found that the quality of life of indoor cats was generally better than that of outdoor cats.

Even their bond with their owners tended to be more satisfying and fulfilling.

The researchers say this doesn’t mean keeping your cat indoors carries zero risk.

“Containment,” they say, may lead to “obesity, diabetes or behavioural problems… Contained cats are also unlikely to express all cat behaviour”.

And though solutions including “environmental enrichment, exercise, and correct feeding, plus containment logistics,” are plentiful, they “may strain owners’ time and finances”.

But, they add, on balance, it’s probably still the better choice.

They ended their paper, “We conclude that, based on health and welfare, the advantages of containment are considerable and the disadvantages often remediable.”

President Donald Trump went on a lengthy tirade against The New York Times on Thursday, accusing the newspaper of being “seditious” after its editorial board published a piece titled “The US Military Was Losing Its Edge. After Iran, Everyone Knows It.”

During his rant, Trump continued to insist that Iranian forces had been “militarily decapitated” before accusing both the Times and CNN of reporting that Iran was winning the war.

“…And yet I read in The New York Times, I see it on that stupid CNN, which I only watch because you have to watch a little bit of the enemy,” Trump said. “So I watch it for a very short period. But you have to, you know, you have to be smart. And if you see CNN, you’d think they’re winning the war. If you read The New York Times, it’s actually seditious in my opinion. You read The New York Times, you actually think they’re winning the war.”

It’s unclear which specific CNN report the president was referencing. As for the Times piece, it, among other things, argued that Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz was the linchpin in the conflict thus far, and that the United States’ trillion-dollar military was “ineffective against cheaper, mass-produced weapons,” such as Iran’s vast drone supply.

“But the problem is bigger than any single commander-in-chief. The United States has left itself unprepared for modern war,” the Times wrote.

What the NYT didn’t do in its article was “conspire to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States,” which is how seditious conspiracy is defined under 18 U.S. Code § 2384.

The last people convicted of seditious conspiracy in the US were leaders of the far-right Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, who stormed the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Trump pardoned all those convicted in connection with the insurrection on his first day back in office.

Donald Trump has claimed to remove tariffs on Scottish whisky in honour of King Charles and Queen Camilla after their state visit.

The US president announced on TruthSocial on Thursday evening that this decision would help boost industry in Scotland and Kentucky.

The UK government has since confirmed this applies to all whisky tariffs including those on Irish whiskey.

Trump, known for being an ardent royalist, added in his post: “The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking! A wonderful Honor to have them both in the U.S.A.”

His announcement came after the monarch and his wife visited the White House this week.

Buckingham Palace said the King sent his “sincere gratitude” to Trump and “will be raising a dram to the President’s thoughtfulness”.

The president said he would be removing tariffs and restrictions related to “Scotland’s ability to work with the Commonwealth of Kentucky on Whiskey and Bourbon, two very important industries within Scotland and Kentucky”.

The two areas are linked through the use of wooden barrels to age the alcohol.

Trump, who declared sweeping tariffs on international allies in April 2025, has often used alcohol to apply pressure to other countries.

He threatened a 200% tariff on European wine last year, though it was never realised.

Business and trade secretary Peter Kyle welcomed the announcement, saying: “This is great news for our scotch whisky industry, which is worth almost £1bn in exports and supports thousands of jobs across the UK.”

The state visit from the royals came amid rising tensions between the UK and the US governments after Keir Starmer refused to join in America’s offensive on Iran at the end of February.

Trump has repeatedly lashed out at the prime minister in the months since, saying the Labour leader was “not Winston Churchill”.

But in the run-up to the royal visit, the president suggested Charles’s visit could help to repair the fractured “special relationship”.

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

The BBC has announced its new Eurovision presenting team following the much-publicised departure of Scott Mills.

Prior to his abrupt firing from the broadcaster in March, Mills had been a key part of the BBC’s Eurovision Song Contest coverage for many years, most notably commentating on the semi-finals every year alongside Rylan Clark.

In his absence, Rylan will now be sharing his thoughts on the Eurovision semis alongside Angela Scanlon later this month.

Angela enthused: “It feels like joining the greatest party on earth – equal parts thrilling and terrifying!

“I grew up watching the Eurovision Song Contest with my three sisters, making very serious (and wildly biased) scorecards from the couch, so to now be part of it – especially in its 70th year – is genuinely surreal. It’s one of those shows that’s always been there, evolving but never losing its magic or madness.”

She added: “I’ve been lucky enough to dip my toe into the Eurovision world before, so it feels great to be doing it again, just with higher heels and a few more sequins!”

Notably, both Scanlon and Clark are among the stars reported to have made the BBC’s shortlist to become the next hosts of Strictly Come Dancing, so their new partnership has got us wondering if we could see them back together on our screens later this year.

Meanwhile, Mills’ breakfast show successor Sara Cox will also be covering the semi-finals on her own for Radio 2, and she’ll also commentate on the final for the station alongside Clark.

As usual, Graham Norton will be on commentating duties on the main broadcast of the live final on BBC One when it airs in mid-May.

Singer-songwriter, music producer and social media personality Look Mum No Computer will be representing the UK at Eurovision in Vienna, with his musical offering Eins, Zwei, Drei.

Eurovision has been the subject of backlash in recent years due to the continued presence of Israel, despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

It’s well-documented that the relationship between Gen Z and Sex And The City is a complicated one, but if anyone can serve as an ambassador between the two, it’s Olivia Rodrigo.

The three-time Grammy winner is currently gearing up for the release of her third album You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love.

On Thursday night, she made an appearance on The Tonight Show, where she revealed to host Jimmy Fallon that she found inspiration in unusual places on her next release.

She explained that her new material is more “about romantic love in more of a positive sense” after the “heartbroken and angsty” double whammy of Sour and Guts, teasing “love songs” mixed with “melancholy” and “injected with a little bit of sadness and longing”.

In particular, Olivia admitted that “multiple songs” on You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love were inspired by the complicated relationship between Cynthia Nixon’s Miranda and David Eigenberg’s Steve on the original run of Sex And The City.

She beamed: “It’s my favourite show – I think I watched every single episode maybe three times.”

OK, we’re going to need a full breakdown of Olivia’s thoughts on Miranda and Che’s And Just Like That tryst ASAP…

Last month, Olivia unveiled her new song Drop Dead as the lead single from her next album, which quickly shot to the top of the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, giving the Good 4 U singer her fourth UK number one in five years.

You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love will be released on 12 June, ahead of her newly-announced Unravelled world tour.

The Unravelled tour will kicks off across the pond in September, before she brings it to the UK with four performances at London’s O2 Arena scheduled for April 2027.