You might be familiar with the narwhal – otherwise known as the “unicorn of the sea”. The whale species, with their iconic spiral tusks that can extend up to three metres long, live year-round in Arctic waters across Canada, Greenland and Russia. They attract committed tourists determined to see and photograph them in the wild, where, if lucky, they can be observed gathering and feeding in large groups.

Between 2017 and 2019, a group of scientists travelled to the eastern coast of Greenland also hoping to see some narwhals. Unlike tourists, however, they had a slightly more unusual task in mind: together with a group of local hunters from the town of Ittoqqortoormiit, they aimed to attach electronic tags that allowed the narwhals to measure water temperature and salinity as they travelled around the region. Their results are now published in the journal Science Advances.

To understand why these narwhals make such useful scientific instruments, it helps to understand the waters they travel through. The continental shelf of East Greenland has a complex network of ocean currents. At depths of hundreds of metres, a relatively warm (up to 3˚C), salty current of water is given the name “Atlantic intermediate water” after its origins in the North Atlantic. Above this – at depths shallower than 150m – is “polar water”, originating from the melting of sea ice and the Greenland ice sheet. Despite reaching temperatures down to a frosty -2˚C, the low salt content of polar water (due to its origins as ice) means it is less dense and can float on top of the warm water beneath.

For oceanographers, attempting to gather data about this complex system is extremely challenging. Heavy multi-year sea ice meant that being able to access the region with large vessels was uncommon until the motor-driven ships of the 20th century. Inside the long, deep coastal fjords, icebergs are an ever-present danger. And even if access were easy, polar research vessels are an expensive and scarce resource: there is no way that we could gather detailed observations of every nook and cranny of the East Greenland coast.

A solution, then, is narwhals. Scientists have been recruiting sealife into scientific studies for decades, attaching various instruments to animals ranging from whales to turtles to seals. Narwhals make a particularly good candidate for the problem at hand: they are known to perform uniquely deep dives (1,500 – 2,000m depth) in predictable areas, often under thick sea ice.

These almost perfectly match the movements that scientists need to extract vertical “CTD” (conductivity-temperature-depth) records of the ocean. By tagging six narwhals with temperature and salinity sensors, the study, led by the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, could gather more than 2,000 records of the structure of the ocean, even in places such as fjords that ships struggle to reach.

The ocean and the ice

As a glaciologist, I have a keen interest in understanding what is happening to the warm, salty Atlantic water at the margins of Greenland. Often, this water is prevented from entering fjords by a “sill” – an underwater ridge at the mouth of the fjord. However, when sills are deep and Atlantic water is abundant, warm water can spill over the sill and approach the front of glaciers.

At the ice front, warm ocean waters can make glaciers melt and retreat faster. This has contributed to the rapid acceleration of the loss of the Greenland ice sheet since the 1990s, as the waters around Greenland have experienced what the authors of the new study call “Atlantification”.

These complex ice-ocean interactions are difficult to implement in our models of future ice sheet behaviour. We do not have detailed records of where and how water is transported through fjords, making it hard to predict exactly how glaciers will respond to the changes in the wider ocean.

The narwhal records help to fill some of this gap: where dives are concentrated, the data can be used to reconstruct a remarkably high-resolution map of water temperatures at different depths within the fjord. Additionally, the depths that the narwhals dive to provide some record of the minimum possible depth of the fjord, giving us indications of where and how big the sill might be, even without maps of the ocean floor from ship records. The records indicate that shallow fjords of less than 400m depth can limit the penetration of warmer Atlantic water, making the glaciers that flow into them more resilient to a warming ocean.

Narwhals are not the whole answer: as tagging only began in 2017, historic records from instruments on ships are needed to assess longer-term trends. There is also some uncertainty as to whether any preferences in where and when narwhals dive may bias the results obtained.

However, they have given us an extraordinary new way see what is happening beneath the surface. As tagging continues, these unlikely oceanographers could help us spot new intrusions of warm Atlantic water – and understand what they mean for Greenland’s glaciers.

Andy Burnham is reportedly considering a change in the law, that would prevent cop-killers ever being released early

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Two men who killed Pc Andrew Harper as they fled a crime scene will be excluded from the Government’s early release scheme, according to reports.

Premature release will be banned for those jailed of a certain type of manslaughter, according to The Telegraph.

This includes Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, who were passengers in the car that dragged the police officer down a country road after he got caught in a strap attached to the vehicle as they fled the scene of a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in 2019.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham previously pledged to do “everything possible” to ensure the pair were not freed from prison early, following widespread condemnation of the scheme.

However, the Prime Minister declined to confirm this particular change relating to “unlawful act” manslaughter earlier this month, telling reporters it was “speculation”.

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He ordered a review of the scheme, which is being undertaken by Justice Secretary Alex Norris and is set to be published when Parliament returns from summer recess in September.

Mr Norris was asked by Mr Burnham “to develop a plan to maximise public safety and minimise the early release of prisoners”.

Police chiefs have since been told Mr Norris will introduce secondary legislation to amend the Sentencing Act, according to the newspaper.

Under the scheme’s current rules, Bowers and Cole would be released next year, halfway through their 13-year sentences.

Labour’s early release scheme started in September 2024 with the aim of easing overcrowding in jails.

It allows certain prisoners to be released after serving 40% of their fixed-term sentence, rather than the usual 50%.

The 2026 Sentencing Act, which became law earlier this year, allows for an expansion of the early release scheme by reducing the threshold from 40% of a fixed-term sentence to a third.

Since becoming Prime Minister, Mr Burnham has excluded rapists and child sex offenders from being eligible for the scheme.

Unlawful act manslaughter is when a person causes the death of another while committing a separate illegal act.

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A Government spokesperson said: “The death of Pc Andrew Harper was a horrific crime.

“Our thoughts are with his family and friends, and we share the anger from the police community that we are in this position.

“The Prime Minister has asked the Justice Secretary to work through further options to keep a greater number of the most serious offenders in prison, including the killers of Pc Harper.

“Thanks to tireless campaigning by Andrew’s family, Harper’s Law means that anyone convicted of killing an emergency worker whilst committing a crime now gets a mandatory life sentence.

“This Government has gone further by introducing a presumption that anyone convicted of murdering a police, prison or probation officer is handed a whole-life order.”

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The car was seized by police

A Lamborghini was taken away on the back of a truck after the driver was reportedly seen losing control of the supercar. Officers were called to reports of racing around Bury Road and Hypatia Street on Wednesday evening (August 26).

When they arrived, the matte orange Lamborghini sped up before the driver lost control in full view of officers.

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The car was stopped and seized under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act. The driver was issued a traffic offence report.

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A GMP spokesperson said: “On Wednesday 26th August 2026 18:30hrs police received a report of high powered vehicles racing.

“Officers attended the Bury road/Hypatia street area in Bolton when this vehicle accelerated at speed, loosing control of the back end of the vehicle, directly in front of a liveried police vehicle.

“The vehicle was stopped and seized under S59 police reform act with the driver being issued a traffic offence report.”

It was recently confirmed that he would be returning for his fourth season after renewing his contract

The Late Late Show return date has been confirmed, with the Friday night chat show back on our TV screens next month.

The show went on a summer break, with host Patrick Kielty signing off in May. At the time, it was unknown whether he would be returning to the role, after initially signing on to present three seasons back in 2023.

However, it was confirmed last month that the Co Down would be back behind the desk for another few seasons after renewing his contract until 2028.

RTÉ announced their slate of shows for the autumn on Wednesday, with the return date confirmed for the 18th September, RSVP Live reports.

In a statement, the national broadcaster wrote: ” Patrick Kielty is back in the hot seat for a brand-new season of The Late Late Show starting September 18th. Live from RTÉ Studios on Friday nights, join Patrick for celebrity guests, a live studio audience, and the stories that have Ireland talking.

“The countdown is also on to the biggest night in Irish television – The Late Late Toy Show – packed with must-see moments as the children of Ireland take over the telly for one night only.”

Elsewhere in the announcement, RTE also confirmed the return of some other eagerly awaited programmes in the coming months.

“Dancing with the Stars returns in January 2027 for a tenth season, with hosts Jennifer Zamparelli and Doireann Garrihy, who is back on our screens after maternity leave,” they continued.

“In a new series of Ireland’s Fittest Family, winning coach Andrew Trimble – fresh from his debut glory – will be returning alongside Davy Fitzgerald, Anna Geary, Donncha O’Callaghan, Michael Darragh MacAuley, and Ellen Keane for the highest-octane series yet.

“January 2027 will see Tommy Tiernan back in the hotseat with a brand-new line-up of top-secret guests for The Tommy Tiernan Show. The 2 Johnnies’ Late Night Lock-In is serving up another round of unpredictable laughs, unforgettable guests and the very best of Irish craic from Johnny B and Johnny Smacks.

“Also coming soon is a new series of the nation’s favourite dating show First Dates , all loved-up and looking its absolute best for a new season of seduction with Mateo, Pete, Alice, and Niall welcoming a fresh batch of hopeful singletons to the restaurant, and a First Dates Christmas Special will embrace the magic of the season. Ireland’s most successful and longest-running afternoon show, The TODAY Show, returns with more than a few surprises in store.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our What’s On newsletter.

Here’s the updated list of teams still in the Carabao Cup:

Arsenal

Aston Villa

Barnsley

Brentford

Chelsea/Luton (play tomorrow night)

Sheffield United

Lincoln City

Bournemouth

Bradford City/Burnley (gone to extra time)

Brighton & Hove Albion

Norwich City

Millwall

Crystal Palace

Middlesbrough

Fleetwood Town

Fulham/Wimbledon (play tomorrow night)

Ipswich Town

Liverpool

Manchester City

Manchester United

Newcastle United

Leeds United

Coventry City

Preston North End/Everton (Everton 4-0 up)

Wolverhampton Wanderers

West Ham United

Reading

Hull City

Sunderland

Tottenham Hotspur

Leyton Orient

Peterborough United

Newly released 911 audio has revealed the moment police officers and paramedics rushed to Tim Curry’s Hollywood home the night he died. 

Curry, an iconic actor best known for his roles in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, died at his $2million home in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening, his manager said on Wednesday. 

Now, 911 audio reviewed by the Daily Mail has given a glimpse into what happened just before Curry died. 

Dispatchers were heard repeatedly stating Curry’s address and called it an ‘ambulance death investigation.’ The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to the Daily Mail that ‘a death investigation report was completed.’ 

Los Angeles City Fire officials confirmed to the Daily Mail that they responded to a medical call around 11.23pm to an address that is believed to be Curry’s.

Dispatchers were heard repeatedly stating Curry’s address and called it an ‘ambulance death investigation.’ Los Angeles City Fire officials confirmed to the Daily Mail that they responded to a medical call around 11.23pm to an address that is believed to be Curry’s

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First responders who arrived at the residence found the male patient, who was declared deceased at the scene. 

Fire officials do not release the name of patients, but confirmed they responded to the same address as Curry’s. 

A cause of death has not yet been determined, but the 80-year-old had been dealing with serious health complications for more than a decade following a stroke he suffered in 2012 that left him unable to walk. 

Curry played Dr Frank-N-Furter in the hit musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show before starring in the play’s film adaptation. 

The very first show he played in was the musical Hair in 1968. He went on to get nominated for the Laurence Oliver Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his roles in The Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance, and King Arthur in Spamalot. 

He was also known for his many on-screen roles in Home Alone 2, Charlie’s Angels, Scary Movie 2, It, and Peter Pan & the Pirates, among others. 

His final TV role was in 2010, when he played a criminal named Billy Flynn in two episodes of Criminal Minds. 

He opened up about his health battles last year during a special screening marking The Rocky Horror Picture Show’s 50th anniversary.

Speaking to the audience at LA’s Academy Museum, he said: ‘I still can’t walk, which is why I’m in this silly chair, and that’s very limiting.

‘So, I won’t be singing and I won’t be dancing very soon. I still have real problems with my left leg.’

Since suffering a stroke aged 66, the legendary actor had remained largely out of the public eye. 

Curry (pictured in 1975) never married and did not have any children. He was born in Cheshire, England, in 1946

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Curry revealed in an interview last year that he had a stroke while he was getting a massage. 

He suffered two brain bleeds during the medical emergency, which he did not even realize was happening because he did not feel any of the symptoms as he lay on the massage table in his LA home.

‘It was so strange,’ Curry told CBS Sunday Morning in October 2025. ‘I was having a massage and the guy who was giving me a massage said, “I’m worried about you, I think we should call a doctor.”

‘I felt fine, I had no symptoms that I was aware of, but clearly he had noticed some.

‘He called 911 and an ambulance came and they carried me down the stairs of my house on a stretcher and put me in an ambulance and gave me morphine, which was interesting. I wasn’t in pain.

‘I was extremely nervous because I didn’t know what was going on. They didn’t know I’d had a stroke and I didn’t know either.

‘I said, can you take me to Cedars-Sinai, which is probably the best hospital in the city, and they said they had to take me to a nearer one, which was a Kaiser Permanente.’

Curry said that when doctors told him he had suffered a stroke, he ‘thought immediately’ of his father, James Curry, who survived a stroke when he was just 11 years old. 

‘I knew that a lot of people didn’t survive a stroke, and that he was an exception, and so I was scared,’ he said.

Curry (middle) played Dr Frank-N-Furter in the hit musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show before starring in the play’s film adaptation

He was also known for his many on-screen roles in Charlie’s Angels, Scary Movie 2, It (pictured), and Peter Pan & the Pirates, among others

After the episode, he had brain surgery and was in the hospital for ‘about a month’ afterwards for rehabilitation.

‘I had to learn how to speak again, that was very weird,’ he said. ‘I hated not being able to speak because I speak a lot. I have to be told to shut up a lot. I love words, I love to communicate.’ 

Curry never married and did not have any children. He was born in Cheshire, England, in 1946. 

He was the younger child of Patricia, a school secretary, and James, a Royal Navy chaplain. He had an older sister, Judith – a concert pianist, who died in 2001.

Curry grew up in Plymouth and went to boarding school. Then, in 1958, when he was just 12 years old, he lost his father to pneumonia.

A woman killed in a house fire has been described by her mother as “a beautiful soul, who would have done anything for anybody”.

Natalie McDonald, 34, died along with her seven-year-old niece, Valentina Foster, in the blaze in Grangetown, near Middlesbrough, in the early hours of Wednesday.

Cleveland Police said the fire had also left a 48-year-old woman in a critical condition in hospital alongside another three people who suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Two men, aged 23 and 31, had been arrested on suspicion of murder and were in police custody, the force said.

Lisa Kirton, Natalie’s mother said her daughter was “lovely, bright and bubbly” and “everybody loved her”.

She said Valentina, also known as Tina, had been spending the summer holidays with the family.

“She was a cute little kid,” Kirton said. “I can’t believe it, seven years old – it’s just a disgrace.”

She also said Natalie’s 15-year-old daughter and a friend had managed to escape through an upstairs window.

The friend, she said, had “kicked out a window” and “had saved their lives”.

Police say they heard reports on the evening of Wednesday August 26 that drivers had been racing high-powered cars against each other.

They then found a bright orange Lamborghini supercar when its driver lost control right in front of their police vehicle at the junction of Bury Road and Hypatia Street in Tonge Fold.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: “On Wednesday August 26 2026, 6.30pm police received a report of high-powered vehicles racing.

The car has been seized (Image: GMP)

“Officers attended the Bury Road/Hypatia Street area in Bolton when this vehicle accelerated at speed, losing control of the back end of the vehicle, directly in front of a liveried police vehicle.

“The vehicle was stopped and seized under S59 police reform act with the driver being issued a traffic offence report.”

Images supplied by police at the scene show the orange supercar having come to a stop in front of a police car and then being towed away.

Anyone concerned about dangerous or anti-social driving in their areas can call police on 101 or 999 in the event of an emergency.

Alternatively, members of the public can call independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Atletico Madrid have given up hope of signing Nicolas Jackson, with the out-of-favour Chelsea forward reportedly on the cusp of a big-money move to Aston Villa.

Jackson joined up with Chelsea again this summer following a season-long loan spell with Bayern Munich, but played no part in the Blues’ 3-2 victory over Fulham on Monday night.

Bundesliga champions Bayern confirmed in April that they had no intention of signing Jackson on a permanent basis, leaving the 25-year-old in a state of limbo ahead of the new season.

Aston Villa have been keeping close tabs on Jackson’s situation for well over 12 months and have stepped up their pursuit of the attacker over the last few days, with Ollie Watkins expected to depart for Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Hilal.

According to Spanish newspaper AS, a proposed move to Atleti appears ‘increasingly unlikely’ and Jackson looks set to become Unai Emery’s newest addition at Villa Park.

Jackson had been identified as a potential replacement for wantaway Atleti forward Julian Alvarez at the Metropolitano Stadium, but the La Liga giants must now consider alternative options if they are to reinforce their frontline.

It’s claimed Jackson has agreed personal terms with Villa and Emery’s side also have a verbal deal in place over a fee believed to in the region of £60-65million.

Jackson is expected to put pen to paper on a six-year contract with Villa, tying him to the club until 2032.

Villa are said to have been keen on Jackson ‘for several summers’ and Watkins’ impending departure has only intensified their interest heading the final week of the transfer window.

Emery has been left upset and frustrated by the recent departures of Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and Ezri Konsa for Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal respectively, and is desperate to bring in an attacker with Premier League experience before Tuesday’s deadline.

The possible sale of Emiliano Martinez would help fund Villa’s move for Jackson, with Chelsea offered the chance to sign the Argentina goalkeeper in the last few hours.

Jackson has racked up 30 goals and 12 assists in 81 appearances for Chelsea since arriving at Stamford Bridge from Villarreal at the start of Mauricio Pochettino’s reign back in 2023.

The Senegal international enjoyed an encouraging debut season in west London, netting 14 times in the Premier League, but struggled for form the following campaign before being sent to Germany on loan.

He still has seven years remaining on his current contract with Chelsea.

Facing the media ahead of Villa’s thumping 4-0 defeat to Brighton, Emery made no secret of the fact star striker Watkins could soon be set for the exit door.

‘We have an issue with him, it’s clear. He is another player, we have had offers for him,’ the Spaniard told reporters.

‘He is our player, I don’t want to sell him. It can change because if it is a good option for him, good option for the club and I can replace him in the squad.

‘This is the routine we have and we did before with the players they are losing. With Ollie, he is here, and he has always been up and down in his performance.

‘He is a fantastic striker, we always believe in him and we supported him and he did it. Now he is our player and there is ten days more or less to finish the transfer window.

‘We will see what happens. He is our player, I am happy with him and in case he stays with us, he is going to continue playing his level.

‘If he is leaving it will be for the best three ways. One is him, another is the club and another is the team.’

On Martinez’s future, Emery added: ‘He transmitted to us the possibility to have another challenge in his career.

‘Not now, even last year, he was thinking in case he can have one possibility to change and he didn’t do last year, and he performed fantastic with us.

‘This year again, he transmitted us the possibility to have another challenge, and we decided to sign [Zion] Suzuki because I think he’s a fantastic goalkeeper in case Martínez is leaving.’

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