This comforting butternut squash soup gets its rich texture without cream. The dairy-free recipe needs just three simple ingredients and is perfect for the cooler autumn months.

The evenings are becoming longer, daylight hours are decreasing, and the mercury is falling – all indicators that autumn has arrived. I adore everything about this season – the fresh atmosphere, pumpkin-scented candles, warm knitwear, and hearty meals.

It’s the time for casseroles, broths, and pastries, with root crops and squash becoming the stars of the show.

Butternut squash ranks among my top choices, and when pureed into a soup, it makes a scrumptious, satisfying evening meal, especially when served with crusty, buttered bread.

While there are numerous butternut squash recipes available, I found an easy variation that lets the squash’s sweet flavour be the hero.

Following some investigation, I discovered an easy, three-ingredient butternut squash broth that’s both dairy-free and plant-based.

Even though it’s dairy-free, the broth becomes wonderfully velvety thanks to coconut milk, a 75p supermarket essential.

It provides richness while avoiding excessive additional fat or energy. There’s a touch of coconut present in the flavour profile, though it remains understated.

If you dislike coconut, maybe try experimenting with an alternative creamy ingredient such as heavy cream.

The broth is straightforward to prepare. Oven-cooking the squash takes the most time but caramelises its sugars, creating a deep, flavourful foundation.

Butternut squash soup recipe

Ingredients

• One medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
• Two cups of vegetable broth
• Half a cup of full-fat canned coconut milk (the recipe suggests full-fat, but I used low-fat and it worked just as well)

Cupboard staples: One tbsp olive oil (for roasting), salt, and black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Toss the cubed squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then spread on a baking sheet. Roast for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and tender at the edges.

2. Transfer the roasted squash to a pot over medium heat. Add two cups of broth and simmer gently for five minutes so the flavours meld.

3. Remove from the heat, add coconut milk (or heavy cream), and blend until smooth using an immersion or countertop blender.

4. Adjust the consistency with extra broth or water as needed, and season with more salt and pepper to taste.

For extra flavour, try adding half a teaspoon of ground ginger, nutmeg, or a pinch of chilli flakes.

If butternut squash is not to your liking, you might consider Spare Time reporter Nicola Roy’s curried lentil soup instead.

Nicola said the soup is “without a doubt one of the best flavours, and it’s so easy to make too”.

The dish generally requires very few ingredients, which are chopped and left to simmer before being puréed and served.

Incorporating curry paste into the recipe introduces a vibrant burst of flavour and spices, making the soup particularly comforting during the colder months. Find the recipe here.

The ex-wife of Britain’s most notorious prisoner has been banned from seeing her former beau because she ‘poses a risk to security and safety’. 

Standing at 4ft 11in, 73-year-old Irene Dunroe cannot see her ex-husband, Britain’s most notorious prisoner, Charles Bronson, because she is deemed to be a threat to security. 

Charles Bronson, also 73, is currently serving time behind bars at HMP Wakefield, also known as ‘Monster Mansion’. 

Irene and Bronson, also 73, married when they were teenagers in 1971. Bronson was jailed for the first time in 1974 for armed robbery and the pair divorced in 1975, but have remained close since. 

Irene has frequently made trips to see her ex-husband in prison during his many years behind bars. 

Bronson has spent a total of 52 years in prison serving consecutive sentences for crimes including violence, grievous bodily harm, hostage-taking and false imprisonment. Roughly 37 of those years have been spent in solitary confinement. 

Bronson is Britain’s most notorious prisoner and has served a total of 52 years behind bars for crimes including GBH, hostage-taking, and false imprisonment

But Irene, who works in an Ann Summers shop, said she received a letter from HMP Wakefield informing her that she could no longer see Bronson. 

She told the Sun: ‘What threat could I pose? That I’m going to batter them with a sex toy from work? It’s completely stupid. I am a pensioner who goes to visit him using my bus pass.’

She added: ‘I am part of his support network, which he really needs right now as he’s going for parole.

‘He is hopeful of getting it. He’s old now. He just wants a bit of peace.’ 

Irene said she would continue writing to him despite being taken off his visitor and call list, although she feared the letters would go missing. 

She also noted that his behaviour had changed since moving to HMP Wakefield, saying that he usually sang to her Frank Sinatra songs and ballads like When Will I See You Again, but he had become quieter. 

Irene added that she plans to challenge the ban. 

Bronson, who is legally known as Charles Salvador, was first jailed in 1974 at the age of 22 for armed robbery and wounding and has spent most of his life inside for a string of attacks on warders and prisoners across a number of British jails. 

Dunroe said her ex-husband ‘just wants a bit of peace’ and needs a support network ahead of his upcoming parole hearings

His latest prison debacle in July came after he was enraged by being served his favourite apple crumble – ‘without custard’. 

Britain’s most notorious prisoner staged a sit-down protest in an exercise yard at maximum-security HMP Wakefield, having defied repeated orders to leave.

Prison officers wearing riot gear were eventually called in and forced Bronson back into his cell in the jail’s segregation unit, the Daily Mail understands. 

The extraordinary impasse was said to have been triggered by events at dinner when Bronson was handed his favourite dessert – apple crumble, but without custard.

The missing accompaniment was said to have ‘infuriated’ the veteran inmate – who has spent more than half a century behind bars – prompting him to stage his protest the following day.

A source at the Category A prison – nicknamed Monster Mansion because of the calibre of criminals it holds – told the Daily Mail: ‘He was told more than once that exercise time was over and that he needed to come back inside, but he simply dug his heels in.

‘With Bronson, even something as small as a pudding can become a major security headache because officers cannot afford to assume he is bluffing.

‘The whole thing started because he got apple crumble without custard the night before.

‘He loves his food and saw it as another example of the prison not giving him what he believes he is entitled to, so he decided to make his point in the yard.

‘Once it became clear he was not moving, specially equipped officers had to be brought in to bring the incident to an end.’

It is understood that internal prison staff dealt with the incident, which happened in a yard linked to the Close Supervision Centre – a unit where Wakefield’s most violent and disruptive prisoners are held. The stand-off did not last long.

The source added: ‘Three teams comprised of three guards surrounded him. Bronson ran at the shield, looked to the sky and shouted, “This is for Reggie Kray”.’

Bronson, who was moved from HMP Long Lartin after attacking a prisoner, is effectively held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day.

He is not permitted to associate with other prisoners, and must use the gym and shower facilities alone.

The Daily Mail contacted the Ministry of Justice for comment. 

By KEMI BADENOCH – LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION

Published: 01:52 BST, 13 September 2026 | Updated: 02:20 BST, 13 September 2026

Andy Burnham has bottled it yet again. He hasn’t made a single significant decision on defence, on welfare or on oil and gas. All things he promised he would sort during his leadership coronation.

We had been told for weeks that the Prime Minister was set to approve the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields in the North Sea. Burnham’s army of government spinners had been busy briefing journalists that he was going to be ‘pragmatic’ on oil and gas, and do something that Keir Starmer had always avoided. It was understood that he’d announce the new drilling licences on Tuesday at the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in Brighton. Rumours even beckoned a photo-op in Aberdeen.

But, as sure as night follows day, Andy Burnham has now delayed making a decision. And everyone knows why.

Labour is in a close fight with the Green Party to win the Holborn and St Pancras by-election at the start of October.

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In his final U-turn, Keir Starmer decided he didn’t want to stick around in Parliament with all the Labour MPs who had stabbed him in the back, so now he’s handed Burnham a tricky vote in a very Green Party-friendly area of London. And Burnham is spooked.

So the TUC speech is cancelled, the trip to Aberdeen shelved. And the uncertainty for thousands of oil and gas workers in Scotland and across Britain has returned.

The Conservatives approved the licences for Rosebank and Jackdaw when we were in government. The usual anti-growth, Left-wing, Net Zero obsessives launched a legal challenge that the Conservatives were fighting right up until Starmer entered No10.

He and his then climate secretary Ed Miliband began a lengthy consultation process, which delayed the approvals for a further two years.

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Pictured: Prime Minister Andy Burnham running in Warrington on September 11, 2026

Pictured: Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch at the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum on September 11, 2026

Now Andy Burnham, or ‘Continuity Keir’, has kicked the decision into the long grass once more.

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If he hadn’t bottled it, the gas from Jackdaw could be flowing directly into the grid, feeding some 1.4 million homes, by Christmas.

That would reduce our dependence on foreign gas imports this winter, secure vital jobs in our domestic oil and gas industry, and bring in tax revenues (estimated to be £1.4 billion by the end of this Parliament) that could be used to bring down energy bills.

Instead, we are going to continue to import expensive energy from places like Qatar and Saudi Arabia, a process that has a greater carbon footprint and is worse for the environment.

It is complete madness and does nothing to stop climate change. The plan is not working. I have a different one.

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A common-sense plan on energy that will help cut bills and improve the environment.

It starts with dropping meaningless targets like Net Zero 2050 and focusing on what works. 

That means drilling our own oil and gas, scrapping all levies and charges that have forced up energy bills, and unravelling the red tape and regulation strangling our domestic industry.

Energy security is national security; it’s economic security. Delaying the decision on Rosebank and Jackdaw puts all three at risk.

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On the day Andy Burnham won his by-election in Makerfield, Douglas Lumsden won a by-election in Aberdeen South for the Conservatives.

But where Burnham’s victory was about one man’s ambition, the Aberdeen South vote was about the tens of thousands of people employed in the UK oil and gas sector.

For their sakes, and for the sake of everyone who wants to see an end to deindustrialisation and sky-high energy bills, Burnham must get serious and approve the Rosebank and Jackdaw licences, and do it now.

“There’s something really lovely about his name being above a room where people are getting together and laughing”

Serena Terry, aka Mammy Banter, is launching a brand-new regular comedy club in Derry named in memory of her late brother.

The comedian, writer and social media creator has been working hard behind the scenes on a new project, Danny’s Comedy Club, in partnership with Castle and Cove.

Launching this November, the bi-weekly club will host carefully curated comedy nights featuring a mixture of big names, touring comedians and exciting new acts, with Serena using her own experience on the circuit to build the kind of club that both performers and audiences want to come back to.

She said that has always been an ambition of hers to make Derry a hub for comedy.

Serena said: “I’ve always thought Derry and the North West deserves a brilliant regular weekend comedy night of its own, somewhere comics are excited to play and audiences know they’re going to get a great night out. I actually tried to launch a club when I was 21, but I was nowhere near ready or had the right experience.

“There’s so much incredible comedy talent across Ireland and the UK, and I want to bring as much of it as possible to Derry, while also giving newer comedians a proper stage to develop on.

“I also think we need more options for a weekend night out that aren’t entirely built around drinking. You can come to Danny’s, have a few pints if you want, have a water if you don’t, be 20 or 70, it doesn’t matter. The whole point is that you’re there to laugh and have a brilliant Friday night out.”

The name Danny’s has a particularly special meaning for Terry. The club is named in honour of her late brother Danny, who was himself a comedian and ran club nights.

“Comedy was a massive part of who Danny was. He ran his own comedy nights, and it was his dream to become an established comedian, so calling this Danny’s just felt right,” she explained.

“There’s something really lovely about his name being above a room where people are getting together and laughing. As long as he doesn’t try to haunt the place, actually, that could be quite funny.”

Serena continued: “I want Danny’s to have a reputation amongst comedians as somewhere you want to play. Great audiences, properly looked-after acts, a brilliant atmosphere and a room that really cares about comedy.

“If we get that right, everybody wins. Great comics want to come to Derry, new talent gets opportunities, and people here get consistently brilliant live comedy on their doorstep.”

Terry, who has built an audience of millions online, written two Sunday Times bestselling novels and become the first female comedian to sell out Belfast’s SSE Arena, hopes Danny’s can become a permanent fixture in Derry’s entertainment scene.

“The aim is that eventually people say, ‘What are you doing this weekend? Danny’s is on,’ without even needing to know who’s on the bill. They just trust they’re going to have a great night.”

Castle & Cove’s Micheal McIvor added: “Danny’s is something we at Castle & Cove are absolutely delighted to be partnering with Serena on.

“From the very first conversation, it’s been clear how much thought and care she’s putting into every detail, from the line-ups and the room itself, right down to how the audience’s experience will feel on the night.

“She knows exactly what she wants this club to be and the standard she wants to set; nothing is being done by halves.

“Derry has always been a hotbed for arts and culture, and we believe a dedicated space for comedy can only add to that culture. We’re looking forward to opening the doors and creating a new home for comedy with Serena in the heart of Derry City.”

Danny’s Comedy Club will run bi-weekly in Derry from November, with the first line-ups, dates and ticket information to be announced shortly

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

Dramatic pictures show thick smoke pouring from a Burntisland home as firefighters tackle a huge blaze tearing through the roof.

A huge fire has ripped through a house in Fife with dramatic pictures showing thick smoke pouring from the property as firefighters battle the blaze.

Emergency crews were called to Aberdour Road in Burntisland after reports of a fire at around 3.30pm on Saturday afternoon.

Footage from the scene shows huge plumes of smoke billowing into the sky, while firefighters can be seen using hoses to douse the flames.

Earlier pictures showed flames bursting from the roof of the property as the fire took hold.

A number of fire engines and crews have been sent to the scene, with firefighters also tackling the blaze from a high-reach appliance. A cordon has been put in place around the area as the emergency response continues.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that six fire appliances and one high-reach appliance had been deployed.

A spokesperson said: “We were called to a fire at a property in Burntisland at 3.31pm today. Operations Control mobilised six fire appliances and one high-reach appliance to the scene. Crews are still on scene, and they are currently engaged in tackling the fire.”

It is not currently known if anyone has been injured or what caused the fire.

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Health concerns have resulted in a number of products being pulled from UK shelves, including food items, clothing items and skincare products.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued “do not eat” warnings on food items which may pose a potential health risk to customers, while the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) warned shoppers to “stop using” recalled items “immediately”.

These are the recalls you should be aware of at UK supermarkets and high street shops this week.

Waitrose recall

Waitrose has issued a “do not eat” warning and a recall as a food item sold in the supermarket may contain Listeria monocytogenes.

The disease-causing bacteria can survive and even grow under refrigeration and can cause Listeriosis which can last up to several weeks depending on the severity.

Symptoms include fever, vomiting and headaches, with some cases even resulting in convulsions.

In rare cases, the infection can lead to meningitis.

Thursday 10th September – Waitrose recalls Waitrose Essential Pitted Black Olives because of contamination with Listeria monocytogenes #FoodAlert https://t.co/llFVJKMVtr pic.twitter.com/4FDahAdP1y

— Food Standards Agency (@foodgov) September 10, 2026

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The affected products are 120g packs of Waitrose Essential Pitted Black Olives.

The olives impacted by the recall have a use by date of September 13, September 18 and September 27.

Some people are more vulnerable to listeria infections, including those over 65 years of age, pregnant women and their unborn babies, babies less than one month old and people with weakened immune systems.  

A spokesman for the Food Standards Agency (FSA) said: “Waitrose is recalling the above product. Point of sale notices will be displayed in all retail stores that are selling this product.

“These notices explain to customers why the product is being recalled and tell them what to do if they have bought the product.

“If you have bought the above product do not eat it. Instead, return it to your nearest Waitrose store where you will be given a full refund. For further information, please contact Waitrose Customer Care on 0800 188 884, Option 4.”

A Waitrose statement added: “We apologise that it has been necessary to recall this product and for the inconvenience caused.”

Boots recall

Boots has issued a warning to customers after a safety concern sparked a recall from UK shops.

The pharmacist has told shoppers to “stop using the affected product immediately”, as it may cause burns and comes with a fire risk.

The Love to Dream Sleep Machine has been recalled from all stores because of the risk.

A Boots statement said: “Use of the product with specific charging devices (not supplied with the product) may result in the lithium-ion battery in the product overheating during charging, which could pose a fire hazard to consumers.

“Risk of serious burns and/or property damage if the product overheats and catches fire.”

The affected products were sold between January 2, 2025, and September 3, 2026.

The recall includes the following date codes 7T12TN, 7W15TN and 8P01TN only.

Any date codes not listed are not affected by the recall.

The date code can be found on the side of the Sleep Machine or on the back of the box.

This is their advice for any shoppers who have purchased the product already:

1. Stop using the affected product immediately
2. Disconnect the product from any charger and place in a safe location, away from anything flammable or anything that could damage the product
3. Visit the Love to Dream recall page at lovetodream.co.uk/recall for information on how to dispose of the product and claim your refund or replacement
4. Dispose of the product only in accordance with local requirements for lithium-ion products. Do not place the product in household rubbish or recycling bin

Primark recall

A Disney-themed purse sold at Primark is being urgently recalled over safety concerns.

The 101 Dalmatians Zip Purse, sold in Primark stores across the UK between March and June 2026, has been found to contain unsafe levels of phthalates.

Phthalates are chemical compounds used to make plastics softer and more flexible, but they are strictly regulated due to health concerns, especially for children.

A Primark spokesperson said: “We are recalling our product 101 Dalmatians Faux Leather Coin Purse (Kimball no. 2595301) due to a safety issue.

Primark urgently recall Disney purse over serious chemical risk (Image: Kennedy News & Media)

“This was sold in Primark stores in the UK between March 2026 and June 2026.

“We have learned the product does not meet our usual high safety standards.

“The product has been found to contain phthalates above permitted levels, and this may cause harm to health and the environment.

“Please stop using the product immediately. Please return the product to any of our Primark stores. It’s not necessary to show proof of purchase.

“For more information, please email help.uk@help.primark.com.”

Phthalates are known to pose serious health risks, particularly to children, as they can potentially damage the reproductive system.

The recall was issued after the product was found to breach the REACH Enforcement Regulations 2008 and the General Product Safety Regulations 2005.

A spokesperson for the Office for Product Safety & Standards said: “The product presents a serious chemical risk because it contains phthalates above permitted levels.

“Phthalates may harm the health of children, possibly causing damage to the reproductive system.

“The product doesn’t meet the requirements of the REACH Enforcement Regulations 2008 or the General Product Safety Regulations 2005.

“The product has been recalled from end users by Primark.

“Owners should stop using the product immediately and keep it away from children.”

Primark has advised all customers to stop using the purse immediately and keep it out of reach of children.

Simple recall

Products sold at Tesco, Asda, Superdrug and more have been recalled by skincare brand Simple.

Simple is recalling its Skin Micellar Cleansing Water because of the potential presence of bacteria which could cause eye inflammation.

Batches of the 200ml, 400ml and 730ml bottles of the skin product have been recalled.

Simple apologised to shoppers, recognising that the recall can be “concerning”.

These are the batches of cleansing water affected by the recalls:

• 200ml – 610041, 611641, 615941
• 400ml – 611141, 611341, 611441, 613341, 613441, 614541, 614741, 614841
• 730ml – 613841, 613941, 611041, 616641, 616741

A spokesman for Simple said: “In the UK and the Republic of Ireland, we are recalling a limited number of Simple Kind to Skin Micellar Cleansing Water 200ml, 400ml and 730ml products with specific batch codes due to the possible presence of bacteria, which has the potential to cause eye inflammation for some consumers. 

“We are recalling these products because the safety of the people who buy and use our products is our top priority.

“Other Simple products are not affected by this issue. 

“We understand that product recalls can be concerning, and we are sorry for any concern or inconvenience this may have caused.

“Stop using it and contact our Consumer Careline by email for further guidance and a refund.”

The batch code can be found on the bottom of the bottle. It is a series of numbers printed directly onto the packaging. 

Tesco added: “If you have purchased an affected batch code of one of the products being recalled, please do not use it and instead return it to any Tesco store for a full refund. No receipt is required.”

While Asda said: “If you have purchased Kind to Skin Micellar Cleansing Water 200ml or 400ml of the above affected batch codes please stop using the product. You can bring it back to your nearest store where you will be given a full refund. You do not need your receipt.

“Alternatively, you can contact Unilever’s Consumer Careline by email for further guidance and a refund at ukicare@unilever.com . Or via phone: 0800 146 252 (UK) or 1800 604 060 (ROI).

“We are very sorry for any inconvenience caused.”

Asda recall

Asda shoppers have been issued a warning to stop using a product sold at the supermarket due to a “serious chemical risk”.

The supermarket giant has recalled three handbags which pose a risk to customers due to excess phthalates.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) warned that phthalates can harm the health of children, and could cause damage to reproductive systems.

 The spokesman added: “The product has been recalled from end users by ASDA.

⚠️Here is our monthly product safety recall roundup for August ⚠️
Visit: 🔗 https://t.co/My7Q0rlRuh for more information. #ProductRecalls #UkRecallsAndAlerts pic.twitter.com/twuoTD01HC

— Office for Product Safety and Standards (@OfficeforSandS) September 1, 2026

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“We recommend that consumers stop using the product immediately. Return the product to any ASDA store for a full refund.

“For further information, please visit Product Recall – Ladies Handbags or contact ASDA on 0330 053 0111.”

These are the handbags, with their product codes and barcodes, affected by the Asda recall:

• Front Pocket Xbody Bag, 1100258937001, 5059206286959
• Opp Tote Bag, 1100260834001, 5059206491797
• Black Nylon Phone Bag, 1100258939001, 505920628577

Before you buy:

✅ Check the seller

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✅ Read their reviews

✅ Verify product descriptions

✅ Check if the product has been recalled. 

Check our product recalls: https://t.co/My7Q0rlRuh

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Safety advice:  https://t.co/vRZ5ynrhwX    
  #StaySafeThisSummer pic.twitter.com/2i0BTjVldq

— Office for Product Safety and Standards (@OfficeforSandS) August 28, 2026

Asda’s product recall notice added: “The product presents a serious chemical risk as it contains excessive concentrations of Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), Phthalates are harmful to health and may cause damage to the reproductive system.

“The product does not meet the requirements of the REACH Regulations.

“If you have purchased any of the above bags, please bring it back to your nearest store where you will be given a full refund. You do not need your receipt. We are very sorry for any inconvenience caused.

“If you would like any further information, please contact: Asda Customer Relations – 0330 053 0111.”

What is a product recall?

If there is a problem with a food product that means it should not be sold, then it might be ‘withdrawn’ (taken off the shelves) or ‘recalled’ (when customers are asked to return the product).

The FSA issues Product Withdrawal Information Notices and Product Recall Information Notices to let consumers and local authorities know about problems associated with food.

In some cases, a ‘Food Alert for Action’ is issued.

This provides local authorities with details of specific actions to be taken on behalf of consumers.

Absolutely anyone can be a Cathy this Belfast Culture Night – if a dress isn’t your thing, something red will do.

Fresh from bringing big Fleadh energy to Belfast with their immersive Irish wake experience Wakey Wakey, Kitsch Sisters are back with their first Culture Night offering and this time, they’re calling all the Cathys.

Belfast is about to get a little more whimsical, windy and ‘Wuthering’.

Next Friday, September 18 at 7pm, Belfast will host its first mass participatory dance inspired by Kate Bush’s iconic Wuthering Heights, as Kitsch Sisters bring Cathy’s Call to Culture Night in Belfast.

People from across the city are invited to dress in red and come together to recreate the unmistakable choreography from Kate Bush’s 1978 music video, creating a sea of Cathys in the heart of Belfast.

Mass Wuthering Heights dances have become a worldwide phenomenon since around 300 dancers gathered in Brighton in 2013.

The idea has since spread to cities across Ireland, the UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the US, with some events attracting more than 1,000 participants.

Now it’s Belfast’s turn. And absolutely anyone can be a Cathy.

No dance experience is required and participants don’t need to know the choreography beforehand. Kitsch Sisters will release step-by-step dance guides on social media ahead of Culture Night so people can learn and practise at home.

They’ll also host a Red Dress Swap, giving people the chance to donate or swap pre-loved red dresses ahead of the event. And if a dress isn’t your thing, something red will do.

Cathy’s Call follows a busy summer for Kitsch Sisters, who recently brought their immersive Irish wake experience Wakey Wakey to the Belfast Fleadh.

The project combined theatre, music, characters, dark humour and Irish traditions inside a vintage caravan.

Kitsch Sisters co-founder Aoife McAteer said: “We’ve watched these brilliant Wuthering Heights gatherings happening around the world and kept thinking Belfast needs one.

“We want people of every age, shape, size, gender and dancing ability. You don’t have to be a dancer. Come on your own, bring your mates, bring your ma, bring your whole squad.

“Culture Night is about getting involved in culture, not just watching it. Building on the big Fleadh energy we are all still yearning for, we want to create a huge, joyful and whimsical sea of red right in the middle of Belfast.

“An expression of interest will open shortly for individuals, friendship groups, community organisations and anyone else who wants to take part. You don’t have to sign up, but it gives us an idea of how many people to expect – and how epic the sea of red will be!”

Follow @kitschsistersbelfast and @wutheringheightsbelfast for more details.

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

A reader gives his verdict on this week’s two Nintendo Directs and explains why he’s happy to stick with owning just a Switch 2, and not a PlayStation 5.

It’s been quite the week this week, with two Nintendo Directs and a Sony meltdown. Since the Switch 2 is the only current gen console I currently own, I’m technically only interested in the first two things. Although I have to say, the way Sony has been carrying on lately (by which I mean the whole generation) makes my problems with Nintendo seem very minor in comparison.

The biggest issue with Nintendo, as I see it, is priorities. Everyone’s been talking about it, but it really does seem as if they are purposefully fast-tracking the most obscure B and C-list franchises for… some reason.

We’re now about to get our second Kirby game and second Metroid title in two years and we haven’t even heard about a new Mario platformer (2D or 3D), Animal Crossing, Super Smash Bros., or Splatoon 4. How you don’t do a Smash Bros. Ultimate Switch 2 Edition in the first few months I just don’t know. Especially as it’d be so easy to add in a couple of extra characters to sweeten the pot.

It’s weird and I don’t see how it makes any kind of business sense, but that’s not my problem. I’m generally satisfied with the Switch 2 so far. Nintendo might have weird priorities but at least their plan is something other than ‘release as few games as possible’, which I must say Sony is pulling off perfectly.

So I was perfectly happy with the Direct on Wednesday. The announcements might not have been massive, but they were something and of course the big news was the day before, with the remake of The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time, aka the best video game ever made.

Now, there’s been a lot of controversy over what they showed and I have to admit that I was a bit conflicted. I think the backgrounds look great, fantastic really given what the game used to look like, but I do think that Young Link looks very overdesigned. That pattern on his hood is very distracting and I’m not sure what it’s supposed to be.

Young Link is so overly cute he looks like one of those marzipan figurines they put on a wedding cake. The other Kokiri characters aren’t so bad though, so I just think they went overboard with him. If there was any mistake in the reveal, I think it was only showing Young Link sections, which made it seem more twee than it probably is. Even the voiceovers were only Young Link bits, which was probably a mistake as they were very cheesy.

I get the AI/Unreal Engine comparisons, but I really do think it’s more what they chose to show rather than the remake being a mistake. Watch the trailer, which has relatively little Young Link in it, and I think you get a completely different impression of the game.

Nintendo has got some criticism for focusing on a remake for their big Christmas game, rather than something new, but now that we’ve seen the game I’m fine with it. It’s over decade since we’ve had a new Zelda using the original formula, so I think people are ready for a bit of nostalgia before the next mainline game is announced.

When you look at the mess PlayStation and Xbox are in at the moment, I think it’s easy to appreciate Nintendo for what they are. They’re committed to single-player games, almost everything they make is good, and they don’t rip you off too much (Ocarina Of Time is actually cheaper than Breath Of The Wild and Tears Of The Kingdom).

Being loyal to a company that wants your money is never a good idea, but Nintendo is a much better industry leader than Sony. Or at least the Sony that exists now. They used to do a pretty good job but Xbox becoming a non-rival seems to have turned them mad with power and they only seem to live to troll fans now.

So for now, I’m more than happy with my Switch 2 but if I ever did get another system, it would be a PC, not a PlayStation.

By reader Glottis

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Officers were called to the collision on the A170 in Stepney Hill, near Scarborough, on Saturday afternoon (September 12).

North Yorkshire Police urged people to avoid the area after the crash, saying there was slow moving traffic around the top of Seamer Moor Lane and at the junction with Seamer Moor Hill

By 5pm the force confirmed that the road was clear with the vehicles involved in the crash recovered.

“Thank you for your patience and understanding,” a police spokesperson said.

The massive and deadly floods on the Nepal-Tibet border are a stark reminder of why the world needs to constantly update its understanding of the fragile ecosystem in the Himalayas.

These towering mountains contain nearly 90,000 glaciers, which sustain ten major river systems. Countries nearby, including India, Pakistan, China, Afghanistan, Nepal and Bhutan, are reliant on water resources that cross borders here. As major river-based hydro economies, their agricultural production, energy security and wider economic stability depend on the availability and the timing of river flows.

Changes in snowmelt, glacier retreat and water availability can cause untold hardship for millions of people relying on it. It can also create incredible danger as seen in August 2026, when a flash flood caused by a collapsed glacier washed away villages, bridges and roads on both sides of the Tibet-Nepal border, killing more than 1,000 people.

Understanding and measuring winter snowfall in these regions is exceptionally important. It is the main source of freshwater when it is released by snow melting during the region’s warm and early-summer crop growing seasons, when local communities need it most.

À lire aussi :
Nepal-Tibet disaster linked to climate change – a glaciologist explains

Understanding future Himalayan hazards

No one knows precisely how much water the mountains currently
provide, and how this will change. This knowledge gap also hinders our understanding of the occurrence of geo-hazards including avalanches triggered by extreme snowfall events and flooding caused by the rapid melting of snow.

The recent Nepal disaster could be related to a spell of unusually warm weather. This may have weakened the snowpack creating a rapid melt. I work with a team of glaciologists at the British Antarctic Survey, whose team had sensors six miles (10km) away from the site. Results suggest that enhanced melting could have introduced water into the crevasses weakening the ice-rock connections.

Studies project that roughly half of the glacier ice in the Himalayas (equivalent to about two billion Olympic swimming pools) could melt by the end of this century – enough to raise sea levels by over a centimetre but there is still considerable uncertainty in these projections.

This is because we do not have enough measurements of snowfall and ice across large areas in this challenging terrain. As a result, scientists often have to extrapolate from relatively small numbers of observations to enormous and highly varied terrain.

Computer-based tools (known as models) that combine available observations with information about land and the atmosphere have proved to be indispensable and often come to rescue when gap-filling is necessary. But models are only as good as the observations used to constrain them.

New scientific approaches are beginning to offer solutions, but they are rather sparse and insufficient on their own beyond the region where they have been tested.

For example, my recent study with colleagues found a new way to accurately measure mountain snowfall reducing measurement errors dramatically – measuring snow has been a long-standing problem because of which mountain water resources have been hugely underestimated over the years.

Another regional study recently reported a measure of the water stored in some of the key Nepalese glaciers using an airborne method that involves taking an aerial survey of the region using instruments mounted on a helicopter. Scientists are also using a technique known as radar interferometry, which uses a combination of radio waves to detect very fast-moving mountain slopes that risk collapsing.

A combination of one or more such techniques could be used to predict where snowfall is concentrated, how much water it is likely to contribute to the region and also identify areas at risk. New information could be used to cast early warning preparedness strategies feeding into a forewarning system for timely evacuation of the region’s most vulnerable.

What happens next?

Scientific innovation alone will not be enough. There is an urgent need for proven ideas to be commercially adapted and systematically deployed across critical zones. The numbers and the imminent dangers involved can now no longer be left to discussions in research papers and conferences, they must be made public on the equivalent of a war footing.

An evacuation success story from the Swiss village of Blatten in 2025 shows what this can achieve. Hundreds of people were moved out before a huge section of the glacier broke off. The authorities had already identified areas at risk and publicly shared hazard maps. Continuous monitoring of the landscape, precipitation and ground movement fed into an early warning system.

But success stories from the west cannot simply be transplanted wholesale into the Himalayan context because of the region’s inhospitable elevation, harsh weather and limited infrastructure. An approach that factors in indigenous and traditional knowledge should be part of plans and policies.

What is also needed in the Himalayas is a far more highly coordinated monitoring network that brings together everyone who depends on and manages mountain water. This would include potential state and non-state organisations, researchers, local authorities and mountain communities. Communities should be central to this effort. Local people can help install and maintain monitoring equipment, collect observations and contribute knowledge of their own environment.

Examples of existing successes from the region include the use of community-managed reservoirs to artificially store meltwater, the construction of ice stupas (an artificial glacier) and glacier grafting techniques to grow new, water-producing glaciers designed to gradually release water during the growing season. The community-based flood warning system in parts of Nepal’s Koshi basin is a success story but is limited in its approach to provide alerts during a cascading disaster, such as the one we witnessed recently.

These results should help policymakers and scientists understand how communities dependent on mountain ecosystems are responding to change – and what support they need to adapt to reduce their vulnerability to future hydro-climatic shocks, such as droughts and floods.

Regardless of the current changes in Himalayan snowfall and glacier melt, local people need to play a vital role in helping measure what is happening in the climate system. And that, as well as countries working more closely together, should help with the future planning that is desperately needed.