Several flights have been delayed, diverted and cancelled after thunderstorms hit Edinburgh Airport.

Fights at Edinburgh Airport have been diverted and cancelled as thunderstorms swept the country. Thousands of lightning strikes were recorded by the Met Office across the central belt since the early hours of Friday, June 26.

One British Airways flight from Edinburgh to London City has been cancelled while several others have been diverted or delayed. Flights from Porto, London, Chicago, New York, Dublin and Riga have all been diverted to airports across the UK and Ireland.

Some flights have been delayed for a number of hours while others have circled in the skies above the central belt waiting for the weather to clear. Edinburgh Airport has been contacted for comment.

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Karen Kay has been talking to fairies since she was four and says she can also see centaurs and mermaids

Ever since she can remember, Karen Kay has seen fairies. Karen says magical beings have been a constant presence throughout her life, offering messages from the spirit world. Karen, 62, from Truro said: “Fairies usually show themselves to me as tiny flashing lights. They often have messages for me. If I see one around someone’s throat, it usually means they have something significant to say. I can see fairies in the trees now. Dryads and sprites dancing in the afternoon sun. They are smiling at me.” Karen moved to Cornwall 40 years ago and believes the county is rich in magical energy. “I love it here. It’s the home of my heart and there are definitely fairies and mermaids in Cornwall.”

Known as a fairy whisperer, Karen organises the Three Wishes Fairy Festival, an annual event she says was inspired directly by the fairies themselves. “I set it up because the fairies told me to do it 20 years ago. I also organise fairy balls and fairy fairs, including a fairy market in Glastonbury,” she says. “It began when I was a single mum to my two sons. I started running spiritual and charity events to raise money. It wasn’t my intention to turn it into a business, but it just happened that way and I’ve been doing it ever since.” According to Karen, fairies are just one type of elemental being. “Fairies are guardians of nature. There are lots of beings that come under that umbrella, including pixies, elves, gnomes, mermaids, dryads and naiads. I also see centaurs and unicorns.” She’s been communicating with them since she was four years old, when she would collect rose petals from her grandmother Chris’s garden and make rose water. She would leave a bowl of it in the narrow space between her nan’s garage and the neighbour’s garage.

“The next day it was always gone. I knew the fairies had accepted and were pleased by my little offering.” Karen remembers seeing tiny points of coloured light around her from a young age. “My nan had two neighbours who looked like gnomes. They were brothers and short and round. At the same time, I would see fairies everywhere. They appeared as tiny dancing lights in vivid electric colours. It was completely natural to me. It wasn’t something I questioned.” But as a goth and punk-loving teenager, Karen worried that believing in fairies didn’t fit her image and began questioning what she was seeing. “So I got my eyes tested, but found out I had perfect 20/20 vision. That was confirmation for me that what I was seeing was real, even though I already knew that instinctively.” So Karen embraced her beliefs, getting fairy tattoos, including a rose and Tinkerbell on her shoulder, and expressing her love of fairy folklore through her clothing – dressing in wings, tutus, crowns and sparkles. “Fairy energy was always manifesting through me in a physical way,” she adds. However, it was after moving to Cornwall that the experiences intensified. “The energy became much stronger. I started experiencing telepathic messages, feelings and even fragrances. You can have urban fairies, but in wild natural places they’re much more prevalent. It was wonderful to connect with the mermaids when I moved to the coast in my twenties.”

Then in 2005 she received one message that changed the trajectory of her life. “They always let me know they were there, but the strongest message was about the festival. Fairies can get quite bossy when they know you can hear them. “They said: ‘You must organise a festival. It must be in Cornwall. It must take place at midsummer. And you must tell everybody.’” Karen insists the message felt entirely different from her own thoughts. “I’d lived long enough to know the sound of my own internal dialogue. This was definitely a different voice. It came with a different energy. I can’t fully explain it. It felt fizzy, almost like opening a bottle of champagne.” She held the first festival at Colliford Lake Park, beside Dozmary Pool, where Arthurian legend says the Lady of the Lake lived. And more than two decades later, the festival is still running, although it has since moved to Glastonbury. “Working on the fairy path isn’t an exact science. It’s not for the faint-hearted because it’s unpredictable, but that’s what appeals to me. “With fairies, you always have to expect the unexpected. Everything is inside out, upside down, back to front, betwixt and between, and topsy-turvy. You never know what you’re going to get, but the journey will be magical.”

For Karen, fairies are also the secret to staying youthful. “Fairies bring me joy, happiness, upliftment and loving energy. And they keep your inner child alive. As adults, life can become weighed down by responsibilities and bills, but fairies help you stay connected to that playful part of yourself. I feel joyful, playful and almost immortal.” Karen’s daily routine reflects her spiritual beliefs. Each morning begins with a walk in nature before she does anything else. “I acknowledge the plants and the fairies and ask them for inspiration and guidance for the day.” After breakfast, she consults her Enchanted Realms Oracle Cards – which she has just launched on her website – before spending time writing, planning events, handling admin, posting on Instagram @‌karenkayfairy, making music or meditating. And whether or not she’s heading out, she gives careful thought to her outfit. Karen has become known locally as “The Fairy Whisperer” thanks to her flamboyant wardrobe and sparkling accessories. “If you’ve got to wear clothes, why not make them fun? It’s a big part of my day, even if I’m not going anywhere special.

“Sometimes I wear wings and I’m very often in a flower crown. I love expressing my creativity through my clothing.” She also credits fairies with helping her maintain her youthful appearance. “Fairies definitely keep you young. I’m not saying I never would, but I’ve never had any work done, Botox, fillers or anything else. Lots of people say I look younger than my years and I think that’s because of their playful magic – and my plant-based diet. “People who connect with fairies often have a youthful glow. That’s down to fairy glamour, the beautiful energy that keeps you feeling uplifted.”

Karen knows her beliefs are not for everyone, but she says she has no intention of changing. “My friends and family have all accepted what I do. I only recently discovered that my nan believed in fairies too, which made me feel very supported. “People who believe in fairies often feel a bit different or like the odd one out. When we meet others who think the same way, we form really beautiful friendships and bonds that last a lifetime.”

Experts have said that conditions are now “perfect” for the insects to breed, with standing water and rising temperatures providing an ideal environment for them to thrive.

June’s rainfall, following a particularly dry May, has created just the right conditions in which mosquito eggs can hatch and develop, prompting concerns about a potential rise in bites and the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.

Mosqutio warning issued amid potential ‘surge’ in the UK

Dr Mojca Kristan, assistant professor in medical entomology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), said: “Weather conditions in the UK at the moment are perfect for mosquitoes.

“They like warmth as well as standing water to lay their eggs in.

“May was too dry, but we’ve had rain in June, so there’s water around and, as the weather continues to warm up, I would expect mosquitoes to emerge and start biting to get the blood they need to breed.”

The Met Office said that some areas of the UK recorded a month’s worth of rainfall in the first half of June.

It followed an exceptionally dry spring experienced across southern and eastern England.

The Met Office noted how many areas recorded only around half their normal spring rainfall, with some locations receiving as little as a quarter of the seasonal average.

Recently, the weather has taken a sharp turn, with a heatwave across the UK over the last few days.

Rare red weather warnings were issued for parts of central and southern England, as well as parts of Wales, warning of ‘extreme heat’.

The UK has recently seen temperatures break June records dating back to the infamous summer of 1976.

How to avoid mosquito bites in the UK

Dr Kristan recommended a number of steps people can take to reduce the risk of being bitten.

She said: “To protect yourself from bites, wear insect repellent and cover your skin with long sleeves, plus wear socks in the evening as mosquitoes like biting around ankles.”

She also warned that climate change could increase the risk of invasive mosquito species becoming established in the UK, raising the potential for transmission of diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, and Zika.

While Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito) is currently not present in the UK, eggs have been detected here.

Dr Kristan said: “At the moment, there’s a low risk of bites from UK mosquitoes spreading serious illness, but we have to be alert to the threat of new disease-carrying mosquito species as climate change makes Britain a more attractive place for mosquitoes to survive and thrive.”

Aedes aegypti (Egyptian mosquito) is also not currently present in the UK.

However, modelling studies suggest that, by the 2060s, the climate in London and surrounding areas will most likely help the endemic transmission of dengue fever.

Dengue, which is already present in parts of Europe, including the Mediterranean, causes flu-like symptoms, including high temperature, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, and muscle and joint pain.

Malaria is not currently endemic in the UK.

Around 2,000 imported cases are recorded annually among travellers returning from high-risk regions.

Have you ever been bitten by a mosquito? Let us know in the comments.

Today is set to be another stifling day with soaring temperatures – but things are about to change

After a sweltering and uncomfortable few days, Greater Manchester was treated to spectacular display of thunder and lightning overnight.

However, today is set to be another hot one but there will be a welcome shift in the weather over the weekend.

Today (Friday) there are still weather warnings all over the country. A Met Office amber warning for extreme heat remains in place for large parts of the country, including Greater Manchester, until midnight tonight.

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There is also a yellow warning in place for thunderstorms for the north of England, Wales, and the south west of the country up until 10pm tonight. In parts of the south east, a rare Met Office red warning for extreme heat are in place until 9pm.

Temperatures in Greater Manchester are high today, expected to reach around 32C by early to mid-afternoon in Manchester.

After some rain earlier this morning, the Met Office says patchy showers, possibly thundery, to the north will move off through the morning, along with any high cloud.

Tonight things are still going to be muggy and uncomfortable with minimum temperatures of 17C, with chances of light rain in the early morning.

Saturday is forecast for a cloudy start which will lift through the day. It will still be hot and dry but temperatures will be slightly down on recent days, with maximum temperatures of around 25C.

Sunday is set to see a welcome break in the incessant heat. Fresher and cooler conditions are forecast as is rain first thing which will clear later on.

A significant temperature drop is expected with temperatures dropping significantly to around 20C during the hottest parts of the afternoon. Sunday night is set to be cooler with temperatures around a more comfortable 14C.

Monday and Tuesday are forecast to be mostly dry with sunny spells, with temperatures a little above average.

Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) has referred itself to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and is investigating whether all the workers had a legitimate reason for looking at his information

An inquiry has been launched after the medical records of a three-year-old boy injured in a crocodile pit were accessed by approximately 40 hospital staff members.

Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) has referred itself to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and is examining whether all the members of staff had a valid reason for viewing his personal information.

The boy, who is from Cambridgeshire, ended up in a zoo’s crocodile enclosure and is currently in a stable condition. He was rushed to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, which is managed by CUH, last Thursday following the incident at Johnsons of Old Hurst.

A 30-year-old man from Norfolk was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and subsequently bailed after he was “assessed as not being fit for interview”. The suspect is reported to have learning difficulties and had been visiting the attraction with carers at the time.

A CUH spokesperson said: “We have strict policies in place to safeguard patient data and we take any breach extremely seriously. We know the vast majority of our 13,000 staff understand the fundamental importance of maintaining patient confidentiality and uphold the highest professional standards.

“Where any member of staff is found to have accessed patient records without legitimate clinical or operational reasons we take robust disciplinary action, including dismissal. As part of our response to any breach, we notify both the ICO and apologise to patients and their families affected.”

Cambridgeshire Police confirmed on Monday that the boy was “no longer critical” and was “in a stable condition in hospital”. It is believed he was attacked by at least one crocodile after allegedly being thrown into the enclosure.

Officers were alerted to the zoo at 1.24pm on Thursday (June 18) by the ambulance service following reports that a three-year-old boy had sustained serious injuries.

Cambridgeshire Police stated the boy “sustained serious injuries while in the enclosure” and “was pulled out by staff from the zoo”. Tracey Johnson, wife of the zoo owner, is reported to have jumped into the enclosure to rescue the child.

Last week, a former healthcare worker received a caution from the ICO for attempting to obtain and sell the medical records of the Princess of Wales.

‘Opening the loft hatch gives all that trapped warm air upstairs somewhere to go’

It’s absolutely sweltering and there are a host of tips people are being given to reduce the heat in homes. The UK has been hit by a severe heatwave – with temperatures predicted to hit 39C and ‘ tropical nights’ meaning few people are getting any sleep.

One expert said that people can used their loft to act as a funnel which draws the heat out of the home – and makes the upstairs cool quickly. The theory is if you have a loft, then open the hatch – and if there’s a window open that too.

Because heat rises it’s drawn out. On Instagram interior and building tips account house_by_luna said: “Open the attic hatch when it’s boiling hot upstairs… sounds mad, but it actually works and the hot trapped air is released. Thermostat dropped instantly.”

One skeptical followed said: “Is your attic not boiling too though? We were up in ours and it’s way way hotter than the house cause of wool insulation?” house_by_luna replied: “Turns out there’s a simple reason this works. The hot air rises. Opening the loft hatch gives all that trapped warm air upstairs somewhere to go, and if your loft is ventilated, some of that heat can escape altogether.”

Followers were interested with one saying: “Ooh great idea. Another added: “Oh wow I need to try this.”

On the BBC an expert said: “Hot air rises within houses, so if you have loft vents or windows you can open them to release some of the heat. The hot air can otherwise get trapped on the second floor, where you may be trying to sleep.

“Extra insulation can also help keep heat out in the summer, as well as reducing your energy bills and usage in the winter.”

Ideal Home added: “Opening your loft hatch can be a surprisingly effective way to cool your home. Heat naturally rises, which means the top floor is often the warmest part of the house. By opening the hatch, you’re giving that trapped hot air a route to escape, helping to bring down the overall temperature indoors

“If your loft has a window, opening it alongside other windows around the house can improve airflow, drawing cooler air through and allowing heat to vent from the highest point. This is especially efficient if your loft is insulated at rafter level.

“Despite being a common feature in many homes, loft hatches are often overlooked as a way to manage heat. If your home feels uncomfortably warm, opening the hatch as soon as possible can make a real difference.”

During hot weather, you should never open your windows as it can allow hot air into your home. Instead, opening your loft hatch allows the hot air to escape without letting any more into your home. When really hot, it’s also recommended to shut your blinds and curtains.

Russian air defenses intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones in a major nighttime attack on 12 Russian regions as well as the Russia-held Crimean peninsula, the Black Sea and the Azov Sea, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Friday.

It appeared to be one of the biggest drone attacks on Russian regions and the illegally annexed Crimea since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago.

In an effort to turn the tables on Russia’s grinding war of attrition, Ukrainian long-range drones have for months been battering targets, including oil production and energy facilities, behind the front line and deep inside Russia. The campaign has choked Russian fuel supplies and military deliveries, stalling Russia’s efforts on the battlefield, Western officials and analysts say, and heaped pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The major attack came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X that he had ordered “a 40-day influence operation,” believed to mean an escalation of attacks, aimed at “compelling (Russia) to end the war” after U.S. peace efforts over the past year yielded no breakthrough.

A Russian chemical plant is reportedly hit

In the Tula region just south of Moscow, a private house was damaged by the attack and a woman was wounded, Tula Gov. Dmitry Milyaev said in an online statement as reports of damage caused by the attack began to emerge.

He also said a power line was damaged and an unspecified industrial facility in the city of Novomoskovsk.

Russian independent online outlet Astra reported that a chemical plant and a hydroelectric plant in Novomoskovsk were attacked and caught fire. The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify the report, and there was no official confirmation.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin also reported that 47 Ukrainian drones were downed as they flew toward the Russian capital. He did not report any casualties or damage.

Ukraine says 2 civilians were killed in Russian attacks

Two people were killed and seven others injured in Russian attacks on the northeastern Kharkiv region over the previous 24 hours, regional head Oleh Syniehubov said Friday.

Russian forces struck the city of Kharkiv and 16 other settlements across the region using guided aerial bombs and drones of various types, Syniehubov said.

Ukraine’s Defense Forces overnight stopped 174 of 189 Russian drones, the Ukrainian air force said. However, four of seven Iskander-M ballistic missiles that were fired got through air defenses and struck various locations, it said.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Roksana Lecka, 23, was jailed last September for abusing kids aged as young as ten months at two nurseries.

A “sadistic” nursery worker who abused 21 babies while high on drugs is now living abroad free from prison despite only serving 14 months of an eight year sentence. Authorities in Poland admitted Roksana Lecka, 23, was not detained after she was deported under the UK Government‘s Early Removal Scheme.

Lecka was jailed in September 2025 for pinching, punching and kicking babies as young as 10 months old at two nurseries in west London over several months. In February, she was deported to Poland as part of the scheme.

But officials in her home country claim they were powerless to detain her when she landed. According to reports in Poland, Lecka was not entered into the relevant criminal databases or international alert systems in a way that would have allowed officers to detain her.

As there was no official documentation from the UK and no corresponding entries in national or international law-enforcement systems, border guards in Poland were forced to process her under normal entry procedures, reports the Mirror. Major Dagmara Bielec, of the Nadwislanski Border Guard Unit, reportedly told local media: “A Polish citizen expelled from Great Britain has returned to the country, but her arrival did not take place under any of the formal international co-operation procedures in force between Poland and Great Britain.”

Lecka’s current whereabouts are unknown but she is understood to have landed in Warsaw on February 5. Her crimes included kicking a child in the face repeatedly during months of “gratuitous” and “sadistic” violence which took place between 2023 and 2024.

She was jailed for eight years after admitting seven counts of cruelty to a person under the age of 16 and being convicted of a further 14. Lecka is also banned from returning to the UK. Judge Sarah Plaschkes KC said during sentencing that Lecka “pinched, slapped, punched, smacked and kicked” children, “pulled their ears, hair and their toes”, and toppled them “headfirst into cots” causing bruising and lingering red marks.

She said: “Often the child would be quietly and happily minding its own business before you deliberately inflicted pain, causing the child to cry, arch, try to get away or writhe in distress. Time after time you calmly watched the pain and suffering you have caused. Your criminal conduct can properly be characterised as sadistic.”

Concerned parents and staff raised the alarm after finding bruising and scratches on children who had been in Lecka’s care. Police investigating her crimes discovered CCTV footage of her scratching and pinching children under their clothes, on their arms, legs and stomachs.

Parents of her victims later told a court of their feelings of heartbreak, guilt and distrust and described Lecka as the “worst kind of human”. The fiend, who was living in Hounslow, South West London, attempted to defend her actions, carried out at Riverside Nursery in Twickenham, which is now closed, and Little Munchkins in Hounslow, by claiming she was sleep-deprived and hooked on cannabis and vapes.

It was unclear at the time of her deportation whether Lecka would continue her sentence in a Polish jail and parents subsequently spoke out about their horror that she could be free upon returning to Poland. One father whose son was physically abused by Lecka said at the time her deportation after serving just 14 months, which included time on remand, was “completely inappropriate” and “really hard to swallow”.

He told the BBC: “We felt it undermined all that time and emotion that had gone into the trial. Preparing our witness statements and our victim-impact statements, going through the trauma of that whole investigation and trial, to get a sentence brought a sense of closure and we could all move on from it.

“But then for that sentence not to be served, it was a bit of a hollow feeling.” The victim’s father claimed there is “too much focus on cost savings, rather than upholding the principles of the system”.

Another parents reportedly added: “The expectation obviously was that that sentence would be served. And it now appears it’s not going to be. The reasoning behind custodial sentences, theoretically, is punishment for the offender, some form of rehabilitation and a deterrent to it happening again.

“In this case, the punishment hasn’t been served. It’s unclear if there’s been any rehabilitation. And in terms of a deterrent, if foreign nationals know that effectively they won’t even have to serve that sentence, then I don’t think that deterrent is there either. It just makes the process feel slightly pointless.”

Lib Dem MP Munira Wilson raised the issue in Parliament saying that Lecka’s victims’ parents had not been told whether Lecka would continue to serve the rest of her eight-year sentence or go free. She called for information regarding Lecka’s release terms.

She also wrote to the Home Office but Ms Wilson was told by ministers that, due to time on remand before her trial, Lecka had become eligible for deportation on 7 October 2025 – less than a fortnight after receiving her eight-year sentence.

Alex Norris, minister for border security and asylum said in a letter to the MP: “Whilst Lecka is not required to serve the remainder of her sentence in Poland, we have made Polish law enforcement aware of her convictions so that appropriate safeguarding actions can be taken by the Polish authorities.”

However, according to reports in Poland, the authorities there are unable to monitor her movements or warn childcare institutions about her past convictions and there are even fears she could find a new job working with children.

Last month, a Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “These were appalling crimes, and our thoughts remain with the victims and their families. This Government is deporting foreign national offenders at pace, with more than 5,000 deported last year – a 14 per cent increase on the previous year.”

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Avengers: Endgame is getting re-released with new footage ahead of the next film in the franchise, Avengers: Doomsday – and it looks set to end Avatar’s reign as the highest-grossing film of all time.

The new cut of Endgame – which will officially be titled Avengers: Endgame Encore – has been described as a “critical companion story” to the forthcoming Avengers film, which is going to be released in December and will reintroduce Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr as a villain.

Disney announced the news to cinema exhibitors at CineEurope in Barcelona, who are hoping it’ll prove a big draw when it arrives; Endgame is currently the second highest-grossing film of all time, with box office takings of $2.797bn.

The film overtook the current number one, fantasy epic Avatar (2009), when it was first released in 2019, but an Avatar re-release pushed James Cameron’s film back into pole position in 2021, with overall takings of $2,923bn. Both films are owned by Disney.

Avengers: Endgame Encore will have to pull in $127m to become the most successful film ever, which looks like an easy task considering the film will feature scenes “set in the Doomsday story” and will “create a bridge” between both films “in a very unique way”.

Alongside the additional footage, the film will feature a special end tag exclusive to Infinity Vision, a new screen experience in the world’s largest theatres.

Doomsday will have one of the most packed ensembles in film history, bringing back the majority of every main Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) superhero introduced since 2008, as well as several stars of the X-Men franchise, including Sir Ian McKellen and James Marsden.

Downey Jr, who previously starred as Iron Man in the MCU, will play the antagonist Doctor Doom. His return will arrive seven years after Avengers: Endgame, which saw him leave the MCU.

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The bumper cast also features several other returning stars, such as Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Anthony Mackie (Falcon/Captain America), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes), Tom Hiddleston (Loki) and Letitia Wright (Black Panther’s Shuri).

Captain America star Chris Evans, who left the MCU in Endgame, will also return – but he’s credited as Steve Rogers, and not his superhero alter ego.

Directing brothers Anthony and Joe Russo called the film “bigger than anything we have ever done”.

“This movie is, to say the least, a big one for us,” they said in a presentation reel released at Disney convention D23 in August. “We are bringing together so many of your favourite heroes to face one of the greatest threats to the MCU.”

Avengers: Endgame Encore will arrive in November, while Avengers: Doomsday will be released on 18 December 2026.