Royal Ascot has been scrubbed off Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie’s social calandar with the Palace reportedly banning them from the event in light of their parents, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and Sarah Ferguson’s links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
It’s a sad and cruel blow for the sisters, who until now have considered the horse racing event in June — a favourite of their grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II — a basic normality of their existence. This was the place where the “blood princesses” could not only show their support for the wider family, but also show off some wild and wacky headgear too.
But it’s over. No longer will they join senior royals in the royal procession in fancy carriages or take their seats in the royal box. In a situation described succinctly by friends of the princesses as a “never-ending sh** show” regarding their parents, this latest move has “blindsided” them, according to the Mail on Sunday. And it doesn’t stop at a day at the races either. They are not invited to any other royal events for the “foreseeable future”. How much worse can it get?
With millions of Epstein files still waiting released, the answer to that question suggests, probably a lot worse. And the sisters will be left to pick up the pieces of the shattered lives left in their wake.
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Whatever their father may deserve, it can’t have been much fun watching him being dragged by the police on suspicion of misconduct in public office. While the rest of the world may have revelled in the humiliation of the former prince as he was held at Aylsham Police Investigation Centre in Norfolk for 11 hours, the girls will have been left trying to explain it to his grandchildren.
And now thanks to their father’s public disgrace, Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, have been cast out in the cold even further than they could ever have imagined possible. Prince William reportedly already warned royals not to be photographed anywhere near them for the “rest of the year”.
The York brand is tarnished – and there is no escape for Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie (PA)
The only royal left in a possibly worse position is Prince Harry, who of course understands exactly how it feels to be persona non grata, and is rumoured to have offered his cousins a listening ear and a safe refuge at his Montecito home with his wife Meghan in California. This is the most intense family cooling-off session imaginable — and it must be blowing their minds.
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The sisters have their own, no doubt complicated, relationship with both their father and mother. They will need to make sense of any remaining sinew of loyalty to their disgraced parents, while disentangling themselves from the increasing horror of the situation.
My heart goes out to them — and yes I feel huge sympathy for their plight. I never thought I’d say that, or care so much, but the fact Beatrice and Eugenie, like me, have young children and are mums makes the shame and rumours swirling around family dysfunction and wrongdoing far worse.
How will they broach the ins and outs of their family madness with Beatrice’s daughters, Sienna, four, and Athena, one, as well as her nine-year-old stepson Edoardo, and Eugenie’s sons, August, five, and Ernest, two? How do you explain that they won’t see parts of their wider family in public anymore — unless it’s under the cover of darkness? It’s one thing reconciling their own egos and vanity with not being part of the royal “show” any more, but how do you explain this new “keep out of the way” lifestyle to their children?
While they are living this public reality, I know how painful it can be to feel like an outcast in an extended family. I became estranged from mine after a spat over my late dad’s will — and the toxic fallout had started years earlier when I was his sole carer. I also have to explain a milder version of this to my children every Christmas and at birthdays — and the sadness I feel about it is crushing.
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Princess Beatrice excitedly watches the King George V Stakes during Royal Ascot in 2025 (PA Wire)
They will feel like they are dragging their own families into a drama that is not of their making. Known to be polite and thoughtful, the York sisters have had to cope with the chaos their parents have brought since they were small.
On the surface it might all look like pretty dresses and tea parties at the palace, but the girls have endured a life marked by divorce, lewd public headlines, and a father known for his arrogant demeanour, alongside a grift-prone mother all their lives.
Despite Sarah calling herself and Andrew the “happiest divorced couple in the world” after separating and divorcing in 1996, it was clearly never the full picture. A childhood with a desperate, needy mother must have taken its toll on Beatrice and Eugenie. While Fergie would happily refer to herself and her girls as “The Tripod”, it hints that her daughters were propping her up instead of being parented properly.
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This might explain their own bad judgements. It has been reported that Beatrice helped advise her mother on how to get back into Epstein’s good books, and that she also encouraged her father to take part in the catastrophic Newsnight interview in 2019. There are fears that the princesses may have had indirect financial links to Epstein. Anything feels possible with Sarah and Andrew at the helm.
You only have to look at the family photo of the Yorks at Beatrice’s 18th birthday party at Royal Lodge in Windsor in 2006 — which Jeffrey Epstein attended — to realise how surreal their world was. Sarah, Beatrice and Eugenie, dressed in period costumes resembling something from Frozen, with Andrew in military attire, looked more like characters on the set of Bridgerton than members of a modern royal family.
Not only have they long been a laughing stock, now they are having to face the reality of seeing their father kneeling on all fours over a female lying on the floor and read how their mum once told Epstein that she was waiting for Eugenie to return from a “shagging weekend”. It just adds to dysfunction that they have had to endure all their lives.
The Epstein files shown revealed their mother told Epstein “Just marry me”, referred to him as the “brother I always wished for” and asked him “When are you going to employ me” . We now know they were reportedly taken to lunch with Epstein in 2009 at his Palm Beach home less than a week after he was released from prison for soliciting a child for prostitution. We also know Andrew sent photos of his daughters to Epstein in 2010 and 2011 of Beatrice climbing Mount Blanc and Eugenie in a charity bike ride.
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Of course what the girls are going through is nothing compared to the trauma of Epstein’s victims, who recall years of being used and abused and trafficked to some of the most powerful men in the world. But the shame of knowing your father was cosying up with a paedophile and having his sex life sliced and diced by millions is bound to cause deep shame and pain.
So where do they go from here?
At one point, Beatrice was rumoured to be preparing to move Sarah into a modest granny annexe at her Cotswolds home after she was reportedly forced out of Royal Lodge. Luckily for Beatrice, that never materialised. Instead, Sarah is believed to have travelled to the French Alps to stay with friends before later taking refuge at the world-renowned £13,000-a-day Paracelsus Recovery Clinic in Zurich, Switzerland, over a month ago.
How does any child come to terms with such parental betrayal and shame by association. I hope they both have access to strong emotional support and that, in time, can build happy and stable lives far removed from the current nightmare.
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I truly believe the best thing Beatrice and Eugenie could do is step away from royal life, relinquish the public burden of their titles, and focus fully on raising their families in a calm and stable environment — something they themselves were rarely afforded. They should devote their lives to meaningful work and ensure there is never even a whisper of hypocrisy in the paths they choose.
The sisters have survived a childhood defined by chaos, scandal, and parental misjudgements. Now, as mothers themselves, they face the cruel irony of protecting their own families from a world their parents helped to make so incredibly messy. Walking away from the glare of public life may not erase the past, but it will gift them something more precious: the chance to raise their children in calm, stability, and dignity — and finally live a life that belongs to them alone
Ms Everard, 33, who grew up in York, was raped and killed by then serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens. Couzens tricked her into thinking she could be arrested for breaking Covid lockdown rules as she walked home from a friend’s house in south London on March 3, 2021.
Ms Everard was a student at Fulford School before moving to London where she worked as a marketing executive.
In a statement issued by the force, Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said Ms Everard “should still be here”.
“What happened to her was a profound betrayal: of her, of her family and loved ones, and of every person who places their trust in policing,” Sir Mark said.
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He said the fact that Ms Everard was killed by a serving police officer was “as devastating today as it was in 2021”. “It was an unthinkable abuse of power and a total violation of the values that the Met, and policing stands for.
“On the day I heard what he had done, I felt devastated for the immense harm his actions caused to the trust that underpins our relationship with the communities we serve.
“What he did shook policing to its core. It made decent, dedicated officers and staff across the country furious that one of our own could commit such a monstrous crime.
“We will always be deeply sorry: for the unimaginable harm done to Sarah, for the trauma endured by her family – who have shown extraordinary dignity in the face of unbearable grief – and for the profound damage inflicted on the trust Londoners should be able to place in their police service.”
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Couzens was given a whole-life jail term at the end of his Old Bailey trial in September 2021, and the powerful victim impact statement made by Ms Everard’s mother led to the unmasking of another predator hiding in the ranks of the Met.
One of the victims of David Carrick was moved to come forward and make a report to the police, which eventually led to his conviction as a serial rapist.
The cases led to two damning reviews – one a report by Baroness Louise Casey in March 2023 that found the Met was institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic.
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Then an inquiry by Dame Elish Angiolini in February 2024 concluded that the Met and two other police forces could and should have stopped Couzens being a police officer.
Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley (Image: James Manning/PA Wire)
Sir Mark spearheaded efforts to clean up the Met, with 1,500 officers and staff having been sacked, resigned or retired in the past three years.
But in September last year he warned “toxic or corrupt networks or cliques” that might be resistant to change remained in the force.
It followed undercover reporting at Charing Cross police station by Panorama that led to accusations of excessive use of force and offensive discriminatory comments.
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We must continue to repair ‘damage inflicted on the trust of women and girls in policing’, says Met commissioner
Sir Mark said Ms Everard’s death “brought into sharp focus the need for a national reset in how policing, and society more widely, prioritises tackling violence against women and girls, as starkly illustrated by the Angiolini Review”.
“With the painful reality that far too many remain victim‑survivors and still do not feel safe, this anniversary is more than symbolic,” he added. “It is a reminder of our duty to the millions of women and girls who move through London every day with a right to feel protected, not fearful; respected, not dismissed; believed, not doubted.
“We know we have not always lived up to that responsibility and must continue to repair the damage inflicted on the trust of women and girls in policing.
“I don’t just see this as an operational priority – it is also a moral one, and one I am fiercely committed to.”
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Jess Phillips, minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, said: “Five years on from Sarah Everard’s tragic murder, my thoughts today are with her family and all those who loved her.
“I will do everything I can to ensure women and girls can live free from fear and harm – something Sarah was so cruelly denied.”
Addressing the outbursts during the event, host Alan said that Davidson had ‘no control’ over the outbursts. He explained: ‘You may have noticed some strong language in the background. This can be part of how Tourette’s syndrome shows up for some people, as the film explores that experience. Thanks for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone.’
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However, a week on he’s now shared a lengthy statement on social media addressing what unfolded.
‘It’s now a week since I hosted the BAFTAs,’ the 61-year-old Scottish actor began.
He said the racial slur controversy caused a ‘trauma triggering s***show’ (Picture: Stuart Wilson/ Bafta/ Getty Images for Bafta)
‘What should have been an evening celebrating creativity as well as diversity and inclusion turned into a trauma triggering s***show.
‘I’m so sorry for all the pain Black people have felt at hearing that word echoed round the world. I’m so sorry the Tourettes community has been reminded of the lack of understanding and tolerance that abounds regarding their condition.’
‘The only possible good that could come of this is a reminder that words matter, that rushing to judgment about things of which we are not fully cognisant is folly, that all trauma must be recognised and honoured.’
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Concluding his statement, Alan alluded to mistakes made by Bafta and the BBC.
‘We were all let down by decisions made to both broadcast slurs and censor free speech,’ he wrote, before offering his congratulations to ‘all the artists whose work was overshadowed by the night’s events’.
Soon after the event, Delroy said he and Jordan ‘did what we had to do’ while presenting, but he wished ‘someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterward’.
Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage when Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson yelled out the N-word (Picture: Stuart Wilson/ Bafta/ Getty Images for Bafta)
The day after the awards, John issued an apology saying he was ‘deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning.’
In an interview with Variety, he also explained that he had an ‘expectation’ the BBC would blur out his comments, also questioning why he’d been sat close by a microphone too.
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‘I had an expectation that the BBC would physically control the sound at the awards on Sunday. I was so far from the stage. From the lack of response from the early presenters to my tics, and with no one turning around to look at me, I assumed, like everyone else, that I could not be heard on the stage,’ he said.
‘The only time I became aware that my tic had reached the stage was when Delroy and Michael B. Jordan appeared to look up from their role as presenters, and soon after that I decided to leave the auditorium.’
Reflecting on his tics being broadcast, he explained that StudioCanal and Bafta had confirmed that ‘any swearing would be edited out of the broadcast’. ‘I have made four documentaries with the BBC in the past, and feel that they should have been aware of what to expect from Tourette’s and worked harder to prevent anything that I said — which, after all, was some 40 rows back from the stage — from being included in the broadcast.
The day after the awards John said he was ‘deeply mortified’ (Picture: Aurore Marechal/ Bafta/ Getty Images for Bafta)
‘As I reflect on the auditorium, I remember there was a microphone just in front of me, and with hindsight I have to question whether this was wise, so close to where I was seated, knowing I would tic.’
Last week Bafta also issued an ‘unreserved apology’ for the ‘very offensive language that carries incomparable trauma and pain for so many’.
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‘We take full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation and we apologise to all. We will learn from this and keep inclusion at the core of all we do, maintaining our belief in film and storytelling as a critical conduit for compassion and empathy,’ it said.
Meanwhile the BBC has also apologised, while its Executive Complaints Unit will now complete a ‘fast-tracked investigation’ into the incident.
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A motion calling on North Yorkshire Council bosses to urgently reconsider their plan to permanently shut Whitby’s historic Cliff Lift in the interest of residents and visitors has been passed unanimously.
At a packed meeting on Monday (March 2) dozens of residents gathered at Whitby Pavilion and told councillors that the landmark lift “is not a luxury, it’s a necessity”.
The lift on Whitby’s North Terrace, which opened in 1931, has been out of service since 2022 due to corrosion and water ingress, with “worst-case” repair costs estimated at £5.5 million.
The cost of the options to decommission the lift ranges from £199,000 to £538,000.
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Cllr David Chance, who used to work at the Cliff Lift in 1964, said: “It was always damp in the tunnel.
“I think the £5 million figure has been plucked out of the air to justify inaction. I think that was the aim of Scarborough Borough Council to kick it down the road.
Scarborough And Whitby Area Committee 02.03.26. Courtesy Numminen/Ldrs
“I’m absolutely convinced that it should be repaired.”
Speaking at the meeting, a local resident said that the council’s replacement bus service – the future of which is uncertain – was not adequate for elderly people and those with disabilities and asked: “How is it right to deny many people with disabilities access to our beautiful Blue Flag beach?”
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Chris Bourne, the council’s head of harbours and coastal infrastructure, said the council was not denying disabled people access to the beach and that slipways and ramps could also be used.
Cllr Rich Maw said “we cannot row back on accessibility options”.
He added: “NYC has accrued capital in reserves, and we should send a message to the executive that it has to commit to restoring the lift.”
Whitby Cliff Lift. Google Maps
Councillors also highlighted the importance of maintaining the lift in a town where tourism is of major economic importance and which “benefits the rest of the county”.
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Cllr Janet Jefferson said: “We have to preserve our economy and employment.”
Former chairman of the British Resorts Association, Cllr David Jeffels, said: “We need to look at the wider picture.
“I think a case can be made for making the Cliff Lift a heritage feature, where everyone can go, not just disabled people and the elderly. In Scarborough, we lost the cliff lift on the North Bay, and it’s still sorely missed decades later.”
A motion was passed recognising the importance of the historic heritage asset for Whitby and “requesting that the executive looks again at the Cliff Lift with a view to repairing and reopening it”.
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The motion added that there was a “lack of information to support robust decision-making” and an up-to-date survey with robust costings and a business plan should be completed to “ensure the valuable asset remains as a going concern for residents and visitors of Whitby”.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive committee is set to make a decision on the Cliff Lift’s future at a meeting on March 17.
A Minnesota prosecutor announced an investigation Monday that may lead to charges against federal officers, including Border Patrol official Greg Bovino, for misconduct during an immigration enforcement crackdown.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a news conference that her office is already looking into 17 cases, including one where Bovino threw a smoke canister at protesters on Jan. 21. Another on Jan. 7 involved federal officers making an arrest outside a high school and deploying chemical irritants while students and staff were in the area.
“Make no mistake, we are not afraid of the legal fight, and we are committed to doing this correctly,” Moriarty said. “Operation Metro Surge caused immeasurable harm to our community.”
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration enforcement, responded in a statement Monday night that such enforcement is a federal responsibility and states cannot prosecute federal officers.
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“What these States are trying to do is unlawful, and they know it,” the statement said. “Federal officials acting in the course of their duties are immune from liability under state law.”
The statement added that local officials should instead consider how their actions have endangered federal law enforcement officers.
A message to Bovino seeking his response was not immediately returned.
Bovino, who emerged as a key figure in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations, is known for bringing aggressive tactics to crackdowns in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Chicago and Los Angeles. In Chicago, federal officers frequently deployed chemical irritants as crowd control measures in residential neighborhoods, and a judge ordered Bovino to wear a body camera and appear in court daily to answer questions about the crackdown. That order was overturned before his first mandated appearance.
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Officers at times took a forceful approach to corralling protesters in Minneapolis-St. Paul and detained numerous people blowing whistles and recording arrests.
Bovino was eventually removed from his leading role in the Minnesota effort after federal officers fatally shot 37-year-old mother Renee Good and 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti on different days in January, leading to nationwide demonstrations and criticisms of DHS use-of-force policies.
Moriarty’s office has set up an online portal where photos, videos and eyewitness accounts from any point during Operation Metro Surge can be uploaded.
The Trump administration has defended federal officers, but Moriarty is making clear that her office is “collecting evidence about all sorts of possible crimes,” said Rachel Moran, a professor of criminal law and policing at University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis.
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In cases where officers unjustifiably used chemical weapons, threw people to the ground or smashed car windows, Moran said as examples, prosecutors may be investigating assault or property damage.
“These would be situations where the state has to determine: Is there evidence that agents acted unlawfully and outside the scope of their authorized duties?” Moran said. “I think agents did illegal things here. I watched it.”
Though federal officers conducted immigration enforcement throughout the Twin Cities, Moriarty’s investigation will only focus on incidents in Hennepin county, which includes Minneapolis and many of its suburbs.
Her office is also investigating the deaths of Good and Pretti, and she is “confident” they will be able to pursue charges. She said Monday that her office is prepared to sue the federal government to get the evidence she has requested for the investigations if she does not hear from them by Tuesday.
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“The question is, should we charge in federal court? Do we expect the federal government to obstruct us? I would say they’re already doing that,” Moriarty said.
The Department of Justice opened a civil rights inquiry into Pretti’s death, but said it saw no reason for a civil rights investigation of Good’s death. The Federal Bureau of Investigations barred state investigators from accessing evidence in her case.
The DOJ and FBI did not immediately return requests for comment.
While Moriarty addressed the challenges her office would face in bringing charges against federal agents, she said they are committed to transparency and accountability.
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Mark Osler, who served as director of the criminal division for a year under Moriarty in 2023 and 2024, said regardless of whether there are charges, he thinks the public can look forward to more clarity.
“One of the most important roles that prosecution has … is truth-telling, is to bring to the surface what actually happened at a given time,” said Osler, who is currently a law professor at University of St. Thomas. “We’ll all know more than just what we saw in those initial videos by the time she’s done. I’m confident of that.”
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Raza reported from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Fingerhut reported from Des Moines, Iowa.
Discussing the PM, he said: “He has not been helpful. I never thought I’d see that. I never thought I’d see that from the UK. We love the UK. This was the most solid relationship of all. And now we have very strong relationships with other countries in Europe..
“It’s also not such a recognisable country. I mean, you look at what happened over the last period of time and it’s very different. London is a very different place, with a terrible Mayor. You have a terrible Mayor there, some terrible people. But it’s a very different place.”
Speaking just days after Labour slumped to third in Gorton and Denton, Mr Trump wished the PM “luck” in turning things around. Suggesting the PM “has got his own difficulties”, he continued: “The people of the UK, who I have a great relationship with, who I love, are sorry to hear it also… I don’t get it. But you know what? I just… I wish him a lot of luck.”
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There have been other very sharp declines in stock market prices, but most of them have taken longer to shed their valuation. In 2002 the DJIA shed 27%, with FTSE easing by 23%. These losses were due largely to the ‘fall out’ from ‘9/11’ terrorist attacks in September of the previous year. Then came the banking crises of 2008/9. The DJIA lost 18.2% of its value between 6th and 10th October 2008. It hit a market low of 6,469.95 on March 6, 2009, having lost over 54% of its value since the 9th October, a 2007 high. The FTSE also experienced a torrid time, shedding 18.2% in value in 2008.
Food security worries are the perennial objection to large-scale solar projects, with critics claiming they gobble up farmland that might otherwise be used for agriculture. However, new work by Canadian researchers backs the growing consensus that the opposite is true: solar can boost harvests rather than hinder them.
A team led by Prof Joshua Pearce from Ontario’s Western University found that agrivoltaic systems – where crops grow beneath solar arrays – create a shady microclimate which shields plants from heatwaves, hail and other weather extremes. The setup also improves soil health and fuels nutrient recycling.
Interestingly, Pearce’s team found the microclimate is even more favourable when the panels are not in use, meaning even decommissioned solar farms could still provide a windfall for farmers.
Modelling suggests passive agri-cultural shading from unpowered panels could lift crop yields to the tune of $580bn (£435bn) worldwide.
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“Decommissioned or unpowered arrays should not be dismissed as obsolete but rather reconsidered as durable agronomic assets,” wrote Pearce. “These systems can continue to support soil conservation, reduce crop heat stress and sustain livestock grazing even beyond their energy-producing lifespans.”
Main image: Lisa Miri
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For some parts of the world, the full Moon will be visible as it undergoes a total lunar eclipse, becoming what is known as a Blood Moon.
A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth moves directly between the Sun and Moon, casting a shadow onto the Moon’s surface. During this, the Moon can turn a rusty red colour, which is where it gets it nickname, the Blood Moon.
Those most likely to see the phenomenon include observers in parts of North America, South America, East Asia, and Australia.
The full eclipse starts on Tuesday morning at 11.04 GMT and concludes at 12:02 GMT. It’s estimated that almost a third of the world’s population will see the total phase.
WITH the warmer and sunnier weather has come the beautiful sound of birdsong, slowly growing into a chorus from the stalwart solos of those few birds who have kept us company over the winter.
Glancing out of the window of a morning, you might spot a blackbird foraging its way through the undergrowth, a robin singing its heart out on a fence, and – in the next few weeks – chiffchaffs and swifts making a return to our shores.
It may seem contradictory as a result that visitors to Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s reserves in recent months may have noticed the number of artificial bird feeders on-site decreasing. Historically there have been bird feeders present on a number of our nature reserves – Adel Dam, Potteric Carr and North Cave Wetlands to name a few.
The Trust is very aware that these bird feeders are popular with visitors because of the more guaranteed opportunity to spot some of our reserves’ more enthusiastic and colourful birds like goldfinches, great tits and nuthatches, and because of the greater ease they offer for keen wildlife photographers.
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Our decision to remove bird feeders from our sites has been made for a number of reasons. We want to encourage natural behaviours and food sources in our wild spaces, and research has shown that having feeders can boost some populations to the detriment of others.
Common species like great tits and blue tits use feeders, but rare and declining species like willow tit, which still has a stronghold here in Yorkshire, do not. Having feeders means we get more great tits and blue tits on our reserves, and these out compete the rarer species like willow tits that really rely on reserves to survive.
Blue tit on feeder. Photo – Gillian Day
In addition, feeding stations have been shown to be a factor in the spread of avian infectious diseases in the UK, such as trichomonosis, salmonellosis, avian pox and papillomatosis.
Where there are strong conservation reasons to keep feeding birds on reserves we will do so – for example, where there are colonies of rarer tree sparrows that do use bird feeders and need support. However, as a general rule we will be removing all feeding stations on our reserves. We would ask visitors to respect this and not bring food onto nature reserves themselves.
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Bird feeding at home
Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is not asking you to stop feeding birds in your own garden! Our gardens are a vital space for our garden wildlife to find food and shelter over the winter months, and we will still make high quality bird food and feeders available in our Nature Discovery Centres.
We know that watching birds at home is a great joy to many of us, and an important way to connect with nature.
However, we would encourage you to follow some good practice guidelines. Most important is hygiene; feeders should be cleaned weekly, or at least between ‘top-ups’. You should use an animal-safe disinfectant and scrub them clean – make your life easier here by using good quality feeders that can be easily taken apart and put back together again!
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It is also worth periodically moving where your feeders are situated. This stops the build up of debris and droppings in one place and makes it harder for predators to target a single spot. Research has shown that flat feeders such as tables and window feeders have a much higher risk of spreading disease, so we would suggest not using this type of feeder. If you do, again it is vital you keep it clean.
Clean drinking water is one of the most valuable things you can provide wildlife in your garden, but again this should be changed daily with the bowl cleaned regularly. It is also worth considering only feeding in late autumn and winter when natural food supplies are lower; in spring and summer, especially when feeding chicks, natural food sources are better.
If you’re looking for more wildlife-friendly gardening tips, please check out our ‘Wildlife Gardening Hub’ webpage; it’s filled with toolkits, guides and more, as well as information on how to apply for our wildlife gardening award.
As we leap into a welcome spring, please continue to enjoy visiting Yorkshire’s wild spaces and keeping an eye out for some of our loveliest and brightest avian friends; whether you’re rambling your way along one of our many miles of reserves paths, or tucked up at home watching the world go by through your living room window.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. State Department evacuations of non-emergency personnel and family reached six nations Tuesday with the inclusion of the United Arab Emirates.
The UAE, home to Dubai and Abu Dhabi and long considered a safe corner of the Middle East, has been dragged into the Iran war with interceptions and attacks.
The other countries include Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan. Kuwait and Qatar.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Airstrikes targeting an air base in southeastern Iran killed at least 13 Iranian troops there, local media reported.
The semiofficial Tasnim news agency and the Hammihan daily newspaper reported the strike in Kerman, 800 kilometers (500 miles) southeast from Iran’s capital, Tehran. The Kerman Air Base is known to house military helicopters.
Earlier, Iran struck the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia’s capital with a drone early Tuesday as it kept hitting targets around the region, while the United States and Israel pounded Iran with airstrikes in what U.S. President Donald Trump suggested was just the start of a relentless campaign that could last more than a month.
The attack from two drones on the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh caused a “limited fire” and minor damage, according to Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry, and the embassy urged Americans to avoid the compound. It followed an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait, which announced Tuesday it had been closed until further notice. The U.S. State Department also ordered the evacuation of non-emergency personnel and family in Kuwait, as well as Bahrain, Iraq, Qatar and Jordan as a precaution.
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Across Iran’s capital, explosions rang out throughout the night into the early morning, with witnesses describing hearing aircraft overhead. It was not immediately clear what had been hit. And in Lebanon, Israel launched more strikes on Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia group, and said its soldiers are “operating in southern Lebanon.” Explosions could be heard and smoke seen in a southern suburb of Beirut.
The expansion of Iranian retaliation across the Gulf and the intensity of the Israeli and American attacks, the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the lack of any apparent exit plan portend a possibly prolonged conflict with far-reaching consequences.
Many countries deemed safe havens in the Mideast have been hit by Iran in retaliation for the U.S. and Israeli strikes, with recent targets including two Amazon data centers in the United Arab Emirates and a drone impact near another in Bahrain that caused damage, the company said Tuesday. Iran has also hit energy facilities in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and attacked several ships Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil traded passes, sending global oil and natural gas prices soaring.
“The Strait of Hormuz is closed,” declared Iranian Brig. Gen. Ebrahim Jabbari, an adviser to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, threatening to set fire to any ships attempting to transit. “Don’t come to this region.”
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The U.S. State Department urged U.S. citizens to leave more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries due to safety risks, as have many other countries, though with much of the airspace closed many remain stranded.
Trump said operations are likely to last four to five weeks but that he was prepared “to go far longer than that.”
He later added on social media that the U.S. had a “virtually unlimited supply” of munitions and pre-positioned “high grade weaponry.”
“Wars can be fought ‘forever,’ and very successfully, using just these supplies,” he wrote.
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Hundreds dead in Iran and dozens in Lebanon along with 11 in Israel
The Iranian Red Crescent Society said the U.S.-Israeli operation has killed at least 555 people. In Israel, where several locations were hit by Iranian missiles, 11 people were killed. Israel’s retaliatory strikes against Hezbollah killed 52 people in Lebanon.
“Military escalation would force more families from their homes and hit civilians hard,” said Amy Pope, director general of the International Organization on Migration as she called Tuesday for the international community to press for de-escalation.
“Millions are already displaced in the region,” she said.
The U.S. military has confirmed six deaths of American service members. All six were Army soldiers in a logistics unit in Kuwait, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
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Three people were killed in the United Arab Emirates, and one each in Kuwait and Bahrain.
The chaos of the conflict became apparent when the U.S. military said Kuwait had “mistakenly shot down” three American fighter jets while Iran was attacking it with aircraft, ballistic missiles and drones. U.S. Central Command said all six pilots ejected safely.
Israel and U.S. target nuclear facilities and missile infrastructure
Iranian state TV said strikes caused two explosions early Tuesday at a broadcasting facility in Tehran, but said no one was injured.
Reza Najafi, Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, told reporters that airstrikes targeted the Natanz nuclear enrichment site on Sunday.
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“Their justification that Iran wants to develop nuclear weapons is simply a big lie,” he said.
Israel and the U.S. have not acknowledged strikes at the site, which the U.S. bombed in the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June. Israel has said it is targeting the “leadership and nuclear infrastructure.”
Trump said the military campaign’s objectives are to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities, wipe out its navy, prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon and ensure that it cannot continue to support allied groups like Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which fired missiles at Israel on Monday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintained, however, that Iran was rebuilding “new sites, new places” underground for making atomic bombs in an interview broadcast late Monday on Fox News Channel’s Hannity.
“We had to take the action now and we did,” said Netanyahu, who offered no evidence to support his claim.
Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press showed limited activity at two nuclear sites in Iran before the war. Analysts said Tehran was likely assessing damage from the 2025 U.S. strikes and possibly salvaging what remained.
Attacks on Iran have drawn in proxy forces from around region
The conflict has also spread to Lebanon, where the Iranian-supported militant group Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel on Monday, prompting Israel to retaliate.
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At least 52 people have been killed and 154 wounded so far, according to Lebanese authorities.
Israel hit Beirut with more airstrikes early Tuesday morning, saying it was targeting “Hezbollah command centers and weapons storage facilities.”
Hezbollah also said it launched drones targeting an Israeli air base. The Israeli military said it downed two drones.
An Iranian-linked militant in Iraq has also claimed strikes on U.S. military facilities there. The Israeli military said its troops operating in southern Lebanon were positioned at several points near the border in what it described as a “forward defense posture.”
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It said the deployment is part of a broader effort to increase security for residents in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon. It has also beefed up troops and air defenses in the area.
The army said there are no plans to evacuate Israeli residents of border areas.
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Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, Hallie Golden in Seattle, Washington and Giovanna Dell’Orto in Miami contributed to this report. Rising reported from Bangkok and Magdy from Cairo.
