Tearful teacher reveals Lindsay Clancy’s daughter’s concerning behavior just one day before killings

Fields, parks and lawns across Europe have turned to straw this summer. Landscapes thousands of years old have been revealed as green outlines against yellow backgrounds, where ancient underground walls and ditches retain enough water to sustain pockets of grass above them. Lawns and parklands have been especially affected because what water is available is being directed to homes and farms.

July was the driest month ever recorded in England and Wales, and droughts have affected parts of Britain in four of the last five years. As heatwaves become more frequent with global warming, this raises an uncomfortable question for a country that takes particular pride in its greenery: what happens to “England’s green and pleasant land” if summers like this become the norm?

The news isn’t all bad. As a group, grasses are good at surviving dry conditions, and their resilience has helped make them one of the most successful groups of plants on Earth. They now include more than 11,000 species and cover more than 40% of the Earth’s land area, from tropical savannas to Arctic steppe.

They are also much older than scientists once thought. The earliest fossil grasses date to around 55 million years ago, but distinctive mineral deposits in their leaves have since been found in fossilised dinosaur faeces from the late Cretaceous period so we now know that grasses were around tens of millions of years earlier.

Grasslands only spread across the world later, about 20 to 30 million years ago, when they took advantage of a climate that was becoming cooler and more arid. In those conditions, grasses could survive better than many other types of vegetation.

British grass is used to damp summers

The main grasses used in British lawns, however, are not necessarily as well adapted to dry conditions as some of their relatives elsewhere. But even species already native to northern Europe and well adapted to cool, damp conditions have ways of surviving drought. They can slow water loss from their leaves and, where possible, send roots deeper into the soil in search of moisture.

But under really dry conditions, such as those we are seeing at the moment, they have no choice but to shut down and wait for better conditions. They move what water remains to the parts of the plant that will produce new leaves, which are protected deep inside the outer leaves. These outer leaves dry out and die, giving some of their water to the critical growing parts, which survive and are ready to produce new leaves when it rains again. The growing centres also accumulate sugars that help draw in water and protect their cells from drying out.

That’s why a yellow lawn can be deceptive. After previous droughts, apparently dead expanses of stalks have slowly recovered when rain comes back. Our lawns will return this time too.

But they will still dry out again in future summers. In much of the world, grass is green in winter and yellow in summer. Is the British public willing to accept this as the norm? If not, it may make sense to introduce different varieties that are better adapted to warmer conditions, although these may be less suited to Britain’s colder months.

Weird weather, yellow grass

One problem is that it isn’t necessarily easy to guess what the new normal will be, or even if there will be one. Climate change isn’t just making the weather warmer, it is also making it less predictable, a phenomenon that has been called “global weirding”.

July 2026 in Britain was exceptionally dry, as it was in 2022, but rainfall was 70% above average in July 2023. Which do we plan for?

To some degree, people in Britain and similar countries could alter their lifestyles to adapt to new conditions if they are consistent (even if countries nearer to the equator cannot). But ultimately there’s no magic grass variety that will keep Britain green and pleasant whatever the weather. Instead, the public may need to accept that lawns will be yellow during dry summers. In a warmer, less predictable climate, adapting to the new environment may mean rethinking what we expect parks and gardens to look like.

Washington (AP) — U.S. airstrikes targeting Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen last year killed more than 150 civilians, according to a Pentagon review of the attacks, which comes as concerns rise over civilian casualties during military campaigns under the Trump administration.

The unclassified assessment, obtained by The Associated Press, was sent to Congress as part of an annual report on civilian casualties and reported earlier by NBC News. A Pentagon official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the department will submit the report in the coming months but had nothing more to announce.

The Pentagon review focused on three airstrikes in April 2025 that were launched during the U.S. campaign against the Houthis. The militants were attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea, a crucial global trade route that leads to the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean, as well as Israel.

Those strikes targeted hostile forces in or near Yemen’s rebel-held capital city of Sanaa as well as the Ras Isa port, the report said. A total of 153 civilians were killed and 243 were injured.

The strike on the port was the most deadly, killing 80 people and injuring 171 others. It sent massive fireballs billowing skyward and turned tanker trucks into burning wrecks. The Houthis aired graphic footage of the aftermath on their al-Masirah satellite news channel, showing corpses strewn about the port.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said at the time that the “strike was not intended to harm the people of Yemen.”

“U.S. forces took action to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue that has funded Houthi efforts to terrorize the entire region for over 10 years,” U.S. Central Command said in its statement in April 2025.

The command determined that the three strikes “more likely than not” resulted in civilian harm, the review said. The information was based on U.S. intelligence sources, imagery and open-source reporting.

Civilian casualties from U.S. military operations have drawn concerns, including from lawmakers in Congress, after a U.S. missile struck an Iranian primary school in the opening days of this year’s war, killing up to 168 people. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is said to have slashed the size of an office focused on reducing civilian harm, the AP has reported.

The Pentagon assessment comes as the Houthis are carrying out a growing number of strikes against government forces in Yemen and oil facilities in neighboring Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government, and the kingdom’s shipping in the Red Sea.

Fears are growing that the renewed violence could reignite Yemen’s civil war following a 2022 truce and open a new front in the Middle East war.

Stunning images show the solar eclipse as millions of people around the world gathered to witness Europe’s first total eclipse in 27 years.

Huge groups sat under clear skies in cities and towns across Spain Wednesday, equipped with folding lawn chairs, sun umbrellas, and hats while eagerly waiting for the celestial spectacle.

Vast crowds across a wide band of northern and central Spain had front-row seats for some of mainland Europe’s best viewing opportunities.

Narrow slivers of Iceland and Greenland were also positioned to observe the sun, moon, and Earth align, briefly casting portions of the planet into darkness.

The period of totality — when the moon completely covers the sun’s light — was projected to last under 2 1/2 minutes, peaking off the western coast of Iceland.

As the alignment moves toward a small slice of Portugal and into Spain just prior to sunset, totality will shrink to around a minute or so before concluding over the Mediterranean.

The celestial event happens when the moon passes in front of the sun, obscuring its light.

That produces a stunning ring of fire around the lunar surface, as well as eerie events such as the day dramatically dimming and confused birds singing.

The Iberian Peninsula last saw a total solar eclipse in 1912 and it is set to experience another on August 2, 2027, and an annular eclipse in January 2028, completing the so-called “Iberian Eclipse Trio.”

U.S. space agency NASA plans to fly a high-altitude WB-57 aircraft from Iceland to follow the Moon’s shadow, and NASA-funded teams will launch balloons to study how the sudden darkness and cooling affect the lower atmosphere.

The best solar eclipse in a generation has officially started, with skies beginning to darken over the UK.

If bad weather or a shortage of eclipse glasses have scuppered your viewing plans, there’s no need to worry.

You can follow along with the whole event by tuning into NASA‘s live broadcast below.

And you’ll even get a better view than anyone currently watching from the UK.

Most of the UK will see over 90 per cent of the sun vanish, but this stream will capture the moment of totality as the moon covers the entire face of the sun.  

From Britain, first contact – the moment the moon’s shadow first moves over the sun – starts shortly after 18:00, with maximum coverage an hour later.

However, NASA’s coverage will be coming live from the path of totality in Iceland and Spain, so expect slightly different timings.

The broadcast will launch at 18:15 BST, and the first glimpse of totality should come about 30 minutes later from NASA’s telescopes in Iceland. 

Britons have been left scrambling to get their hands on eclipse glasses, as shortages spark enormous queues. Pictured: Queues form outside the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich 

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While the UK is being treated to the best eclipse in over 27 years, true totality will only be visible in a narrow path between 108 and 122 miles (174 to 196 km) across.  

However, viewers of NASA’s livestream won’t just get one chance to witness totality. 

At 19:28 BST, shortly after maximum coverage in the UK, the space agency will broadcast footage of the totality from Spain.

Even more excitingly, NASA has also launched a WB–57 high–altitude jet to chase the totality.

A NASA–funded team will climb 50,000ft (9.5 miles) above the ground to escape the water vapour, clouds, and turbulence that could interfere with scientific readings.

Flying at 460 miles per hour (740 km/h), the jet will follow the moon’s shadow and stretch totality out to three minutes.

Meanwhile, a suite of four specialised cameras hidden in the nose–cone will snap images of the sun at least 20 times a second.

NASA hopes that this will reveal new information about the sun’s corona, the outer atmosphere of the sun which is normally hidden by the bright surface. 

Up to 96 per cent of the sun will be obscured during the eclipse, but NASA’s livestream will broadcast from the path of totality, revealing the spectacular total eclipse 

NASA will also be launching a high–altitude jet to chase the moon’s shadow, extending totality to three minutes and capturing scientific data about the sun’s atmosphere 

At the same time, the space agency will also be launching 80 scientific balloons in Iceland and six in Spain that will be gathering photos and atmospheric measurements.

Live commentary throughout the broadcast will be keeping you updated on all these scientific observations, so you can learn how researchers are making the most of this rare spectacle.

For an alternative viewing option, you can also tune into the Royal Observatory Greenwich’s live stream of the partial solar eclipse.

Astronomers will be recording the eclipse with one of their modern telescopes, so you can safely see what the eclipse looks like over London without your own eclipse glasses.

What is an eclipse?

Dr Shyam Balaji, an astrophysicist at King’s College London, told the Daily Mail: ‘During a total solar eclipse, the moon’s orbit puts it directly in front of the sun.

‘This obscures the sunlight that can pass directly towards the Earth, enabling us to see just the corona of the sun, which is the outer rim.’

Although the moon is between Earth and the sun every new moon, solar eclipses are much rarer, only occurring once every 18 months or so.

This is because the moon’s orbit is tilted by about five degrees relative to the plane on which the Earth travels around the sun.

That means that it is quite rare for all three bodies to be precisely lined up in such a way that the moon perfectly blocks the sun. 

In fact, it is only due to an incredible cosmic coincidence that such a perfect solar eclipse can occur on Earth.

While the moon is about 400 times smaller than the sun, it also happens to be about 400 times closer to Earth.

By pure chance, this allows the moon to perfectly obscure the sun, something which is completely unique in the solar system.

When is the next eclipse?

If you want to see another eclipse from the UK, the next good opportunity won’t be until November 14, 2050.

During that partial eclipse, over 80 per cent of the sun will be obscured from all parts of the UK except the far south and south west of England.

NASA’s broadcast will launch at 18:15 BST, and the first glimpse of totality should come about 30 minutes later from NASA’s telescopes in Iceland. Pictured: NASA researchers prepare equipment in Burgos, Spain 

However, if you want to see totality from the comfort of the UK, you’ll be waiting until September 23, 2090.

For less discerning eclipse chasers, there will be a few smaller partial eclipses in the coming years that could be worth seeing from Britain.

On June 1, 2030, viewers will be able to see 50 per cent of the sun obscured just after sunrise.

Then, on August 21, 2036, Britain will be treated to a partial eclipse obscuring 60 to 70 per cent of the sun. 

Outside of the UK, a rare ‘Ring of Fire’ eclipse will be visible in parts of South America and Africa on February 6, 2027.

Meanwhile, the next true total eclipse won’t come until August 2, 2027, and will be visible in southern Spain, North Africa, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.

Mourners gathered to pay their respects to ex-Tory minister Ann Widdecombe as she was laid to rest near her Devon home today.  

Her funeral took place at the Catholic abbey where she regularly worshipped, with a private requiem mass held for the former MP at Buckfast Abbey in Devon.

At the poignant service the Reform MP spokeswoman was remembered for her ‘unwavering convictions and sharp intellect.’

Police officers, including sniffer dogs, could be seen searching the grounds ahead of the funeral, which included a homily from the Rt Rev David Charlesworth, Abbot of Buckfast. 

Around 100 family, friends and colleagues attended the service which lasted around 90 minutes. 

Those who paid their respects to Miss Widdecombe today included shadow chancellor Mel Stride, former justice minister Crispin Blunt and broadcaster Iain Dale. 

Miss Widdecombe died on July 8 after she was hit over the head with a hammer 21 times at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor, Devon, while eating her lunch.

Joshua Kerry, 28, of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was charged with her murder on July 20.

A photo issued by Buckfast Abbey of the funeral of former Tory minister Miss Widdecombe

Priests led the mourners through the vigil service at Buckfast Abbey 

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Mourners hug as they arrive for the former Tory minister’s funeral in Devon

A statement from the abbey said Miss Widdecombe would be ‘missed and fondly remembered’ and ‘many in our worshipping community knew her as a kind and warm character’.

‘Ann was a woman of profound faith, a faith which found expression in the public forum of politics,’ the statement said.

‘Ann was unafraid to express her unwavering convictions, formed through her Roman Catholic faith. She had a sharp intellect and was a dedicated public servant.’

In a post on LBC’s website on Wednesday, Mr Dale paid tribute to his friend and said he hopes to meet her in heaven one day. 

A statement issued by her family last month confirmed that a public memorial will follow later in the year.

‘While we are very grateful for the wide expression of condolences, the family would ask that this initial service is limited to those closest to Ann,’ it read.

The order of service for the requiem mass shows tributes paid by the Rev Roger Widdecombe, Miss Widdecombe’s nephew, and Sir Christian Sweeting, a close friend.

It states that donations made in memory of Miss Widdecombe will be divided between the Leprosy Mission and Abound, supporting the projects of the Christian Endeavour Hostel (CEH) in India.

The order of service for Miss Widdecombe’s private memorial, which was held today at Buckfast Abbey in Devon

The funeral procession for former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe at Buckfast Abbey

The funeral procession for former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe at Buckfast Abbey

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Miss Widdecombe’s coffin lay in wait before the funeral service 

Mourners arrive for the funeral of Miss Widdecombe, who died on July 8 after she was hit over the head with a hammer 21 times

Family and friends enter the church for the private requiem mass at Buckfast Abbey

Mourners gathered outside the church’s ground this afternoon before the service began

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Police officers in the grounds of Buckfast Abbey in Buckfastleigh, Devon, ahead of the funeral of Miss Widdecombe

A police officer looks into a drain during a security search in the grounds of Buckfast Abbey

A requiem mass was held for the former MP, who later became a Reform UK spokeswoman, at Buckfast Abbey in Devon (pictured)

A floral arrangement is carried into Buckfast Abbey in Buckfastleigh, Devon

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Inside Buckfast Abbey, where Miss Widdecombe was a regular worshipper

Miss Widdecombe was found dead at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor, Devon, on July 9

Police officers outside the house of Miss Widdecombe in Haytor on July 11, 2026

Miss Widdecombe was first elected as a Conservative MP in Kent in 1987, was a prisons minister in the 1990s and later became an MEP for the Brexit Party.

At the time of her death she was a spokeswoman on immigration and justice for Reform UK.

She also found fame outside of politics on Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Big Brother.

Counter-terror police investigating Miss Widdecombe’s death announced last week it had reopened a probe into a firebombing incident at Nigel Farage’s home. 

Police said they had ‘identified a line of inquiry’ about the attack which was ‘not identified and pursued… at the time’.

Mr Farage has described the incident in April 2025 as an ‘outright arson attempt’ rather than the ‘attempted burglary’ described by police. 

He was not home at the time and found the damage when he returned. ‘Luckily it had burned itself out on the porch,’ he said.

Devon and Cornwall Police has faced criticism for prematurely announcing there was ‘nothing to suggest’ that the killing of Miss Widdecombe was politically motivated – only for counter-terrorism officers to take over the case days later after new evidence emerged.

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Andy Burnham has been warned he’s ‘prolonging the torture’ of victims and their families by dithering over Labour’s early release of prisoners.

Claire Waxman, the victims’ commissioner for England and Wales, accused the Prime Minister of creating ‘chaos and uncertainty’ in the justice system by ‘flip-flopping’.

Under initial plans, some 6,000 criminals were expected to be released early under the new Sentencing Act as part of the Government’s bid to tackle jail overcrowding.

Shortly after he took office, Mr Burnham ordered an urgent review of the scheme amid public outrage at the killers of PC Andrew Harper being eligible for early release.

The review resulted in changes last week to prevent rapists and paedophiles being released early – reducing the expected number of criminals eligible for early release to around 5,000 – but there was nothing to change the status of PC Harper’s killers. 

At the time, Mr Burnham said he had gone as far as he could – but after returning from his summer holiday the PM has this week performed a chaotic U-turn.

He said on Tuesday that he is ‘increasingly confident’ PC Harper’s killers will not be released early after he ordered Justice Secretary Alex Norris to draw up plans to free up prison space for serious offenders.

The PM said he ‘wouldn’t forgive myself’ if he did not try to lessen the ‘anguish’ of PC Harper’s family. But Ms Waxman attacked Mr Burnham’s wavering over the early release scheme.

Claire Waxman, the victims’ commissioner for England and Wales, accused the Prime Minister of creating ‘chaos and uncertainty’ in the justice system by ‘flip-flopping’

Ms Waxman told The Times that the failure to take a clear decision had left PC Harper’s family and all other families affected by manslaughter in a constant state of uncertainty and chaos that was ‘prolonging their torture’.

‘I’ve been very patient and supportive and trying to work with Government on this,’ she said.

‘But I can’t continue watching this happen because of the impact I’m seeing on victims and families. I know victims who’ve been hospitalised. 

‘I’ve got victims who cannot function in their daily lives because they have no idea what this means for them from October.

‘And while I understand that the new prime minister is finding this new sentencing legislation very difficult, it’s legislation that got passed and came in in January. 

‘If he doesn’t like it then it doesn’t commence – but that means we’ll run out of spaces in prison. But he’s got to make a decision.’ 

PC Harper was fatally injured when he got caught in a strap attached to the back of a car and was dragged down a country road as the killers fled the scene of a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in 2019.

Two out of three of PC Harper’s killers, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, are set to be released next year halfway through their 13-year sentences, after being convicted of manslaughter in 2020.

The driver of the vehicle, Henry Long, received a 16-year sentence and would not have been eligible for the Government’s early release scheme.

Speaking to LBC, the PM was asked if he had a message for Aimee Harper, the sister of PC Harper who had shared with the broadcaster her experience of sitting in the courtroom with his killers.

Asked what he would directly say to Ms Harper, Mr Burnham replied: ‘That I hear you, I feel for you. I wouldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t do everything I possibly could to try and lessen your anguish, and I am doing that.

‘I am turning over every stone. I am looking at everything. I am pushing the system to go further.’

He added: ‘That’s the way I go about my job. I listen to people. I continually push myself and the system to do more. In this instance, I think there is more that can be done.’

PC Andrew Harper, a Thames Valley Police officer, was killed in August 2019 when responding to a quad bike theft in Berkshire

Mr Burnham pointed to returning foreign national offenders and dealing with the issue of those serving Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences, an indeterminate jail term, as means of freeing up prison space.

The Government is also looking at using parts of the female prison estate for male offenders.

There are growing suggestions of a rift between No10 and the Ministry of Justice, with Downing Street officials said to see their opposite numbers as ‘weak’ after weeks of conflicting messages on the prisons crisis.

Meanwhile, it was reported that allies of the Justice Secretary felt the PM was making ‘promises that aren’t possible’.

In an unprecedented intervention, 50 police leaders – representing every force in the UK – united to condemn Labour’s scheme, calling on the PM to scrap plans to set free Cole, Bowers and thousands of other dangerous prisoners.

The National Police Chiefs Council released an extraordinary joint letter from the heads of 48 UK police forces, the National Crime Agency and Jersey Police, condemning the plans, warning it ‘risks undermining public safety, victim confidence and wider confidence in the criminal justice system’.

The signatories want Mr Burnham to explore ‘every lawful option’ to stop PC Harper’s killers being freed, suggesting the Government’s plans to early release offenders are a betrayal of a law brought in his memory.

His widow, Lissie, fought for Harper’s Law – a mandatory life sentence for anyone who kills an emergency worker in the line of duty following outrage over the sentencing of his killers.

Mirror reporter Saskia Rowlands has sent the following from Lands End in Cornwall.

People have travelled from far and wide to catch a glimpse of the eclipse at Land’s End.

Susan Carpenter, 70, drove down to Cornwall from Newbury, Berks, this morning with her husband, daughter and grandson.

She told us: “For the last eclipse in 1999, we took our children to Devon and we’ve brought our grandson so he can experience an eclipse.

“The last one [eclipse] was phenomenal —it was at 11 in the morning.

“Everything went black and the birds went to sleep and as it went over the birds started to wake and you get the dawn chorus. The children couldn’t believe it. It’s a really good experience.”

Steve Lipscombe, from Mitcham, South London, watched the 1999 eclipse from Devon, but last minute cloud cover obscured his view.

He said: “I was in Penzance with the Radio 1 roadshow they did back then.

“It was a lovely day like today, but it went cloudy just as the eclipse was starting to happen, so we basically missed it, which was terrible — I’d travelled 300 miles there and back, so I’m back again today for take two.

“I like celestial things, I’ve seen many shooting star showers – but there’s not another eclipse for 65 years in this country.”

The Moon will obscure more than 90 percent of the Sun in the nightsky tonight

Skygazers across Scotland are gearing up for a historic partial solar eclipse tonight which will be the first of its kind in the UK since 1999.

The partial eclipse won’t be seen again for another 54 years, so many Scots will be looking for the best spots to watch the phenomenon.

The eclipse is created by the Moon passing directly between the Earth and the Sun, obscuring more than 90% of the Sun’s surface. It’ll be the most dazzling spectacle seen in the UK since August 1999.

For those watching in Scotland, if the sky is clear, gazers will get to witness the sky turn dark and a bright ring of the sun’s atmosphere appear.

The eclipse is expected to begin at around 6.08pm and will last around two hours, concluding at 8.03pm before sunset. It will reach its peak at around 7.10pm, when around 94% of the Sun is expected to be obscured by the Moon.

If you can’t get outside to see it for yourself, you can watch the solar eclipse live here. The free livestream from the Royal Museums Greenwich in London begins at 6.10pm and runs until 8pm.

When does the eclipse begin?

The eclipse will begin at around 6.08pm in Scotland reaching its maximum at approximately 7.10pm before ending shortly after 8.03pm. At its peak, around 94% of the Sun will be obscured by the Moon.

Because the eclipse happens shortly before sunset, the Sun will sit only around 9° to 11° above the horizon at maximum eclipse. That means choosing a location with an uninterrupted view.

Best places to watch the eclipse in Scotland

The Met Office has confirmed that the west of Scotland is the best location to view the solar eclipse tonight.

• Western Isles and West Coast, including Glasgow, are predicted to see the most coverage in the country. Between 92 per cent to 94 per cent of the sun will be obscured here.
• Inverness will see around 90.74% of coverage of the Sun.
• Edinburgh will see 90.71% of the sun hidden.
• Parts of Aberdeenshire, Orkney and Shetland may see slightly less, between 88% to 90% of the eclipse.

Once the eclipse ends, skywatchers may be treated to another celestial display. The event coincides with the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, meaning those who remain outdoors after darkness falls could also see dozens of shooting stars crossing a moonless sky.

How to watch the eclipse safely

Despite most of the Sun being covered, it is never safe to look directly at a partial solar eclipse without proper eye protection.

The UK Health Security Agency recommends using only genuine eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers that meet the international safety standard ISO 12312-2:2015(E). Ordinary sunglasses do not provide enough protection.

Anyone using binoculars, cameras or telescopes should ensure they are fitted with specialist solar filters. Alternatively, a simple pinhole projector made from a piece of card allows the eclipse to be viewed safely without looking directly at the Sun.

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