ITV — ITV Lunchtime News

A serial sex attacker, Simon Levy, was sentenced to a whole life order for murdering two women and raping a third, with the judge describing his morbid fascination with sex, rape, and crime. Levy had been free on bail while on the sex offenders register, and relatives of his victims were in court. Prime Minister Andy Burnham prepared to chair his first emergency COBRA meeting in response to extreme heat, wildfires, and drought, with nearly three quarters of England in drought status; he urged people to stop using disposable barbecues and consider a temporary ban. Separately, fifty police leaders, including the Metropolitan Commissioner, called on the Prime Minister to use every lawful option to prevent the early release of PC Andrew Harper's killers, and the chief inspector of probation voiced concerns about public risk from the early release scheme.

The broadcast also devoted extensive coverage to the total solar eclipse, with reports from Iceland, Spain, and Jersey. In Reykjavik, cloud threatened the view, but a NASA plane was available to fly above it, while eclipse chasers in Burgos, Spain, described their past experiences. In Jersey, preparations were underway for a partial eclipse, with special glasses in high demand and people warned not to look directly at the sun; an alternative pinhole camera method was demonstrated as a safe viewing option.