No 11999, Friday 05 May 2017, Lightning

ACROSS
8   Sick European brave after thunderstorm (5,3,7) UNDER THE WEATHER {UNDER TH}*{E} {WEATHER}
9   Control freak, corrupt at crime branch, sent back (8) DICTATOR {ROT}{AT}{CID}<=
10 Design a lamp showing green light, say (6) SIGNAL [T]
11 Mostly firm control (9) DETERMINE DETERMINEd
12 Fee to catch river fish (5) TROLL {T{R}OLL}

15 Letters from Dirac countered story (7) ACCOUNT [T]
17 Trips and slips up outside (7) ERRANDS {ERR{AND}S}
19 Newly-wed to remain without king (5) BRIDE {B{R}IDE}
20 Erected a mega building for expansion of dam (9) DECAMETRE {ERECTED+A+M}*
23 Twice ambiguous (6) DOUBLE [DD]
25 Behind gates? (8) OFFSTAGE {STAGE}* [RA]
26 Sloppy engineer estimating a car in a rush (4,7,4) RACE AGAINST TIME {E+ESTIMATING+A+CAR}*

DOWN
1   Men tired restraining stallion (6) ENTIRE [T] New definition for me
2   Feature of magazine shut down after recent changes (10) CENTREFOLD {RECENT}*{FOLD}
3   Declaration will move openers (9) STATEMENT (-te)STA(+te)TEMENT
4   Conduct course (7) BEARING [DD]
5   Fellow cut tissue grabbing a collar (5) LEASH {fLE{A}SH}
6   Single male deer (4) STAG [DD]
7   Cut short at the end to be meticulous (8) DETAILED {DE-TAILED}
13 Say again consuming alcohol in houses for sale (4,6) REAL ESTATE {RE{AL E}STATE}
14 Split quick meal (9) BREAKFAST {BREAK}{FAST}
16 Policeman vocal about royal army officer (8) CORPORAL {CO{R}P}{ORAL} Corporals are not Officers per se
18 Pledge for the most part to dismiss appeal (7) DEPOSIT {DEPOSe}{IT}
21 Potentially merge international administration (6) REGIME {MERGE+I}*
22 Hard boundary providing security (5) HEDGE {H}{EDGE}
24 Drink regularly brewed with barrels essentially (4) BEER {BrEwEd}{barRels}

GRID