Morning Briefing: Sunday 12 July 2026
- Petrol & Energy: Iran has declared the Strait of Hormuz — which carries a fifth of the world’s oil — closed, and prices are set to jump when markets reopen on Monday. Expect pump and energy costs to rise; the recent easing in fuel prices is firmly over.
- A New Prime Minister Next Week: Andy Burnham is on course to be declared Labour leader on 17 July and Prime Minister around 20 July — and he has now pledged fiscal discipline and welfare cuts to reassure markets, an early signal of the choices ahead for household budgets.
- Heat, Fire & Water: The heatwave is now extended into midweek, not breaking tonight, with an amber alert to 15 July, the highest wildfire risk today across southern England, and hosepipe bans enforced for millions. Avoid open water, ditch disposable barbecues, save water, and check on the vulnerable.
US and Iran Trade Strikes Across the Gulf as the War Goes Regional
The US-Iran war widened sharply overnight into Sunday. American forces carried out a third round of strikes this week, hitting about 140 Iranian targets — more than 300 in total, US Central Command said — from missile and drone sites to na…
Iran Declares the Strait of Hormuz Closed and Fires on a Ship
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard declared the Strait of Hormuz closed “until further notice” after firing on the GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship it said was using an unauthorised route through the waterway. India said eleven of its n…
Russian Barrage Kills Eight in Ukraine as Sumy Is Hit
Russia launched another mass overnight attack on Ukraine — ballistic and cruise missiles and more than 120 drones — killing at least eight people and wounding dozens. Two glide bombs struck a crowded area of Sumy, killing five and injuring…
Spain’s Deadliest Wildfire Kills 12 as Europe Bakes
A wildfire in Almería, in southern Spain, has killed at least twelve people with more than twenty missing, in what regional authorities are calling Andalusia’s most devastating fire on record. Several victims were found in burnt-out vehicl…
US Congressman Says He Was Detained by Settlers in the West Bank
The Democratic congressman Ro Khanna says his vehicle was surrounded by armed Israeli settlers near a village in the southern occupied West Bank, and that he was held for more than an hour before police intervened. He said the settlers car…
Heatwave Extended Into Midweek as Wildfire Risk Peaks
The heatwave will not break tonight as forecast but is being extended into the middle of next week: the health agency has issued a fresh amber heat-health alert running until Tuesday evening across most of England, warning of a rise in dea…
Hosepipe Bans Now Enforced for Millions Across the South and East
Hosepipe bans are now in force for millions of households as the dry summer bites: Anglian Water’s ban across the East of England, its first in a decade, took effect this weekend, alongside restrictions already live for South East Water’s…
Burnham Pledges Fiscal Discipline as Coronation Nears
Andy Burnham has moved to reassure the markets and the centre of his party, pledging fiscal discipline and a commitment to cut the welfare bill as he closes in on Downing Street. Backed by around 322 of Labour’s 403 MPs and facing no rival…
Farage Faces Standards Inquiry Over Fraudster’s Support
The parliamentary standards commissioner is investigating benefits Nigel Farage received from George Cottrell, a man convicted of wire fraud in the United States, including staffing, security and the use of a London townhouse in the period…
Heat’s Toll Mounts With Water Deaths and NHS Under Strain
The human cost of the heat is mounting as it persists, with police and fire services renewing warnings about open water after a series of drownings during the hot spell, and the NHS under sustained pressure. Officials have urged people not…