Evening Briefing: Wednesday 5 August 2026
- Petrol: Oil is holding below $80 a barrel, near its lowest in weeks, as the Iran standoff eases — welcome news for drivers, with petrol prices likely to start falling in the coming weeks.
- Mortgages: With oil cheaper and investors betting on interest-rate cuts, government borrowing costs stayed low — which could gradually ease the pressure on mortgage rates.
- Food: The drought is set to make vegetables smaller and dearer, and the harvest is heading for a record low, pushing food prices up even as fuel costs ease.
Hormuz Deal Stalls as Iran Adds Conditions
The deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz remained unsigned into Wednesday evening, as Iran hardened its position and said it would not fully reopen the waterway until the United States lifted its naval blockade. Tehran and Oman were reporte…
Deadly Flare-Up in South Lebanon as Talks Go On
A deadly flare-up hit southern Lebanon on Wednesday even as Israel and Lebanon held talks in Rome, with two Israeli soldiers killed by a bomb in a booby-trapped building and at least one Lebanese person killed in an Israeli air strike. Isr…
Netanyahu Seeks to Rewrite US Gaza Plan
Benjamin Netanyahu pressed his objections to President Trump’s Gaza plan on Wednesday, saying Israel had not agreed to it and submitting amendments of his own. The Israeli leader again insisted his forces would not withdraw from their curr…
Imran Khan Jailed Three Years as Supporters Rally
Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister, Imran Khan, has now spent three years behind bars, a milestone his party marked with protests denouncing what it calls his “arbitrary detention”. Rights groups condemned his reported solitary confin…
Zelensky Decries Kyiv Toll as Strikes Go On
President Zelensky condemned Russia’s deadly overnight assault on Kyiv, which killed at least seventeen people, and released footage he said showed a Russian drone deliberately striking a civilian in the southern city of Kherson. He accuse…
Government U-Turns on Epstein Inquiry
The government appeared to backtrack on Wednesday over a possible public inquiry into Jeffrey Epstein’s activities in Britain, hours after two ministers had said it was “looking into” the idea. Downing Street said the Prime Minister was “n…
Single-Sex Spaces Code Comes into Force
New statutory guidance governing access to single-sex spaces such as toilets, changing rooms and refuges came into force on Wednesday, following the Supreme Court’s ruling on the legal definition of sex. The code sets out how services shou…
Police Weigh Legal Action Over Harper Killers' Release
A senior police officer is considering joining legal action to block the early release of the men jailed over the death of PC Andrew Harper, as the row over the government’s prison scheme intensified. Harper’s own force publicly condemned…
Drought to Make Vegetables Smaller and Dearer
The drought gripping much of Britain will leave vegetables smaller and more expensive, growers have warned, as the driest summer in memory takes its toll on crops. With the harvest already heading for one of its worst on record, farmers sa…
Robotaxis Cleared to Operate in London
Driverless “robotaxis” have been granted a licence to operate in London, a significant step for self-driving technology in Britain. The move will allow autonomous vehicles to carry passengers in the capital, initially under close supervisi…