Morning Briefing: Sunday 9 August 2026
- Petrol: A Houthi drone strike set fire to a Saudi oil refinery, and the Strait of Hormuz remains shut, keeping oil near $83 a barrel. Petrol prices are unlikely to ease much while the standoff continues.
- Shopping: The Prime Minister is touring the country and is expected to unveil measures against “rip-off” subscription traps and misleading discounts — aimed at easing the squeeze on household budgets.
- Water: Drought is expected to be formally extended this week as a fifth heatwave builds, with temperatures forecast towards the mid-30s. Hosepipe bans are spreading and food prices remain under pressure.
Houthis Strike Saudi Aramco Refinery in Jizan
Yemen’s Houthis said they had struck a Saudi Aramco oil refinery at Jizan, in southern Saudi Arabia, with a drone overnight, and the Saudi energy ministry confirmed a fire at the facility that was later put out with no injuries. It marked…
Hormuz Stays Shut as Iran Denies Direct US Talks
Iran said it was not in direct negotiations with the United States and would not resume them until Washington ended what it called violations of an earlier understanding, with only messages passing through intermediaries. The Revolutionary…
Turkey Says Mecca Pact Is Not Aimed at Iran
Turkey sought to calm regional nerves on Sunday, insisting the mutual-defence pact it signed with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan was not directed at Iran. Ankara said the agreement, which treats an attack on one signatory as an attack on all, w…
Ukraine Denies Targeting Bulgaria After Drone Blast
Ukraine denied any responsibility after a drone exploded near gas-pipeline infrastructure in Bulgaria, an incident that had stoked fears of the war spilling onto NATO territory. Kyiv’s denial deepened the uncertainty over who was behind a…
British Columbia Wildfires Force 20,000 to Flee
More than twenty thousand people have been forced from their homes as wildfires rage across the Canadian province of British Columbia, which has declared a state of emergency. Over a hundred fires were burning, nearly half of them out of c…
Burnham Launches Cost-of-Living Tour and "Rip-Off" Crackdown
Andy Burnham is launching a national tour to hear voters’ concerns about the cost of living, and is expected to unveil new measures targeting “rip-off” subscription traps and misleading discounts. It is the Prime Minister’s first big domes…
Asylum-Hotel Protests Spread to Another Town
The wave of protests around asylum accommodation spread to a fresh town over the weekend, the BBC reported, following nights of disorder in Thetford in which police officers were injured. The unrest, centred on hotels and buildings used to…
Burnham Handed a Plan to Rejoin the Single Market
Andy Burnham has been presented with a blueprint proposing that Britain rejoin the European single market, according to reports, reviving a debate the main parties have long avoided. The plan, drawn up by outside advocates rather than the…
Badenoch Says Offenders Can Be Rehabilitated
The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, has argued that offenders “can be rehabilitated”, in an interview striking a more reformist note on crime and punishment. Her remarks come amid a bruising row over the government’s emergency prisoner…
Drought to Be Extended as Fifth Heatwave Builds
Drought is expected to be formally extended to more of England this week as the country braces for its fifth heatwave of the summer, with temperatures forecast to climb towards the mid-30s. Forecasters warned that a long-standing heat reco…