Evening Briefing: Sunday 16 August 2026
- Petrol: Washington says its blockade of Iran can run indefinitely and talks on reopening the Strait of Hormuz have stalled, after a week that drove oil up around 5 per cent. Expect petrol prices to stay high as markets reopen tomorrow.
- Wildfires: Fires are being contained by crews rather than weather, with Gurkhas deployed in Wales and the New Forest blaze in its eighth day. Stay alert to local warnings and avoid anything that could spark a flame.
- Benefits: Reform’s plan to scrap the Personal Independence Payment would reshape support that millions of disabled people rely on. It is an opposition proposal, not law — but it sets the terms of a coming fight over welfare.
US Says It Can Blockade Iran Indefinitely as Talks Stall
The United States said its naval blockade of Iran could be sustained indefinitely and promised further economic pressure, as talks brokered by Oman on reopening the Strait of Hormuz stalled. President Trump repeated his threat to bring the…
Israel Strikes Lebanon Again and Vows to "Settle Scores"
Israel carried out fresh strikes on southern Lebanon on Sunday night, with the defence minister, Israel Katz, vowing to “settle scores” with Hezbollah. The Israeli military says its weekend raids, which Lebanese authorities said killed 11…
Indonesia Quake Toll Rises to 53 as Search Goes On
Rescuers recovered six more bodies on Sunday, raising the death toll from Friday’s magnitude-7.7 earthquake off Flores to 53, according to officials. Thousands of people remain displaced across the East Nusa Tenggara region, where building…
Girl of Three Pulled Alive From Colombia Rubble After 100 Hours
A three-year-old girl and a 75-year-old man were pulled alive from the rubble in Colombia around 100 hours after the earthquake struck, extraordinary rescues nearly a week into the disaster. The confirmed death toll stands at more than 280…
Lake Kariba Ferry Toll Rises to 80, Police Say
The death toll from the ferry that capsized on Lake Kariba has risen to 80, Zimbabwean police said on Sunday, as recovery teams continued to pull bodies from the vast reservoir. The overloaded passenger vessel went down on Tuesday on the l…
Gurkhas Join Wildfire Fight as Families Return to Ruined Homes
Gurkhas were deployed to help tackle around 20 wildfires still burning across Wales, as the New Forest blaze entered its eighth day and soldiers were praised for their work supporting exhausted fire crews. In Stourbridge, evacuated residen…
Reform's Plan to Scrap PIP Dominates Sunday Politics
Reform UK’s proposal to cut around 50 billion pounds a year from the welfare bill dominated the Sunday political shows, with the party’s Robert Jenrick defending plans to scrap the Personal Independence Payment and overhaul health-related…
New Planning Rules to Stop Pubs Being Turned Into Flats
The Housing Secretary, Angela Rayner, announced planning changes to prevent pubs from being demolished or converted into housing and offices, alongside measures intended to speed up housebuilding. Ministers cast the move as protecting comm…
Alert Backlash Deepens Over Risk to Domestic Abuse Victims
The row over the nationwide wildfire alert deepened, with campaigners warning it endangered domestic abuse victims by sounding on concealed phones kept hidden from abusers. Ministers also faced demands to publish the criteria for triggerin…
Early-Release Scheme Attacked From Both Directions
The government’s emergency prisoner early-release scheme came under fire from opposite flanks, with figures in the justice system voicing serious concern that releases will go wrong, while others accused ministers of missing the chance to…