Prime Minister Andy Burnham reacts as he speaks with young people during a visit to the Oh Yeah centre in Belfast, as he makes his first visit to Northern Ireland since coming to office, August 27, 2026
FUEL poverty campaigners warned today that Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s words “don’t inspire confidence” for households facing rising energy bills.
The End Fuel Poverty Coalition (EFPC) hit back after government sources suggested there would be no further support before October’s price cap rise.
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End Fuel Poverty Coalition co-ordinator Simon Francis told the Morning Star that ministers must go “further and faster in bringing in support for households and reform of energy bills.”
Mr Francis added: “Bringing down energy prices must be at the centre of the Budget.
“But forcing households through a sixth winter of sky-high energy bills, caused by the power that volatile gas prices have on our energy system, is not going to help anyone.
Average sea surface temperature outside polar regions was 21.1C on Saturday, latest data finds
The world’s oceans were hotter than ever previously recorded on Saturday, according to the latest data.
The average surface temperature was 21.1C, with the rising marine heat a stark indicator of the climate crisis. More than 90% of the heat trapped by carbon dioxide from fossil fuel burning enters the oceans.
Hotter oceans exacerbate the sea level rise and extreme storms that threaten billions of people, as well as driving marine heatwaves that decimate sea life and undermine coastal livelihoods, scientists warned.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.Orcas comment on killer apes destroying the planet by continuing to burn fossil fuels.
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US President Donald Trump holds a press conference at the White House in Washington, DC on April 25, 2026.[Celal Güneş – Anadolu Agency]
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that millions of barrels of oil are continuing to pass through the Strait of Hormuz despite tensions with Iran, Anadolu reports.
“The strait is open. The Strait of Hormuz is open. We have control, and we have the blockade,” Trump said in remarks at the White House.
“We’re taking a lot of boats,” he added. “Millions and millions of barrels of oil are coming out of the strait every day.”
Trump said US forces had cleared the waterway of mines and were closely monitoring maritime activity.
“We have the best minesweepers in the world. They’re underwater minesweepers, and we’ve totally cleared the strait of mines,” he said.
He claimed US forces were able to detect vessels attempting to lay mines and respond immediately.
“We see every inch of the strait, and any boat goes in with a mine. We see it, and we take it out. We’ve taken out two of them,” Trump said.
Trump said the US had recently escorted vessels through the strait, saying: “Last night, we took 24 boats through the strait. We’re taking them through all the time.”
He asserted that Iran was unable to move goods through the waterway under the US blockade, saying: “Iran’s not getting anything. Nothing is going through. Not one ship has gotten.”
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Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
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Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei. [Iranian Presidency – Anadolu Agency]
The US must take practical steps to meet Iran’s conditions before Tehran reopens the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei said Thursday.
“The US must first take practical measures toward fulfilling Iran’s conditions, after which Iran will move to reopen the Strait of Hormuz,” Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency quoted Rezaei as saying.
His remarks came during a meeting with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Tehran.
Rezaei said Iran distrusts Washington, accusing it of repeatedly betraying diplomacy and negotiations.
He warned that if the US launches any “hostile action” against Iran, Tehran would inflict damage on American military and economic interests “that will be recorded in history.”
The Qatari Foreign Ministry said the meeting addressed regional developments, the repercussions of the escalation and regional and international efforts to reduce tensions and strengthen security and stability.
Sheikh Mohammed stressed the importance of exercising “wisdom and responsibility” in addressing the current crisis to preserve the region’s security and stability, the ministry said.
The visit to Tehran by Sheikh Mohammed, who is also Qatar’s foreign minister, came as Doha continued efforts to de-escalate tensions between Iran and the US.
The visit marks the Qatari foreign minister’s first trip to Iran since the conflict began with US and Israeli strikes in late February.
The US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in June following mediation by Pakistan and Qatar, but its implementation has stalled amid differences over navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of global oil supplies flowed before the war.
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Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz in Tel Aviv, Israel, on March 07, 2026. [Israeli Ministry of Defense – Anadolu Agency]
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Thursday renewed his threat to expel Palestinians from any area in the Gaza Strip from which kites or balloons were being flown, Anadolu reports.
Katz made the threat during a high-level security meeting with army chief Eyal Zamir, the head of Israeli air defense, and other top military officials, according to a statement released by his office.
Katz said the warning was issued after balloons and kites were flown from areas inside the Gaza Strip.
Katz warned that the flying of kites or balloons would be met with a “firm response” against those responsible and against areas from which they were being flown.
“Based on the instructions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and my instructions, the Israeli army will use all necessary tools, including evacuating Gaza residents from any area or neighborhood from which [kite and balloon] launches are carried out,” he said.
Katz and Netanyahu issued similar threats on Sunday, warning of stepped-up assassinations and expulsions of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip if the flying of kites and balloons toward Israel did not stop.
Israel has not reported any deaths or injuries from the kites and balloons that it says originated from the Gaza Strip.
Typically flown by children, lightweight kites are controlled by strings pulled from the ground.
If a string breaks, wind can carry the kites beyond the Gaza Strip towards nearby Israeli communities, some of which are located only a few kilometers away.
On Tuesday, the UN’s human rights office criticized Israeli threats to evacuate areas in the Gaza Strip over the flying of children’s kites, saying such threats contravened international legal obligations to protect civilians.
Nevertheless, the threats have prompted some local groups in the Gaza Strip to urge families to stop their children from flying kites, fearing Israel could use the practice as a pretext to escalate attacks.
Separately, Netanyahu denied that Israel plans to reopen the Erez (Beit Hanoun) crossing to goods entering Gaza following Israeli reports that the crossing might soon resume operations.
“There are absolutely no instructions to open the Erez crossing for goods,” Netanyahu said in a joint statement with Katz.
“Israel’s policy in Gaza is clear and has not changed: there will be no reconstruction before Hamas is disarmed and the Gaza Strip is fully demilitarized,” he added.
Israel’s Channel 24 reported on Thursday that Israel was expected to reopen the Erez crossing on Sept. 1 amid mounting Western pressure to increase humanitarian aid deliveries into the northern Gaza Strip.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham reacts as he speaks with young people during a visit to the Oh Yeah centre in Belfast, as he makes his first visit to Northern Ireland since coming to office, August 27, 2026
