1.9 News and Rumors

So in lieu of a snapshot this month, we're promised a great update with 1.9!  It has officially been deemed the "Combat Update" with lots of new goodies having to do with player vs player fighting, dungeons, and even a revamped Enderdragon battle.  You can read about some of the updates here:

Minecraft 1.9 Gamepedia

Compilation of Developer Tweets 

And finally, some teaser screenshots showcasing new blocks and features: