THE BIG STORIES
Kyiv hit by huge attack as Trump lambasts Zelenskyy | Judge orders single-sex toilets | Vatican prepares

📣 Kyiv was hit by a massive Russian attack overnight - one of the biggest of the war - as Donald Trump accused Volodymyr Zelenskyy of jeopardising a peace deal. The Ukrainian leader had voiced a refusal to cede Crimea to Russia as part of a deal that could freeze the conflict roughly along the current front lines. But Trump wrote on social media that Zelenskyy’s statement was “very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia” and accused the Ukrainian leader of making “inflammatory statements” that “makes it so difficult to settle this War”. (Guardian)

• Massive Russian missile and drone strike hits Kyiv, killing nine (AP)

📣 A judge has ordered Scottish schools to provide single-sex toilets after last week’s Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman. A couple had brought a judicial review at the Court of Session against Scottish Borders council after it chose not to include sex-segregated toilets in a new primary school in Earlston. (Scotsman)

• First Minister John Swinney has joined criticism of Green MSP Maggie Chapman after she accused the Supreme Court of “bigotry, prejudice and hatred”. “It is wrong to do that,” said Swinney. (Scotsman)

• JK Rowling has mocked “Pontius Pilates” Nicola Sturgeon for her silence (and gym selfie, posted on Monday) after the Supreme Court ruling that women are defined by their biological sex. (Daily Mail)

📣 As the Vatican prepares for the funeral of Pope Francis this Saturday, John MacLeod reflects on the Pope’s final hours, finding similarities with those of the Queen and his own late father. It’s a moving read from one of Scotland’s finest columnists. (Daily Mail)

• Thousands queued for hours under the hot spring sun to pay their final respects to Pope Francis, who now lies in state at St Peter’s Basilica. (Guardian)

IDEAS
Some wise words on China, and a relationship that will be defining for our future

🗣️ As the world order shifts, China looms large. What is it, to us? A frenemy? Something else? Here’s a trio of interesting links to follow if you want to start feeling out the edges of this era-defining shift in relations.

• First, The Wall Street Journal got the exclusive yesterday on the White House considering de-escalating its trade war with China by cutting some tariffs. The driver of this shift is the damage tariffs are causing global trade, and US investments. A data point to demonstrate that damage - sea freight between the US and China is down 29% week on week, and 44% down year on year. Those figures are stunning: the first stage of the pandemic caused a 10% drop in global freight, which was considered huge at the time. The question is: is the latest damage reversible? Some say not. (Wall Street Journal - 🎁 gift link)

• Second, Bloomberg’s Odd Lots podcast spoke to former FT journalist and entrepreneur Nick Denton late last month, and he was fascinating on the rise of China. Despite having lived in New York for years, he’s moved both himself and his money out of the US, which he sees as doomed. He’s gone so far as to short Tesla - he thinks the decline and fall of Elon Musk will be the biggest business story in the world - and sees the rise of China (including their car brands) as irresistible. All this is doubly relevant in light of the weak Tesla earnings earlier this week. (Bloomberg Odd Lots is free to listen at @ Spotify or Apple Podcasts)

• Finally, another former FT journalist, Jeremy Grant, wrote for The Scotsman about China’s power in renewables. This brings the China question close to home: many of those wind turbines around us are packed with Chinese technology, and systems that don’t work unless they can call home. That means, in some future dispute, they’d be vulnerable to being tampered with, or even switched off. That’s not a far-fetched concern: see the row around the Scunthorpe steel plant, which came within a whisker of being shut down because its Chinese owners didn’t want to supply it with feedstock any more. (The Scotsman)

Conclusions? Too early, perhaps, to draw many, except that global systems and norms we’ve all grown up with have gone, and it’s not clear what will replace them. And even Scotland - no matter how distracted by relative trivia our politicians appear today - will need to make big decisions on who, and how, to work this new world.

🗣️In other news, I’m going to just park this YouGov poll - and the dry-as-dust responses to it, here for your reflection:

(Also: Gregorian Chant needs a better agent / PR agency)

AROUND SCOTLAND

📣 The “anti far-right summit” in Glasgow yesterday - seen widely as an anti-Reform UK summit - was “just the start” of a process, First Minister John Swinney said. The cross-party talks, also attended by civic and religious leaders, tackled four themes, including “combating inequality and discrimination, tackling disinformation, and enhancing public trust in politics”. (The National)

• Colin Mackay: Swinney’s summit didn’t invite Reform - but they were the elephant in the room (STV)

📣 Scottish firms are seeing higher costs - and hiring fewer staff - as National Insurance increases begin to bite, according to new research from the Fraser of Allander Institute. (Holyrood)

📣 Police have launched a manhunt after a convicted murderer absconded from prison late on Tuesday afternoon. The public has been warned not to approach Raymond McCourt, 59, who was jailed for life in 1993. (Sky News)

AROUND THE UK

📣 Conservative pollster Lord Hayward says his party will suffer huge losses in the upcoming local elections, and says it will also be a difficult night for Labour. He sees the Conservatives - defending nearly 1,000 seats - winning between 375 and 425. (Independent)

📣 Freddie Flintoff, the former England cricket star, has spoken for the first time of the horrific accident and injuries he suffered when a car he was driving for Top Gear flipped. It’s a harrowing read, I’ll warn - Flintoff feared he’d be left without a face after the accident - but also one of resilience. He said his cricket instincts saved his life. (Daily Mail)

📣 Celebrity Traitors: we have the full lineup. You’ll recognise a few of them. The show starts filming this week, and airs in the autumn. (Sun)

BUSINESS & ECONOMICS

💰 The number of homes being built for rent in Scotland has dropped by 26% in the last 12 months, according to new data from the Scottish Property Federation and estate agent Savills. England, by contrast, saw less of a decline and a rise in projects submitted for planning. The report says the slowdown in construction and dearth of new schemes are the consequence of Scottish rent control proposals and lower investor confidence. (Daily Business) (FT £)

💰 Citadel CEO Ken Griffin built the world’s most profitable hedge fund. And he now has very firm views on the job Donald Trump is doing in the White House. The US President is “moving too fast, alienating allies, making Americans poorer, and tarnishing the sterling reputation of US assets,” he told the World Economy Summit in Washington yesterday. (Semafor)

💰 Glasgow Airport’s main terminal building will be transformed as part of a £350 million investment in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton airports by owner AviAlliance. (Glasgow Times)

SPORT

⚽️ Rangers have finally confirmed what everyone already knew: they’re in talks with the 49ers Enterprises group over a takeover. The talks were first reported in the Daily Record earlier this year, and word this week is the buyers have secured agreement on more than 50% of the club’s shares. (Daily Record)

• The club also confirmed that Kevin Thelwell, Everton’s outgoing sporting director, will take up the same role at Ibrox this summer. He’s got a job on his hands, says the Daily Mail.

⚽️ Crystal Palace fought their way back to draw 2-2 with Arsenal last night with Jean-Philippe Mateta’s equaliser a particular treat (at least in my household). But Palace didn’t get the extra goal that would have confirmed Liverpool as English champions last night. (BBC) (🎥 Highlights)