THE BIG STORIES
Los Angeles continues to burn | Hogg avoids jail | Yousaf takes aim at Musk

📣 Los Angeles is still on fire this morning as firefighters continue to battle through the night to contain the huge firestorm. More than 9,000 homes and structures were damaged in the Palisades fire alone, while 130,000 people were ordered to evacuate. The bill is likely to be enormous: it’s expected to be the costliest wildfire in American history. And, given experts attribute the ferocity of the fire to climate change, there are fears this is merely a harbinger of extreme weather events to come.

• LA Times: Live coverage | Why hydrants ran dry | The tiny flying embers that travelled miles and spread the flames

• Semafor: LA fires come after the hottest year on record, and global devastation

• Financial Times: Insurers brace for losses of up to $20 billion from wildfires

📣 Former Scotland rugby star Stuart Hogg avoided jail yesterday after admitting abusing his former wife over a five-year period. He was sentenced to a community payback order instead. The Sun has exclusive comments from his victim, Gillian Hogg, who said the sentence felt like “no punishment”. In the Herald, Mark McDougall’s updated piece from last year reflects on “the darkness behind the one-time shining light of Scottish rugby.” The richly talented Hogg was sometimes difficult to deal with, but nobody could have imagined “what was taking place behind closed doors,” he writes. “The recent court case has illuminated some of that darkness”.

• The Sun: “I feel like Stuart’s had absolutely no punishment”

• The Herald: Darkness behind the one-time shining light

📣 Humza Yousaf has accused Elon Musk of trying to inflame racial tensions after the billionaire’s reference to the murder of Glasgow schoolboy Kriss Donald in 2004. Donald was abducted and killed by an Asian gang, and earlier this week Musk posted an X message from another user discussing the murder. Yousaf posted a video on X saying “Elon Musk needs to be stopped”, repeating his claim that Musk is “one of the most dangerous men on the planet.” Separately, the Daily Record reports today that Musk’s tweets are being investigated by the UK’s counter-extremism unit.

• Humza Yousaf on X 

• Daily Record - Musk being investigated

• Robert Shrimsley, FT - Musk’s onslaught shows politics needs a new playbook

FROM THE WEEKLIES
‘Marooned’ Scottish Tories, the right price for Greenland, and the case against alcohol warnings

🗣️ For Trump to take Greenland by force would be foolish, says The Economist. But… buying it might be deal of the century, with the newspaper valuing Greenland at around $50 billion. Based on their “crude valuation of the flow of future taxes”, America could pay every Greenlander $1m. Given the territory’s natural resources, it could make each Greenlander a multimillionaire and still call it a great deal. (The Economist)

🗣️ “The world stands on a precipice, and the trends are not good,” writes Robert D Kaplan, opening a long essay on geopolitics. Kaplan sees Trump’s second term hastening American decline - but at a time when Russia and China are also weakening. Combined with technology’s ability to shrink geography, we may be entering an era of more unstable and tumultuous global relations. (New Statesman)

🗣️ Douglas Murray offers a vision of “what real justice would look like for grooming gang victims”. He hails those who reported and campaigned on the issue for years before “our impotent political and media classes [were] bumped into responding”, and rejects the idea of another public inquiry. The real work, he says, is ensuring there are consequences for the crimes, and the failings of those who were supposed to stop them. He calls for deportations of dual national perpetrators and “opprobrium or prosecutions of the people who oversaw all this” including council leaders and current MPs. (The Spectator)

🗣️ The Economist says “Health Warnings about alcohol give only half the story”. Riffing on warnings that drink raises the risk of some cancers, the newspaper points out that enjoyment matters as well. It also says the World Health Organisation’s assertion that no amount of alcohol is safe is absurd. “Even if the WHO is right […] that is only half the picture. After all, there is no completely safe level of almost anything, from flying to going on a date. Walking is good for you […] But 7,500 American pedestrians were killed by cars in 2022.” Indeed so. [The Economist]

AROUND SCOTLAND

📣 A Romanian grooming gang has been convicted of trafficking and raping 10 women in Dundee after a six-week trial at the High Court in Glasgow. Lord Scott, the trial judge, deferred sentencing until next month and warning the gang “I will be imposing significant sentences”. (The Times) (STV)

📣 A charity promises a “bright new future” for the Summerhall Edinburgh Festival Fringe venue. Summerhall Arts is hoping to secure the venue’s future by landing a three-year funding deal with Creative Scotland later this month, and wants to put on a year-round programme at the venue. Brian Ferguson at The Scotsman has the exclusive. (The Scotsman)

📣 A large group of rats can be seen scurrying around a Glasgow lane in footage sent to The Splash Glasgow, highlighting the city’s rodent problem and giving rise to real concerns about public health in the city. The video, shot by nightshift workers who offer commentary over the tones of Bruce Hornsby on the radio, is not one to view with your breakfast this morning... (The Splash)

AROUND THE UK

📣 Rachel Reeves could make deeper cuts to public spending in the face of turbulence in bond markets, which is driving up the cost of the UK’s debt. The chancellor is said to have ruled out increases to borrowing or higher taxes, but will likely need to take action to avoid breaking fiscal rules. (Guardian)

📣 Grooming gangs are behind almost two child abuse cases a day in England and Wales, according to data analysed by the Telegraph. There were 717 cases recorded by police in 2023, and 572 in the first nine months of 2024. (Telegraph)

📣 A Russian espionage ring’s “Aladdin’s Cave” of spy devices was uncovered by police, although the former guest house in Great Yarmouth in which it was based fell some way short of the glamorous base of Q, the technology head of the James Bond films. “A bedroom used as an office by the ring’s UK-based mastermind, Orlin Roussev, 46, could be mistaken for the room of a teenage boy,” reports The Times. (Times)

BUSINESS & ECONOMICS

💰 Scotland faces an engineering skills shortage and may miss out on an “industrial revolution-sized opportunity” as a consequence, a survey has revealed. Scottish Engineering’s report shows concern across the sector over cuts to work-based learning and apprenticeship funding and the continuing impact of Brexit. (The Herald)

💰 The government plans to crack down on ticket touting by capping the price of resale tickets, in a move that will impact on the entire live events industry including sport, music, comedy and theatre. A public consultation is to be launched to consider the cap, and how much it will be. (BBC)

💰 A branch shake-up at Lloyds Banking Group means Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland customers will be able to use any branch in the network for their banking. No date has been set for the change, but campaigners are concerned the move will pave the way for further branch closures. (BBC)

SPORT

⚽️ Rangers fell 15 points behind league leaders Celtic last night after a 1-1 draw against Dundee. It was another catatonic display away from home in which Dundee took the lead, and visiting fans were left furious at their team’s inability to find a winner despite dominating the ball. Manager Philippe Clement was booed by his own fans, but said afterwards he was “200% confident” he’ll keep his job. (Daily Record) (The Sun)