In your briefing today:

📣 Donald Trump says he wants to “take the oil in Iran” and could seize Kharg Island, the country’s oil export hub, comparing that potential move to the US’s moves to control the oil industry in Venezuela.

Trump told the FT: “To be honest with you, my favourite thing is to take the oil in Iran but some stupid people back in the US say: ‘why are you doing that?’ But they’re stupid people.”

The FT interview was published overnight amid surging oil prices, with the price of a barrel of oil rising above $116 in Asia earlier today. (FT (£))

📣 Ferry operator CalMac is warning of a “critical” shortage of ships as engine problems have put an eighth ferry out of action.

The MV Lord of the Isles had been covering the Oban to Mull route, but had to suspend all sailings on Saturday. Three other large ferries are already unavailable, with four undergoing planned maintenance.

“Virtually every island served by a major vessel” in the West of Scotland is affected by a shortage of ships, according to the operator. (BBC)

📣 Labour strategists have calculated a narrow path to power in next month’s Holyrood elections, which would require them to take 11 or 12 seats in Scotland’s Central belt, in battles against the SNP… and then rely on a strong Reform performance in the regional list contest.

Then, in a development that might sit uneasily with many Labour voters, the parliamentary arithmetic would mean they rely on Reform and other unionist parties to support Anas Sarwar as first minister.

John Swinney has previously warned Labour and Reform could tie up a “grubby backroom deal” to take power. (The Scotsman has the exclusive)

ChatGPT is insanely powerful.

But most people waste 90% of its potential by using it like Google.

These 1,000+ proven ChatGPT prompts fix that and help you work 10X faster.

Sign up for Superhuman AI and get:

Claim your free prompts

📣 The bodies of six people have been wrongly released by mortuary staff at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital since it opened, with one family cremating a stranger they thought was their relative, meaning another family could not hold a full funeral for their loved one. (Times)

📣 An EasyJet flight had to return to Glasgow after a member of crew was injured during turbulence shortly after it took off. (Independent)

📣 Gang boss Steven Lyons has been paraded by Indonesian police after they arrested him as he arrived in Bali at the weekend. (Daily Record)

📣 John Swinney has apologised to victims of ex-council leader Jordan Linden, who has been convicted of sexually assaulting young men. (BBC)

📣 Counterterrorism police are helping with an investigation after seven people were seriously injured when a car ploughed into pedestrians in Derby. (Independent)

📣 The NHS in England will miss its targets for A&E wait times, cancer care, and planned hospital treatment. (Guardian has the exclusive)

📣 Millions of drivers in the UK will find out how they can claim compensation for mis-sold car finance later today. (BBC)

📣 Five EU governments - Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy and Slovakia - are “consistently and intentionally” eroding the rule of law, Europe’s leading civil liberties group has warned. (Guardian)

⚽️ Scotland star Lewis Ferguson admitted Scotland were too safety-first in their dull 1-0 defeat to Japan at Hampden on Saturday, and hopes they can take the brakes off before they head off to the World Cup. (Daily Record)

⚽️ Young Glasgow City striker Lisa Forrest struck twice to win Glasgow City their first SWPL Cup in 11 years, helping her side beat Rangers Women 2-1. City are on course for the treble. (BBC)

🏉 Why are Edinburgh so poor? They’ve been told they’re “a million miles” from the top teams in the United Rugby Championship, a status reinforced by their 33-14 defeat by Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday. (Scotsman)

🏎️ F1 drivers are demanding urgent action after a “scary” crash involving Oliver Bearman yesterday in Japan. Bearman escaped a huge crash with only bruising. But many fear a more serious accident in a sport made more dangerous by big rule changes imposed this season. (Guardian)

⚽️ Who’s going to save Tottenham from relegation? Igor Tudor has left the club after 44 disastrous days: former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi is said to be keen. (Mirror)

🗣️ The Sunday Times splashed on its claim that the SNP “spends billions to ‘buy loyalty from charities’.” It’s a claim that’s been made by many in private, and a few journalists have nibbled around the idea that this was the case; this weekend’s reporting was among the most in-depth so far.

At the story’s heart: think of a “charity” and you might imagine its cash comes from fundraising - collection tins, bake sales, a dinner or dance.

But in Scotland, many charities rely heavily on government funding “for 90% or more of their revenue,” the paper reports.

The alleged control of charities is, thus, more subtle than a direct message. Instead, writes Daniel Sanderson, “there are claims that the SNP has in effect shut down criticism from the charity and voluntary sectors because of a system that leaves them umbilically tied to its political objectives and fearing grave consequences if they step out of line.

So: Rape Crisis Scotland was told to abandon a campaign because of Alex Salmond’s impending court case. An academic stepped down from a charity rather than voice her views on gender, for fear of the charity losing vital funding. And alcohol charities, which rely on the SNP for the bulk of their funding, loudly support the party’s policy on minimum unit pricing. (Sunday Times)

🗣️Reform UK’s top brass is worried the party’s association with Andrew Tate, the “manosphere” influencer who faces 21 charges for crimes including human trafficking, will make the party too toxic for mainstream voters. The party’s links with Elon Musk and Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, are also off-putting to voters, pollsters are warning. (Guardian)

🗣️The days of the school tuck shop are long gone - but there were new calls over the weekend for even tighter controls on energy drinks and sweets because schoolchildren are coming in wired from consuming them before school, leading to wildly bad behaviour - and slumps in attention when they wear off. A public health campaign may also be needed, one union leader tells the Sunday Post: many of the sugary snacks come from parents, not shops. (Sunday Post)

🗣️Donald Trump has been in a hurry to build a new East Wing to the White House: architects say his plans for a vast new ballroom have suffered for the rush. This in-depth review of the plans flags all sorts of problems, not least the building’s enormous, disruptive size, and the fact the grand staircase at the front doesn’t really go anywhere. (New York Times)

🗣️Bad news for golfers at The Renaissance Club in East Lothian: a council decision means they will no longer be able to help themselves to a drink at an unmanned halfway house bar. (East Lothian Courier)

Sent this by a friend?