Thursday 11 June 2026
In your briefing today:
Water cannon was fired in a second night of rioting in Northern Ireland, while there were arrests in Scotland after violence in Glasgow
The Scottish Parliament rejected proposals for an inquiry into Peter Murrell’s crimes
A guide to World Cup guides: from the couldn’t-care-less to the highly committed, how to follow the next five weeks of football
TODAY’S WEATHER
THE BIG STORIES
Water cannon used on Belfast rioters | Holyrood votes down Murrell inquiry | Violence escalates in Middle East
📣 Water cannon was fired in a second night of rioting in Northern Ireland, following a knife attack with left a man seriously injured on Monday night. The cannon was used on a crowd of 300 anti-immigration protestors, who had burned a track and thrown petrol bombs and bricks, in a town outside Belfast. (Guardian)
Mobs burn immigrant homes in modern-day pogrom (The Times)
Relatives of the victim voiced their “disgust” at the scenes. (Independent)
Three men have been arrested and charged after disorder and racist assaults in Glasgow city centre, in which two police officers and three others were injured. (BBC)
A junior doctor offers a chilling account of encountering an attack on two black men by a mob in central Glasgow on Tuesday evening. He was warned he shouldn’t try to help by the masked-up thugs, some of whom were carrying union flags and clothing linking them to the Rangers ultras group, the Union Bears. (Daily Record)
Worshippers in Glasgow’s largest mosque were locked in for their own safety as thugs roamed the city centre. (Mail)
The victim of the alleged attempted beheading in Belfast, the event which sparked this week’s violence, had previously been the victim of a vicious assault by an Ulster gang leader in a flat in Livingston in 2001. (Daily Record)
📣 To nobody’s great surprise, the Scottish Parliament voted down calls for an inquiry into the crimes of former SNP Chief Executive Peter Murrell, instead supporting a non-binding Scottish Greens proposal for a wider inquiry into the financing of all political parties.
Westminster’s Scottish Affairs Committee, which was awaiting the outcome of the Holyrood vote, may now decide to set up its own inquiry. (BBC) (Mail)
The activist who sparked Operation Branchform has called on prosecutors to reveal details of the plea deal they reached with Peter Murrell before he pled guilty to embezzlement. (Daily Record)
📣 Violence has escalated in the Middle East with Iran striking Kuwait and Bahrain, and US President Donald Trump warned Tehran would “pay the price” for stalling in negotiations. (AP)
AROUND SCOTLAND
📣 A second tram line for Edinburgh has won only minority support from the public in a consultation exercise, the city’s council has revealed. Nevertheless, the city’s transport convener called the results “fairly inconclusive” and hailed the plans as vital for the city. A decision on next steps for the proposals will be taken in September. (Scotsman)
Tram extensions aren’t bad news for property prices: the new line to Newhaven has increased property values by up to 37% along the route, according to the ESPC. (Evening News)
📣 A “stark” report on council finances says they could be forced to cut or cancel services as they grapple with a black hole of more than £500 million this year. (Scotsman)
AROUND THE UK & WORLD
📣 Donald Trump has said he “loves the inflation” as it was revealed US prices rose last month at the fastest rate in three years. He said prices would “come down like a rock” when the war with Iran was over. (BBC)
📣 Apple has agreed to install a “kill switch” on its phones in a move to make it harder to sell on stolen phones, it’s being claimed. The Mail is claiming victory after a long-running campaign. (Mail)
📣 The Kremlin has responded after one of its generals was killed by a car bomb: a spokesperson confirmed an explosion, but said little more. (Independent)
📣 Actor David Harbour has finally responded to ex-wife Lily Allen’s scathing breakup album, released last year, saying: “I respect her for doing that”. (Variety)
SPORT
⚽️ England eventually eased past Costa Rica last night, winning 3-0 in their final World Cup warm-up match, which was delayed after thunderstorms before kick-off. Thomas Tuchel “showed his hand” for England’s opener next week, while his players showed what they could do when playing with intensity, says David Hytner. (Guardian)
Phil McNulty: England stepped up a gear (BBC)
⚽️ Scotland star Aaron Hickey celebrated his 24th birthday yesterday: in Keith Jackson’s words, “he was presented with a cake that he wasn’t allowed to eat. There wasn’t a drop of alcohol in sight. And then he was sent to bed early into the bargain. But this was the greatest birthday of his young life nonetheless.” (Daily Record)
Roy Keane reckons John McGinn “does look like a pub player” when “he’s off it”. (Sun)
⚽️ Tonight’s World Cup fixtures:
Mexico v South Africa (8pm, STV)
South Korea v Czech Republic (3am, STV)
IDEAS
The World Cup: from the couldn’t-care-less to the highly committed, how to follow the next five weeks of football
Oooh, I like the outfits.”
🗣️ The biggest World Cup ever kicks off tonight in Mexico City, with the eyes of the world - and especially the 48 countries competing - on North America for the next five weeks.
Now, I know many Early Line readers aren’t especially interested in football. The newsletter takes a… sparing attitude to the beautiful game, as a consequence - there are plenty of places, after all, where the committed fan can get as much news and information on the sport, should they want it.
But World Cups are a little different. The scale of the event draws people in - along with the parties and workplace buzz that tends to accompany the tournament.
Even people with no great love of football can be drawn into the tight, month-and-a-bit narrative that’s guaranteed to bring great ups and downs, edge-of-your-seat drama, and tearful upsets.
The Early Line will keep you briefed on results and fixtures. But what if you want to be a little better prepared for this festival of football, and all it’s likely to bring? Here are five suggestions.
If you’re a new football fan then this BBC guide to the World Cup offers a gentle introduction to what’s going on. What the World Cup is, how it works, where it’s happening, who the favourites are, which players you should keep an eye out for. It won’t make you an expert - but read this and the odds of saying something embarrassing will be much reduced.
If that’s all a little earnest then Caitlin Moran’s more tongue-in-cheek effort might be more your bag. She recommends phrases such as “Oooh, I like the outfits” and “OK, so who are the goodies and who are the baddies?” as decent openers to get you through. (The points she makes about Belgium’s kits being “inspired by Magritte”, with the players posing with apples obscuring their faces, are absolutely true and maximally Belgian, I’d add).
The committed football fan seeking an in-depth briefing has a wide range of options. As I mentioned in Saturday’s Party Line, two guides have particularly caught my eye: Scottish tactics guru John Walker has prepared a set of videos explaining the tactical style of each of the 48 teams taking part. And the Guardian has undertaken the mammoth task of profiling all 1,248 players in the tournament. (The mistakes flagged last weekend have now been fixed.) A quick review of both these guides will, I suggest, give you much more than the usual pre-match preview on the telly.
You can make predictions in a variety of ways - gambling companies will, of course, be anxious to take your money should you decide to have a flutter, and you won’t be alone: more than $50 billion will be staked over the next five weeks. Lower-risk options are also available: the Guardian has an elegant World Cup bracket, which allows you to while away some time predicting every match, and seeing who you end with as winner.
And if you want to make it social… there’s always Fantasy Football, which I struggle to keep up during the dramas of a full football season, but which might - just might - be more straightforward in the shortened, pressure-cooker environment of the World Cup. And, of course, you get the chance to take on friends and colleagues in something that becomes a little more involved than the traditional office sweepstakes. FIFA offers up the official fantasy game, while The Athletic offers up some tips.
👍 That’s your Early Line for the day
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