Dozens of missiles and drones fired by Iran caused no significant damage or injuries to US personnel, a US defense official has told AFP. The Iranian missiles and drones “were intercepted or failed to cause major damage”, the official said on condition of anonymity, adding that there were “no US injuries”.
A fictitious federal entity that was allocated 1.3 billion naira (£705,248) in Nigeria’s 2026 budget has precipitated a political storm in Africa’s largest democracy in the run-up to January’s general election. The fake agency came to light last October when Femi Gbajabiamila, the president’s chief of staff, wrote to the police alleging that his signature, along with official seals and reference numbers, had been forged by Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who was claiming to have been appointed by the presidency to head the presidential foreign intervention promotion council (PFIPC). The case is due to be heard in a court in the capital, Abuja, on 27 July, more than six months after the police filed an eight-count charge including criminal forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence against Adeyemi and two others. In a 1 July statement, the Nigerian presidency also claimed Adeyemi had met ambassadors without the knowledge of the foreign affairs ministry and misled the country’s accountant-general’s office into opening accounts for PFIPC with the central bank and 33 commercial banks. The actual Nigerian investment promotion council had also reportedly raised an alarm about the similarities with the PFIPC. Apart from being included in the budget, the PFIPC was also allocated office space in the federal secretariat in Abuja, a huge complex housing the headquarters of Nigeria’s civil service and many government ministries and agencies. That has raised questions about how Adeyemi was able to gain access, with some critics speculating collusion with officials at the highest echelons of government. “Politicians and members of the public who are weaponising Adeyemi’s claim against the chief of staff should refrain from swallowing his narrative hook, line and sinker,” the presidency statement said, defending Gbajabiamila. Local reports say Adeyemi has claimed he was given the appointment letter by Gbajabiamila, who has denied knowing him or ever being in touch. On Monday, President Bola Tinubu directed the independent corrupt practices and other related offences commission (ICPC) to open a probe. Days later, a Senate motion to independently investigate the presidential foreign intervention promotion council (PFIPC) did not pass. Meanwhile the House of Representatives set up a committee to question Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, the minister of budget and economic planning. The presidency and supporters of the ruling party have pointed out that Adeyemi had previously misrepresented himself as the newly elected president-general of a UN youth agency called World Youth Organisation back in 2017. His aides had said he was seeking permission from the UN security council to appoint staff across the world. “The 967 nominees will work with my office across the globe,” one of his representatives was quoted as saying in Nigerian daily Punch. “This will enable the organisation to function effectively and bring coordination across the world.” It later turned out that the WYO was not affiliated with, or part of the UN. Critics of the Tinubu administration have pointed to the controversial record of key government officials mentioned in the scandal. In 2007, the supreme court of the US state of Georgia handed Gbajabiamila a three-year suspension from practising law in Atlanta after failing to pass on $25,000 awarded as an injury settlement to a client four years earlier. Gbajabiamila paid back the money in 2006, and later admitted he violated professional conduct rules, but blamed the incident on a paralegal who “closed the files as per my instruction, but unfortunately never paid the woman”. Bagudu spent six months in a federal prison in Houston in 2003. According to the US Department of Justice, he was arrested for being an alleged accomplice to former dictator Sani Abacha who “embezzled, misappropriated and extorted billions of dollars from the government of Nigeria” amounting to more than $282m in one instance. Bagudu reportedly agreed to return $163m to Nigerian authorities, who in turn dropped all cases against him, leading to his release without admission of wrongdoing. The latest scandal has piled pressure on Tinubu ahead of January’s election, thrusting endemic corruption in Africa’s largest economy back into the spotlight. Former vice-president Atiku Abubakar, who is due to challenge Tinubu’s re-election bid in January, called on his rival to establish an independent commission of inquiry comprising neutral parties such as civil society leaders, opposition parties and the Nigerian Bar Association, to establish whether Adeyemi acted alone. “Nigerians deserve the whole truth, not carefully scripted press statements,” his spokesperson Phrank Shuaibu said earlier this month, “We therefore demand a truly independent investigation that follows the evidence wherever it leads. No sacred cows. No political protection. No selective justice.”
We’d like to find out more about how people in the UK are using prediction markets and what has attracted them to these platforms. Prediction markets allow people to buy and sell contracts based on the outcome of future events, such as sporting tournaments, elections and financial markets. They have become increasingly popular in recent years, particularly in the US. We’d like to hear confidentially from people in the UK who have used prediction markets, whether to trade on the World Cup, elections, financial events or something else. What attracted you to prediction markets? How did you first hear about them? How do you think they compare with traditional betting or investing? We are also interested in the practicalities. How easy was it to access a prediction market from the UK? Did you encounter any difficulties or concerns? If you’ve traded on the World Cup, we’d like to hear how your experience compared with other ways of placing a bet. If you’re having trouble using the form click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.
Good afternoon. This is an interruption to your regular First Edition programming. I appreciate it’s unusual for us to make a post-breakfast appearance in your inbox. Only, all week we’ve wanted to bring you an update on events inside Iran, and quite honestly, Nigel “making money is not a crime” Farage just kept getting in the way. And so today, we bring you this one-off Extra Edition. It has been dubbed the “funeral of the century”, though admittedly by its organisers. After a week of elaborate events across Iran and Iraq to mourn the late supreme leader’s death, today Ali Khamenei is being buried in his home town of Mashhad. It’s all happening against a backdrop of waves of US airstrikes on Iran, as Trump declared the fragile, never-quite-fleshed-out truce “over”, with 170 targets claimed to have been hit during the past two nights. It was in similar circumstances that the 86-year-old Khamenei was killed, along with much of his immediate family, when the US/Israeli airstrikes first began in February. This week’s long-delayed events – with millions taking to the streets for processions, protests and public outpourings of patriotism and grief – mark the final episode of his almost 40 years in power. In March, Khamenei’s son Mojtaba replaced his father as supreme leader. Before his appointment, Mojtaba was a mid-ranking, somewhat elusive cleric. He has yet to appear in public. I spoke to Dr Evaleila Pesaran, a fellow at the University of Cambridge specialising in the politics of power in modern Iran, about the unique role of the supreme leader, and the significance of this transition of power. Plus, Patrick Wintour, our Diplomatic Editor, has the latest from Tehran. In depth: ‘Many people were only there because of how America attacked Iran’ It appears the most remarkable of turnarounds for the Iranian regime. Barely six months ago, the nation’s streets were made ungovernable by waves of protests – a communication blackout saw the internet taken down. Massacres and executions followed: some estimate 30,000 were killed by the state. Since then, countless military and civilian sites have been battered by US/Israeli warplanes, killing thousands, including much of the Iranian leadership. Regime change was (at points, at least) the stated motivation for intervention. Certainly that was Israel’s wishful thinking. What exactly this latest bout of US bombing aims to achieve remains a mystery. “What I’ve seen is a story of two Tehrans,” Patrick told me from the city. “Yes, the streets here are full, but so were the roads out. With an extended holiday in place for the funeral, plenty of Tehran’s residents took the opportunity to head north to the sea and their holiday homes.” He heard a wide range of views from those who remained in the capital. Whether or not they attended the funeral march, or support the regime, one refrain came up repeatedly. “Many people were only there because of how America attacked Iran. They’re not supporters of the government, but couldn’t stomach their leader being assassinated, and their country destroyed.” However tightly choreographed and meticulously controlled, scenes this week in Tehran and beyond highlight what was already clear: for now, the regime maintains a grip on power. US foreign policy failures and violent repression have played their part in consolidating this – and western onlookers were often more optimistic of the potential of popular protests to usher in a new era in Iran than its residents – but the killing of Khamenei also proved not to be the catalyst for change Iran’s enemies desired. The scale of this week’s funeral, despite the renewed US bombing campaign, reflects the unique position Iran’s supreme leader holds, transcending politics and religion. *** Institutions of power Only three people have held the office of supreme leader: revolutionary Ruhollah Khomeini from 1979-1989, his successor Ali Khamenei until his death in 2026, and now 56-year-old his son, Mojtaba. Iran’s political structures are complex. “Convoluted, even,” says Pesaran. “There are democratically elected positions: the president, a parliament with limited power.” On economic strategy, and foreign diplomacy, they play a major part. The supreme leader, in fact, has de facto control over these electoral processes, through his proxies on the 12-member Guardian Council – six of whom he selects directly. Alongside other tasks, the Guardian Council vets and vetoes all parliamentary and presidential candidates. And vet they do: ahead of the 2024 presidential election, only six out of 80 hopefuls were approved to run. His sphere of influence extends far further, “charged with safeguarding the Islamic system – Nizam in Persian – and approves almost every governance decision. He is the head of the armed forces, state media and has a representative inside every ministry. It’s a shadow government, as it were, wielding power quietly.” Recent repression of protest and dissent, adds Pesaran, is also very much in his domain. Supreme leaders aren’t elected, but chosen by the Assembly of Experts. The public votes for the 88-strong body of “virtuous and learned” religious leaders. They appoint, then monitor and (theoretically) can dismiss the supreme leader. In practice, the Assembly of Experts has never collectively utilised the latter power. The constitution entrenches the supreme leader’s power, “while a web of institutions and infrastructure centred around him wants to hold on to the status quo,” says Pesaran. “Some regime support is ideological, but others are motivated by economic interests, or self-preservation. Capillaries of power spread deeply and widely into Iranian society that prop up the supreme leader, rather than him simply holding them all tightly in his clutches.” *** A revolutionary idea Nearly a decade before the 1979 Iranian revolution, an exiled Ruhollah Khomeini floated the prospect of his future position. “His idea was that the Supreme Leader would be a primarily religious role,” says Pesaran, “shaping government to be more moral, and authentic to Iranian culture and beliefs.” It was a response to the rule of the then Shah. “His opponents felt he was bringing in immorality and ‘westoxification’ – Gharbzadegi, in Persian – the corrupting influence of western cinema, fashion and ideas.” “Many in the revolution did not share a vision for clerical rule,” says Pesaran, “and Khomeini himself declared he had no interest in politics. The revolution involved communists, leftists, nationalists, democrats … who hoped Iran would become a democracy.” Post-revolution, the Supreme Leader job spec was designed in Khomeini’s image: a fine balance of political and religious experience. “A spiritual, learned leader who had reached the high rank of Grand Ayatollah in the state religion of Twelver Shi’ism.” A swift shift followed. “The Islamic Republican party over the next decade was brutal in eliminating threats to the system.” This included expanding the supreme leader’s political sway during the Iran/Iraq war in the 1980s. Iran’s second supreme leader, Ali Khamenei – a former president – ruled in his predecessor’s image. (For more on Khamenei’s approach to power, this 2008 pamphlet by Karim Sadjadpour remains obligatory reading). Now his son takes the reins – less qualified, religiously, than his predecessors. “The revolution aimed to rid Iran of monarchy, but it now looks suspiciously like a hereditary position.” *** A funeral for the ages Patrick’s dispatches from Tehran capture the mood at the six-day funeral. “We the people are Iran’s true missiles,” one banner read. Violent anti-Trump chants echoed loudly. As Patrick told me: “It was impossible not to take away the key message as revenge.” Those in attendance coalesced around anti-American sentiment. People are mourning different things, Pesaran continues: “loved ones lost in the war, attacks on infrastructure and cultural heritage. They can’t afford to buy a bag of rice – [it’s] the same as a working person’s monthly wages.” Inflation hit 88.60% percent in June. Iran’s population is more than 90 million. “Among them of course are genuine supporters of the system. The culture of grief within Iranian Shiism is far from the British stiff upper lip. At a funeral, you sob and wail.” Now the final burial rites are complete, a new chapter in Iran’s political history begins. Only, its central character remains invisible. Rumours that Mojtaba would emerge from hiding for his father’s funeral never came to fruition. If and when Mojtaba appears, Pesaran expects some change will inevitably be forthcoming. “He appears to view the world in a similar way to his father,” she says. The two were close: Mojtaba was part of his tight-knit inner circle. “But, Mojtaba’s close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) will have made him aware of how bad killing all your customers is for business.” The IRGC is not just a security force in Iran, but a major employer and financial actor. Certainly, Mojtaba is close to conservative clerical factions, but his lack of prior public life makes him something of an unknown entity. “And with total economic collapse, as and when peacetime returns, he will be forced to deviate from his father’s approach if he hopes to maintain any sense of domestic legitimacy, or to create economic recovery. I would expect some pragmatism – he’ll need to gain credibility.” All that remains to be seen. For now, at least, Iran’s most powerful figure is invisible. We’ll be back at our scheduled time tomorrow morning. What else we’ve been reading Ahead of tomorrow morning’s First Edition, why not have a look at our fantastic reporting on Nigel Farage, led by Anna Isaac, and the questions surrounding the large sums of money flowing into his bank account. World Cup 2026 France v Morocco | Kicking off at 9pm (BST) tonight, the first of the quarter-finals is a mouth-watering tie between the favourites, France, and one of the dark horses for the tournament, Morocco – who could field six players born in France in the match. Bored at work? And finally, the Guardian’s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply
Residents in southern Iran have described two nights of fear this week after explosions shook coastal communities as the US launched fresh strikes on targets including the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Sirik. US Central Command confirmed the attacks, saying they were carried out to “further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the strait of Hormuz”. For residents in Posht-e Shahr, Bandar Abbas, back-to-back explosions marked another night of terror as they scrambled to check on friends and family. Noor, a teacher who lives near the fishing pier, said this week’s strikes were stronger than most in recent months. “Right now there’s calm, but last night and the night before were terrifying. It was around 1am or so that I heard back-to-back explosions – at least 10. There were perhaps also the sounds of the air defences. We have a little cat at home. He was so scared and hid under the bed,” said Noor, who like the other residents, asked to use a pseudonym. The 40-year-old said fear is growing that the attacks may continue. At sunset, she feels increasingly unsettled about what the night may bring. “My biggest fear is for the fishermen. I live very close to the pier, and I know there were so many boats there with just fishermen trying to start early because it’s getting hot early in the morning.” “I found out that many more have been injured in last night’s strikes, and several are dead. I am really worried that this time the impact will be worse for civilians,” she said. Iranian authorities say at least 14 people have been killed in attacks over the past two days, with more than 78 injured. The fresh strikes also hit Sirik, another port city about 180km from Bandar Abbas. For those living in villages around Sirik, this week’s strikes have compounded existing challenges, including water shortages – which were exacerbated by US attacks on two water storage facilities. Those strikes have reportedly affected more than 20,000 civilians. Mina, 41, a mother of two, has been rationing water and paying for water cans for daily chores in the days since June’s attacks. She says further strikes would worsen already dire living conditions as temperatures rise above 45C. “We have a water shortage every year, but last month’s attacks on the drinking water plants mean we need to not only prepare for yearly water crises during summer but also for any new attacks like the one last night. Everyone is fearful, especially since we have been regularly targeted,” she adds. Many families rely on fishing and maritime work, and leaving in the face of a full-blown war would be a difficult decision, Mina says. “We can afford to leave for a few days, but not for a long time, and at this point we have no idea what to prepare for. We feel abandoned and in the dark.” Asked what her friends and family intend to do if the conflict escalates, Noor says: “We have to stay here because our livelihoods depend on it. I am afraid they [the regime] will once again shut down the internet completely if the war begins.” After an 88-day internet blackout imposed by Iranian authorities, connectivity was partially restored in May, but many people had by then already lost their income. Ahead of another night of anxiety, the residents said there was little hope the ceasefire will hold. Mohsen, another resident of Bandar Abbas, saidhe felt hopeless and insecure. “When the ceasefire happened, I felt that perhaps peace and calm could return to our lives, and we had started working on healing our psychological trauma. But then the bombings have started again, and the feelings of despair, hopelessness and insecurity have become stronger,” he wrote. Mohsen described being trapped in a cycle of endless unanswered questions. “What will happen after this? How are we supposed to plan for the continuation of our lives? How long are we going to remain in this terrifying state of limbo?”
The US and Iran traded strikes hours before the burial of the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday, with 17 people killed by US strikes while Tehran launched attacks against American bases in the region, straining an already shaky ceasefire. The tit-for-tat strikes were the largest since Tehran and Washington signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on 17 June aimed at extending the ceasefire and giving space for negotiations for a permanent truce. Sirens sounded at least three times in Bahrain, where the US navy’s fifth fleet is headquartered, while Iranian missiles also targeted Kuwait and Qatar. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it fired 10 ballistic missiles at Jordan’s Azraq military base on Thursday afternoon, which the US air force uses. There were no immediate reports of any damage in Jordan or the Gulf. In Iran, officials said strikes targeted the perimeter of Iran’s only civilian nuclear plant in Bushehr province, an area where the UN’s nuclear watchdog has previously warned that attacks could “pose a very real danger to nuclear safety”. “Several areas in Bushehr province were targeted today, including the perimeter of the nuclear power plant, a military base in the town of Choghadak and a fishing pier in the south of the province,” said Ehsan Jahanian, the deputy governor of Bushehr, adding there were no reports of casualties so far. The attacks came hours after Donald Trump said the MoU was “over” because of Iranian attacks on ships in the strait of Hormuz. After the strikes, the US president posted videos of explosions in Iran and threatened the country once again. “This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Hours before, he had promised strikes would not lead to long-term fighting but would be “very fast”. His comments and the exchange of fire prompted worries that the ceasefire could break down and raised concerns about the long-term prospects of negotiations. Significant gaps remain between the two countries over issues such as Iran’s control over the strait, as well as inspections of nuclear facilities. Back-and-forth attacks have happened since the MoU was signed, but Thursday’s strikes were the most intense in weeks. They came as Iran prepared to bury Khamenei in his home town of Mashhad. A fighter jet escorted the plane carrying Khamenei’s coffin amid the tense security situation. Crowds of people gathered for the occasion, some holding banners promising vengeance against the US. Observers waited to see if Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, would attend the burial. He was wounded in the same series of strikes that killed his father and has since only communicated through written statements. The US military said it hit about 90 targets in Iran, showing footage of strikes on missile launchers and a runway. It said the attacks were meant to degrade Iran’s capacity to “threaten freedom of navigation” in the strait of Hormuz, a critical choke point for about 20% of the world’s oil and gas. Iran accused the US of war crimes after it said two bridges in the eastern provinces leading to the city of Mashhad were targeted. The bridges constitute key infrastructure for Iran’s cross-border trade with China, which has dramatically increased since the start of the war. Trump has repeatedly threatened to hit bridges, power plants and other civilian infrastructure in Iran. Targeting civilian infrastructure if it is not a military objective could amount to a war crime. Iranian state media also reported explosions in several cities, including Bushehr, which houses Iran’s nuclear power plant complex. At least three people were killed in Iran’s south-western Khuzestan province, while a firefighter was killed in an airport in the south-eastern city of Iranshahr. Nine members of Iran’s military also died in strikes on Wednesday. The US attacked Iran after Iran struck three ships in the strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. Iran stopped virtually all shipping out of the strait during the war, sending global energy prices soaring and putting pressure on Trump domestically before midterm elections. The MoU calls for the reopening of the strait to commercial shipping for 60 days. Iran says it wants to charge fees to ships transiting through the strait, conflicting with the US, which says it is an international waterway and should not have tolls. Iran continues to view its control over the strait as an important source of leverage in its negotiations with the US, while Trump appears to view strikes on Iran as a way of increasing pressure on Tehran. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a senior Iranian negotiator and parliament speaker, said US pressure would not lead anywhere. “America still hasn’t learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free,” he said in a post on X. “Let me put it plainly: If you strike, you’ll get hit.” Mediators attempted to de-escalate tensions between the US and Iran in an effort to salvage negotiations. The Qatari prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, a key intermediary between the countries, spoke to Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, on Thursday, condemning Tehran’s strikes on ships in the strait. “His excellency stressed that such actions would undermine trust, threaten international maritime security, and harm efforts to consolidate regional security and stability,” a statement from the Qatari foreign ministry said. Negotiations towards reaching a final deal were intended to start after the conclusion on Thursday of Khamenei’s seven-day funeral. The two days of strikes meant talks would be held amid escalating tensions Trump had said on Wednesday that negotiators were “wasting their time”. Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, shot back at Trump, calling his comments “a confession to the failure of a policy that has been based on force, sanctions and threats for years and could not bring the Iranian nation to its knees”. Gharibabadi wrote on X: “With the criminal and the murderer Trump, one must speak his own language, apparently understands the language of force better!” Additional reporting by Patrick Wintour
On 10 June, a snowy-haired American in his 60s addressed the residents of a remote Greenland hamlet. He was there to tell them about a business venture supported by figures linked to Donald Trump. “So,” Robert Price said via an interpreter, “we have a project to drill for oil here.” The Texas oil company that Price represents, Greenland Energy, hopes to prove that billions of barrels of crude lie underground by bringing in 300 shipping containers of drilling kit. “We have the permit to put the equipment on the land,” footage of the gathering in Ittoqqortoormiit shows Price saying. “And then we’ve filed our permits – pending approval – to drill.” But Greenland’s resources ministry said that contrary to Price’s claim, there were “no actually active permissions for any exploration activity or permissions for preparations for these activities”. The dispute threatens a showdown between the Trump-linked backers of Greenland Energy and the authorities in the vast, sparsely populated territory. Trump’s lieutenants are using the prospect of an American oil find in Greenland to bolster their case for an American takeover. The US president’s special envoy to Greenland, the hard-right Louisiana governor, Jeff Landry, returned from a visit in May to declare on Fox News: “We need a deal. Greenland needs a deal. We could be – Greenland could be – exporting 2m barrels of oil a day right now.” Landry, who says his task is to “make Greenland a part of the US”, added: “We could have those barrels on production within 10 months or so.” Greenland Energy appears to be the only company making plans to drill in the territory. Despite seemingly not yet having permission, it has chartered an Arctic-going vessel to ferry its equipment 4,000km through icy waters to Greenland’s eastern coast. Price, an energy industry veteran who has become the public face of the company, said the vessel would depart in two months, on 12 September, with drilling to begin in October. Halliburton, the giant Houston-based contractor once led by the former Republican vice-president Dick Cheney, will run the logistics. Ever since Trump made his imperial desires for Greenland explicit, US business interests have been gaining footholds in its vast expanses. The ventures range from rare-earth minerals and hydroelectric power to bottling “luxury” spring water. Greenlanders have watched nervously as Trump has exercised US military power and toyed with doing so in the Danish territory. The day after he sent special forces to snatch the leader of Venezuela, Trump said: “We do need Greenland, absolutely.” Trump cited oil as the reason the US needed to stamp its authority on Venezuela. The US has since extracted oil revenues of about $8bn with scant oversight. Arriving at this week’s Nato summit in Turkey, Trump renewed his call for the US to wrest control of Greenland from Denmark. Among those alarmed is Avaaraq Olsen, the mayor of the region that covers the capital, Nuuk, and extends east across Jameson Land, where the oil drilling is planned. She said she was “so afraid” that Americans striking oil could align with Trump’s plans. “We are like the most peaceful place on Earth,” she said. “And we have always lived in peace and harmony. And suddenly there is all these Americans trying to take over.” Licence to drill Greenland stopped issuing licences to explore for oil in 2021 after 50 years of fruitless drilling. “The environmental consequences of oil exploration and extraction are too great,” a minister said at the time. But a handful of licences remained valid. They included some covering a chunk of Jameson Land, a region closer to London than to Washington. These licences belong to a company registered in the UK called 80 Mile. It is those licences that Greenland Energy, formed last year and listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange in New York, is hoping to exploit by putting up $60m to drill two wells in exchange for a majority stake in the project. Price has claimed that crude worth $1tn (£750bn) could lie beneath Jameson Land. “I believe it’s there,” he said during the meeting in Ittoqqortoormiit, a settlement of 300 people in Jameson Land. “The scientists believe that it’s there. But until we drill these wells, we don’t know.” The wells are expected to be drilled in an area protected by the global Ramsar Convention to preserve wetlands. David Boertmann, an expert on Greenland’s birds, said the conservation zone hosts important numbers of barnacle geese and pink-footed geese as well as whimbrel, golden plover, Sabine’s gull and snowy owl, plus muskoxen. Oil exploration activities could threaten the birds’ habitat, Boertmann said. Greenland Energy’s stock market filings make clear that its plans can go ahead only if Greenland’s government grants permission for drilling and for it to take a stake in any oil extraction that follows. There are signs that the government may be reluctant to do so. Days after Price’s comments, Greenland’s minister for mineral resources, Múte B Egede, said he could “understand if citizens are concerned” about the project’s connections to Trump. He added: “Activities cannot be carried out until the necessary permits have been granted. I must say again that the company’s statements to the public do not always reflect the actual situation.” Greenland Energy declined to respond to questions from the Guardian. But Larry Swets, a financier who is one of Greenland Energy’s biggest shareholders and serves as executive chair, has acknowledged: “Our enthusiasm for the project led us to communicate in a way that created confusion about who is responsible for what in Greenland – and that benefited no one, least of all the local communities closest to the project.” Trump connections At the Ittoqqortoormiit meeting, one person asked whether Swets had “close relations with Trump”. Price replied: “Not that I know of.” Social media posts by Swets’s wife appear to show that this year she visited Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club. Swets did not respond to questions about whether he had accompanied his wife to Trump’s Florida residence, which serves as a presidential court away from the White House. Although Swets has said the oil project is “not related to American annexation”, Greenland Energy’s connections to the US president are growing, as the company amasses an eclectic array of Trump-linked backers. In April, the Wall Street billionaire Kenneth Griffin bought 9% of Greenland Energy’s shares. Griffin is a Republican mega-donor and, despite criticising the Trumps’ self-enrichment, gave $1m towards the president’s second inauguration. Then in June, a US Navy veteran, Carol Craig, joined Greenland Energy’s board. Sidus Space, the defence tech company she founded, is working on Trump’s Golden Dome missile defence system. Trump has said that controlling Greenland, home to the US armed forces’ space base at Pituffik, is a “vital” part of the Golden Dome plan. The same month, Greenland Energy announced a deal with Phil McGraw’s Envoy Media. Better known as Dr Phil, the TV personality’s 20 years hosting a talkshow that spun out of Oprah Winfrey’s show made him a household name in the US. McGraw spoke at a Trump rally in 2024. After Trump’s victory, McGraw “embedded” himself with ICE agents enforcing Trump’s immigration crackdown. His latest venture, a documentary series about Greenland Energy, will be broadcast on cable and social media and, according to the company, will “capture the mission of these modern-day wildcatters”. Discussing the prospect of oil with Swets and Price in a YouTube curtain-raiser, McGraw says: “We’ve heard Trump talk about buying Greenland and everybody laughed, but actually there is some real value to Greenland.” Days later, McGraw was in the Oval Office with Trump, saying how honoured he was to serve on the president’s Religious Liberty Commission. “Thank you very much, Phil,” Trump said. “I appreciate your support.” Some Greenland Energy shareholders are hoping the president will show similar appreciation for its Arctic oil exploration. On a dedicated Telegram group, they discuss what might send the company’s stock price higher. Referring to a presidential plug for the company that could make them richer before a drop of oil has been drilled, they are hoping to secure what they are calling a “Trump pump”.
Large parts of western Europe are experiencing another extreme heatwave this summer with temperatures in high 30s across Spain and France. High temperatures up to mid-30s are also expected across the south and south-west of England today and tomorrow, with a public health alert in place (10:18). A high temperature warning has also been issued for a dozen counties in the Republic of Ireland (12:00). The heatwave is expected to continue into the next week (13:37), with authorities telling residents to look after vulnerable family and friend members, avoid prolonged heat exposure, and look out for wildfires (10:29, 11:45). The extreme weather is also testing the continent’s infrastructure with a reactor at the Golfech nuclear power plant near Toulouse temporarily shut down due to the ongoing heatwave (13:40). Stay cool, everyone, and remember: keep drinking fresh water. If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com. I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.