Israel says military actions will continue; Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah leader vow revenge; IDF says two Israeli soldiers killed in Hezbollah strikes

• Analysis: Attacks were audacious and carefully planned

In our First Edition newsletter today, my colleague Heather Stewart has spoken to our defence and security editor Dan Sabbagh. Here is a snippet:

Targeting Hezbollah directly is not new: Benjamin Netanyahu’s government claimed to have killed a Hezbollah leader in an airstrike on Beirut in July, for example. But the widespread and indiscriminate nature of Tuesday’s blasts represented a significant escalation.

Sign up here for our free daily newsletter, First Edition

PM defends decision to accept corporate hospitality but dodges question about who paid for his glasses

A reader asks:

Can you please obtain clarity from a Labour spokesperson, or even an expert in the English language or linguistics, as to the meaning of ‘lean into hope’? Baffling!

Lionel R, 44, one of 50 men accused, apologises to his victim and tells the court: ‘I have no choice but to accept the facts’

One of 50 men accused of raping the French woman Gisèle Pélicot after she was drugged by her husband accepted the charges on Thursday, saying he was sorry for what he did.

Lionel R, a 44-year-old supermarket worker and father of three, was among dozens of men accused of participating in the mass rape of Pélicot over a decade in a trial that has shocked France.

Earth’s gravitational pull will cause a trapped asteroid to orbit around planet for about two months

This autumn, for a limited time, Earth will be getting a second moon.

According to a study published this week, an asteroid roughly the length of a city bus will be captured by Earth’s gravitational pull and orbit our planet for about two months, becoming a “mini moon”.

Judges rule parliamentary standards investigation into the then Tory MP was fair in finding ‘egregious’ breach

The European court of human rights has dismissed an appeal by the former MP Owen Paterson against the parliamentary report that preceded his political downfall.

Paterson, a former environment secretary and influential pro-Brexit Conservative, resigned as an MP in 2021 after an investigation by the parliamentary commissioner for standards established that he had repeatedly engaged in improper lobbying.

London-listed Evoke, which owns William Hill, apologises for post on Israeli Facebook page linking to job ads

The gambling company that owns the William Hill, 888 and Mr Green brands has apologised after one of its social media accounts appeared to make light of the pager explosions in Lebanon that killed 12 people and injured thousands.

The explosions on Tuesday were followed by walkie-talkies exploding on Wednesday, killing another 20 people.

Attacks in Bamako claimed by al-Qaida affiliate cast doubt on junta’s ability to tackle 12-year insurgency

Scores of people reportedly died in a jihadist attack in the Malian capital on Tuesday, again raising questions about the junta’s capacity to tackle a 12-year insurgency.

Islamic militants attacked a number of locations in Bamako, including an elite police training academy. The violence, which the al-Qaida affiliate Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) claimed to have carried out, led to the closure of the city’s airport for the day.

Loss of key data when changing registered gender with GP means thousands are not invited to routine exams

Thousands of transgender patients in England are missing out on vital cancer screening because of the way their GP records are drawn up, experts have warned.

Everyone registered as female with their GP is automatically invited to breast screening from the age of 50 to 70, and to regular cervical screenings from 25 to 64.

Insiders question Reform UK leader’s claim that parliamentary security team advised against in-person meetings

Nigel Farage has said he received official parliamentary advice against holding in-person surgeries for his constituents – though his claim was immediately called into question by insiders.

On Thursday the Reform UK leader, who became the MP for Clacton in Essex in July, said he had been advised not to hold the physical weekly meetings that are a staple for most MPs, citing fears the public would “flow through the door with knives in their pockets”.

Twenty dates announced for Tension album tour so far, which will begin in Australia and visit several UK cities

Kylie Minogue has announced her biggest tour in a decade in support of her comeback album Tension.

Minogue’s tour, which has 20 dates with more “to be announced soon”, will begin in Australia, before heading to Bangkok to kick off its Asia leg. On 16 May Minogue will reach the UK, where she will perform at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro indoor arena.