WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
Radio explosions, hacked X accounts, and dancing primates

 
today's international story

Fresh device explosions kill 20 in Lebanon

What happened 
At least 20 people have been killed in Lebanon and more than 450 wounded in a second wave of explosions from communications devices used by Hezbollah. Just a day after a series of pager explosions killed 12 people and wounded 1,200 more, hand-held radios used by the Iran-backed militant group exploded across Lebanon, including in the capital Beirut.

Who said what
The attacks represent a "major blow" to Hezbollah, said The New York Times, and have "sent Lebanon reeling". Exploding pagers and walkie-talkies "herald a possibly limitless front in future war", said Axios, one where "everyday items can't be trusted".

Iranian officials accused Israel of "mass murder". UN human rights chief Volker Türk called for an independent investigation into the co-ordinated explosions, saying that "the fear and terror unleashed is profound". Türk urged world leaders to step up "in defence of the rights of all people to live in peace and security".

What next? 
In retaliation for the device explosions, Hezbollah attacked Israeli artillery positions with rockets yesterday. The Israeli military said there were no reports of any damage or casualties.

Israel's "double-punch humiliation" is a "dance on the edge of an abyss", said Julian Borger in The Guardian. Hezbollah wants to "avoid an all-out war", said Mohanad Hage Ali from the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. But "given the scale, the impact on families, on civilians", there will be "pressure for a stronger response".

 
 
today's technology story

Hackers gain access to British MPs' X accounts

What happened
The X accounts of British politicians and international organisations were hit by hackers last night, with the same message sent out from each.

Who said what
"THIS IS HACKED ACCOUNT!!!! INTRODUCING $HACKED ON SOLANA on each account we hack we publish the token address so we pump it and make profits together," read the message sent from the hacked accounts.

Those targeted included Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Labour MPs Chris Elmore and Carolyn Harris. The same message also appeared from the accounts of the World Health Organization, the Great British Menu and Lenovo India.

British comedian and actor Sooz Kempner shared that her X account was hacked and she had changed her password, suggesting everyone "check your own security".

What next?
The messages were quickly taken down, but can still be read on the TweetDeck social media dashboard.

 
 
Today's science story

Gibbons dance like humans, study shows

What happened
Humans' status as "the most rhythmic of the apes has been challenged", according to The Times. In 2016 Chinese researchers filmed crested gibbons performing "conspicuous sequences of twitching movements involving the rump". A new study in the journal Primates claims these movements were "clearly intentional, rhythmic and structured", involving the entire body – in other words, a dance.

Who said what
It "rather looks like a cross between a robot dance and voguing", said Pritty Patel-Grosz of the University of Oslo, co-author of the paper. That is "exciting" because gibbons are "the only species of non-human primates" known to dance. Great apes, our closer relatives, have not shown similar behaviour.

Unlike some bird species, in which the male performs courtship dances, only female gibbons dance to attract a mate.

What next?
The last common ancestor between humans and gibbons lived more than 20 million years ago, so the study "lays the groundwork" for new questions about how and why dance evolves, said Patel-Grosz.

 
 

It's not all bad

A giant millipede, unseen for 126 years, was rediscovered in Madagascar during an expedition in September last year. As part of the conservation group Re:wild's Search for Lost Species program, a team of scientists and local guides explored the Makira Forest, identifying several lost creatures including the Makira rainbow fish and two ant-like flower beetles. The 10-inch millipede, Spirostreptus sculptus, was the expedition's most surprising find, shedding light on Madagascar's unique and underexplored biodiversity.

 
 
under the radar

The African asylum seekers fighting for Israel in Gaza

Israel has been recruiting African asylum seekers to take part in military operations in Gaza in exchange for permanent residency, according to off-the-record briefings by Israeli defence officials.

Recruitment is being conducted in an "organised manner" with the "guidance of defence establishment legal advisers", said an exclusive report in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

Military sources confirmed that the defence establishment had made use of asylum seekers in "various operations", said Middle East Eye. The "manner in which the Israeli army deploys the asylum seekers is barred from publication", said Haaretz, but to date "no asylum seekers who contributed to the war effort have been granted official status".

Approximately 30,000 asylum seekers, mostly from Sudan and Eritrea, currently reside in Israel, said France 24. Shira Abbo, director of public policy at Hotline for Refugees and Migrants, Israel's leading refugee advocacy organisation, said that fewer than 1% of asylum claims were ultimately approved.

Some asylum seekers have already sought to voluntarily enlist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), said Haaretz, seeing it "as the best way to integrate into Israeli society".

One man, identified as A., told Haaretz how he had been approached in the first months of the Gaza war by someone claiming to be a police officer who said they "were looking for special people to join the army", while promising documents from the State of Israel.

The recruitment practice has been "met with criticism", said France 24. "Asylum status is granted due to persecution, not as part of a deal," said Julia Grignon from the Institute for Strategic Research. "Enlisting in the military should never be a condition for obtaining refugee status."

 
 
on this day

19 September 1975

The first episode of "Fawlty Towers" premiered on BBC2, starring John Cleese as the misanthropic hotelier Basil Fawlty. It became one of Britain's best-loved comedies and has been regularly re-broadcast ever since. This year Cleese's musical adaptation debuted in London's West End, featuring scenes from the 12 episodes. It closes at the Apollo Theatre next week.

 
 
Today's newspapers

There is a "new phase" in the Middle East conflict after "walkie-talkie blasts" killed more in Lebanon, says The Times. The Financial Times leads on the US Federal Reserve cutting its interest rates for the first time in more than four years and says this "signals" that an "era of easing policy has begun". The Daily Star calls Keir Starmer "the king of the cadgers" and says he has received £100,000 of "freebies gifts and tickets… more than any other party leader in recent times".

See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Squirrels go nuts on Gatwick Express

Two squirrels caused "complete pandemonium" on a train to Gatwick Airport yesterday, according to bystanders. The furry fare-dodgers are believed to have boarded during a stop in Surrey and began attacking passengers, who "ran off the train and got on another carriage", a source told The Sun. Staff reportedly tried to remove the rodents using broomsticks and peanuts before admitting defeat and sending the train back to Reading. "We've all heard of the 'leaves on the line' excuse, but a squirrel attack is a new one."

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Arion McNicoll, Harriet Marsden and Chas Newkey-Burden, with illustrations by Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Suleiman Amhaz / Anadolu via Getty Images; Matt Cardy / Getty Images; Thierry Falise / LightRocket via Getty Images.