The Ohio town reeling from pet-eating rumours

Hello. It's unlikely you'd heard of Springfield, Ohio until a week ago, when Donald Trump shared baseless claims of pet eating about its Haitian community. Today Mike Wendling is taking us to the town as it tries to recover from the false claims' real impact. I have the latest on Lebanon, where Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah gave his first speech since the deadly device explosions. Also in your newsletter: Football, smartphones and lava.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Hezbollah leader warns 'red lines' crossed

People watch Nasrallah's speech at a coffee shop in Beirut. Credit: Reuters

Israel launched air strikes on southern Lebanon on Thursday afternoon, at the same time as a planned televised address by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. It was his first speech since this week’s exploding devices attacks that injured thousands and killed at least 37.

What did we learn from Hassan Nasrallah's address?

His much anticipated speech had, as expected, some strong words against Israel. Referring to the country, he said “the enemy” had exceeded “all limits, rules, and red lines” with the explosions that killed at least 37 people and injured more than 3,000 others. He described the attacks as a massacre, and acknowledged that this was an unprecedented blow for the group but that its ability to command and communicate remained intact. “It can be called war crimes or a declaration of war - whatever you choose to name it, it is deserving and fits the description. This was the enemy's intention,” he said.

Has he given any clue on what retaliation could look like?

He vowed a just punishment but, unsurprisingly, there was no indication of how this response is going to be. The cross-border attacks on Israel will continue unless there is a ceasefire in Gaza, he added, saying that the residents in northern Israel who have been displaced because of the violence will not be allowed to return.

What can we make of that?

Nasrallah's tone, again, indicated that the group will measure its reaction in order to not spark a major war with Israel, which would be destructive not only for the group but also for Lebanon, a country struggling to recover from multiple crises in recent years.

THE BIG PICTURE

Why buy the latest smartphone?

Google unveiled its new Pixel 9 handsets last month. Credit: Getty Images

Every year around the end of summer, tech giants unveil their latest smartphones alongside increasingly grandiose marketing messaging. But sales are slowing worldwide, showing that consumers are less keen on upgrading, holding on to their phones for longer.

And finally... in Hawaii

One of the world's most active volcanoes has erupted again at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The eruption occurred in a remote wilderness area, which is six miles (10km) from the nearest road. Scientists have collected lava from the eruption for lab analysis. Here's a look at how they did it.