Tuesday briefing: Why eco-conscious King Charles is announcing new gas and oil projects today

In today's newsletter: In his first King's Speech, the new monarch will announce his government's annual priorities - including a slate of climate-unfriendly policies

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Good morning to all our readers, but especially King Charles, who we wish lots of luck with his debut speech as monarch for the state opening of the UK parliament today (he delivered the Queen's Speech last year, but only as a stand-in).

His first King's Speech, in which Charles will set out the government's legislative priorities for the new parliamentary session, features plenty of policies (here's a summary) designed to create dividing lines between the Conservatives and Labour ahead of the next general election.

Israel-Hamas war | The Israeli military says it has completely encircled Gaza City, in effect cutting Gaza in two, as Israeli ground troops appeared poised to enter the dense urban sprawl from the south. Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would consider tactical little pauses" in fighting to allow the entry of aid or the exit of hostages but would not countenance a general ceasefire. Read Jason Burke's report on the conditions for civilians in UN-run shelters and hospitals in Gaza.

Covid | The Conservative peer Michelle Mone has acknowledged for the first time that she was involved with a company that was awarded government PPE contracts worth 200m during the Covid pandemic. Mone and her husband Douglas Barrowman have previously strongly denied any connection to PPE Medpro.

US news | Donald Trump took the stand in a Manhattan federal courthouse on Monday and angrily claimed the financial statements at the heart of his $250m civil fraud lawsuit were worthless" and the trial was a witch-hunt". The judge threatened to have Trump removed from court and warned him that the trial is not a political rally".

Health | Almost 300,000 women in the UK at higher risk of developing breast cancer are being given access to a drug that can halve their risk in a major step forward" in the fight against the disease. The drug, anastrozole, displays remarkable" potential to reduce the number of people who go on to develop the disease, the head of the NHS said.

NFTs | The company behind the Bored Ape crypto art craze is looking into reports that people have been suffering from eye burn, extreme pain and impaired vision after attending one of its events, which was lit by UV lights. More than a dozen people who attended last weekend's ApeFest festival in Hong Kong complained of eye pain and vision problems.