1. Japan's Toyota will pair up with China's Tencent while Nissan will team up with Baidu.

2. Israel's military is poised to evacuate Palestinian civilians from Rafah and assault Hamas hold-outs in the southern Gaza Strip city.

3. Australian police charged five teenagers with terrorism-related offences in investigations following the stabbing of an Assyrian Christian bishop earlier this month.

4. At least 118 inmates escaped from prison after heavy rains damaged the facility in Suleja near the Nigerian capital.

5. Tech companies are now expanding into smaller cities in India to capitalize on cheaper land costs, rents and wages.

6. China is providing moorage for a US-sanctioned Russian cargo ship implicated in North Korean arms transfers to Russia.

7. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on China to provide a level playing field for US businesses.