1. Singapore's Lawrence Wong, who becomes the wealthy city-state's first new prime minister in 20 years, took to Tiktok in the years before to engage with citizens, singing, playing guitar and posting on issues such as mental health.

2. Gun battles between Israel and militants from Hamas, Islamic Jihad and smaller Palestinian factions intensified overnight into some of the fiercest in months in both northern and southern Gaza.

3. US President Joe Biden and Republican challenger Donald Trump are tied in the race to win the November presidential election, as Trump fights criminal prosecution and Biden weathers criticism over his support for Israel's war against Hamas militants.

4. Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an interview, said he backed China's plan for a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis, saying Beijing had a full understanding of what lay behind the crisis.

5. Huawei is revamping its retail strategy and aggressively opening flagship stores in China.