Estonia believes that damage to a telecommunications cable in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Estonia is related to damage to a pipeline and cable between Estonia and Finland, Sweden’s government said.

The Philippines accused Chinese coastguard vessels of “intentionally” colliding with its vessels on a resupply mission in a disputed part of the South China Sea.

The armed wing of the Palestinian Hamas militant group said it had released two Israeli women on health grounds.

Tropical Cyclone Lola has strengthened to category 4 with wind gusts of 180 km/h, the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-hazards Department says.

Israel pounded hundreds of targets in Gaza from the air on Monday while its soldiers fought Hamas militants during raids into the besieged Palestinian enclave where deaths are soaring and civilians are trapped in harrowing conditions.

China views the situation in Gaza as “very serious” with the risk of a large-scale ground conflict rising and the spread of armed conflicts along neighbouring borders, Chinese state media said, citing the country’s Middle East special envoy.

Argentina’s ruling Peronist coalition smashed expectations to lead the country’s general election.

Leaders of the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Britain underscored their support for Israel and its right to defend itself.

Switzerland looked set to shift to the right in national elections, as concerns about immigration trumped fears about climate change and melting glaciers.

The Philippines repeated its call for China to stop “provocative actions”, warning that its attempts to block Manila’s resupply missions to a disputed atoll in the South China Sea could have “disastrous results”.

Russian forces aiming to contain a four-month-old Ukrainian counteroffensive maintained unrelenting pressure on the shattered town of Avdiivka in the east and intensified shelling in the southern area of Kherson.

Argentines flocked to the polls to vote in a tense national election where a far-right libertarian leads the race for the presidency.