The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on Tuesday announced that the head of Palestinian Islamic Jihad's (PIJ's) Rocket and Missile Unit in Rafah was eliminated in an intelligence-based strike.

The eliminated militant, identified as Ahmed Aish Salame al-Hashash, was leading the PIJ's rocket and missile unit, according to the IDF.

"Al-Hashash was responsible for the Islamic Jihad's rocket attacks in the Rafah Brigade and was an important source of knowledge of rocket fire within the Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation in Gaza," the IDF said in a statement on X.

Tokyo stocks closed lower on Tuesday, with the benchmark Nikkei briefly sliding more than 2 per cent, as the yen strengthened against the US dollar amid expectations of a larger interest rate cut by the US Federal Reserve this week.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei stock index, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average, ended down 378.54 points, or 1.03 per cent, from Friday at 36,203.22. Japanese markets were closed on Monday for a national holiday, news agency reported.

The broader Topix index, meanwhile, finished 15.38 points, or 0.60 per cent, lower at 2,555.76.

At least eight people were killed after a seven-story building collapsed in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) of Sierra Leone confirmed.

The NDMA on Monday said six survivors have been rescued from the rubble, while many people remain trapped beneath the debris, reports news agency.

According to eyewitnesses, the building was used for residential and commercial purposes.

The NDMA and other partners are making an all-out effort to recover more victims trapped beneath the collapsed structure, and NDMA authorities have initiated investigations into the cause of the disaster.

An improvised bomb killed a man in Zamboanga del Sur province in the southern Philippines on early Tuesday, police said.

Police said the explosion, which occurred in Tukuran, a seaside town, killed the man instantly and damaged a beachside store.

According to the police, the store owner immediately alerted the police after discovering the body of the victim and the wrecked motorbike, news agency reported.

Australia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have reached a deal on a free trade agreement.

Don Farrell, Australia's Minister for Trade and Tourism, on Tuesday announced that negotiations on the Australia-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement have concluded, news agency reported.

He said at a press conference in Canberra that the deal would eliminate tariffs on more than 99 per cent of Australian products entering the UAE.

"This is the first trade agreement with the Middle East," Farrell said. "The UAE is not only our largest trade and investment partner in the Middle East, but it is always one of our most important strategic diplomatic and defence partners in the region."

Eight people died on the spot and another succumbed to injuries at a local hospital following two road accidents in Niger.

More than 100 were injured on Monday, including 30 in critical condition, reported the national television.

Both accidents occurred in Dosso, a city in western Niger. The first occurred at the village of Seyti and the second at the city's entrance, news agency reported.

The victims were returning from the city of Kiota, where they celebrated Mouloud, a holiday marking the birth of the Prophet of Islam.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev spoke to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the peace efforts between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the upcoming COP29 climate conference, the Azerbaijani president's press service said.

Blinken commended the recent advancements, including the August 30, regulation on border delimitation, and reiterated the US commitment to supporting a durable peace in the region.

The two leaders held the discussions over the phone on Monday.

Aliyev underscored that peace is already established, attributing this to Azerbaijan's efforts, reports news agency.

Thousands of people took to the streets of Brussels, Belgium, in solidarity with workers from the Audi factory that is scheduled to close and to call for a support plan to maintain industrial jobs.

According to the police, 5,500 people took to the streets of the Belgian capital on Monday, reports news agency.

The strike was prompted by Audi's decision to close its factory in Forest, one of the Brussels neighbourhoods where some 3,000 people are employed. Local unions have called for a strike day in solidarity with Audi workers.

"It means that 3,000 families today are left behind directly, but also all subcontractors, co-contractors..." said Marie-Helene Ska, General Secretary of the Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (CSC).

Sudan's Ministry of Health said that 9,533 cases of cholera, including 315 deaths, had been recorded in the country.

The ministry said in a statement that the cumulative infection rate of the latest outbreak had reached 9,533 cases as of Sunday, according to news agency.

Last month, Sudan's Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim officially declared a cholera outbreak in the country.

"The lab test of watery diarrhoea at the Public Health Laboratory proves it to be cholera," Ibrahim said in a statement.

Wildfires in Portugal's Aveiro district have claimed two lives and prompted the mobilisation of over 1,200 firefighters.

Five major fires broke out between Sunday and Monday, with hundreds of firefighters, vehicles and dozens of helicopters supporting firefighting efforts, news agency reported.

The most severe blaze started in Oliveira de Azemeis, while Sever do Vouga and Albergaria-a-Velha have also been hit hard.