Crisis Response

Ukrainian authorities have accused Russian forces of targeting a civilian passenger bus in the country’s north-eastern Sumy region, killing at least nine people and injuring four others. The attack, reportedly carried out by a Russian reconnaissance-and-attack drone, occurred on Saturday morning near the city of Bilopillya. It came just hours after Moscow and Kyiv held their first direct peace talks in more than two years, underscoring the fragility of any diplomatic progress.

Patients were evacuated from Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, also known as the Baptist Hospital, in Gaza City after an Israeli airstrike hit the facility on Sunday. The civil defence agency in Gaza said the strike came just minutes after the Israeli army issued a warning to evacuate the building. The blast reportedly destroyed the surgery unit and an oxygen generation station for the intensive care units. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

A new report from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has laid bare the disturbing reality faced by women in politics across the Asia-Pacific region. Interviews with female Members of Parliament (MPs) and staff from 33 countries—including Australia, China, Indonesia, Thailand, India, and the Philippines—reveal that gender-based violence, harassment, and abuse have become all too common in parliamentary workplaces. The findings underscore an urgent need for reform to protect the women who serve in these democratic institutions and to ensure that parliaments remain safe havens for robust debate and law-making.