Russia’s heaviest bombardment of Kyiv in 4 months hits a children’s hospital

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Dozens of Russian missiles blasted cities across Ukraine, striking apartment buildings and a large children’s hospital in the capital, where local residents joined emergency crews to search through piles of rubble. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday’s daytime barrage targeted five Ukrainian cities with more than 40 missiles of different types. Ukraine’s air force reported intercepting 30 missiles. Officials said at least 31 people were killed, and more than 150 people were wounded. It was Russia’s heaviest bombardment of Kyiv in almost four months, hitting seven of the city’s 10 districts. Among the other targets was Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s birthplace in central Ukraine, where 10 people were killed.

Macron keeps France’s prime minister in place for ‘stability of the country’

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has refused the resignation of the country’s prime minister, asking him to remain temporarily as the head of the government after chaotic election results left the government in limbo. French voters split the legislature on the left, center and far-right, leaving no faction even close to the majority needed to form a government. The results from Sunday’s vote raised the risk of paralysis for the European Union’s second-largest economy. Macron gambled that his decision to call snap elections would give France a “moment of clarification,” but the outcome showed the opposite, less than three weeks before the start of the Paris Olympics.

Japan and the Philippines sign a defense pact in the face of shared alarm over China

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Japan and the Philippines have signed a defense pact allowing Japanese forces to deploy in the Southeast Asian country for joint military exercises, including live-fire drills. The Philippines was under a brutal Japanese occupation in World War II but is now building an alliance with Tokyo as they face an increasingly assertive China. The agreement similarly allows Filipino forces to enter Japan for joint combat training. The defense pact with the Philippines, which includes live-fire drills, is the first to be forged by Japan in Asia. China is warning Japan it should “seriously reflect on its history of aggression” in the region.

Israeli forces push deeper into Gaza City

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli forces are advancing deeper into the Gaza Strip’s largest city in pursuit of militants who have regrouped there. Hamas warned that the latest raids and displacement in Gaza City could lead to the collapse of long-running negotiations over a cease-fire and hostage release. The two sides had appeared to have narrowed the gaps in recent days. The incursion into Gaza City came after Israel and Hamas appeared to draw closer to bridging gaps in negotiations. Israeli troops are again battling militants in areas that the army said had been largely cleared months ago in northern Gaza. The military ordered evacuations ahead of the raids, but Palestinians say nowhere feels safe.