ULAANBAATAR  –  A bear has killed a man and seriously injured a woman after it attacked them in their home near the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar. Police say the incident happened in the Bayanzurkh district overnight on Wednesday in their traditional Mongolian nomadic tent-like structure known as a ger. The man, who was in his 40s, died, but the woman, in her 50s, managed to flee and raise the alarm with neighbours. She is in a serious condition in hospital, city official Munkhbayar M told reporters. Sightings of bears around humans are becoming more common in Mongolia, for reasons that include climate change and food scarcity. A team of rangers is searching for the bear while officials have warned locals to be vigilant and report any sightings. There had been 24 bear sightings near the capital this year alone, compared to just two in 2018, Munkhbayar said, in comments reported by the AFP news agency. Videos showing bears entering or damaging gers, and attacking livestock have reportedly gone viral on Mongolian social media in recent weeks, highlighting the increase in bear and human interaction across the country.

Bear-hunting permits across eight provinces have been issued and officials are seeking to obtain tranquiliser dart guns to support rangers in rural areas, AFP reports.

Italy’s parliament has approved fiercely contested changes to the country’s electoral system championed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni ahead of elections due next year.

Lawmakers voted 227 to 164 in favour of moving to a fully proportional system, which Meloni has argued will boost the chance of clear winners and more stable government.

Opposition parties say her right-wing coalition has designed the proposals to improve its chance of retaining power and, in a heated debate on Thursday, accused it of pushing through the “fraudulent” reform to flout democracy.

Meloni had warned she could resign and trigger an early election if the plans were rejected, with the secret ballot seen as a test of her authority.

Meloni’s coalition has overseen a rare period of political stability for Italy since her election in 2022, and last month her government became the country’s longest-running since World War Two.

The voting reform will see the country move away from its current hybrid voting system, in which about a third of members are chosen through a first-past-the-post vote and the rest through proportional representation.

Parties proposing to form a coalition will be required to put forward their joint candidate for prime minister, and their political programme, before any general election.

A party or coalition which emerges with the largest share of the votes – provided this exceeds 42% – will be awarded 105 additional seats in parliament (70 in the lower house and 35 in the senate), which could turn a narrow victory into a more comfortable majority.