Global Tensions: A Year in Review from Gaza to Ukraine

This summary provides global news updates including escalations in the Gaza conflict with Hezbollah and Hamas, the Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded to two U.S. scientists for discovering microRNA, and legal proceedings in South Africa. Other highlights include a critique from Pope Francis on Middle East conflicts, and developments in Ukraine.

In a dramatic escalation on the first anniversary of the Gaza war, Hezbollah launched missiles at Haifa, Israel's third-largest city, and further strikes on Tiberias. The conflict, now involving expanded ground incursions into southern Lebanon, demonstrates mounting tensions in the Middle East.

U.S. scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun have been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their groundbreaking work on microRNA, shedding light on its vital role in gene regulation and organism development. This achievement highlights significant advancements in molecular biology.

Pope Francis voiced profound disappointment on Monday, denouncing the global community's "shameful inability" to halt the conflict in the Middle East. His remarks come one year after devastating attacks by Hamas, igniting a cycle of violence that persists in the region.

(With inputs from agencies.)