World News Roundup: Ukraine, Russia accuse each other of early New Year's Day attacks; Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus convicted in Bangladesh labour law case and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Ukraine, Russia accuse each other of early New Year's Day attacks

Ukraine's shelling of the city of Donetsk on Monday killed four people, a Russian-installed official in the eastern region of Ukraine said, while Russia's air attacks on several Ukrainian regions killed at least one person, local officials said. Thirteen people were also injured in "heavy shelling" by Ukrainian forces on the centre of Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, the Russian-appointed head of the broader Donetsk region of which the Donetsk city is the administrative centre, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus convicted in Bangladesh labour law case

A court in Bangladesh on Monday sentenced Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to six months' imprisonment for labour law violations, prosecutors said, a case his supporters have claimed is politically motivated. Yunus, 83, and his Grameen Bank won the 2006 peace prize for their work to lift millions out of poverty by granting tiny loans of under $100 to the rural poor of Bangladesh, pioneering a global movement now known as microcredit.

Thousands of doses of childhood vaccines enter Gaza -Palestinian health ministry

Thousands of doses of vaccines against childhood diseases including polio and measles have begun entering the Gaza Strip to help deal with a growing health emergency in the besieged enclave, the Palestinian health ministry said on Monday. Israel's ground offensive has effectively stopped normal health services in Gaza, including vaccinations against highly contagious childhood diseases that had been brought under control by mass immunization programmes.

Israel to pull some troops from Gaza as war enters new phase

Israel is withdrawing some forces from Gaza to shift to more targeted operations against Hamas, and is partially returning reservists to civilian life to help the economy as the war looks set to last well into the new year, an Israeli official said. The official said toppling the Islamist faction remained an objective of the offensive in the Palestinian enclave, and that some of the five brigades withdrawn will prepare for a possible flare-up of a second front against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Massive earthquake slams Japan, residents flee some coastal areas

A powerful earthquake struck central Japan on Monday, triggering warnings for residents to evacuate some areas on its west coast, destroying buildings, knocking out power to thousands of homes and disrupting travel to the region. The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 triggered waves of around 1 metre along parts of the Sea of Japan coast, with authorities saying larger waves could follow.

Fighting rages in Gaza as Israel looks at new phase of war

Israeli tanks pulled out of some Gaza City districts on Monday while remaining in others, residents said, ahead of a planned troop reduction in the war, but fighting raged elsewhere in the Palestinian enclave along with intense bombardment. Israel says the war in Gaza, which has reduced much of the territory to rubble, killing thousands and plunging its 2.3 million people into a humanitarian disaster, has many months to go.

Taiwan president says ties with China must be decided by will of the people

Taiwan's relations with China must be decided by the will of the people and peace must be based on "dignity", President Tsai Ing-wen said on Monday after China's leader, Xi Jinping, said "reunification" with the island is inevitable. China has been ramping up military pressure to assert its sovereignty claims over democratically governed Taiwan, which on Jan. 13 holds presidential and parliamentary elections.

World welcomes 2024 with New Year's fireworks, reflection and a royal farewell

The world welcomed 2024 with a mix of celebration and sombre reflection. Sydney sparkled under a shower of silver and gold fireworks commemorating the 50th anniversary of its iconic Opera House, while the mood in Gaza remained bleak, with residents more concerned with survival. In Europe, Denmark's Queen Margrethe II announced her abdication after over half a century on the throne.

Pope denounces violence against women as Italy searches soul over murder

Pope Francis on Monday denounced violence against women, speaking as Italy is in the midst of national soul-searching about how to shed an entrenched culture of male chauvinism that often has led to femicide. Francis has made numerous appeals for an end to violence against women in the past. But his words on Monday were the first in a speech since Italy was angered by the brutal killing of 22-year-old university student Giulia Cecchettin in November.

Six killed in disputed region bordering Sudan, South Sudan

Six people including a senior local administrator were killed in an ambush by armed men in the Abyei region claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan, local officials said. The oil-rich region experiences frequent bouts of violence, where rival factions of the Dinka ethnic group - Twic Dinka from South Sudan's neighbouring Warrap State, and Ngok Dinka from Abyei - are locked in a dispute over the location of an administrative boundary.

(With inputs from agencies.)