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Global perspective Human stories

Venezuela’s National Guard linked to killings, torture and repression, UN probe finds

Venezuela’s Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) has been implicated in a decade-long pattern of killings, arbitrary detentions, torture and sexual violence targeting protesters and opponents of President Nicolás Maduro, according to a new report from UN-appointed investigators on Thursday.  

11 December 2025

Gaza’s maternal and newborn health system ‘decimated’, UN warns

Gaza’s health system for mothers and newborns has been “decimated”, the UN said on Thursday, with Israeli attacks destroying almost all hospitals, cutting off medical supplies and driving sharp rises in maternal deaths, miscarriages and newborn fatalities amid mass displacement and hunger.

11 December 2025

WHO expert group reaffirms no link between vaccines and autism

A World Health Organization (WHO) expert committee has again confirmed that there is no causal link between vaccines and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), following a new review of global scientific evidence.

11 December 2025

Risks mount for pregnant women in Ukraine

Pregnant women took shelter in a bunkerised maternity unit in the Ukrainian city of Kherson last week, after a hospital was struck just 1.5 km from the frontline.

11 December 2025

Social media: Age-related bans won’t keep kids safe, UNICEF warns

A social media ban for children under 16 came into effect in Australia on Wednesday, marking a global first. 

10 December 2025

UNESCO urges a modern rethink of the right to learn

Despite major gains in access to schooling since 1960, widening inequalities driven by the climate crisis, conflicts and rapid technological change are leaving millions behind. 

10 December 2025

Five climate trailblazers: UNEP’S 2025 Champions of the Earth

Global temperatures rises are projected to surpass 1.5°C (2.7°F) within the next decade, underscoring the urgency of the climate crisis.

10 December 2025

Afghanistan’s crisis deepens as human rights recede and aid funding falls

Afghanistan’s worsening humanitarian crisis is being driven by the accelerating erosion of fundamental rights – especially for women and girls – alongside mass displacement, economic decline and shrinking aid, senior UN officials warned on Wednesday.

10 December 2025

Global campaign reveals how human rights ‘are the basis of our existence’

To commemorate this year’s Human Rights Day, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, invited members of the public to write in their most cherished values and everyday essentials.  

10 December 2025

World News in Brief: Gaza winter storm, $7 billion UNICEF appeal, support for emergency response fund

As another winter storm hits the Gaza Strip, low temperatures and rains are putting the lives of newborns and other vulnerable groups at risk, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said on Wednesday. 

10 December 2025