South Korea will end bear breeding and bile extraction from January 2026, formally closing a long-criticised industry and strengthening protections for captive wild animals.
After decades of conflict and instability, Iraq has made striking progress toward peace, stability and development, with falling poverty, stronger institutions and millions of displaced people returning home.
Peru has granted legal rights to native stingless bees, recognising their right to exist and thrive and marking the first time insects have received such protection anywhere.
The European Union has agreed on its first unified rules to protect dogs and cats from abuse, unsafe breeding, and illegal trade, strengthening animal welfare across all member states.
More than 20 European countries have now adopted consent-based definitions of rape, marking a historic cultural and legal shift toward recognising only voluntary sexual acts as lawful.
Member nations of CITES have unanimously granted the highest level of protection to all ten species of manta and devil rays, ending international commercial trade and marking a historic conservation milestone.
Around the world, 95 million children have escaped extreme poverty since the start of the century — a powerful sign that decades of global investment in children’s health, education and protection are paying off.
India’s Kerala state, home to 34 million people, has virtually eliminated extreme poverty by combining strong public services, targeted safety nets, and community-driven monitoring.
In the United Kingdom, London has recorded its lowest number of homicides since monthly records began in 2003, with killings in the first nine months of 2025 nearly 60 per cent lower than two decades ago.
British conservationists have sent more than 120 UK-born red kite chicks to Spain, helping revive populations of the same species that once rescued them from extinction.
