AM Edition: Top 10 Politics Articles on LiveNews.co.nz for July 27, 2026 – Full Text

24 July 2026 – One month following the devastating earthquakes, Venezuela continues to grapple with the aftermath, facing profound grief as thousands mourn the loss of family, friends, and everything they owned.

This sudden natural disaster that affected particularly the coastal state of La Guaira, near Caracas, has transitioned into a complex, protracted crisis characterised by massive population displacement, severe infrastructural damage, and deep psychological trauma. In La Guaira and Caracas, the urgent needs include access to clean water, adequate shelter, mental health care, and protection.

The official death toll has reached 5,398, with 16,740 individuals injured, 17,907 displaced, and 6,462 rescued from the rubble. The structural devastation is staggering; 190 buildings have officially collapsed, while over 895 structures, including schools, vital public infrastructure, and hospitals, have suffered severe damage and are at risk of collapse.

Thousands are currently residing in makeshift displacement sites or sleeping in tents adjacent to their damaged homes. In Maiquetía (La Guaira), approximately 3,000 individuals are camping on the pavement directly in front of 20 severely damaged and unstable buildings. Similarly, in Avenida Bolívar (Caracas), another 3,000 individuals are living on the streets, stripped of proper shelter and basic services.

In response to the crisis, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) currently operates four mobile clinics providing primary healthcare, mental health support, health promotion, and water and sanitation activities across the most affected areas: three in La Guaira (Maiquetía, Catia La Mar, and Tamaguarena) and one in Caracas (Avenida Bolívar). These clinics offer primary healthcare, clean water, and emergency mental health interventions to families who have lost everything. In the past month, MSF medical teams have conducted 2,217 medical consultations.

The injuries sustained extend beyond physical; families still searching for loved ones beneath the rubble, along with the shock of sudden homelessness and displacement, have given rise to a psychological crisis. To address these mental health challenges, MSF has integrated mental health support into its mobile response, providing: 113 individual mental health, 323 group therapy sessions, 1,402 psycho-education sessions. With local infrastructure severely compromised, MSF teams are implementing water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) intervention:

Installed a 5,000-liter water bladder in Playa Verde to serve as a reliable clean water source.
Initiated the ongoing chlorination of four primary water distribution sites alongside continuous water purification monitoring.
Distributed 5,000 bottles of emergency drinking water to families living on the streets.

Over the past month, MSF has donated approximately 8.5 tons of emergency medical supplies. This extensive logistical effort has supported immediate, life-saving operations and addressed the healthcare needs of an estimated 10,000 patients. MSF teams continue to provide disinfectants and infection prevention and control materials not only to active hospitals but also to overwhelmed local morgues, ensuring safety, hygiene, and dignity amid unprecedented loss.

MSF is an international, medical, humanitarian organisation that delivers medical care to people in need, regardless of their origin, religion, or political affiliation. MSF Australia was established in 1995 and is one of 24 international MSF sections committed to delivering medical humanitarian assistance to people in crisis. Every year more than 120 Australians and New Zealanders go on assignment with Médecins Sans Frontières  working as: doctors, midwives, psychologists, laboratory technicians, human resource/finance coordinators, pharmacists, mental health specialists and logisticians. MSF delivers medical care based on need alone and operates independently of government, religion or economic influence and irrespective of race, religion or gender. For more information visit msf.org.au  

A $12,000 Opportunity for Writers

Calling for applications from writers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and drama with a literary track record, who are currently working on a new project.

The Peter and Dianne Beatson Fellowship is awarded each year to a mid-career or senior writer to work on a project that shows a high level of literary merit and national significance and is donated by Peter Beatson. Peter has increased the Fellowship to $12,000 this year. We are so appreciative and thank Peter for his continuing and generous support of New Zealand writers.

In 2025, the fellowship was awarded to Breton Dukes, who used the funding to work on to work on a collection of connected short stories.

Breton Dukes has this to say about his win: “It’s hard being a writer. The self-doubt. The blank page – that blinking cursor! And let’s be frank, this government and most of the previous ones don’t care/haven’t cared about the arts. They don’t care about literature. Those in power would struggle to spell the word. Their idea of funding the arts is a joke. We grovel for every cent. And books don’t sell – especially short story collections. So, what a boost to get a phone call in the middle of a quiet Wednesday – I was napping on the couch! A phone call about winning the Peter Beatson Fellowship – real money to do more writing. Recognition for the work I have put in up to this point. And faith in what will come next. And real money – did I mention that? Thanks to the NZSA and thanks to Peter Beatson – good on you, Peter! Thanks for the faith.”

Other previous recipients include: Dr Jacqueline Leckie, Laurence Fearnley, Tim Jones, Siobhan Harvey, Whiti Hereaka, Emma Neale, Michael Harlow, Tina Makereti, Jillian Sullivan, Sue Wootton, and Frankie McMillan.

Deadline for applications: Thursday 18 September 2026

To apply for the fellowship you need to be a member of the NZ Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc). Membership is open to all developing and established writers.

To find out more and to access application forms: https://us.list-manage.com/_ZPG_W201Z_?e=466373ae7c&c2id=0262e346be96b3cfb3b6ac8cf3509050
For media enquiries: contact Chief Executive, The New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa PEN NZ Inc. director@nzauthors.org.nz

New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa (PEN NZ Inc) was established in 1934 and is the principal organisation representing writers’ interests in NZ. A national office oversees 8 branches and hubs, administers prizes and awards, runs professional development programmes, and advocates for the sector and to raise the visibility of NZ writers and NZ writing. It works in partnership with Ngā Kaituhi Māori and its developing Youth writer’s network.
authors.org.nz

Responding to today’s appeal decision overturning the murder conviction of a woman who had a later abortion while reducing the sentences of medical staff, Amnesty International Korea’s Executive Director HeeKyoung Cho said:

“While we welcome the court’s decision to acquit the woman who sought abortion, the court’s decision to uphold the convictions of medical staff exposes structural loopholes in access to essential healthcare in South Korea.

“The National Assembly’s failure to amend the abortion law has left pregnant people without clear legal protections and access to essential reproductive healthcare. People’s ability to exercise their reproductive autonomy, control their reproductive lives and decide if, when and how to have children is essential to the full realization of human rights, dignity, and bodily integrity. Moreover, the ability to make decisions about one’s body, sexuality and reproduction is at the core of gender, economic and social justice.

“Women deserve the latest and best medical care. The government must implement measures to remove barriers to accessing safe abortion as well as to provide proper regulations on abortion service provision. The Mother and Child Health Act must immediately be amended to prioritize women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights.”

Background

On 23 July, the Seoul High Court acquitted a woman who had been charged with murder for undergoing a later abortion. While the convictions of medical staff in relation to the later abortion were upheld, their sentences were reduced. The doctor who performed the procedure was sentenced to six months in prison, while the hospital director was sentenced to four years in prison, a fine of 1.5 million won (1,022 US dollars) and forfeiture of 9 million won (6,133 US dollars).

In June 2024, a 26-year-old South Korean woman terminated a pregnancy at approximately 34 to 36 weeks’ gestation at a clinic in Incheon. She documented her experience and hospitalization in a YouTube vlog, which subsequently went viral. As the video gained public attention, the Ministry of Health and Welfare commissioned the police to investigate the case and petitioned for “severe punishment”. In January 2026, prosecutors sought to charge the woman, along with the medical staff and people who facilitated arranging the abortion, with “premeditated murder”.

On 4 March 2026, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced the woman to three years in prison, suspended for five years. She was also ordered to complete 200 hours of community service. The doctor who performed the procedure was sentenced to four years in prison, while the hospital director received a six-year prison sentence, a fine of 1.5 million won (1,022 US dollars) and forfeiture of 1.15 billion won (783,709 US dollars). One of the persons involved in facilitating the abortion received a one-year prison sentence, and the other one was sentenced to ten months in prison, suspended for two years.

In 2019, the Constitutional Court ruled South Korea’s ban on abortion to be unconstitutional and ordered the National Assembly to amend the law by the end of 2020. While abortion has been decriminalized, the National Assembly has yet to enact new regulatory frameworks, thus undermining pregnant people’s access to vital healthcare.

In June 2026, 2,322 young people aged 5–25 accessed free counselling through Gumboot Friday, with 3,776 sessions delivered nationwide.

Sessions are free, no referral is required, and young people choose who they want to talk to from Gumboot Friday’s network of registered counsellors.

Breakdown by age group:

• • 656 young people aged 5–11 (28%)
• • 716 young people aged 12–17 (31%)
• • 950 young people aged 18–25 (41%)

June’s figures mark the busiest month of 2026 so far for Gumboot Friday. They show young people are continuing to reach out in high numbers, and that fast, simple access to counselling remains critical.

Since 2019, Gumboot Friday has funded 164,835 free counselling sessions for young New Zealanders as at 20 July 2026, with more than 927 registered practitioners across the country helping make that possible.

Every month, thousands more sessions are delivered to young people aged 5 to 25, often at a time when they simply can’t afford to wait or pay for support.

“June tells the story pretty clearly. More young people are reaching out, and we have to be ready when they do. These kids don’t have time to sit on a waitlist, jump through hoops, or prove they’re struggling enough. They need someone safe to talk to, and they need it when they ask for it,” says I Am Hope founder Mike King.

“Since 1 July last year, 12,242 rangatahi have accessed Gumboot Friday and 37,630 counselling sessions have been delivered. That is 37,630 times a young person has sat down with someone safe and been able to say what’s really going on and we couldn’t do it without the support of New Zealanders,” King says.

Government support helps pay for counselling sessions, but running Gumboot Friday takes more than session funding alone. Donations help support the platform young people use to book counsellors, the team who keeps it running, counsellor support, compliance, awareness, school programmes, community outreach, and the prevention work that helps young people know support is there before things reach crisis point.

With demand now at its highest point this year, community backing remains essential. Every donation, fundraiser, shared post and gumboot sold helps keep Gumboot Friday moving and helps young people connect with free counselling when they need it.

If you or someone you know is 25 or under and needs someone to talk to, visit www.gumbootfriday.org.nz to book a free counsellor today — no referral needed.

To donate, fundraise, or get involved with I Am Hope, head to www.iamhope.org.nz or text HOPE to 469 for a $3 donation.