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Poverty

Poverty
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Poverty. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
A homeless person near Piccadilly Circus in central London in 2020. Poverty in Britain has deepened in recent years. Photo: AFP
Britain

‘Very deep poverty’ in Britain hits worst level in 30 years, report says

Report reveals that nearly 7 million people are living on well below the UK median income as the nation’s poorest get even poorer.

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Climate change

Opinion | Why we should aspire to raising living standards for all

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Low-income patients call for more help as steeper Hong Kong hospital fees loom

Nepal

‘Like a market’: Chinese marriage brokers hunt for brides in Nepal

China’s bachelor crisis meets Nepal’s poverty in a trade that blurs the lines between arranged marriage and coercion.

A screenshot of a WeChat account that posts videos of Nepali girls and hosts live streams. Photo: Handout
Diplomacy

Opinion | Why next year’s G20 could be make or break for global development

As the US prepares to chair the G20, it faces a strategic choice: engage or revert to a narrower agenda.

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Africa

315 kidnapped in Nigeria school attacks as security crisis deepens

Gunmen attacked a school in Niger state on Friday after abducting 25 girls from a Kebbi state secondary school on Monday.

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Malaysia

Malaysia’s poorest state prepares a poll shock for the prime minister

Decades of neglect and withheld resource revenue have left short-changed Sabah seething and primed for a political fight.

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A woman casts her ballot at a polling station during a previous election in Malaysia. Photo: AFP
Africa

1 girl escapes Nigeria mass abduction of 25 students from a high school

The student fled through a forest after gunmen attacked a high school dormitory.

Climate change

Climate collapse: Southeast Asia’s new normal?

With a 30th year of Cop climate talks under way in Brazil, for many of Asia’s most vulnerable populations, the crisis is already here.

United States

US Supreme Court lets Trump continue food aid cuts, even as shutdown nears end

Reopening the government would restart the programme that helps 42 million Americans, but it’s not clear how soon full payments can resume.

A man carries away food boxes being distributed in Los Angles, California, on Tuesday in response to the Snap benefit delays. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

Why Indonesia’s hero status for ‘successful autocrat’ Suharto splits opinion

Supporters laud his three-decade rule for drastically cutting poverty, saving Indonesia’s economy and delivering national pride.

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Indonesian President Suharto, in full military uniform, salutes an armed forces’ parade on October 5, 1997. Photo: AFP
United States

US court orders Trump to fund food aid amid shutdown chaos

On Saturday, the US Department of Agriculture directed states to ‘undo’ any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits during the shutdown.

Hong Kong housing

Life in Hong Kong’s cramped subdivided flats – SCMP’s award-winning photo essay

Photographer Eugene Lee’s work has won a prestigious industry prize.

United States

Trump blames ‘kamikaze’ Democrats for longest ever government shutdown

The Republican president told a breakfast meeting at the White House that the Democrats would ‘take down the country if they have to’.

US President Donald Trump speaks during a lunch with Republican Senators in the Rose Garden of the White House last month. Photo: EPA
Donald Trump

Trump threatens to withhold Snap food aid until US shutdown ends

Critics warn that the US president may be planning to defy a court order requiring that the programme continue to be funded.

A message from the National Women’s Law Centre is projected on the US Department of Agriculture building in Washington on Monday. Photo: AP
Mainland China

Letters | Rising inequality will erode Asia’s gains in poverty reduction

Readers discuss rousing political will to ensure the fruits of wealth are shared, protecting Hong Kong’s rule of law, and satisfying the longing to touch corals in marine parks.

United States

‘Won’t be extorted’: Trump vows no negotiation as US shutdown nears record

US president blames Democrats, pushes Republicans to change Senate rules as the US government shutdown drags on.

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United States

Snap benefits cut off during US shutdown, driving long lines at food pantries

US judges have ordered the Trump administration to keep funding the programme, but it is not clear how and when payments will be made.

People wait in line for free food at the World of Life Christian Fellowship International food pantry in New York on Saturday. Photo: Reverend John Udo-Okon via AP
Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Hong Kong must balance superyacht hub ambition with tackling poverty

Hong Kong can’t become China’s Monaco. As it builds marinas to attract the super rich, it must devote equal resources to tackling poverty.

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United States

Trump says ready to continue Snap aid, doesn’t want Americans to go hungry

The US president’s comments come after two judges ordered his administration to keep paying for the programme despite the shutdown.

United States

US shutdown nears 1-month mark, threatening flights and food aid

US transport secretary predicts growing cancellations, saying air traffic controllers will receive a ‘big fat zero’ pay cheque.

A Delta Air Lines flight passes in front of the Air Traffic Control tower while departing from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo: EPA
Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

30% of Hong Kong family medicine clinics’ quota spots to go to poor, elderly

Family medicine priority pilot scheme to start on November 4, seeks to improve access to affordable primary healthcare among underprivileged.

Patients wait at the Sai Wan Ho General Outpatient Clinic. Photo: Yik Yeung-man
Hong Kong housing

Editorial | First step in difficult journey to end substandard housing for good

A new law targeting Hong Kong’s shameful subdivided flats is welcome, but its effectiveness will depend on robust enforcement.

Hong Kong housing

Hong Kong passes legislation to regulate notorious subdivided flats

Legislation aims for safer and better-quality living, but lawmakers urge government to prevent landlords from passing conversion costs onto tenants.

Myanmar

Myanmar refugees on the brink as funding cuts bite: ‘I feel so anxious’

Refugees in camps along the Thailand-Myanmar border face hunger and healthcare issues as aid workers scramble for solutions.

Young children browse for snacks at a provision shop in Mae La Camp on August 5. Photo: Janelle Ling
Tourism

Opinion | Are we globalising ourselves out of community?

Globalisation is here to stay, but it doesn’t have to come at the expense of local identities, people's livelihoods and the environment.

Locals and tourists in Phra Nakhon si Ayutthaya, Thailand, celebrate Songkran, the country’s new year festival, as elephants spray water on partygoers on April 13. Photo: Getty Images
Trending in China

China woman, left school at 15 to help family, gets 7 million fans selling online

Young woman who has endured hard life caring for mentally disabled parents keeps things ‘simple and sincere’, wins plaudits on social media.

Hong Kong society

Opinion | Hong Kong must stop loan sharks from preying on the vulnerable

Consultation must result in reforms that better protect the public and ensure city’s notorious loan sharks are not able to prosper.

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