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Poverty

Poverty
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Poverty. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Brazil’s Minister of Social Development, Wellington Dias (centre), speaks at the United Nations General Assembly's high-level plenary session on Social Business, Youth, and Technology on Wednesday. Photo: Handout
China-Latin America relations

Exclusive | China-based Brics bank set for hunger alliance lead role this year, Brazil says

Brazilian minister Wellington Dias tells SCMP a fund to cut borrowing costs for the poor may launch by December as US marginalises the G20.

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Britain

UK PM Burnham launches bid to help homeless, donating 15% of his wages

Hong Kong society

Subdivided flat residents suffering in heat that feels like 52 degrees: study

Africa

1,500 couples tie the knot at mass wedding in Nigeria

The two-day ceremony in Kano State was aimed at people who, for financial reasons, would otherwise struggle to afford a wedding.

Nigerian brides and grooms attend a mass wedding ceremony in Kano, Nigeria, on Saturday. Photo: AP
Hong Kong society

Editorial | New cash reward will get struggling Hongkongers working again

With the right incentives and support, the scheme can transform passive welfare into active empowerment of the city’s less well-off.

United States

As I see it | Despite immense power, the US delivers neither butter nor bullets

While Americans know they can’t get the welfare benefits they need, their leaders must realise their military can’t give them world domination.

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Hong Kong society

This boy, 13, learned to play piano in subdivided flat. Now he’s going on stage

Yang Qi will perform at a Cultural Centre concert along with about 800 others to raise funds for charity.

Yang Qi (right) and 15-year-old violinist Chau Tsz-tsun will perform at a charity concert in October. Photo: Handout
The Philippines

Manila’s record minimum wage rise leaves workers hungry for more

A ‘historic’ wage increase was meant to ease hardship. Critics say it is already being swallowed up by soaring costs.

Hong Kong society

Letters | Beyond the wealth gap: Hong Kong must first secure basic living standards

Readers discuss why addressing wealth disparities may be missing the point, Hong Kong’s harbourfront ambitions, and how Singapore’s education system caters to late bloomers.

Hong Kong housing

Exclusive | High ceiling to clear? First rectified subdivided flat to be approved soon

Housing minister Winnie Ho also says government still needs at least four years to fulfil Beijing’s order to eradicate substandard homes.

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There are currently about 220,000 residents living in subdivided homes. Photo: Eugene Lee
Hong Kong society

Opinion | To tackle elderly poverty crisis, Hong Kong needs to rethink retirement

With Hongkongers living longer, there is no reason they should stop working at 65 when they can still contribute to the city’s economy.

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A man prepares noodles at a restaurant in Sham Shui Po on February 2, 2025. Photo: Eugene Lee
US, Israel war on Iran

Iran survived 3 months of war. Can it survive the aftermath?

US$270 billion in damage and 4 million citizens plunged into poverty may have broken Iran’s economy.

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Science

China ‘on track to surpass United States’ in goals for human, planet health: UN

Report showing global progress on 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals shows gap between Chinese and US closed significantly since 2015.

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Hong Kong society

Hong Kong is world’s most unequal society for wealth distribution, study finds

Study analysed evolution of income and wealth inequality in Hong Kong between 1981 and 2021.

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Hong Kong’s wealth disparities are no longer fuelled by differences in wages but by capital asset ownership, a researcher says. Photo: Dickson Lee
Hong Kong society

Opinion | Hong Kong’s new poverty metric blinds government to issue’s sources

While the government lauds its efforts, discarding the income-based poverty line obscures a full accounting of the problem.

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A man rests in a makeshift shelter in Mong Kok on June 18. Photo: Dickson Lee
Hong Kong economy

Editorial | New poverty measure in Hong Kong won’t change duty to those in need

Whether household income or a more holistic framework is used to gauge poverty, it is important that the most vulnerable don’t slip through the safety net.

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong changes how it defines poverty but experts express doubt about move

Government adopts new 21-indicator framework in efforts to help needy and raises concept of ‘social transfer values’ for first time.

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Hong Kong politics

Opinion | Hong Kong’s five-year plan must boost governance to ensure results

The challenge is not simply identifying problems. It is mustering the political will and building the capacity to overcome them.

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Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu arrives to meet the press at the government headquarters in Admiralty on February 10. Photo: Elson Li
China jobs

China’s gig economy is an employment reservoir – but is the well drying up?

More than 200 million people in China are flexibly employed, but AI adoption, unstable income and poor social security make positions precarious.

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Hong Kong housing

Fatal subdivided flat fire highlights need to tackle substandard homes: minister

Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho says victims had average living space of five square metres, presenting numerous fire safety hazards.

Africa

Vigilantes in Nigeria kill herders amid jihadist tensions, kidnapping gangs

Central and northwestern Nigeria have for years been terrorised by cattle rustling and kidnapping-for-ransom gangs working with local jihadists.

Soldiers carry a coffin during the funeral of Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah and other troops killed by foreign jihadists, in Maiduguri in northeastern Nigeria, on April 15. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

Indonesia domestic worker law faces uphill battle against cultural attitudes

While the new law is a start, real changes will not happen instantly because of ingrained beliefs, women activists say.

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Domestic workers undergo skills training in Indonesia. Photo: International Labour Organization
Trending in China

Plight of parentless China boy cared for by grandpa attracts 46 million views, prompts government aid

‘Sensible’ 9-year-old handles all the household chores, often cries in his sleep while dreaming about his dead father.

Trending in China

China single mum works in construction, lifts cement bags for 16 years to support child

40-year-old divorcee with two kids builds leg muscles ‘like rock’ through physical labour; boss says she outworks men on the job.

US, Israel war on Iran

UN warns 8 million in Asia-Pacific risk poverty if Iran war drags on

A new UNDP report has forecast job losses, crippling inflation and food insecurity, with the poorest nations brutally exposed to the oil shock.

A farmer sprinkles fertiliser on crops in a field on the outskirts of Amritsar, India, on April 9. Experts have warned that the fertiliser crunch across Asia-Pacific may have lasting effects. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong society

Opinion | On education equality, Hong Kong policymakers must do their homework

Authorities should think through how to promote students’ and families’ well-being in a system geared towards academic achievement.

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A school bus picks up pupils after school in Wan Chai on April 9. Photo: Jelly Tse
Africa

Benin election favours continuity amid al-Qaeda attacks, poverty

Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni has overseen a decade of growth in the West African nation despite jihadist attacks and extreme poverty.

Hong Kong housing

Landlords of 5,557 subdivided homes seek 3-year grace period to fix flats

Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho says 780 subdivided homes have been granted a grace period.

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