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Poverty

Poverty
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Poverty. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Britain’s Prime Minister Andy Burnham speaks with staff and residents as he pays a visit to the homelessness charity Changing Lives in Newcastle on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
Britain

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

The prime minister hopes to offer people sleeping rough a way off the streets by Christmas.

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

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.

Residents of a housing block in Yuen Long, Hong Kong, catering to low-income families, in a photo taken in September 2025. When circumstances allow, most people prefer self-reliance rather than living on the dole. Photo: May Tse
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.

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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.

A protester holds a sign during an anti-corruption rally in Quezon City, Metro Manila, the Philippines, on June 28. Photo: EPA
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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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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Smoke and flames rise from the site of US-Israeli airstrikes on an oil depot in Tehran on March 7. Photo: Sasan/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images/TNS
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 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.

An elderly person in Wan Chai on June 18. About 20 per cent of Hong Kong’s 491,200 elderly-only households comprise members all aged 80 or above, making them among the most vulnerable groups, according to a report by the Commission on Poverty. Photo: Nora Tam
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.

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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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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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
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.

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.

A nine-year-old boy in China relies on his 73-year-old grandfather after his father died and his mother remarried. His teacher was so moved by his story that she offered to care for him if his grandfather dies. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin
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.

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.

Romuald Wadagni, Benin’s finance minister and the ruling party candidate for the presidential election, waves to supporters during a campaign rally ahead of the presidential election, in Cotonou, Benin, on April Friday. Photo: Reuters
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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Hong Kong housing

Are new Hong Kong subdivided flat standards triggering a wave of evictions?

Basic Housing Units Ordinance takes effect on Sunday, with landlords required to make renovations to ensure properties meet new standards.

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