Latest Poverty News

Mississippi tornado victims wonder, 'How can we rebuild?'

Mar. 28, 2023 20:13 PM EDT

ROLLING FORK, Miss. (AP) — The tornado that collapsed the roof and two walls of Jermaine Wells’ Mississippi home also hurled a massive tractor tire that landed near him in the living room as his wife huddled in the laundry room. The couple survived the Friday night storm, but as...

Brazil has a new biggest favela, and not in Rio de Janeiro

Mar. 28, 2023 12:28 PM EDT

SOL NASCENTE, Brazil (AP) — The buzzing main avenue of this poor Brazilian neighborhood is filled with people popping off buses after work or grabbing a bite. Teens attend an open-air rap battle and gymnastics class. Hymns and prayers from tiny church services spill into the night. ...

Comic Relief launches metaverse fundraiser to fight poverty

Mar. 28, 2023 10:38 AM EDT

Can playing more Roblox make your kids more philanthropic? That’s what the nonprofit Comic Relief US hopes, announcing Tuesday its new Kids Relief initiative to encourage giving and community building with a new virtual world on the social gaming platform. The “Kids Relief...

Idaho bill to provide free period products in schools fails

Mar. 27, 2023 14:17 PM EDT

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A bill that would have provided free menstrual products in girls bathrooms in Idaho public schools failed in the state House, with at least one Republican lawmaker calling the proposal “very liberal.” The measure advanced earlier this month from the House...

Scotland's Sturgeon exits with pride, brickbats from critics

Mar. 23, 2023 11:32 AM EDT

LONDON (AP) — Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon addressed lawmakers for the last time as Scottish leader on Thursday, expressing pride in her government’s achievements to lessen poverty and inequality – but frustrated in her quest to make Scotland an independent country. ...

Editorial Roundup: Minnesota

Mar. 22, 2023 07:23 AM EDT

Minneapolis Star Tribune. March 20, 2023. Editorial: He’s right. And it’s much harder to fight back when the officials you elected to protect you don’t have your back. Gov. Tim Walz pushes for public safety and more in revised budget Revised budget plan’s most...

Could scientist Claudia Sheinbaum be Mexico’s next leader?

Mar. 14, 2023 13:13 PM EDT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico is a year away from electing its next head of state and the potential candidate getting the most attention is an environmental scientist who might become the first female leader of Latin America’s second-largest economy. One poll shows Mexico City Mayor...

Lebanon's pound hits a new low as banks go back on strike

Mar. 14, 2023 06:46 AM EDT

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon's embattled currency hit a new low Tuesday, trading at an unprecedented 100,000 Lebanese pounds to the dollar on the black market as the crisis-hit country's banks went back on strike. The pound has kept sinking since Lebanon's financial meltdown erupted in...

Argentina's initial fervor for Pope Francis has faded

Mar. 12, 2023 01:58 AM EST

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — When Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina became Pope Francis, much of his home country celebrated as if it had just won a soccer World Cup championship. A decade later, the first Latin American leader of the Catholic Church generates divided opinions and much less fervor....

Rights group says Lebanon electricity crisis deepens poverty

Mar. 09, 2023 08:42 AM EST

BEIRUT (AP) — Since the collapse of Lebanon’s state power grid, many middle and working class families have been forced to spend most of their monthly income to pay shady neighborhood businessmen running private generators. Still, they go without electricity for nearly half the...