Latest Poverty News

The spotlight is on Ukraine at UN leaders' gathering, but is there room for other global priorities?
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The war in Ukraine and its visiting president take center stage at the United Nations this week, but developing countries will be vying for the spotlight as well as they push for faster action on poverty and inequality at the first full-on meeting of world leaders since the...

UN calls for more fairness for developing nations at a G77 summit in Cuba
HAVANA (AP) — The U.N. secretary-general called Friday for nations to build a world that is more fair for developing countries, as he kicked off a summit in Cuba of the G77 group of emerging economies plus China. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that while many of the...
Suriname prepares for its first offshore oil project that is expected to ease deep poverty
PARAMARIBO, Suriname (AP) — Suriname for the first time in its history will see offshore oil drilling in its waters after French company TotalEnergies on Wednesday announced a $9 billion project expected to boost the impoverished country’s economy and ease austerity measures imposed by the...

Child poverty in the US jumped and income declined in 2022 as coronavirus pandemic benefits ended
Child poverty in the United States more than doubled and median household income declined last year when coronavirus pandemic-era government benefits expired and inflation kept rising, according to figures released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau. At the same time, the official...

UN says Colombia's coca crop at all-time high as officials promote new drug policies
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Coca cultivation reached an all-time high in Colombia last year, the U.N. said, as the administration of President Gustavo Petro struggles to reduce poverty in remote areas and contain armed groups that are profiting from the cocaine trade. The new findings...

Dominican president suspends visas for Haitians and threatens to close border with its neighbor
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — The president of the Dominican Republic announced Monday that he has suspended issuing visas to Haitians, and he threatened to shut down land, air and sea traffic between the two neighbors over their latest dispute. President Luis Abinader's...

UN envoy urges donor support for battered Syria facing an economic crisis
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The United Nations special envoy for Syria Sunday urged donors not to reduce their funding as the war-torn country's economic crisis spirals. Syrian President Bashar Assad’s decision last month to double public sector wages and pensions further skyrocketed...

UN report on Ecuador links crime with poverty, faults government for not ending bonded labor
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A U.N. envoy urged Ecuador's leaders Friday to boost enforcement of labor laws and end popular fuel subsidies as part of key policy changes needed alongside their continuing efforts to combat the drug-related crime that has undermined the country's peaceful image. ...

A unified strategy and more funding are urgently needed to end the crisis in Myanmar, UN chief says
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The United Nations chief renewed an urgent call to the international community Thursday to seek a unified strategy to end the worsening crisis in Myanmar. Secretary-General António Guterres said declining financial aid should be boosted to previous levels...
Minnesota political reporter Gene Lahammer dies at 90
Longtime Minnesota political reporter Gene Lahammer has died. He was 90. Lahammer, who spent 34 years with The Associated Press, died Monday morning at his home in Minnetonka from old age, his daughter Mary Lahammer told the AP. Lahammer was born and raised on a farm...
