poverty

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is seeking a final presidential term in Brazil's closely watched election, with reporting highlighting his lifelong focus on social issues as the core of his appeal. The vote is seen as a defining moment for the country, with Lula's track record on poverty reduction and social programmes central to his campaign message.

Child malnutrition remains one of Africa's most serious health challenges, and experts argue that food aid is only part of the answer. Lasting progress is said to require broader measures addressing the underlying causes of poor nutrition, such as poverty, disease and lack of access to diverse diets, rather than emergency food supplies alone.

The Joy and Justice Tour concluded in Columbia, South Carolina, where advocates argued that period poverty — the lack of access to menstrual products — is taking a toll on girls' mental health. Speakers urged greater awareness and support for students who cannot afford basic hygiene items, linking the issue to anxiety, shame and missed school days.

The Joy and Justice Tour has concluded in Columbia, South Carolina, with events centred on girls' mental health and period poverty. Organisers highlighted the barriers girls face in accessing menstrual products and mental health support, drawing local attention to issues often left out of mainstream policy debates. Coverage notes the tour used its final stop to call attention to these combined challenges affecting young women.

The Netherlands is opening a temporary emergency energy fund on 4 January, aimed at households struggling to pay high energy bills. The announcement by NOS notes criticism that the fund will not resolve what is called 'hidden energy poverty', meaning households who cut back on heating or food without seeking help. Debate is focusing on whether the support reaches the people who need it most.

A renewed drive to extract minerals in the Philippines is colliding with long-standing human rights problems, according to analysis by Oxfam America's Politics of Poverty blog. The piece argues that expanded mining for minerals needed in the energy transition risks repeating patterns of land conflicts, displacement and abuses affecting Indigenous communities and local residents.

A quote-style meme about poverty, wealth inequality and revolution is being shared widely across the decentralized social network, tagged with themes of democracy, justice, capitalism and freedom. Users are passing it along as commentary on economic systems and popular power, with engagement driven by anarchist-leaning accounts amid ongoing debates about protest and social change.

The Daily Record reports on calls insisting that poverty in Scotland is not an inevitable fact of life and urging collective action to end it. The piece frames child and family poverty as a solvable policy problem, arguing that government, communities and organisations must work together rather than accept hardship as permanent, amid ongoing debate over Scotland's poverty levels.

A disabled man says he is trapped in poverty and urgently needs donations to cover food, healthcare, clothing, hygiene and rent, describing his situation as a struggle to exist. The appeal, shared with a plea for immediate help, has drawn only a small amount of attention so far.

Analysts are taking stock of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's third term, examining its social and economic outcomes. The review weighs gains in social policy and poverty reduction against questions over fiscal management, growth and inequality, offering a mixed picture of how the veteran leader's return to office has performed so far.

Fitness YouTuber MattDoesFitness has released an investigation into the town with the highest obesity levels in the UK, exploring local eating habits, health services and residents' perspectives on weight. The video has drawn strong engagement, with viewers debating whether the issue reflects personal choices, poverty and food environment, or broader public health policy failures in Britain.

New research suggests that the amount of time young children spend looking at screens affects their developmental outcomes on a similar scale to major risk factors such as growing up in poverty or being born prematurely. The findings are prompting debate among parents and child development experts about how much screen use is safe in early childhood and whether clearer official guidance is needed.

A new study has identified 10 locations in the United States where higher-than-average housing costs are pushing residents into poverty. Researchers say the housing shortage not only drives up rents but effectively functions as a regressive cost that hits low-income households hardest, deepening poverty in expensive markets. The findings have sparked discussion about housing policy and the link between rent burdens and poverty rates.

Alta Journal has published a feature exploring the recurring preoccupations of American novelist William T. Vollmann, whose sprawling, risk-taking books have long examined violence, poverty, sex work, imperialism and his own confrontations with danger. The piece revisits his reputation as one of American literature's most uncompromising and prolific figures, tracing how his personal fixations feed his sprawling body of work.

Readers are sharing Terry Pratchett's famous 'Vimes Boots theory' from his Discworld novels, in which Captain Samuel Vimes explains how poverty is expensive: cheap boots wear out faster, so the poor end up paying more over time. The observation, delivered with Pratchett's characteristic wit, keeps resonating as a sharp commentary on the real cost of being poor.