A record 2.5 million children were homeless across the US in 2013, a new report says. A new report says a record 2.5 million children, nearly one child in every 30, were homeless across the United States in 2013. The report issued by the National Center on Family Homelessness on Monday showed an 8 percent increase in homeless children compared to 2012. “When you look at the resources and where they’ve... 

Demonstrators hold a banner that reads “No to the austerity, yes to the social Europe” during a rally in Paris on September 30, 2012. Angry people have taken to the streets of French capital Paris in protest to the government’s economic policies, Press TV reports. “Economic policies across Europe are clearly meant to serve high finance and to create tax breaks for businesses. But... 

UK gas prices plunged to a record low on Friday following a newly signed deal between Russia, Ukraine and the European Commission. However, fuel poverty remains rife in Britain, with 2 million households unable to afford adequate heating. The newly brokered gas agreement, signed on Thursday, will cover gas supply and transit conditions between Russia, Ukraine and the EU until March 2015. The signing... 

The US Federal Reserve chair has expressed concern about increasing wealth inequality in the US, saying the richest five percent of Americans hold 63 percent of the country’s wealth. Janet Yellen made the remarks at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Economic Conference on Inequality of Economic Opportunity on Friday. According to her, those at the very top have made significant income gains while... 

Italian police have used tear gas and water cannon to disperse thousands of anti-austerity protesters in Naples, where the European Central Bank (ECB) was holding a monthly policy meeting. An estimated 4,000 anti-austerity demonstrators took to the streets of Naples on Thursday, carrying placards with caricatures of German Chancellor Angela Merkel amid tight security in the whereabouts of the ECB... 

Scotland will be gone within a decade unless there is dramatic change. If Scotland votes for independence next week, it is the British establishment and the establishment alone that is to blame. The yes surge is not being driven by blood-and-soil nationalism, by dewy-eyed Celtic nostalgia or the resurrection of a Braveheart spirit. It is a defiant protest at a bankrupt order built by Margaret Thatcher... 

A conference to discuss the status of poverty in the European Union has been held in the Belgian capital Brussels, Press TV reports. The conference gathered over 700 politicians, academics and rights campaigners to discuss the EU’s ongoing economic crisis focusing on unemployment and social exclusion. EU governments, institutions and structures were criticized during the conference over their failure... 

A boy sifting through floating garbage as he collects recyclable items to sell. A new report shows that child poverty in Japan is at its highest level in the last three decades as critics rap Tokyo for failing to address the crisis. The child poverty rate increased to over 16 percent in 2012, Japan’s Welfare Ministry said in a report published on Tuesday. The figure marks the worst rate since the... 

A million more working Britons have been pushed into poverty because of soaring housing costs and stagnant wages. That’s according to a new UK government report attacked bitterly by unions and rights groups. New figures published by the UK government reveal that the number of working Britons below the poverty line has risen by at least 1 million. The government, however, insists the poverty... 

Pope Francis has called on “greedy” bankers to establish a stricter ethics code, and stop getting rich through financial market speculation. He attacked the practice of hedging as ‘intolerable’ equating it to stealing food from the poor. “It is increasingly intolerable that financial markets are shaping the destiny of peoples rather than serving their needs, or that the few derive... 

Financial problems in Spain increase the number of children living below the poverty line. The charity Save the Children has warned of growing poverty among children in Spain, saying the situation needs to be addressed urgently. The charity launched a petition on Tuesday urging the Spanish government to do more for deprived children in the crisis-hit country. According to the aid group, a third of... 

Portugal, a member of the EU since 1986, is rapidly losing its population due to significant emigration. In terms of the economic indicators Portugal is approaching the level of the least developed countries in the Eastern Europe. The decline became particularly rapid three years ago, when Portugal began to receive financial assistance from the EU. Isn’t it an odd coincidence? The country is... 

Bosnia and Herzegovina was bracing itself for fresh nationwide rallies on Saturday amid warnings that public anger over the dire economic situation is pushing the country to the brinks. In a TV interview late on Friday, Interior Minister Fahrudin Radoncic cautioned the government that its indifference and inaction could trigger more unrest. He called for a large-scale campaign to uproot corruption... 

An American economist says the country’s middle class population is being pushed further down the scale of economic capability. “…the income distribution has been severely hurt. It is so badly skewed now that all of the evidence is clear – a very small percent of the population receives almost the entire gain and income increases and the wealth is being concentrated in the top, is extremely... 

The rising unemployment rate in Germany has forced an increasing number of people to permanently move to campgrounds in an attempt to save money. According to a report published by Spiegel Online International on Wednesday, thousands of people have transformed campsites from holiday spots to residential communities. They say they cannot afford living in urban areas. “Over the last 10 years, more...