60 mn Asians below poverty line due to recession: Official

September 21st, 2009 Homeownership fell in '08; Asians hit worstLOS ANGELES — Asians, many of them living in foreclosure-ravaged California, suffered the sharpest drop in homeownership last year, eclipsing declines felt by whites, blacks and Hispanics, according to new Census data. The decline was surprising, because Asians tend to earn more than other minority groups and have less debt.

September 10th, 2009 Number of uninsured rises to 46.3 millionWASHINGTON — The number of Americans without health insurance rose to 46.3 million last year as people began losing jobs and coverage in the current recession. The poverty rate hit 13.2 percent, an 11-year high.

September 10th, 2009 Census: Uninsured rises to 46.3 millionWASHINGTON — The number of Americans without health insurance rose to 46.3 million last year as people began losing jobs and coverage in the current recession. The poverty rate hit 13.2 percent, an 11-year high.

September 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - An extra 2.5 million people were nudged into poverty in the United States in 2008, bringing the poverty rate to an 11-year high as a deep recession began to take hold in the country, the US Census Bureau reported Thursday. The poverty rate climbed to 13.2 percent, or 39.8 million people, from 12.5 percent in 2007.

September 10th, 2009 LONDON - Kids in the UK receive no better treatment than what orphan Oliver Twist endured in Charles Dickens's novel, a teacher has claimed. Lesley Ward alleged students attended school unable to dress themselves, use cutlery or even use the toilet, mirroring the plight of Twist, the child protagonist born into a life of poverty and misfortune in a workhouse.

July 21st, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new piece of research has found Westerner consumers to be more receptive to unexpected promotional gifts than their East Asian counterparts. Published in the Journal of Consumer Research, the study report states that people from diverse cultures react differently to the element of surprise.

July 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government will provide Rs.185 crore (Rs.1.85 billion) as loans during the current financial year for income generating activities to help individuals from minority communities living in abysmal poverty, the Lok Sabha was told Thursday. Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid Thursday said the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) will disburse the amount to 79,860 beneficiaries living below double the poverty line.

July 7th, 2009 Survey shows racial disparity in 401k savings rateDES MOINES, Iowa — A new study of 401(k) plans has revealed that black and Hispanic workers save significantly less for retirement and tap into their accounts more frequently than white and Asian employees. The study of 3 million 401(k) plans at more than 50 large companies concludes that unless some changes are made to encourage more saving by some minority groups, they run the risk of retiring into poverty.

June 18th, 2009 LONDON - Britain's anti-terrorism watchdog has claimed that a number of innocent people are often stopped and searched to to provide racial balance in police statistics. In his annual report on the operation of counter-terrorism legislation, Lord Carlile of Berriew described the searches as "almost certainly" illegal.

June 12th, 2009 LONDON - A British Airways pilot has alleged that his colleagues victimized him after he exposed the "canteen culture of racism" against Asians at the airline. Scotish pilot Douglas Maughan, 54, told an employment tribunal that he was subjected to racist abuse by colleagues, including being told that "jocks" should "f*** off to the welfare state paid for by the English".

May 29th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Shops owned by Asians in Papua New Guinea are likely to be burnt down as racial tensions escalate in that country. According to The Australian, the warning came as the Malaysian logging company Rimbunan Hijau accused the media of fuelling anti-Asian sentiment, and the Malaysian and Chinese consulates in Port Moresby issued safety warnings to their nationals.

May 2nd, 2009 ADB to boost lending by $10B as crisis hits poorBALI, Indonesia — The Asian Development Bank announced Saturday it will boost lending to the region's poorest nations by more than $10 billion over two years and warned that the global economic crisis is jeopardizing the U.N.'s goal to halve poverty by 2020. The announcement comes just days after the bank's 67 member countries approved a tripling of its capital to $165 billion, expanding its ability to finance infrastructure and other projects aimed at reducing poverty in partnership with the private sector.

April 30th, 2009 ADB triples capital to $165B to respond to crisisMANILA, Philippines — The Asian Development Bank said Thursday it is tripling its capital to $165 billion to provide the resources needed to respond to the global economic crisis and push its long-term goal of cutting poverty in the region. The Manila-based bank's board of governors said an overwhelming majority of the ADB's 67 member countries voted to endorse the 200 percent increase to ADB's current $55 billion of capital.

April 22nd, 2009 ILO: unemployment, social crisis looms in AsiaMANILA, Philippines — Asia faces the risk of a prolonged labor market recession and social crisis that could take much longer to shake off than the current economic downturn, the International Labor Organization said Wednesday. ILO senior economist Gyorgy Sziraczki said 23 million people in the region are expected to lose their jobs this year because of the global economic crisis.

February 4th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Widows and the disabled living below the poverty line have been brought within the ambit of a social security scheme for senior citizens over the age of 65, it was announced here Thursday. 'The cabinet today (Thursday) approved the expansion of the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) to include other vulnerable groups of the society,' Home Minister P.