As the week wraps up at Squirrel News, we’re talking about poverty rates being cut in half in both Jamaica and Morocco, researchers making a promising breakthrough in the fight against HIV, and India’s progress in expanding its clean energy efforts.
Jamaica’s poverty rate cut by half amid strong economic recovery
According to recent data, Jamaica’s poverty rate fell from 16.7% in 2021 to 8.2% in 2023: a 50.8% reduction. PIOJ Director General Dr Wayne Henry has credited the drop to a variety of factors, including more employment opportunities, an 85.7% rise in the national minimum wage, and better social protection programmes.
Morocco sees sharp drop in multidimensional poverty
A newly released map from Morocco’s High Commission for Planning shows that the country’s multidimensional poverty rate has dropped from 11.9% in 2014 to 6.8% in 2024. All regions have experienced progress, but some disparities remain between urban and rural communities.
Breakthrough in search for HIV cure leaves researchers “overwhelmed”
The virus’s ability to conceal itself inside certain white blood cells has been one of the main challenges for scientists looking for a cure, but researchers have discovered a way to make the virus visible, paving the way to fully clear it from the body.
India speeds up shift to clean energy, makes record gains
While coal still supplies the majority of India’s power, its share of installed capacity has fallen from 60% to under 50% over the past decade. At the same time, India recorded its largest-ever annual increase in renewable energy, adding 30 gigawatts between April 2024 and April 2025, enough to power nearly 18 million homes.
Young people drive historic decline in global smoking rates
Smoking rates in the UK and US have hit historic lows, according to two major national surveys concluded last October. In the US, data from 1.77 million individuals across 54,000 households show a broad drop in smoking, with the most significant among young people.
New Indigenous culinary ventures are decolonising the US food system
Sean Sherman is developing meals for schools and hospitals that eliminate ingredients introduced by European colonisation, focusing instead on Native food traditions.
To support kids’ mental health, these programmes start with parents
The Parent Encouragement Program in Kensington, Maryland is helping parents discover new ways to connect with their children and move from an authoritarian approach to one rooted in empathy and understanding.
At this Islamic school, caring for the Earth is a religious duty
At Daarul ‘Uluum Lido, a boarding school just outside Jakarta, a unique focus is woven through its curriculum: environmental responsibility as a religious obligation.
How special MP3 players could give new prospects to children in Afghanistan
In Afghanistan, girls have barely any access to education. Now an association from Bremen is developing MP3 players with educational audio books for children in crisis regions. Founder Sadaf Zahedi, who secretly supplied herself with books as a child, explained to us how the devices work and the stories they tell.
