Activists around the world mark anti-poverty day. Today the United Nations, along with anti-poverty activists around the world, marks the organization’s International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Marches, rallies and concerts will be held worldwide to bring attention to the almost 3 billion people who survive on less than $2 a day (according to U.N. figures). As a part of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals, the group aims to cut the amount of people who live in poverty by half, a goal, activists could point out, that seems unlikely in many African countries. Officials say 43 million people took part in the activities last year. And, with the struggling economy worldwide that has hit both poor and rich nations alike, this year’s anti-poverty message is amplified. Leaders from Brazil and India have spoken out publicly against poor people having to pay for the mistakes of the rich.

Hurricane Omar slams the Caribbean. Hurricane Omar swept through Caribbean nations causing flooding, downing trees and triggering mudslides, reports The Associated Press. The Category 3 storm hit Antigua, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, St. Martin and St. Croix on Thursday, pouring over six inches of rain on islands. Many officials are thankful the storm didn’t cause more damage.  ”It could have been worse,” a hurricane specialist told AP. “They were very, very lucky.” There have not been any reports of major damages or death in the Virgin Islands, according to the nation’s director of the disaster management agency. But the prime minister of Antigua warned of the storms devastating effects on the economy. “Our farming community appears to have suffered extensive loss of crops,” Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer said. The damage could result in a shortage of food and higher prices, he said. Flooding in Antigua also left many houses underwater or floating away in the water leaving many homeless. The storm weakened to a tropical storm and moved away from land later the same day.

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