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New Zealand’s Ardern delivers welfare boost in annual budget as economy rebounds

New Zealand on Thursday lifted welfare benefit rates and promised billions of dollars more towards addressing rising inequality in its annual budget, as it predicted smaller deficits and faster economic recovery from COVID-19. The budget for the 2021 fiscal year allocated funds towards housing, healthcare, education, and infrastructure, while also …

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‘Vaccines are satanic’: Bolivia battles fake news in inoculation drive

Bolivia’s immunization drive against COVID-19 is being hit by anti-vaccine misinformation that is stoking skepticism and leaving inoculation centers half empty, a challenge for the government facing a wave of new infections. Health workers and officials have raised concerns about low turnout at some vaccination sites, saying jabs are going …

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Ethiopia to hold delayed elections on June 21 – vote board

Ethiopia’s twice-delayed national and regional elections will now take place on June 21, but security and logistical problems will delay voting still further in some areas, organisers said on Thursday. The announcement that officials had been unable to hold voter registration in some hotspots thrusts a spotlight on the frequent …

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