Australia to block government benefits for unvaccinated children

There is growing concern about the anti-vaccination movement amid recent outbreaks of preventable diseases -- such as measles in Europe and parts of the United StatesAustralia Wednesday introduced a "no jab, no pay" law which would block parents who refuse to vaccinate their children from accessing some government benefits. The new legislation introduced to parliament was announced by the government in April. It was prompted by growing concern about the anti-vaccination movement amid recent outbreaks of preventable diseases — such as measles in Europe and parts of the United States.

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Spread of deserts costs trillions, spurs migrants: study

By Alister Doyle OSLO (Reuters) – Land degradation, such as a spread of deserts in parts of Africa, costs the world economy trillions of dollars a year and may drive tens of millions of people from their homes, a U.N.-backed study said on Tuesday. Worldwide, about 52 percent of farmland is already damaged, according to the report by The Economics of Land Degradation (ELD), compiled by 30 research groups around the world. It estimated that land degradation worldwide cost between $6.3 trillion and $10.6 trillion a year in lost benefits such as production of food, timber, medicines, fresh water, cycling of nutrients or absorption of greenhouse gases.
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