AP News Digest 3 am

Friday 15 October 2021 03:09 EDT

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ONLY ON AP

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METOO-FOUR YEARS IN — The #MeToo reckoning hits its four-year mark this week, and Charlotte Bennett credits the movement for creating the conditions that emboldened her to come forward with her story of sexual harassment by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo “I’d like to think that now, we are believed,” she says. A new poll shows that Bennett is not alone in feeling a shift in attitudes. Just over half of Americans — 54% — say they personally are more likely to speak out if they’re a victim of sexual misconduct, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. And 58% say they would speak out if they witnessed it. By Jocelyn Noveck and Maryclaire Dale. SENT: 1,310 words, photos, video. With METOO-FOUR-YEARS-IN-GLANCE.

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TOP STORIES

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ABORTION-TEEN ACCESS — The latest restrictions in Texas that essentially ban abortion past the six-week pregnancy mark have made it nearly impossible for teenagers to get an abortion without parental consent. Women can go to a judge to ask for permission, but the process can take weeks, often pushing them past the six-week mark. By Astrid Galvan and Lindsay Whitehurst. SENT: 1,090 words, photos. With ABORTION-TEXAS — Court again lets Texas continue banning most abortions.

VIRUS OUTBREAK — Millions from Latin America to the Middle East are waiting for promised doses of the Russian-made Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine due to manufacturing problems and other issues. Moscow aggressively marketed Sputnik after wealthy nations kept supplies of Western-developed vaccines for themselves. But one estimate says Russia has exported only 4.8% of the roughly 1 billion doses that were promised. By Regina Garcia Cano, Daria Litvinova and Juan Pablo Arraez. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.

JORDAN-DOWNWARD-SLIDE — Jordan has long presented itself as a reliable U.S. ally in a turbulent Middle East, as a monarchy embracing liberal Western values. But the country seems to be in a downward slide that increasingly contradicts this image. The kingdom has become more repressive, with a U.S. advocacy group downgrading it from “partly free” to “not free” this year. Activists say anger is bubbling just under the surface, and that only the fear of going to jail or igniting self-destructive chaos is keeping a lid on mass protests. By Karin Laub. SENT: 1,170 words, photos.

INDIA-VIRUS-TESTS — Soon after the pandemic began, India’s government tasked the country’s most advanced bioscience innovation hub with quickly finding a way to locally produce virus test kits and their components. Over a year later, most Indians can access PCR tests at a fraction of the cost. By Rishabh R. Jain. SENT: 860 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-INDIA — India reopens for foreign tourists as virus infections ebb.

TAIWAN FIRE — Taiwanese officials set up an independent commission to investigate the conditions at a run-down building in the port city of Kaohsiung where a fire killed 46, while authorities scoured the blackened ruins for the cause of the blaze. By Huizhong Wu. SENT: 690 words, photos, video.

BILL CLINTON HOSPITALIZED — Former President Bill Clinton is being treated in a Southern California hospital for a non-COVID-related infection. A spokesman says Clinton “is on the mend” and “in good spirits.” By Lou Kesten. SENT: 330 words, photo, video.

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