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Associated Press

Over-the-counter birth control pill now available to Wisconsin Medicaid patients

By SCOTT BAUER Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Medicaid recipients in Wisconsin are getting access to the first over-the-counter birth control pill. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers says Opill will start becoming available in some Medicaid-enrolled pharmacies on Tuesday and expand over the coming weeks. Evers says that will allow Medicaid recipients to easily receive

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Blinken underscores ‘ironclad’ support for the Philippines as it clashes with China in disputed sea

BY JIM GOMEZ Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken underscored Washington’s “ironclad commitment” Tuesday to help defend the Philippines in case of an armed attack against its forces after clashes between Chinese and Filipino coast guards in the disputed South China Sea recently turned more hostile. Blinken, the latest high-level

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Incoming Palestinian prime minister lays out plans for reform but faces major obstacles

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — The incoming Palestinian prime minister says he will appoint a technocratic government and establish an independent trust fund to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction. Mohammad Mustafa laid out wide-ranging plans in a mission statement acquired by The Associated Press on Tuesday. The plans include the kind of revitalized Palestinian Authority called for

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China’s stock watchdog fines property developer Evergrande, slaps lifetime ban on its chairman

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Troubled property developer China Evergrande Holding says Beijing’s stock watchdog has fined it 4.2 billion yuan ($333.4 million) for allegedly falsifying its revenue, among other allegations. The company said in a release to mainland Chinese stock exchanges that its chairman, Hui Ka Yan, was fined 47

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US officials say pact with strategically key Pacific island nations underscores American commitment

By DAVID RISING Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — U.S. officials say newly-approved legislation providing billions of dollars in funding for three strategically important Pacific island nations is an important sign of American commitment, which comes amid warnings China is actively trying to pry them away from Washington’s sphere of influence. The funds for the Marshall

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Images taken deep inside melted Fukushima reactor show damage, but leave many questions unanswered

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Images taken by miniature drones from deep inside a badly damaged reactor at the Fukushima nuclear plant show displaced control equipment and misshapen materials but leave many questions unanswered, underscoring the daunting task of decommissioning the plant. The photos released by the plant’s operator are the first

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Sex trade to slavery: A UN agency says criminals reap $236B a year in profits from forced labor

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. labor agency says illegal profits from forced labor globally have risen to the “obscene” amount of $236 billion per year. The International Labor Organization says sexual exploitation is to blame for about three-fourths of the total take from a business that deprives migrants of money

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Cricket Australia postpones another tour over human rights concerns for women in Afghanistan

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Cricket Australia says it has postponed a three-match men’s Twenty20 international series against Afghanistan due to concerns over human rights for women and girls in the Taliban-controlled country. The matches were scheduled to be hosted in August by Afghanistan but played in the United Arab Emirates. It marks the third time

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Gambia lawmakers refer a repeal of the ban on female genital cutting to more committee discussions

By ABDOULIE JOHN and JESSICA DONATI Associated Press SERREKUNDA, Gambia (AP) — Lawmakers in Gambia have referred a repeal of the 2015 ban on female genital cutting for further committee discussions. Gambian activists fear the repeal would overturn years of work to better protect girls and women. The legislation was referred to a committee Monday

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