AP News Digest 3:45 am

Pandemic Africa Gambia Vaccinations (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan at https://newsroom.ap.org.

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ONLY ON AP

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THE AP INTERVIEW-KERRY — U.S. climate envoy John Kerry warns in an interview with The Associated Press that next month’s U.N. climate talks are unlikely to get the world as far as it needs to go in slowing climate change. Kerry also warns that failure of climate legislation in the Democratic-led Congress would have the same impact as Donald Trump pulling out of the Paris climate accord. By Ellen Knickmeyer. SENT: 790 words, photos, video.

PANDEMIC AFRICA-GAMBIA-VACCINATIONS — As health officials in Gambia and across Africa urge women to get COVID-19 vaccines, they've confronted hesitancy among those of childbearing age. Although data on gender breakdown of vaccine distribution are lacking globally, experts see a growing number of women in Africa's poorest countries consistently missing out on vaccines. Officials who already bemoan the inequity of vaccine distribution between rich and poor nations now fear that the stark gender disparity means African women are the least vaccinated population in the world. By Krista Larson and Maria Cheng. SENT: 2,160 words, photos, video. An abridged version of 1,100 words is also available. With PANDEMIC AFRICA-GAMBIA-THE WOMEN — Gambian women’s voices on COVID-19 vaccines: “We are afraid”; PANDEMIC-VACCINES-WOMEN — “Marginalized": Women trail men in some vaccine efforts.

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TOP STORIES

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FAREWELL-AFGHANISTAN — Ask almost anyone in the Afghan capital what they want now that the Taliban are in power, and the answer is the same: They want to leave. Some say their life is in danger because of links with the ousted government or with Western organizations. Others say their way of life cannot endure under the hard-line Taliban. Some fear that under them, an already collapsing economy will utterly crash. By Bernat Armangue and Lee Keath. SENT: 1,120 words, photos.

NORWAY-BOW AND ARROW ATTACK — A 37-year-old Danish man is in custody in Norway suspected of a bow-and-arrow attack on a small town that killed five people and wounded two others, police say. SENT: 320 words, photos.

CAPITOL BREACH-SUBPOENAS — The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol subpoenas former Justice Department lawyer Jeffrey Clark, who aided Trump’s efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 election. By Jill Colvin, Michelle R. Smith, Eric Tucker and Mary Clare Jalonick. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.

ASIA-TENSIONS — After sending a record number of military aircraft to harass Taiwan over China’s National Day holiday, Beijing has toned down the saber rattling but tensions remain high, with the rhetoric and reasoning behind the exercises unchanged. By David Rising. SENT: 1,320 words, photos.

CALIFORNIA-WILDFIRES — Shifting winds posed new challenges for firefighters battling a blaze in Southern California coastal mountains that threatened ranches and rural homes and kept a major highway shut down for days. The Alisal Fire charred more than 24 square miles of dense chaparral in the Santa Ynez Mountains west of Santa Barbara, with just 5% of the fire contained. SENT: 650 words, photos.

MALI-EXTREMIST VIOLENCE-FEARFUL TIMBUKTU — Many residents of Timbuktu are worried that when French troops pull out of the fabled desert city in northern Mali, jihadis will return to impose strict Shariah law including public whippings and amputations. By Baba Ahmed. UPCOMING: 850 words by 5 a.m., photo.

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TRENDING NEWS

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DOMINION WORKER-DEFAMATION SUIT — Trump campaign, others: Dominion worker suit is groundless. SENT: 530 words, photo.

UNITED AIRLINES-VACCINATIONS — Judge bars United Airlines from putting unvaccinated workers on leave. SENT: 180 words, photo.

ASIA-STORM — At least 19 dead in Philippines tropical storm. SENT: 130 words, photos.

TROPICAL-WEATHER-PACIFIC — Remnants of former Hurricane Pamela head for Texas, Oklahoma. SENT: 180 words, photos.

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WASHINGTON

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CONGRESS-BUDGET — Progressive leaders in Congress warn against the “false choice” over how to trim back President Joe Biden’s now-$2 trillion proposal for beefing up social services and tackling climate change. By Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 840 words, photos.

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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-INDONESIA — The Indonesian resort island of Bali welcomed international travelers to its shops and white-sand beaches for the first time in more than a year— if they’re vaccinated, test negative, hail from certain countries, quarantine and heed restrictions in public. SENT: 710 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS-MASKS — Health experts say it’s important to find a mask that’s comfortable so you’ll actually wear it as the coronavirus continues to circulate. SENT: 270 words, graphic.

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NATIONAL

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ROBERT DURST-MURDER TRIAL — New York real estate heir Robert Durst faces a mandatory life term without parole when sentenced in the murder of his best friend. SENT: 780 words, photo. UPCOMING: Sentencing at 4:30 p.m.

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INTERNATIONAL

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TAIWAN FIRE — A fire in southern Taiwan that engulfed a building overnight has killed 25 people, according to local officials who say they expected the death toll to rise further. SENT: 230 words, photos.

JAPAN POLITICS — Japan’s new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida dissolved the lower house of parliament, paving the way for elections Oct. 31 that will be Japan’s first of the pandemic. SENT: 460 words, photos.

MEXICO-CHILD CARTEL RECRUIT — In Mexico, children as young as 10 are being recruited by drug cartels. One teen tells a Mexican non-profit group he was torturing members of rival cartels for information, killing them and cutting up their bodies or dissolving them in acid before he was framed and later sentenced. SENT: 1,020 words.

JAPAN NORTH KOREA — A Japanese court is hearing from five people who say they were promised “paradise on Earth” in North Korea but suffered human rights violations instead and now want the country and its leader Kim Jong Un to compensate them. SENT: 370 words, photos.

AUSTRALIA-NEW ZEALAND BUSINESSMAN — One of New Zealand’s best-known businessmen has been sentenced in a Sydney court to 14 months in prison for possessing child sex abuse images. SENT: 380 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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DEERE-CONTRACT — More than 10,000 Deere & Co. workers went on strike after “the company failed to present an agreement that met our members’ demands and needs,” The United Auto Workers union says. SENT: 410 words, photo.

FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Asian shares were mostly higher, tracking an overnight rally on Wall Street as investors sought out bargains, including technology stocks. By Business Writer Yuri Kageyama. SENT: 620 words, photos.

PRODUCER PRICES — The Labor Department reports on wholesale inflation during September. By Economics Writer Martin Crutsinger. UPCOMING: 750 words after 8:30 a.m. report, photo.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS — The Labor Department reports on the number of Americans who applied for unemployment benefits last week. By Economics Writer Christopher Rugaber. UPCOMING: 750 words after 8:30 a.m. report, photo.

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HOW TO REACH US

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At the Nerve Center, Jerome Minerva can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Shuji Kajiyama (ext. 1900). For graphics and interactives, ext. 7636. Expanded AP content can be obtained from http://newsroom.ap.org. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006.