<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="">State Department TIP report here: <a href="http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2015/index.htm" style="color: purple; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" class="">http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2015/index.htm</a></div><div class=""><div style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" class=""><div lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple" class=""><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1;"><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 18.75pt; line-height: 15.75pt; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" class=""><a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2015/07/27/malaysia-cuba-taken-off-us-human-trafficking-blacklist" style="color: purple;" class="">http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2015/07/27/malaysia-cuba-taken-off-us-human-trafficking-blacklist</a><o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt; font-size: 11pt; background-color: white;"><b class=""><span style="font-size: 26.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" class="">Despite criticism from Congress, Malaysia, Cuba taken off US human trafficking blacklist<o:p class=""></o:p></span></b></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 18.75pt; line-height: 15.75pt; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" class="">WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department has taken Malaysia and Cuba off its blacklist of countries failing to combat modern-day slavery.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 18.75pt; line-height: 15.75pt; background-color: white; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" class="">That could leave the U.S. open to criticism that politics is swaying the often-contentious rankings in its annual human trafficking report.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 18.75pt; line-height: 15.75pt; background-color: white; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" class="">Thailand, downgraded with Malaysia last year because of pervasive labor abuses in its lucrative fishing industry, remained on the blacklist. Critics contend that Malaysia's upgrade is related to its participation in a U.S.-backed trade agreement among Pacific Rim countries. Thailand is not part of the proposed agreement.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 18.75pt; line-height: 15.75pt; background-color: white; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" class="">The department released Monday the annual U.S. assessment of how 188 governments around the world have performed in fighting the flesh trade and other forms of exploitative labor.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; widows: 1;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>