Environment news

• Exxon shareholders pass measure that may put climate expert on board

  25-05-2016 23:14
  By Luc Cohen and Rory Carroll DALLAS/SAN RAMON, Calif. (Reuters) - Voters at Exxon Mobil Corp's annual meeting on Wednesday approved a measure to let minority shareholders nominate outsiders for seats on the board, meaning a climate activist could eventually become a director at the world's largest publicly traded oil company. The so-called proxy access measure was the first Exxon shareholder proposal since 2006 to be approved, and it was the only one of 11 proposals related to climate change to
  
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• Oil ends session up; misses $50-target amid profit-taking

  25-05-2016 23:04
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose about 2 percent on Wednesday after the U.S. government reported a larger-than-expected drop in crude inventories, but profit-taking after the data kept prices below the $50 a barrel level that oil bulls had been hoping for. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said crude inventories fell 4.2 million barrels in the week to May 20. While the decline was steeper than the 2.5 million barrels forecast by analysts in a Reuters poll, it was
  
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• Exxon takes 'small step' on climate

  25-05-2016 22:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Shareholders at Exxon Mobil AGM reject most proposals but voted in favour of a resolution that could see a climate activist elected to the board in the future.
  
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• Swallow This Robot: Foldable Droid Could Mend Stomachs

  25-05-2016 21:37
  
  A team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has proposed a new, minimally invasive way of using biocompatible and biodegradable miniature robots to carry out tasks inside the human body. The researchers have already demonstrated origami-inspired robots capable of swimming, climbing and carrying a load twice their weight, but creating an ingestible device that can operate inside a stomach presented a whole new set of challenges, said Shuhei Miyashita, who was part of the
  
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• ExxonMobil CEO: ending oil production 'not acceptable for humanity'

  25-05-2016 21:25 via theguardian.com
  
  Shareholders win vote that could support board candidates concerned about climate as Rex Tillerson faces turbulent annual meetingRex Tillerson, the boss of oil giant ExxonMobil, said cutting oil production was “not acceptable for humanity” as he fought off shareholders’ and activists’ attempts to force the company to fully acknowledge the impact of climate change on the environment and Exxon’s future profits.During a long and fractious annual meeting in Dallas on We
  
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• Climate change proposals for Exxon, Chevron shareholders

  25-05-2016 21:17
  (Reuters) - Shareholders of Exxon Mobil Corp and Chevron Corp , two of the world's largest oil producers, voted on Wednesday on a raft of proposals designed to push the companies to respond more proactively to climate change risks and regulations. The stakes are highest at Exxon, which has come under intense scrutiny from environmentalists and some investors this past year over the way it handled climate change data. Despite public sentiment pressuring big oil companies on environmental issues,
  
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• French nuclear plant workers to go on strike Thursday - CGT union

  25-05-2016 21:10
  By Gérard Bon and Geert De Clercq PARIS (Reuters) - Staff at France's 19 nuclear plants have voted to go on strike on Thursday as part of the wider protests over the governments proposed reforms to employment laws, a CGT union official said on Wednesday, but no blackouts are expected. In the past week French workers led by the CGT have blocked oil refineries around the country in protest at the planned reforms aimed at making it easier for firms to hire and fire, which has led to fuel sho
  
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• Fracking decision was undemocratic | Letters

  25-05-2016 20:05 via theguardian.com
  
  The decision of North Yorkshire county council to allow fracking (Campaigners vow to fight fracking permit, 25 May) was based on limited information. I enquired some weeks ago whether there was or would be a social cost-benefit analysis (SCBA), and was told in essence this was too difficult and not required for a planning decision. An SCBA would examine not only the economic viability of a scheme but also the social costs to the community of pollution and damage to the local amenities. One clear
  
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• Neanderthal stone structures discovered

  25-05-2016 19:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Researchers investigating a cave in France have identified mysterious stone rings that were probably built by Neanderthals.
  
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• Meet the E&E Award-winner: Sustainable Building of the Year - The Crown Estate

  25-05-2016 19:28
  
  Every revolution needs its leaders. When it comes to the green building revolution, The Crown Estate has emerged as one of them. Meet the winner of the Sustainable Building of the Year Award...
  
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• Meet the E&E Award-winner: Onsite Water Efficiency - Xeros

  25-05-2016 19:23
  
  In a world where demand for water is expected to exceed supply by 40% by 2030, innovation at an industrial scale is crucial to addressing the issues of scarcity, sanitation and hygiene. Meet the Onsite Water Efficiency Award-winner...
  
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• Contract to construct giant telescope

  25-05-2016 19:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The contract is signed that will lead to the construction of one of this century's key astronomical facilities - the European Extremely Large Telescope.
  
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• Nissan vows to 'electrify' the UEFA Champions League Final

  25-05-2016 18:59
  
  Global car manufacturer Nissan will supply more than 100 electric vehicles (EVs) to UEFA and associated sponsors and install 17 public EV rapid chargers in Milan and its surrounding airports during the UEFA Champions League Final weekend.
  
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• Meet the E&E Award-winner: Onsite Waste & Resource Management - B&Q

  25-05-2016 18:54
  
  Kingfisher-owned DIY retailer B&Q is no stranger to sustainable business practices. Meet the winner of the Onsite Waste & Resource Management Award...
  
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• Meet the E&E Award-winner: Onsite Energy Generation - National Trust

  25-05-2016 18:54
  
  In 1895, the National Trust was established to preserve Britain's heritage and open spaces. More than 120 years later, the organisation is living up to that ethos like never before, having successfully adopted a holistic approach to and sustainability and tackling climate change through the improved energy efficiency of the properties it manages across the country. Meet the Onsite Energy Generation Award-winner...
  
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• Meet the E&E Award-winner: Onsite Energy Efficiency - Heathrow Airport

  25-05-2016 18:54
  
  Serving 74 million passengers each year, Heathrow faces sustainability challenges similar to a small city - its electricity demand is comparable to that of the Isle of Wight. Meet the Onsite Energy Efficiency Award-winner...
  
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• Meet the E&E Award-winner: Health & Safety Initiative - O'Donovan Waste Disposal

  25-05-2016 18:54
  
  Taking health & safety (H&S) far beyond a tick box exercise, O'Donovan Waste Disposal was determined to deliver a real step change for the waste management industry, a sector that has traditionally suffered from a poor track record on H&S. Meet the Health & Safety Initiative Award-winner...
  
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• Meet the E&E Award-winner: Environmental Product Innovation - Heineken UK

  25-05-2016 18:52
  
  The storing and serving of draught beer and cider is both energy and water intensive, but Heineken has developed a solution to combat this - SmartDispense, a draught dispense technology aimed at reducing the environmental footprint of the hospitality and drinks sector. Meet the winner of the Environmental Product Innovation Award...
  
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• Meet the E&E Award-winner: Environmental Product Innovation - Heineken

  25-05-2016 18:52
  
  The storing and serving of draught beer and cider is both energy and water intensive, but Heineken has developed a solution to combat this - SmartDispense, a draught dispense technology aimed at reducing the environmental footprint of the hospitality and drinks sector. Meet the winner of the Environmental Product Innovation Award...
  
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• Meet the E&E Award-winner: Environmental Initiative - Primark

  25-05-2016 18:47
  
  Like almost every other fashion retailer, Primark products are made in Asian countries such as India and Bangladesh, where wages are lower and factories are closer to raw materials. Meet the Environmental Initiative Award winner...
  
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• Meet the E&E Award-winner: Energy Manager of the Year - Jude Hughes, NIBSC

  25-05-2016 18:43
  
  Over the past seven years in her role as energy manager at NIBSC, Jude Hughes has achieved the following headline figures for this large and energy-intensive government research centre: a 17% reduction in carbon footprint, a 12% reduction in electricity consumption, a 20% reduction in gas consumption, and utilities cost savings amounting to £746,000. Meet the Energy Manager of the Year...
  
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• Meet the E&E Award-winner: Energy Efficiency (Product Innovation) - Heat Genius

  25-05-2016 18:39
  
  Off the back of rising energy bills and the Government's failed Green Deal, the smart thermostats market has seen a rapid growth in sales of late, thanks to the significant carbon and financial savings - and low cost - of the systems for the end-user. Meet the winner of the Energy Efficiency: Product Innovation Award...
  
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• Meet the E&E Award-winner: Energy Efficiency (Data & Software) - EDF Energy

  25-05-2016 18:31
  
  Extracting maximum efficiencies from industrial motors is the powerful message behind EDF Energy's Motorbox, a novel motor auditing service incorporating sensors, software and technical expertise. Meet the winner of the Energy Efficiency: Data & Software Award...
  
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• BP, Shell among bidders to run Qatar oil field - sources

  25-05-2016 18:20
  By Tom Finn DOHA (Reuters) - Six international oil firms including BP and Royal Dutch Shell Plc have bid to operate Qatar's largest offshore oil field, two people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The other bidders are the field's current operator Maersk, as well as Total SA, Chevron Corp and ConocoPhillips, said the people who spoke on condition of anonymity as the information was private. The people said state-owned Qatar Petroleum (QP) would award the contract for the oil field, whic
  
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• Anti-fracking campaigners threaten to set up protest camps

  25-05-2016 18:12 via theguardian.com
  
  Activists consider ‘more confrontational’ action to prevent energy firms drilling for shale gas in Yorkshire and LancashireAnti-fracking campaigners are threatening to set up protest camps in Yorkshire and Lancashire to prevent energy companies drilling for shale gas. Fracking firm Third Energy was given permission on Monday to carry out test drilling at a site in Kirby Misperton in Rydale, North Yorkshire, even after 99% of locals voiced their opposition to the application.The decis
  
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• 'Polar bear hybrid' shot in Canada

  25-05-2016 18:07 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A possible grizzly-polar bear hybrid has been shot by a hunter in northern Canada.
  
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• Drink pea milk and save the world? Not if the peas are flown in from France

  25-05-2016 17:44 via theguardian.com
  
  Ripple claims its non-dairy milk made from yellow split peas is more eco-friendly than its competitors – despite the main ingredient being shipped from overseasOn a recent Thursday night at trendy West Hollywood vegan outpost Gracias Madres, bartenders served up cocktails, including George Clooney’s Casamigos tequila, cocoa and … pea milk.Yes, pea milk, a liquid derived from yellow split peas, is the latest non-dairy milk to hit grocery store shelves. It joins hemp milk, brown
  
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• Drink pea milk and save the world: but what if the peas are shipped from France?

  25-05-2016 17:44 via theguardian.com
  
  Ripple claims its non-dairy milk made from yellow split peas is more eco-friendly than its competitors – despite the main ingredient being shipped from overseasOn a recent Thursday night at trendy West Hollywood vegan outpost Gracias Madres, bartenders served up cocktails, including George Clooney’s Casamigos tequila, cocoa and … pea milk.Yes, pea milk, a liquid derived from yellow split peas, is the latest non-dairy milk to hit grocery store shelves. It joins hemp milk, brown
  
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• Oil up but backs off $50 target; profit-taking after U.S. drawdown

  25-05-2016 17:36
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose as much as 1 percent on Wednesday after the U.S. government reported a larger-than-expected drop in crude stocks for last week, but profit-taking after the data kept prices below the $50 a barrel level that oil bulls had been hoping for. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said crude inventories fell 4.2 million barrels in the week to May 20. While the decline was steeper than the 2.5 million barrels forecast by analysts in a Reuters
  
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• New Energy Transition scheme launched to accelerate green industrial revolution

  25-05-2016 17:25
  
  The Climate Group has launched a new global initiative to assist highly industrialised, carbon-intensive international governments and regional states in developing and implementing innovative clean energy policies to accelerate the low-carbon transition.
  
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• Indonesia refuses palm oil permits in anti-haze push

  25-05-2016 16:58 via theguardian.com
  
  Officials reject applications from 61 companies for new palm oil operations in a crackdown on the industry blamed for fuelling haze-belching forest fires Indonesia has rejected applications from scores of companies for new palm oil operations, an official said on Wednesday, as it cracks down on an industry whose expansion has been blamed for fuelling haze-belching forest fires.Almost 1m hectares (2.5m acres) of land were spared from conversion to palm oil plantations due to the decision, said Sa
  
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• 10 things you probably didn't know about green energy jobs

  25-05-2016 16:55
  
  With new figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) revealing that employment in the renewables industry rose by 5% over the past 12 months, to pass 8.1 million, edie dissects the data to bring you 10 fascinating facts about clean energy employment.
  
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• Do you know your endangered species? – video

  25-05-2016 16:46 via theguardian.com
  
  The World Wildlife Foundation surveyed 2000 UK adults about their knowledge of endangered species. Roughly a third didn’t know giant pandas and snow leopards are under threat, while a fifth thought cows and grey squirrels are. One in four thought the dodo and brachiosaurus still exist!Do you know your wild species at risk? – in pictures Continue reading...
  
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• 'Dinosaur crater' drill project success

  25-05-2016 16:43 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Chicxulub drill project declared a success
  
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• Anti-fracking camps planned in Yorkshire and Lancashire

  25-05-2016 16:40 via theguardian.com
  
  Campaigners fear more sites will get green light after decision to let Third Energy carry out test drilling in Kirby MispertonAnti-fracking campaigners are threatening to set up protest camps in Yorkshire and Lancashire to prevent energy companies drilling for shale gas.The fracking firm Third Energy was given permission on Monday to carry out test drilling at a site in Kirby Misperton in Ryedale, North Yorkshire, despite 99% of locals opposing its application. Continue reading...
  
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• French labour clash escalates, public fear impact on Euro 2016

  25-05-2016 16:26
  By Ingrid Melander and Michel Rose PARIS (Reuters) - The stand-off between France's government and a hardline union over labour reforms stiffened on Wednesday as the country mobilised strategic oil stocks for the first time in 6 years and employers warned the protests were starting to hurt the economy. Police broke up a fuel depot blockade with water cannons while the CGT union called a strike at a nuclear plant, in an escalation which a majority of French fear could disrupt the Euro 2016 footba
  
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• UN expert calls for tax on meat production

  25-05-2016 16:15 via theguardian.com
  
  People could be deterred from eating meat by increasing its price further up the supply chain, stemming rise in consumption and environmental damageGovernments should tax meat production in order to stem the global rise in consumption and the environmental damage that goes with it, according to a UN expert.The world faces serious environmental problems if emerging economies such as China emulate Americans and Europeans in the amount of meat they eat, Prof Maarten Hajer, the lead author of a repo
  
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• Shell to cut 2,200 more jobs in face of weak oil prices

  25-05-2016 15:21
  Royal Dutch Shell will cut a further 2,200 jobs, taking its target for layoffs to 12,500 by the end of the year, the Anglo-Dutch oil firm said on Wednesday, as it cuts deeper in the face of weak oil prices. Shell let go 7,500 staff and direct contractors last year and previously said 2,800 jobs would be cut with the integration of BG Group. Whilst the cuts are small in comparison to the overall amount of people employed in the oil and gas industry, Shell's 12,500 job reductions are equal to the
  
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• Global clean energy employment rose 5% in 2015, figures show

  25-05-2016 15:00 via theguardian.com
  
  More than 8 million people were employed worldwide in the renewable energy sector last year as rapidly falling costs drove growth in the industryA boom in solar and wind power jobs in the US led the way to a global increase in renewable energy employment to more than 8 million people in 2015, according to a report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena).More than 769,000 people were employed in renewable energy in the US in 2015, dwarfing the 187,000 employed in the oil and gas se
  
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• National Grid and RES strike new energy storage deal

  25-05-2016 14:31
  
  Renewable Energy Systems (RES) is to provide 20MW of frequency response to the national transmission network from battery storage for the first time in the UK.
  
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• Wildfires no longer spreading like wildfires

  25-05-2016 14:15 via feedproxy.google.com
  A new analysis of global data related to wildfire, published by the Royal Society, reveals major misconceptions about wildfire and its social and economic impacts.
  
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• Brazil top court accepts plea deal by ex-senator linked to top politicians - paper

  25-05-2016 14:07
  Brazil's Supreme Court accepted a plea bargain agreement with an ex-senator at the centre of a political uproar that cost the Planning Minister his job on Monday, O Estado de S. Paulo reported on Wednesday. Sérgio Machado, who is also the ex-president of the transportation arm of state-run oil giant Petrobras, has been under investigation in the two-year-long probe of a bribe scheme involving Petrobras contractors and politicians. A leaked conversation between Machado and Senator Romero J
  
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• Universities of Newcastle and Southampton join fossil fuel divestment push

  25-05-2016 14:05 via theguardian.com
  
  Newcastle University latest to announce it will pursue investment decisions that are compatible with its sustainability values, reports BusinessGreenAs the world’s leading oil and gas majors this week face a series of questions about their ability to respond to escalating climate risks, two of the UK’s leading universities have become the latest institutions to announce new investment strategies designed to curb their exposure to fossil fuel assets.Newcastle University yesterday foll
  
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• Together we can end wildlife crime

  25-05-2016 13:43 via theguardian.com
  
  Paula Kahumbu: A global alliance to end wildlife crime is within reach. Let’s start talking about how it can be made to work Today the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is hosting a high level dialogue on wildlife crime at the UN Environmental Assembly (UNEA) which is taking place in Nairobi. The session will open with the launch of the UN Wild for Life campaign that is calling on citizens, governments and corporations to pledge to act on this issue. Participants at the event ar
  
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• The future's bright for sustainable business: 7 things we learnt at edie Live 2016

  25-05-2016 13:30
  
  After a fascinating two days of inspiration, insight and expertise, edie looks back at some of the most important lessons taken away from edie Live 2016.
  
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• France uses strategic oil reserves to counter refinery blockade

  25-05-2016 13:25
  France has started using its strategic oil reserves for the first time since 2010 to counter union blockades of its refineries, the French oil industry federation said on Wednesday. Coupled with some panic buying, the disruption has led to fuel shortages in large parts of France including Paris over the past week. France has strategic oil reserves worth several months of consumption on which it can draw in emergencies.
  
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• Hypersensitive Exxon bans Guardian from AGM

  25-05-2016 13:23 via theguardian.com
  
  Oil firm accuses newspaper of ‘lack of objectivity’ on climate change reporting in ‘campaign’ against energy companiesKeep it in the ground, this newspaper has argued for ages on fossil fuels. Then keep out of our annual meeting, replies ExxonMobil.Or, to quote Exxon’s media relations manager, Alan Jeffers: “We are denying your request [to attend Wednesday’s meeting] because of the Guardian’s lack of objectivity on climate change reporting demonstr
  
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• Indonesian birds face extinction due to pet trade – study

  25-05-2016 13:14 via theguardian.com
  
  Indonesia’s national bird, the Javan hawk-eagle, is among 13 species threatened by illegal trade, warns a wildlife watchdogThirteen species of Indonesian birds, including the country’s symbolic Javan hawk-eagle, are at serious risk of extinction mainly due to the pet trade, a wildlife watchdog warned Wednesday. Continue reading...
  
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• Atrocious toilets and too few bins: why we're not eco-friendly at work

  25-05-2016 12:59 via theguardian.com
  
  Most of us ignore our environmental responsibilities in the workplace, research suggests. We asked you to share your experiences – and this is what you told usI just can’t be bothered’: why people are greener at home than in the officeMy workplace removed individual waste bins, to encourage people to think more about where they put their waste. All this has done is breed a surprising resentment and apathy. By the time I’ve walked the five yards to the bin, I can rarely br
  
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• Retailers make landmark sustainable seafood pledge

  25-05-2016 12:40
  
  Leading British supermarkets Tesco, Sainsbury's and Marks & Spencer (M&S) are among a cross-sector cluster of organisations that have voluntarily signed an agreement to protect a key Arctic region from industrial fishing, by preventing suppliers from expanding cod fisheries into pristine marine waters.
  
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