General news

• ‘Irrelevant and toxic’ Labour losing out to Ukip, inquiry finds

  21-05-2016 23:50
  
  Report by former policy chief Jon Cruddas says party is alienating socially conservative voters on issues such as immigration and welfareLabour is in danger of becoming “irrelevant to the majority of working people” because the party fails to represent their concerns about immigration, Europe, crime and welfare, according to a devastating new report into its electoral prospects.An inquiry established by Labour’s former policy chief, the MP for Dagenham, Jon Cruddas, and backed
  
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• Spring in your step: readers' photos on the theme of bloom

  21-05-2016 23:45
  
  For last week’s photography assignment in the Observer New Review we asked you to share your photos on the theme of bloom via GuardianWitness. Here’s a selection of our favouritesShare your photos on this week’s theme ‘bloom’ by clicking the button belowContinue reading...
  
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• Top US commander in Middle East makes secret Syria visit

  21-05-2016 23:42
  
  Joseph Votel enters country to see progress in building of anti-Isis alliance
  Votel is highest-ranking US officer to enter country since campaign beganThe top US commander for the Middle East secretly visited Syria on Saturday, for a first-hand look at efforts to build cohesive alliances of Arab, Kurd and other local fighters to defeat the Islamic State.Army Gen Joseph Votel, head of US central command, became the highest-ranking US officer known to have entered Syria since the US began its camp
  
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• England must discard the baggage of the past, believes Roy Hodgson

  21-05-2016 23:30
  
  The England manager wants his side to go into Euro 2016 without being fearful of the big stage and with optimism unspoilt by previous lacklustre performancesRoy Hodgson feels England supporters should stop looking back and torturing themselves over some largely lacklustre tournament performances in the past, and begin to look forward with more optimism as a younger and more inexperienced squad prepares for this summer’s European Championship in France.“It is true that only four of ou
  
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• Cyclone Roanu leaves 21 dead and more than 100 injured in Bangladesh

  21-05-2016 23:26
  
  Up to 500,000 people transferred to shelters as cyclone causes landslides, house collapses and embankments to break in ChittagongA cyclone battered coastal Bangladesh on Saturday, killing at least 21 people and injuring many more.It has now weakened into a depression that, according to the weather office, could still bring brief periods of violent wind or rain. Continue reading...
  
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• Jose Mourinho Set To Be Next Man Utd Manager

  21-05-2016 23:10
  
  Manchester United are preparing to appoint Jose Mourinho as their new manager, with an announcement possible next week. Sky News understands Louis Van Gaal's final act as United boss was lifting the FA Cup at Wembley. His side beat Crystal Palace 2-1 in extra time to win the competition for the first time in 12 years.
  
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• Eddie Jones singles out Kyle Sinckler for England tour to Australia

  21-05-2016 23:00
  
  Jones has insisted England players must challenge for their places and the Harlequins prop has just the competitive edge the England coach wantsEddie Jones has said ever since he became England’s head coach that he needs to find players capable of challenging the current squad and forcing their way into the team, but his selection for June’s tour to Australia will largely be made up of the tried and tested after the last two months of the club season left him underwhelmed.One uncappe
  
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• Violence Breaks Out At Scottish Cup Final

  21-05-2016 22:51
  
  A pitch invasion and disorder between fans marred the end of the Scottish Cup final, as hundreds of Hibernian supporters streamed onto the pitch to celebrate their team's victory over Rangers. Fighting broke out between rival supporters at Hampden Park as Hibs ended a 114-year wait to win the trophy. An investigation has begun to establish how a large number of supporters were able to get onto the pitch after the final whistle.
  
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• In Venezuela’s housing projects, even loyalists have had enough

  21-05-2016 22:30
  
  As activists demand President Maduro’s removal, his natural supporters are joining protests against shortages and high pricesThe Villa Poligono housing project, near the city of San Félix, in Venezuela’s south-eastern Bolívar state, is somewhere President Maduro might once have felt his popularity was secure.His smiling, moustached image features prominently on a vast poster at the entrance to the complex of bungalows. Poligono is part of the socialist government’
  
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• Man arrested in Surrey on suspicion of murder after woman found dead

  21-05-2016 22:10
  
  Body of 38-year-old woman found at Weybridge address where a man was also found with serious injuriesA 46-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was found dead at a house in Surrey.The body of the 38-year-old woman was found at a house in the St George’s Hill area of Weybridge on Saturday morning, Surrey police said.Continue reading...
  
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• After riots and terror, will MS804 crash deepen Egypt’s crisis?

  21-05-2016 22:01
  
  Nearly half of those killed on flight were Egyptians, many forced to leave their families and go abroad for workIt had been four years since Farrag Diab said goodbye to his family and set off for work in Saudi Arabia, and he was longing for the wedding that would bring him back home this month. But his son had found work closer to home as a security guard on the national carrier, EgyptAir, and had been assigned to fly MS804 from Paris late on Wednesday evening.Diab rushed home last week in terro
  
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• Yale introduces gender-neutral bathrooms amid national debate

  21-05-2016 21:46
  
  As legislators clash over LGBT rights in states across the country, university says it is seeking to send a signal to the publicYale has become the latest college to introduce gender-neutral restrooms. The move comes as conservative and liberal legislators in states across the nation battle over where they believe their constituents have a right to pee.Related: Texas poised to be the next bathroom battleground in transgender fightContinue reading...
  
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• Man Utd Beat Crystal Palace To Win The FA Cup

  21-05-2016 21:46
  
  Manchester United have won the FA Cup, beating Crystal Palace 2-1 after extra-time in the final at Wembley.
  
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• Man held on suspicion of murder after woman found dead in house

  21-05-2016 21:34
  
  A 46-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was found dead at a house in a leafy Home Counties town.
  
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• Powerful software to assist ticket touts widely available online

  21-05-2016 21:06
  
  Despite renewed efforts to clean up the market for tickets in major events, it remains easy to purchase tools that defeat vendors’ security measuresSoftware that helps touts bypass the security systems of major ticketing companies and scoop up tickets at the expense of fans is easily available online – and even comes with YouTube videos to explain how to use it.Scrutiny of ticketing firms and touts has reached fever pitch ahead of a government-backed report into the industry due to b
  
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• Police and faith alliance attacks counter-extremism bill

  21-05-2016 20:55
  
  A diverse coalition has told David Cameron that his strategy to prevent radicalisation could actually promote terrorismDavid Cameron’s new counter-extremism legislation has been condemned by a powerful coalition of opponents, including the former police chief in charge of the government’s anti-radicalisation programme, who warns that it could actually fuel terrorism. Related: Police study links radicalisation to mental health problemsContinue reading...
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn: If wealth creation is a shared process, the proceeds should be shared – video

  21-05-2016 20:54
  
  Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn calls for a serious debate about the creation of wealth in Britain as he delivers a speech at his party’s state of the economy conference in London on Sunday. While agreeing that wealth creation is a good thing, Corbyn says there should be greater discussion on how that wealth is shared. He also condemns the gender pay gap, saying that it is ‘quite simply wrong’ Continue reading...
  
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• Jimmy Anderson snaps his fingers to finally master Headingley | Mike Selvey

  21-05-2016 20:23
  
  Like an aristocrat greeting a lady with a sweep of his hat, England’s fast-bowler brushed aside Sri Lanka to record his best figures at the ground of 10 for 45Up the hill he came, the Football Stand to his back, ghosting to the crease as if on well-oiled castors. Jimmy Anderson caresses the ball in his fingertips, creating a bond with it almost, as if it is a part of him. The seam is upright and a change in the pressure from his middle finger and first finger, and a slight shift in the thu
  
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• Fort McMurray evacuation orders lifted as some workers and residents return

  21-05-2016 20:22
  
  Better weather conditions allow more firefighters to fight blaze at key pointsOfficials hope to remaining evacuees can return starting 1 June
  Alberta officials have lifted mandatory evacuation orders in some areas north of Fort McMurray, where a raging wildfire has forced the evacuation of more than 80,000 people and the closure of oil sands operations.Officials said on Saturday conditions had improved in some parts north of the oil sands city. Suncor Energy and Syncrude will now be able to resu
  
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• Police launch probe after Hampden crowd trouble following Hibernian cup win

  21-05-2016 20:17
  
  A pitch invasion and disorder between fans marred a historic Scottish Cup win for Hibernian.
  
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• UK 'Remain' camp gains ground in EU poll, bookmakers lengthen Brexit odds

  21-05-2016 20:00
  By Andy Bruce LONDON (Reuters) - The campaign to keep Britain in the European Union extended its lead over the "Out" campaign in an opinion poll published on Saturday, while two major bookmakers offered the shortest odds to date on a vote to remain. The poll from market research company Opinium for the Observer newspaper marked the sixth poll out of seven published in the last week to show the Remain campaign in the lead. Earlier, William Hill and Ladbrokes cut their odds on Britain remaining in
  
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• Cannes 2016 week two: zany dads, wild youth

  21-05-2016 20:00
  
  With a wild Andrea Arnold film, a hilarious German comedy and Jim Jarmusch’s hymn to Iggy and the Stooges, Cannes 2016 has been the best in years. But who is Raoul and why does everyone call his name?• Palais gossip: the talk of the town in Cannes
  Here at the Cannes film festival, the organisers like to get the day under way with some animal antics aboard the main stage. With the delegates still finding their seats for the 8.30am screening, a sniffer dog named Strafus inhales the scen
  
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• Murder Arrest After Woman Found Dead In Surrey

  21-05-2016 19:54
  
  A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was found dead at a house in a leafy Home Counties town. The body of the woman, who was in her 30s, was discovered at a property in the upmarket St George's Hill area of Weybridge on Saturday morning, Surrey Police said. A house on a nearby private residential street, Crossfield Place, close to Weybridge Station, was taped off on Saturday afternoon with police cars outside.
  
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• Three Men Collapse After Taking 'Annihilation'

  21-05-2016 19:27
  
  Three men have collapsed and two more have suffered "adverse effects" after taking so-called legal highs known as '"Annihilation" or "Cherry Bombs". Greater Manchester Police have issued an urgent warning as one of the men, aged 33, remains in an induced coma in hospital. Officers were first called to reports that a 33-year-old had collapsed at 11am on Friday, with friends telling police he had been taking legal highs.
  
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• Corbyn: Labour election win 'could be sooner than 2020'

  21-05-2016 19:24
  
  Labour electoral victory might come sooner than 2020, Jeremy Corbyn claimed, as he raised the prospect of an early general election.
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn calls for new economics to tackle 'grotesque inequality'

  21-05-2016 19:02
  
  Opposition leader says growth demands major change in way economy is run, as shadow chancellor vows to rewrite rulesJeremy Corbyn said the UK needed a serious debate about wealth creation, as he called for a new style of economics to tackle Britain’s “grotesque inequality”.Closing a Labour state of the economy conference in central London on Saturday, the party’s leader said: “Wealth creation is a good thing: we all want greater prosperity. But let us have a serious
  
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• Trump and Clinton on guns: two visions of race, justice and policing in the US

  21-05-2016 19:00
  
  Amid a national discussion of police violence and a series of high-profile shootings, the 2016 election has seen a rare focus on the fight for gun control Related: Donald Trump endorsed by NRA despite history of gun control support For years seen as a losing battle, the push for gun control has become a central conflict of the 2016 presidential election, and part of a broader struggle between competing visions of policing, justice and racism in America.Continue reading...
  
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• Exeter Chiefs grind out win over Wasps to reach first Premiership final

  21-05-2016 18:45
  
  • Exeter 34-23 WaspsExeter continued this sporting year’s underdog theme by reaching the Premiership final for the first time, almost six years to the day after winning promotion from the Championship. Had bookmakers in 2010 been offering odds on the Chiefs winning the title this month, they would probably have been longer than 5,000-1.Not that Exeter went into their fourth match of the season against Wasps as underdogs. The Chiefs had won the six previous Premiership matches between
  
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• 28 suspected illegal immigrants discovered in lorry

  21-05-2016 18:44
  A group of 28 suspected illegal immigrants have been discovered in a lorry in Portsmouth.
  
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• Hibernian and David Gray stun Rangers to make Scottish Cup history

  21-05-2016 18:17
  
  First, the positive. Hibernian’s status as the butt of so many jokes has now been removed. In a moment where time appeared to freeze, Liam Henderson’s corner was met by the head of David Gray in ending a 114-year wait for Scottish Cup glory. Poetically, the winner arrived in stoppage time. Glory, Glory to the Hibees as the old song dictates.This Hibs vintage of 2016 has thereby been afforded legendary status by stepping where so many before them, including wonderful teams, could not.
  
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• Donkey parents wanted: Hawaiians round up last of feral herd for adoption

  21-05-2016 18:12
  
  Herd that once numbered 500 has been reduced to 50 in an effort requiring the social animals to be adopted with fellow creatures: ‘They have to have a friend’Hawaiians are rounding up the last 50 donkeys of a feral herd that once roamed 500 strong, and searching for residents to take the asses in.David Paul Sennett, for instance, had a stuffed donkey as a child but always wanted a real one. Decades later, his childhood dream came true when he adopted Barney, a wild donkey from Hawaii
  
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• Kim Kardashian: 'I'm a make-up junkie... but Kanye prefers me without it'

  21-05-2016 18:02
  Kim Kardashian West said she would wear make-up "24/7" but her husband, rapper Kanye West, likes it when she doesn't wear any at all.
  
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• Forever blowing bubbles: summer beach days – in pictures

  21-05-2016 18:00
  
  For Hackney-based photographer Emily Stein, the carefree days of youth need not be forgotten when we grow up. Her latest project, Bubblegum, features photographs of teenagers chewing, well, bubblegum. “What I wanted to do was capture the feeling of growing up, and one of the most free places was on the beach during the summer,” she says. “Part of that is all the pastel colours of the bubblegum, the sand and the sun.” Stein photographed friends from around the world: most
  
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• Star Trek Beyond: 13 reasons to get excited about the new trailer

  21-05-2016 17:51
  
  After a goofy teaser trailer, the second preview of the upcoming sci-fi sequel has enough mystery, hardware and aliens to get fans excitedThe Beastie Boys were not invited. After a teaser trailer that featured 90s rap-metal and leaned heavy on goofy action (Captain Kirk doing motorcycle jumps?) a second, longer trailer for the next Star Trek film came correct. Related: Simon Pegg joins criticism of Star Trek Beyond trailerContinue reading...
  
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• Freak spring snowstorm in California closes roads and causes accidents – video

  21-05-2016 17:38
  
  Northern California has seen a late season snowstorm which caused chaos on the roads and resulted in the closure of Interstate 80 on Friday. The rare May weather left cars covered in snow and reduced visibility for drivers, leading to a huge traffic snarl-up. More snow is forecast for the coming days Continue reading...
  
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• DJ Calvin Harris hurt in Los Angeles car crash

  21-05-2016 17:01
  Superstar DJ Calvin Harris was taken to hospital after the car he was travelling in crashed.
  
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• Green really is the new black as Big Oil gets a taste for renewables

  21-05-2016 17:00
  
  Shell, Total, Statoil, even Exxon - they’re all at it. But are the recent moves into solar and wind power lip service, fashion, or a real shift away from fossil fuels?The world’s largest oil companies have in recent weeks announced a series of “green” investments – in wind farms, electric battery storage systems and carbon capture and storage (CCS). These unexpected moves come hot on the heels of revelations by Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest crude exporter,
  
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• Co-op hopes to leave the past behind with revival of its classic 60s look

  21-05-2016 17:00
  
  The retailer is returning to its time-honoured logo in an effort to signal that the scandal of recent years is overThe Co-operative Group is going back to the future, and its chosen destination is 1968, when Mrs Robinson was in the charts and the average house price in Britain was £4,000.Fast forward to this week and the group will begin a major facelift of its vast business, tearing down the lime-green frontages of its food shops and replacing them with a new blue logo. Continue reading..
  
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• Sri Lanka landslides kill at least 73 with scores more missing

  21-05-2016 16:43
  
  Torrential rains continue to deluge island nation, with hundreds of thousands in temporary sheltersLandslides and heavy flooding have killed at least 73 people in Sri Lanka, with scores more missing and hundreds of thousands forced to flee their homes.Torrential rains have deluged the island nation since last weekend, triggering huge landslides that have buried victims in up to 15 metres (50 feet) of mud. Continue reading...
  
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• Lesbian couple gets $80,000 settlement after arrest in Hawaii for kissing

  21-05-2016 16:32
  
  Courtney Wilson and Taylor Guerrero say they were harassed and arrested because a police officer didn’t like their public displays of affection in a store Honolulu has agreed to pay $80,000 to settle a lawsuit from two gay women who allege a police officer wrongfully arrested them after seeing them kissing in a grocery store.Related: Texas Republican party inadvertently suggests most Texans are gayContinue reading...
  
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• IDS Calls Osborne Pinocchio Over Brexit Claim

  21-05-2016 16:24
  
  Iain Duncan Smith has likened his former Cabinet colleague George Osborne to Pinocchio after the Chancellor claimed house prices will slump if the UK leaves the European Union. A Treasury report on the short-term impact of Brexit, due for publication next week, predicts people's homes would lose between 10% and 18% of their value by 2018. But the former work and pensions secretary, who is campaigning for the UK to leave the EU, said forecasts by the Treasury have often been wrong.
  
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• Five men collapse after taking legal highs in Rochdale

  21-05-2016 16:20
  
  One man in induced coma after three separate incidents in Greater Manchester involving Annihilation and Cherry BombsFive men have collapsed, with one in hospital in an induced coma, after taking legal highs known as Annihilation and Cherry Bombs in Rochdale.Greater Manchester police (GMP) have issued a warning over the psychoactive substances, both synthetic forms of cannabis, after three separate incidents on Friday and Saturday, during which users required urgent medical attention.Continue rea
  
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• Kanye West 'prefers Kim Kardashian without make-up'

  21-05-2016 16:10
  Kim Kardashian West said her husband, rapper Kanye West, prefers it when she doesn't wear any make-up.
  
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• Baghdad unrest: at least four anti-government protesters killed

  21-05-2016 16:10
  
  Iraq security forces used live ammunition, rubber bullets, water cannon and tear gas to dislodge demonstrators from green zoneAt least four anti-government protesters have been killed and 90 injured as security forces ejected them from Baghdad’s heavily fortified green zone, according to medical sources.Iraqi security forces had used live ammunition, rubber bullets, water cannon and tear gas on Friday to dislodge the demonstrators from the central district, which houses government building
  
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• George Osborne 'like Pinocchio' for house prices claim, says Duncan Smith

  21-05-2016 15:45
  
  Leading Brexit campaigner says voters should be wary of Treasury reports on which chancellor based property warningsIain Duncan Smith has likened George Osborne to Pinocchio for claiming that house prices could fall by up to 18% if the UK votes to leave the EU.The chancellor said on Friday that a Brexit vote would cut property values by almost a fifth over the next two years and the resulting economic shock would increase the cost of mortgages. Continue reading...
  
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• Warning over legal highs after three men collapse

  21-05-2016 15:32
  
  Three men collapsed and two more suffered "adverse effects" after taking so-called legal highs known as Annihilation or Cherry Bombs, police said.
  
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• Woman found dead and man seriously injured in house incident

  21-05-2016 15:30
  A murder probe has been launched after a woman was found dead at a house in a leafy Home Counties town.
  
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• Kirk votes to approve same-sex marriages for ministers

  21-05-2016 15:30
  
  The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland has voted to allow its ministers to be in same-sex marriages.
  
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• Co-op to hand back £100m a year to members and communities

  21-05-2016 15:30
  The Co-op has unveiled ambitious plans to hand back £100 million a year to its members and communities.
  
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• Surfing in New York – in pictures

  21-05-2016 15:00
  
  Surfing in New York takes dedication – in winter when the waves are best the weather is brutal, in summer surfers compete with the crowds that flock to the beaches. Andreea Waters has documented the highs and lows of urban surfing in Surf NYC, which is published by Schiffer Publishing Continue reading...
  
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