General news

• Trump says he is not planning to fire Mueller as Republican attacks increase

  17-12-2017 23:51 via theguardian.com
  Congressmen and rightwing media ramp up claims of anti-Trump bias
  Opinion: What is the Republican playbook for the Mueller investigation?Donald Trump said on Sunday he was not planning to fire Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating alleged collusion between Trump aides and Russia during the 2016 election. Continue reading...
  
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• Ex-mayor called traitor says Catalan referendum has ruptured society

  17-12-2017 23:32 via theguardian.com
  Jordi Ballart, who quit as mayor of Terrassa last month, says he was labelled a quisling and coward for not backing independenceThe former mayor of a Catalan city who was labelled a quisling for his stance on the independence referendum has said society is deeply divided as the region prepares for a second vote in three months.If the political and economic consequences of the Catalonia crisis are easy to quantify – a deposed regional government, a former president in self-imposed Belgian e
  
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• Birmingham road accident leaves six people dead

  17-12-2017 23:31 via theguardian.com
  Seventh person critically injured in car crash that involved six vehicles near Edgbaston in early hours of SundaySix people died and a seventh was in a critical condition after a “harrowing” crash involving six cars at the end of a Christmas night out in Birmingham.Three men were killed when they were thrown out of their car while a black cab driver and his two passengers, a man and woman, died when their seven-seater flipped on to its side. Continue reading...
  
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• Manchester City want Pep Guardiola to create Alex Ferguson-style dynasty

  17-12-2017 23:30 via theguardian.com
  • Master tactician to discuss a new contract in the summer
  • City believe Guardiola can stay for at least 10 years
  Pep Guardiola will discuss a new contract with Manchester City in the summer, with the club believing he possesses the same qualities that led to Sir Alex Ferguson creating a long-term dynasty at Manchester United. Related: Leroy Sané takes the breath away in Manchester City’s latest rampage | Barney RonayContinue reading...
  
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• Why Laws On Sexual History Evidence Still Need Reform

  17-12-2017 23:20
  The Government has undertaken its review of the law on sexual history evidence in sexual offence trials and declared that all is well.
  
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• Leicester and Saracens defeats bring Champions Cup pain for English clubs

  17-12-2017 23:15 via theguardian.com
  • Wasps win but as things stand only Bath would reach Europe’s last eight
  • Late breaks from Leicester’s Manu Tuilagi one of few weekend positivesBack-to-back defeats for Leicester and Saracens on Sunday completed another disappointing weekend for the English clubs in Europe with the Premiership sides now staring down the barrel of their worst continental campaign in six seasons.Leicester are all but out of the Champions Cup after a 25-16 home defeat by Munster and while Sa
  
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• The Apprentice delivers unprecedented twist in final showdown - The Guardian

  17-12-2017 23:13
  The Guardian
  The Apprentice delivers unprecedented twist in final showdown
  The Guardian
  James White and Sarah Lynn will both receive a £250,000 investment from Lord Sugar. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA. The Apprentice. The Apprentice delivers unprecedented twist in final showdown. 'You're both hired', Alan Sugar tells rivals Sarah Lynn and James ...
  Two winners of The Apprentice for the first time in the show's historyTelegraph.co.uk
  'The Apprentice' Winner: James And Sarah BOTH Bag Lord Sugar's
  
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• The Apprentice delivers unprecedented twist in final showdown

  17-12-2017 23:13 via theguardian.com
  ‘You’re both hired’, Alan Sugar tells rivals Sarah Lynn and James White as TV show finishes in tie for first time in its history Two people have been crowned joint winners of The Apprentice for the first time in the reality TV show’s history.In an unprecedented twist, Alan Sugar was unable to choose between the two and decided it was a dead heat. Continue reading...
  
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• Shock win as Mo Farah collects his first Sports Personality of Year award

  17-12-2017 23:11
  Sir Mo Farah has pulled off a surprise win to collect the Sports Personality of the Year award for the first time.
  
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• Sports Personality Of The Year Ends With The BBC Losing Winner Mo Farah

  17-12-2017 23:10
  Sir Mo Farah has been named the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2017, but the big finish to the corporation’s flagship awards event could have run more smoothly.
  
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• Briton arrested in connection with seizure of 3.2 tons of hashish in Catalonia

  17-12-2017 23:07
  A Briton is among three people detained as part of an international drug trafficking ring operating from Catalonia.Two Spaniards and one Briton have been accused of using industrial warehouses that had been repossessed by banks to grow the plants.Authorities were alerted after receiving a tip that a warehouse in Llinars del Valles in the Spanish region of Catalonia was possibly being used to grow marijuana.
  
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• Ryanair pilots suspend one-day strike in week before Christmas

  17-12-2017 22:43 via theguardian.com
  Impact, the union representing Ireland-based pilots, has agreed to meet the low-cost carrier’s management and rescind strike action set for WednesdayRyanair pilots have suspended a pre-Christmas one-day strike, according to the union Impact which represents its Ireland-based pilots.The union, which says the dispute is about winning independent representation for pilots in the company, has agreed to meet the low-cost carrier’s management on Tuesday evening ahead of the planned strike
  
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• Sports Personality of the Year 2017: Mo Farah wins top award

  17-12-2017 22:42 via bbc.co.uk
  Watch as Sir Mo Farah wins the 2017 Sports Personality of the Year award.
  
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• Taxi driver died in multi-vehicle crash in Birmingham minutes after telling his wife he would be home for dinner - Telegraph.co.uk

  17-12-2017 22:12
  Telegraph.co.uk
  Taxi driver died in multi-vehicle crash in Birmingham minutes after telling his wife he would be home for dinner
  Telegraph.co.uk
  Six people have died and a seventh is critically injured after a multi-vehicle crash in Birmingham in the early hours of Sunday morning. Police have appealed for witnesses to the "harrowing" collision as they try to establish how it occurred. Three men ...
  Birmingham car crash: Six dead and one critically injured in 'harrowing' multiple-vehicle collisi
  
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• Putin-Trump call: leaders hail US-Russian efforts to foil Isis bomb plot - The Guardian

  17-12-2017 22:03
  The Guardian
  Putin-Trump call: leaders hail US-Russian efforts to foil Isis bomb plot
  The Guardian
  Donald Trump chats with Vladimir Putin in Danang, Vietnam in November. Photograph: Mikhail Klimentyev/AFP/Getty Images. Donald Trump. Putin-Trump call: leaders hail US-Russian efforts to foil Isis bomb plot. White House says Trump 'appreciated ...
  Putin calls Trump to thank him for CIA tip on St Petersburg plotFinancial Times
  Trump Putin call: CIA helped stop Russia terror attackBBC News
  CIA Helpe
  
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• Putin-Trump call: leaders hail US-Russian efforts to foil Isis bomb plot

  17-12-2017 22:03 via theguardian.com
  White House says Trump ‘appreciated’ conversation with Russian presidentSunday phone call followed separate call about the economy on ThursdayDonald Trump and Vladimir Putin spoke for the second time in four days on Sunday, the White House said, and agreed that a CIA tip which helped Russia prevent bombings in St Petersburg was “an example of the positive things that can occur when our countries work together”. Related: Trump not getting ready to fire Robert Mueller, pres
  
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• Bradley Lowery Honoured With Posthumous Award At Emotional BBC Sports Personality Of The Year

  17-12-2017 22:00
  Bradley Lowery, the six-year-old whose brave fight against a rare form of cancer captured the nation’s heart, was posthumously honoured at the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year event on Sunday night.
  
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• 2022 World Cup migrant workers ‘systematically’ exploited, Amnesty says

  17-12-2017 21:50 via theguardian.com
  • Research points to Qatar stadium workers ‘trapped’ in vicious cycle of debt,• ‘Nepali migrant workers are being systematically and mercilessly set up’Migrant workers constructing stadiums for the Qatar 2022 World Cup continue to be trapped in a vicious cycle of debt and exploitation, according to new research by Amnesty International.Fifa is already under pressure from its own advisory board to act over the kafala system, used to monitor migrant labourers, whi
  
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• French finance minister calls for bitcoin regulation debate at G20

  17-12-2017 21:48
  France will propose that the G20 group of major economies discuss regulation of the bitcoin virtual currency next year, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Sunday."I am going to propose to the next G20 president, Argentina, that at the G20 summit in April we have a discussion all together on the question of bitcoin," Le Maire told French news channel LCI.Bitcoin's prices have risen more than 1,700 percent since the start of the year, triggering worries that the market is a bubble that could
  
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• Tory rebels urge Theresa May to form cross-party alliance for soft Brexit

  17-12-2017 21:27
  Theresa May will update the Commons on last week’s European council meeting on Monday.Conservative backbench rebels who defeated the government last week are urging Theresa May to reach out to Labour MPs and form a cross-party alliance for a soft Brexit.As May’s Brexit team prepares to debate Britain’s future relationship with the EU on Monday before a full meeting of her divided cabinet on Tuesday, the dissident MPs believe last week’s vote should embolden her to face do
  
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• Memorial unveiled to the deadliest war disaster kept secret for decades

  17-12-2017 21:25
  Official secrets, a government cover-up and an attempt to avoid blame.For decades, little was known about the Bethnal Green Underground tragedy but a new memorial close to the site of the disaster hopes to provide a fitting place of remembrance for the victims and a way to shed light on the secrets that surrounded their deaths.On 3 March 1943, shortly after 8pm, 173 people were crushed to death as they rushed into the bomb shelter deep in Bethnal Green's Underground Station.
  
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• Ben Jennings on Donald Trump's performance as US president – cartoon

  17-12-2017 21:01 via theguardian.com
  Continue reading...
  
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• Two Police Officers Fighting For Life After Being Hit By Maserati In Brent, North London

  17-12-2017 20:56
  A police officer is in a critical condition in hospital after he and a female colleague were struck by a Maserati as they helped deal with an unrelated early-morning incident.
  
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• Two Police Officers Fighting For Life After Being Hit By Car In Brent, North London

  17-12-2017 20:56
  A police officer is in a critical condition in hospital after he and a female colleague were struck by a Maserati as they helped deal with an unrelated early-morning incident.
  
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• British embassy worker found dead, believed strangled, in Beirut

  17-12-2017 20:44 via theguardian.com
  Local police suggest Rebecca Dykes, whose body was reportedly found on the side of a motorway, was murderedA woman who worked at the UK embassy in Beirut has been found dead.The body of Rebecca Dykes was reportedly found on the side of a motorway in the early hours of Saturday morning. The circumstances surrounding her death were unclear, but local police officials suggested she had been strangled.Continue reading...
  
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• Female British embassy worker found strangled near Beirut

  17-12-2017 20:15
  BEIRUT/LONDON (Reuters) - A female British embassy worker has been found strangled near a highway outside Beirut, a Lebanese security source said on Sunday.The British foreign ministry provided a statement by the family of the woman, Rebecca Dykes, but gave no details of the circumstances of her death.Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces said on Saturday that the body of a woman who had been strangled had been found by a highway outside Beirut.
  
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• This cheese-themed event is drawing comparisons to Fyre Festival

  17-12-2017 19:45
  Many were left disappointed by the Giant Cheeseboard event in London.
  
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• Curbs on capitalism in the 21st century

  17-12-2017 19:45
  You’ve been duped, 14 December) has discovered Professor Bill Mitchell’s book Reclaiming the State.Mitchell is a respected “heterodox” economist who specialises in modern monetary theory, and writes an almost daily blog in which he explains MMT and its political and economic implications.If Elliott were to fully learn the lessons of MMT from Mitchell’s book and/or blog, then perhaps he would not write (as he recently did) about governments of countries like the UK (
  
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• Debts add to disaster for climate-hit nations | Letters

  17-12-2017 19:44
  Antigua and Barbuda after Hurricane Irma struck.Sarah-Jayne Clifton says it is unfair to expect Caribbean islands to keep paying off debts while struggling to rebuild.For many countries impacted by the negative impacts of climate change, much more money is leaving in debt payments than they receive in grants to cope with climate impacts (Theresa May: It’s Britain’s duty to help nations hit by climate change, 12 December).
  
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• Mohamed Salah on the scoresheet again as Liverpool hit Bournemouth for four

  17-12-2017 19:35 via theguardian.com
  When Liverpool purr like this, delighting in every incisive move and swarming all over panicked opponents, it is hard to contemplate the reality they are a team only marginally closer to the top of the table than they are the bottom three.This was a performance to showcase all that is thrilling about Jürgen Klopp’s side, from Philippe Coutinho’s invention to Mohamed Salah’s bite, from rare poise at pace in midfield to the relentless press which left Bournemouth gasping for
  
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• Brexit is putting me off this whole ‘will of the people’ idea | Matthew d’Ancona

  17-12-2017 19:21 via theguardian.com
  Vassal states, traitors and enemies of the people: the new political lexicon is a reminder of the dangers of populismIn his great lexicon, Keywords, the New Left critic Raymond Williams urged us in 1976 to look for “networks of usage, reference and perspective” in language, to consider “interrelated words and references” in “a cluster”, and to heed “the explicit but as often implicit connections which people [are] making”.As 2017 draws to
  
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• Keely Smith obituary

  17-12-2017 19:18 via theguardian.com
  American singer who, with her husband Louis Prima, was part of the most successful Las Vegas lounge act of the 1950sStanding to one side, her impassive basilisk stare part of the act, the singer Keely Smith, who has died aged 89, excelled as the onstage foil to her extrovert husband, the trumpeter-vocalist Louis Prima. Where Prima was manic, cavorting around the stage, singing with gusto and playing hot jazz trumpet, Smith was the epitome of cool, her vocals like a balm amid all the mayhem. Prim
  
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• Tory activist in Damian Green case had 'violent threats' after Mail article

  17-12-2017 19:17
  Damian Green has stayed in his post as first secretary of state while he is investigated over sexual harassment claims.Kate Maltby, the Conservative activist who has made allegations of sexual harassment against the first secretary of state, Damian Green, received a series of “violent threats” after the Daily Mail published an article calling her “one very pushy lady”, her friends say.
  
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• An artist has brought a bot-authored Harry Potter chapter to life in these comedic drawings

  17-12-2017 19:00
  Just when you thought it couldn’t get better.
  
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• Designer Stefano Gabbana says he is tired of being labelled as gay

  17-12-2017 18:59 via theguardian.com
  Dolce & Gabbana co-founder says he is ‘simply a man’ and does not want to be defined by his sexual choices The Italian designer Stefano Gabbana, one half of the Dolce & Gabbana brand, has said he is tired of being defined by his sexuality.“I don’t want to be called gay, because I’m simply a man … full stop,” the 55-year-old said in an interview with Italy’s Corriere della Sera daily. Continue reading...
  
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• Rebecca Dykes: UK Embassy Worker Found 'Murdered At Side Of Motorway' In Lebanon

  17-12-2017 18:53
  A British embassy worker in Lebanon has been found murdered at the side of a motorway, reports have said.
  
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• Rebecca Dykes: UK Diplomat Found 'Murdered At Side Of Motorway' In Lebanon

  17-12-2017 18:53
  A British embassy worker in Lebanon has been found murdered at the side of a motorway, reports have said.
  
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• Student accused of rape: 'I've spent two years living in fear'

  17-12-2017 18:41
  Liam Allan was accused of rape. However, the case against him collapsed and was thrown out of court after it emerged that a detective had failed to hand over text messages on the accuser's phone - seriously undermining the case.
  
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• A Giant Cheeseboard Event That Ran Out Of Cheese Has Left People Furious

  17-12-2017 18:15
  In what looks like the latest festive wonderland to go wrong, an event in London that promised “unlimited cheese, mulled wine and fun” has left many people furious.
  
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• The Persimmon chief’s bonus is an obscene inversion of A Christmas Carol | Zoe Williams

  17-12-2017 18:13 via theguardian.com
  We like to think that the generous spirit of Dickens presides over every story at this time of year. Not this oneThe story of the housebuilding company Persimmon has a beautiful, Christmassy spirit. Its chair, Nicholas Wrigley, has quit over his role in awarding its chief executive, Jeff Fairburn, an obscene bonus of £110m. I was about to put quote marks round obscene, since that’s the judgment of assorted charities and politicians, but really it needs no attribution &ndash
  
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• Jo Cox's Widower, Brendan Cox, On The Challenges Of Bringing Up Children Alone

  17-12-2017 17:53
  Brendan Cox has spoken about the difficulty of being a single parent as he praised a campaign designed to tackle loneliness at Christmas.
  
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• Liam Allan: I would work with rape victims

  17-12-2017 17:35
  A man whose rape trial was thrown out after it emerged evidence was withheld has told Sky News he wants to work with all victims of injustice.
  
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• A $66bn question: does Disney love news as much as Murdoch? | Afua Hirsch

  17-12-2017 17:27
  Rupert Murdoch wanted his news live, lively and feisty.Some people, when I joined Sky News as social affairs editor in 2014, reacted as if I had accepted a job as Rupert Murdoch’s personal spokesperson.The output on the channel – which is as highly regulated and impartial as every other – has about as much to do with Murdoch as the content of The Handmaid’s Tale.
  
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• Romelu Lukaku sets Manchester United on victory path at West Brom

  17-12-2017 17:24 via theguardian.com
  The chase feels forlorn, and it must be even more dispiriting for Manchester United when they play the day after their neighbours have turned in yet another stirring performance, but José Mourinho and his players can at least take some satisfaction from the fact they managed to trim the deficit at the top back to 11 points.They made much harder work of it than they should have done, with Gareth Barry’s goal 13 minutes from time forcing United to endure a slightly anxious finale afte
  
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• Drivers Told To Avoid Travelling On 'Frantic Friday' And Christmas Eve As Millions Expected To Be On UK Roads

  17-12-2017 17:12
  Drivers should avoid travelling on ‘Frantic Friday’ this week as long delays are expected on Britain’s motorways ahead of Christmas.
  
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• Romelu Lukaku on target as United down West Brom - Eurosport.co.uk

  17-12-2017 17:09
  Eurosport.co.uk
  Romelu Lukaku on target as United down West Brom
  Eurosport.co.uk
  Romelu Lukaku scored for a second successive game as Manchester United saw off West Bromwich Albion. See alsoMatchcast: West Bromwich Albion v Manchester United. United were looking to cut Manchester City's lead at the top to 11 points after their 4-1 ...and more »
  
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• Prince Harry interviews Barack Obama for Today programme guest slot

  17-12-2017 17:00
  Kensington Palace revealed on Sunday that Prince Harry had called on Barack Obama to star in his edition of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on 27 December.The newly engaged prince questioned Obama about his memories of the day he left office, his post-presidential work with the Obama Foundation and his hopes for the future.The interview was recorded in Toronto in September during the Invictus Games, a sports event for injured military personnel championed by Harry.
  
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• Turkey hopes to open embassy in East Jerusalem, says Erdoğan

  17-12-2017 16:32 via theguardian.com
  Turkish president announces intention days after leading calls for area to be recognised as capital of a Palestinian state Turkey intends to open an embassy in East Jerusalem, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, days after leading calls at a summit of Muslim leaders for the world to recognise it as the capital of a Palestinian state. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation summit was a response to the US president, Donald Trump’s decision earlier this month to recognise Jerusalem
  
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• Two police officers seriously injured after being hit by Maserati

  17-12-2017 16:31
  Two police officers have been seriously injured after they were struck by a Maserati sports car while walking back to their patrol car.The male and female PCs, who are in their 30s, were hit as they made their way to the marked vehicle on the A406 near Brent Park in Neasden early on Sunday.There was serious damage to the white Maserati, which stopped following the collision in northwest London at about 3.40am.
  
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• Bookmaker apologises after being accused of 'casual racism' over Abbott photo

  17-12-2017 16:24
  Star Sports Bookmakers has apologised after being accused of racism for posting a picture of a man mocking Diane Abbott on Twitter.The tweet, which has since been deleted, was posted on Friday night and showed a man with his face covered in dark make-up at a darts competition holding up a sign reading 190."An early contender for best fancy dress costume at the #PDC #WorldDartsChampionships tonight at #AllyPally," was the caption.
  
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