General news

• How refugees are screened now, how the GOP would change that

  18-11-2015 23:59 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The House will vote Thursday on a bill aimed at boosting screening of Syrian and Iraqi refugees before they enter the United States. President Barack Obama, who wants to allow 10,000 more Syrians into the U.S. this year, has threatened to veto it.
  
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• Brandon Crawford ready to bring more championships to Giants

  18-11-2015 23:54 via news.yahoo.com
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — When Brandon Crawford's agent called him to say his new deal with the San Francisco Giants had been completed, the shortstop was in the middle of a workout in the AT&T Park weight room. That's where San Francisco general manager Bobby Evans came to congratulate his player on a contract that keeps him here for another six years.
  
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• Maryland college closed for weeks amid fears missing student may be armed

  18-11-2015 23:50
  
  Washington College sends students home and plans to remain closed through Thanksgiving as officials search for troubled 19-year-old sophomore The disappearance of a troubled student who might be armed with a gun has prompted a Maryland college to close its doors and send more than 1,400 students back home or to temporary accomodations through the end of the month.Washington College in Maryland announced on Wednesday it would be closed through the Thanksgiving holiday while authorities continue s
  
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• Virginia mayor: wartime internment of Japanese justifies ban on Syrian refugees

  18-11-2015 23:49
  
  Mayor David Bowers of Roanoke cites draconian measure after Pearl Harbor in 1941, saying ‘the threat to Americans from Isis now is just as real and serious’The mayor of Roanoke, Virginia, has invoked President Franklin Roosevelt’s decision to place Japanese Americans in internment camps during the second world war as a way to justify keeping Syrian refugees out of the US.“I’m reminded that President Franklin D Roosevelt felt compelled to sequester Japanese foreign n
  
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• Students want Woodrow Wilson's name removed from Princeton

  18-11-2015 23:48 via news.yahoo.com
  
  PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) — Students staged a protest Wednesday inside the office of Princeton University's president, demanding the school remove the name of former school president and U.S. President Woodrow Wilson from programs and buildings over what they said was his racist legacy.
  
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• WADA declares Russian anti-doping agency noncompliant

  18-11-2015 23:44 via news.yahoo.com
  
  COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Leaders of the World Anti-Doping Agency declared Russia's anti-doping operation out of compliance Wednesday — a harsh, though expected blow to a country accused of widespread corruption throughout its sports.
  
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• Honduras detains five Syrians with stolen Greek passports

  18-11-2015 23:44
  
  Man detained in Central America amid heightened security in wake of Paris attacks are most likely ‘normal’ refugees with no links to terrorismFive Syrians with stolen Greek passports who were detained in Honduras amid heightened concerns over international border security following the Paris terror attacks are most likely “normal” refugees, authorities said.The men, who were thought to be en route to the US, were detained in the capital Tegucigalpa on Tuesday night after
  
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• Farmer who died in Esperance bushfire a 'little man with a big heart'

  18-11-2015 23:44
  
  It is believed Kym ‘Freddie’ Curnow, who was killed along with three overseas backpackers, had been trying to direct farm workers to safetyPopular Scaddan farmer Kym “Freddie” Curnow is being remembered as a much-admired member of the community after he died in a bushfire near Esperance, Western Australia.Curnow, along with three overseas backpackers who have not yet been named, was killed in the blaze which was started by lightning strikes in the Grass Patch and Salmon G
  
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• 'No credible threat' right now from Islamic State against U.S.: Obama adviser

  18-11-2015 23:43 via news.yahoo.com
  
  President Barack Obama's top adviser on counterterrorism said on Wednesday that U.S. officials are vigilant against potential threats from Islamic State militants, but told cable channel MSNBC that there was "no credible threat" against the United States at the moment. "We've got no credible threat reporting against Washington D.C." or other parts of the United States, Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, said in the interview.
  
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• No Syrians allowed: the US governors who are rejecting refugees – video

  18-11-2015 23:40
  
  More than half of the state governors in the US are saying they will not take Syrian refugees following the terror attacks in France. Ultimately, the decision rests with the federal government, but a mood of suspicion has descended upon parts of the country, pushing many officials to shut up shop. We look at how some of the governors are justifying their seemingly anti-refugee stanceRepublican candidates weigh in on the Syrian refugee crisis
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• Ex-NFL QB Doug Flutie says both parents die in same hour

  18-11-2015 23:40 via news.yahoo.com
  
  BOSTON (AP) — Former NFL quarterback Doug Flutie says both of his parents died within an hour of each other.
  
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• NYC announces $2.6 billion investment to fight homelessness

  18-11-2015 23:39 via news.yahoo.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday announced a massive $2.6 billion housing investment to help New York City's homeless, declaring that the city would not wait for New York state's help in combating a growing crisis that has dominated headlines and damaged the mayor's poll numbers.
  
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• Parisian grieving slain wife sends open letter to IS

  18-11-2015 23:37 via news.yahoo.com
  
  PARIS (AP) — A Parisian's open letter to the killers of his wife is moving nations to tears as it spreads on social media and television.
  
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• Yankees still moving toward path to win without luxury tax

  18-11-2015 23:32 via news.yahoo.com
  
  DALLAS (AP) — Hal Steinbrenner keeps saying that a $200 million payroll shouldn't be necessary to win a World Series title. And the New York Yankees owner, whose team exceeded that number again this season, keeps getting proven right.
  
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• WADA suspends Russian anti-doping agency

  18-11-2015 23:31 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Russia's anti-doping agency (RUSADA) was suspended by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Wednesday, raising the possibility of Russia being barred from the Olympics if it does not fall into line with accepted international rules. WADA's foundation board unanimously passed a recommendation from a committee which found RUSADA non-compliant with the global body's charter. The decision had been widely anticipated following a damning report by a WADA independent panel which uncovered a state-spon
  
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• Paris music venue was like 'Dante's inferno', says police officer

  18-11-2015 23:28 via news.yahoo.com
  
  It was like "Dante's inferno" at the Bataclan music venue in Paris where jihadist gunmen mowed down 89 rock fans within a couple of hours, one of the first police officers at the scene told AFP on Wednesday. It took the first squad from the crack BRI police unit 35 minutes to reach the scene of the worst violence wreaked Friday by three teams of gunmen and suicide bombers at the national stadium, the music hall, and cafes and restaurants, the officer said. "At 9:40 pm we got the first calls sayi
  
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• Congress takes another try at rewriting No Child Left Behind

  18-11-2015 23:25 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is pressing ahead with efforts to update the much-criticized No Child Left Behind education law.
  
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• Photo highlights of the day: a prized pig and a sun festival

  18-11-2015 23:23
  
  The Guardian’s picture editors bring you a selection of the best photographs from around the world, including porcine adventures in Mexico City Continue reading...
  
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• Census changes could make whites less than 50 percent sooner

  18-11-2015 23:23 via news.yahoo.com
  
  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Census Bureau is considering changes to its race and ethnicity questions that would reclassify some minorities who were considered "white" in the past, a move that may speed up the date when America's white population falls below 50 percent.
  
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• Chile FA head turns witness in FIFA probe, resigns

  18-11-2015 23:20 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Chile's top football official, Sergio Jadue, resigned Wednesday after abruptly leaving the country, reportedly to go into witness protection in the United States to cooperate with a probe into alleged bribery within FIFA. Jadue, head of the Chilean National Football Association (ANFP) and a vice-president of South American regional body Conmebol, flew to the United States on Tuesday night with his family. Surrounded by police at Santiago Airport, a visibly shaken Jadue told reporters he was goin
  
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• White House says Obama would veto proposal for more scrutiny of refugees

  18-11-2015 23:19 via news.yahoo.com
  
  President Barack Obama would veto a proposal from Republican lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives for additional scrutiny of refugees from Syria or Iraq, the White House said on Wednesday. "This legislation would introduce unnecessary and impractical requirements that would unacceptably hamper our efforts to assist some of the most vulnerable people in the world," the White House said in a statement. The proposed requirements "would provide no meaningful additional security for the Ame
  
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• Walmart protesters bring labor demands to Clinton campaign headquarters

  18-11-2015 23:14
  
  Former secretary of state is the only Democratic presidential candidate who has not come out in support of a $15 minimum wageWalmart protesters who attempted to deliver a letter to Hillary Clinton’s Brooklyn headquarters were turned away by security on Wednesday. The protesters – some current and some former Walmart employees – were hoping the former secretary of state and Democratic candidate for president would take up their cause and come out in support of $15-an-hour wages.
  
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• Obama vows to veto bill increasing screening for refugees

  18-11-2015 23:14 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is vowing to veto a bill from House Republicans that would increase screening for Syrian and Iraqi refugees before they enter the United States.
  
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• Muslim Council of Britain takes out advert denouncing Paris attack

  18-11-2015 23:13
  
  Council places advert in Daily Telegraph and Mail Online condemning the terrorist attacks ‘unreservedly’Hundreds of British Muslims have taken out an advert to highlight their “united condemnation” of terrorism after the attacks in Paris.The advert, issued by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and endorsed by more than 300 of the body’s affiliates, features an image of the Eiffel Tower and the words: “With one voice, British Muslims condemn the Paris attacks
  
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• House bill would limit some calorie labels

  18-11-2015 23:12 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Supermarkets and pizza chains would get some relief from government calorie labeling rules under legislation approved by a House committee Wednesday.
  
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• Examiner: Victim in Facebook photo slaying was on knees

  18-11-2015 23:12 via news.yahoo.com
  
  MIAMI (AP) — A medical examiner testified Wednesday that a young woman was possibly cowering on her knees and not throwing punches when she was fatally shot by her husband, who later posted a photo of her body on Facebook and claims self-defense.
  
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• Islamic State group says bomb downed Russian plane

  18-11-2015 23:11 via news.yahoo.com
  
  The Islamic State group said Wednesday it had smuggled a bomb on board a Russian airliner that went down last month, after discovering a "way to compromise the security" at an Egyptian airport. The IS claim, published in the group's magazine, came a day after Moscow announced that traces of explosives had been found in the plane wreckage and vowed to hunt down the perpetrators. On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi agreed "close cooperat
  
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• Brussels district rallies against home-grown jihadists

  18-11-2015 23:10 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Miranda Alexander-Webber and Yvonne Bell BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Molenbeek, the Brussels district that was home to leaders of Friday's Islamist attacks in Paris, staged a candlelit vigil on Wednesday to honor the victims and show the world their borough offers more than violence. Molenbeek gives much more than that," organizer Yannick Bochem told Reuters Television as more than 2,000 people crowded the square in front of the local town hall. "We want to show our respects because we're also shock
  
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• Congress to vote on bill to ban microbead hygiene products in US

  18-11-2015 23:06
  
  House committee unanimously approves proposed legislation to phase out such personal care products, whose exfoliants can end up in rivers and lakesUS lawmakers are to decide whether to ban personal care products containing microbeads – minuscule pieces of plastic considered harmful to the environment – after proposed legislation was approved by a bipartisan committee.Microbeads, typically under 5mm in size, are used as abrasive exfoliants in products such as toothpastes and facial cl
  
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• French officials yet to identify two suspects killed in Paris assault

  18-11-2015 22:50
  
  Terrorist cell ‘ready to act’ prosecutor says as it is revealed suspected mastermind behind attacks in capital not among eight arrested during St-Denis raid French police fired nearly 5,000 rounds during a ferocious firefight north of Paris with a fourth terrorist cell that was “ready to strike” – but it was not yet clear whether the alleged mastermind of last week’s attacks in the French capital was among those killed in the onslaught.The Paris public prosecu
  
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• Mal Brough hands documents to AFP in Peter Slipper investigation

  18-11-2015 22:31
  
  Special minister of state Brough confirms he was visited by Australian federal police investigating the leak of the former Speaker’s diary The Turnbull government minister Mal Brough has handed over documents to Australian federal police officers investigating the leak of the former Speaker Peter Slipper’s diary.Brough, the special minister of state, issued a statement on Thursday saying he was willing to meet with the AFP to discuss claims relating to his contact with Slipper’
  
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• First civilians deaths from French airstrikes reported

  18-11-2015 22:31 via rss.cnn.com
  
  The first civilian deaths since France began its bombing of ISIS in Syria are reported by Syrian activists. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports inside Syria..
  
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• Rain storms from Chennai to Colorado

  18-11-2015 22:30
  
  Heavy rain over the last week has killed more than 70 people in Chennai, south India, and led to widespread flooding. The formation of a depression in the Bay of Bengal triggered torrential rain with 370mm (14in) falling in just 24 hours in Ponneri, a town north of Chennai.In Chennai 10,000 people were evacuated as the streets became waterlogged and train tracks were submerged. A further 80,000 people were affected in northern parts of Sri Lanka. Continue reading...
  
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• Ministers start making the case to MPs for extension of Syria airstrikes

  18-11-2015 22:24
  
  Foreign office briefings laying ground with David Cameron expected to publish formal military proposals within fortnightBritish ministers have started to brief MPs on plans for military action in Syria ahead of David Cameron publishing formal proposals designed to win over MPs to an extension of anti-Islamic State airstrikes in Syria.The foreign office minister Tobias Ellwood briefed a group of MPs, including as many as 10 from Labour, on the case for action in Syria at a meeting of the all-part
  
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• New footage of St-Denis raid purports to show first SWAT team strike – video

  18-11-2015 22:23
  
  Amateur video purports to show the first French SWAT teams arriving at a block of flats in St Denis on Wednesday, where they believed the suspected mastermind of last week’s attacks was holed up. Officials said police fired some 5,000 rounds during an hour-long exchange of fireFollow the Gurdian’s liveblog on the Paris attacks Continue reading...
  
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• François Hollande will call on Obama to speed up fight against Isis

  18-11-2015 22:21
  
  European diplomat says French president will try to impress on Obama that world cannot afford to wait for two-year war of attrition in wake of Paris attacksFrançois Hollande will plead with Barack Obama to show greater urgency in the fight against Islamic State when the presidents meet in Washington next week, warning of a state of emergency in Europe.
  French officials have been careful not to openly criticise the US’s strategy in Syria and Iraq but believe Obama must be made aware
  
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• U.S. counterintelligence chief skeptical China has curbed spying on U.S.

  18-11-2015 21:44 via news.yahoo.com
  
  U.S. counterintelligence chief Bill Evanina said on Wednesday he is skeptical that China has followed through on recent promises to curb spying on the United States. Evanina told a briefing that he has seen "no indication" from the U.S. private sector "that anything has changed" in the extent of Chinese espionage against the United States.
  
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• Possible census changes could make whites a minority sooner

  18-11-2015 21:44 via news.yahoo.com
  
  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Census Bureau is considering changes to its race and ethnicity questions for 2020 that experts believe could make whites a minority in the nation sooner than previously estimated.
  
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• The Latest: Police ban public demonstrations in Paris

  18-11-2015 21:42 via news.yahoo.com
  
  PARIS (AP) — The latest on the deadly attacks in Paris. (All times local):
  
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• The Latest: Minneapolis police block station from protesters

  18-11-2015 21:38 via news.yahoo.com
  
  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The latest in the investigation into the fatal shooting of a black man by Minneapolis police that has sparked days of demonstrations. (all times local):
  
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• Tigers make deal for ace closer Rodriguez

  18-11-2015 21:37 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Francisco Rodriguez, a six-time All-Star right-handed closing relief pitcher from Venezuela, was traded to the Detroit Tigers by the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday in a key Major League Baseball move. The Tigers sent infielder Javier Betancourt and the teams will swap players to be named later to complete the deal for the 33-year-old South American star nicknamed "K-Rod," the K coming from baseball scoring shorthand for strikeout. As a major league rookie in 2002, Rodriguez helped the Anaheim An
  
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• Fed officials again flag December; see smooth rates liftoff

  18-11-2015 21:37 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Federal Reserve officials on Wednesday continued to flag December as a likely time for interest rates to rise after seven years near zero, with two expressing confidence they will be able to pull off a rate hike smoothly despite fears of an abrupt market reaction. Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester repeated her position that the U.S. economy is now strong enough to absorb a modest policy tightening. Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart, sitting alongside her on a panel in New York, said glo
  
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• AP Picks: Playoff contenders scoreboard watching Pac-12

  18-11-2015 21:35 via news.yahoo.com
  
  A couple of Pac-12 teams that have already combined for six losses can still have an impact on the College Football Playoff race.
  
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• Three killed, 250,000 customers without power after Washington state storms

  18-11-2015 21:31 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Eric M. Johnson SEATTLE (Reuters) - At least three people were killed and about 250,000 homes and businesses were without power in Washington state on Wednesday after a storm blew down trees and triggered mudslides, authorities said. A wide swath of the Puget Sound region was under flood watches and warnings through Wednesday afternoon, the National Weather Service said. In the Spokane area of eastern Washington, utility Avista said nearly 115,000 customers were without power and the city clo
  
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• House Republicans seek increased vetting of Syria refugees

  18-11-2015 21:28 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Determined to respond quickly to the Paris attacks, House Republicans outlined legislation Wednesday aimed at increasing screenings for Syrian and Iraqi refugees before they enter the United States, including a new requirement for FBI background checks.
  
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• Fate of Paris attacks 'mastermind' unknown after massive raid

  18-11-2015 21:28 via news.yahoo.com
  
  The fate of the suspected mastermind of the Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, was unknown Wednesday after a massive police raid in a suburb of the city that left at least two dead, including a female suicide bomber. Intelligence led investigators to believe the Belgian suspect was in an apartment in Saint-Denis to the north of Paris, triggering a ferocious seven-hour shootout there with police that began before dawn. Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said the raid had thwarted a "team of terrori
  
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• Colorado spirituality bookstore named Isis vandalized

  18-11-2015 21:28 via news.yahoo.com
  
  ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — A Denver-area store called Isis Books & Gifts wants the world to know its name comes from the Egyptian goddess of healing and motherhood, and it isn't a retail store run by terrorists.
  
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• 2 dead, 5 arrested in raid targeting Paris attack mastermind

  18-11-2015 21:28 via news.yahoo.com
  
  SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — A woman wearing an explosive suicide vest blew herself up Wednesday as heavily armed police tried to storm a suburban Paris apartment where the suspected mastermind of last week's gun and bomb rampage was believed to be holed up, police said.
  
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• Police: Girl, 11, was suicide bomber in Nigeria attack

  18-11-2015 21:26 via rss.cnn.com
  
  At least 31 people were killed and 72 others injured in a bomb blast in the northeastern Nigerian city of Yola on Tuesday evening, according to Aliyu Maikano, a local Red Cross official.
  
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• Nigeria's Boko Haram kills 49 in suicide bombings

  18-11-2015 21:21 via news.yahoo.com
  
  YOLA, Nigeria (AP) — The suicide bomber exploded as truckers were tucking into dinner at the bustling marketplace where vendors urged them to buy sugar cane. At least 34 people were killed and another 80 wounded in Yola, a town packed with refugees from Nigeria's Islamic uprising, emergency officials said Wednesday.
  
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