2 Indians die every minute due to air pollution: Study

Patna and New Delhi are found to be the worst polluted cities of the world for PM 2.5 levels

 

 

Latest News -  The air Indians breathe is turning more toxic by the day and an average of two deaths take place daily due to air pollution, says a new study.

According to medical journal The Lancet, over a million Indians death by air pollution and some of the worst polluted cities of the world are in India.

The study released this week but based on 2010 data estimates that globally 2.7-3.4 million pre-term births may be associated with PM 2.5 exposure and South Asia is the worst hit accounting for 1.6 million pre-term births.

The study says causes of air pollution and climate change are intricately linked and needed to be tackled together.

The Lancet concludes that climate change posed both a "potentially catastrophic risk to human health", while conversely being "the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century" if the right steps are taken.

The smog over northern India is extracting a heavy toll, every minute two lives are lost in India due to ambient air pollution, the study published in The Lancet says.

Further, according an estimate by the World Bank, this would amount to a whopping $38 billion loss in income towards labour in India (read more...)

Virat Kohli first Indian sportsperson to ink Rs 100-cr deal with Puma

The long-term deal could potentially cover Kohli's remaining career with the Indian team

 

BREAKING NEWS  - Virat Kohli became the first Indian sports personality to strike a

Rs 100-crore deal with a single brand, reported Times of India. Kohli signed an eight-year deal with sports apparel brand Puma worth Rs 110 crore. The Indian cricket captain is now set to join the likes of Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell and Thierry Henry, among others, as a global ambassador for the brand.

The long-term deal could potentially cover Kohli’s remaining career with the Indian team. A bulk of the endorsement deal, estimated between Rs 12 crore to 14 crore annually, is locked up in fixed payout.

“It’s a privilege to be part of a great list of athletes that Puma has,” Kohli told TOI. “Not just today’s icons like Usain Bolt, but also the brand’s rich history with Pele, Maradona, Thierry Henry and others. Both Puma and I are committed to a long-term partnership. I am impressed by the way Puma has gained popularity and market leadership in India in a short period of time,” he added.

Only Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni have been in the Rs 100-crore club through multi-year contracts with talent management agencies, but they have never been signed by a single brand for such a big amount. (read more...)

India thump Bangladesh by 208 runs in one-off Test

Captain Kohli, who scored 242 in two innings, was declared the man-of-the-match

 

Latest News - It was a comprehensive show by Virat Kohli-led side. They put up a mammoth total of 687-6 declared in their innings before bowling out Bangladesh for 388. Then, India scored at a rapid pace in their second innings before declaring at 159-4, setting a target of 459 for the visitors.

Captain Kohli, who scored 204 and 38 in the two innings respectively, was declared the man-of-the-match.

Following the win, Kohli's side has now captured four consecutive Test series. They won away against the West Indies before prevailing over New Zealand and England.

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IND  687/6 decl,  159/4 decl

BAN 388,  250-all out (100.3 Ovs)   (Scorecard)

From Tata vs Mistry to oil and gas auction: 5 key developments

Business Standard brings to you a list of five key developments across the country.

Tata vs Mistry: Nusli Wadia slaps defamation notice on Tata Sons

Nusli Wadia, chairman of Wadia group of companies and an independent director on the Tata Steel, Tata Motors and Tata Chemicals boards, sent a defamation notice to......

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GDP growth to drop to 5.5% in Q3 FY17: FinMin

The Narendra Modi government is bracing itself for a sharp decline in the manufacturing sector in the coming months, as also in........

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Oil and gas auction

After a six-year hiatus, the bidding for oil & gas blocks has started with at least  42 companies submitting 120 bids for about 70 per cent area for the.....

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Demonetisation: Mamata Banerjee to hit Delhi streets

As many as 10 Opposition parties came together to plan a joint protest against the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes inside the parliament complex on.....

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Indore-Patna Express Derailment

The death toll on Monday mounted to 143 in the Indore-Patna Express derailment here in Kanpur rural area, as rescuers wrapped up their operation with little hope of...

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India ranks 20th on Climate Change Performance Index

India has been ranked 20th on Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2017, which underlined that countries like India are making "great efforts" in the fields of renewables and energy efficiency.

With the historic Paris Agreement having recently entered into force, the latest CCPI confirms a boost for renewable energy and positive developments in energy efficiency.

The publication was issued by Germanwatch and Climate Action Network Europe.

While these encouraging trends are happening on a global scale, the necessary energy revolution is still happening too slowly, the publication said.

"Morocco (rank eight) continued its upward trend. With massive investments in renewable energy and ambitious mid-term and long-term targets, Morocco is a frontrunner in Africa,” the publication said.

"Positive trends are seen as well among emerging economies of G20 like India (rank 20), Argentina (36) and Brazil (40), which all improved their ranking," it said.

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Australia cuts stay of skilled visa holders to 60 days, Indians to be impacted the most

Australia has announced changes to the 457 visa for skilled  foreign workers to limit their ability to look for another job after their official employment ends, a move that will impact Indians working in the country.

Foreign workers on a 457 visa will only now be able to stay in Australia for 60 days after their employment ends instead of 90.

The 457 visa allows a foreign worker and their family to come to Australia for up to four years after being sponsored by a specific employer to fill a position for which they cannot find an Australian or permanent resident.
The largest number of workers come from India, followed by employees from the United Kingdom and China.

There are a range of different occupations on the list from different salary levels and different education backgrounds, including neurologists, midwives, cabinet makers and lift mechanics. In the last financial year, the largest amount of visas were granted to cooks.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton yesterday said, "From November 19, 2016 the period that a subclass 457 visa holder may remain in Australia after their employment ceases will be reduced from 90 days to 60 days."

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Pak, visa, Mallya, smart cities, Masala bonds: Highlights of Modi, May's summit meet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday called for action against state sponsors of terrorism as Britain joined India in asking Pakistan to act against terrorists who perpetrated the 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot terror attacks.

Here are the key highlights of their summit meeting:

 

1. Terrorism

2. India wants Mallya, Lalit Modi back

3. Business deals

4. Masala bonds in London

5. UN Security Council

6.Visa services for Indian businessmen

7: No change in visa for students

8. Defence

 

The two sides signed two documents pertaining to ease of doing business and intellectual property rights.

 

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Suicide over OROP: Why ex-servicemen are still unhappy with Modi govt

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lied about implementing One rank, One pension (OROP) alleged Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday, after he was released from police detention after he tried to meet the family of ex-serviceman Ram Kishan Grewal who committed suicide over delay in the implementation of OROP.

Kejriwal was not the only leader to be detained by the police, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi was also detained twice as Opposition leaders hit out against the Modi government over the issue.

Related Articles:  OROP suicide row: Rahul Gandhi detained again after meeting victim's kin

According to media reports, Grewal consumed poison on Tuesday afternoon in protest over the delay in implementation of the pension scheme. Police said that the 70-year old veteran, along with some other ex-servicemen, were in the process of submitting a memorandum to the Defence Ministry over the issue.

Related Articles:  Kejriwal detained for trying to meet family of ex-serviceman who committed suicide

What is OROP?

Why are the veterans still unhappy?

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Here is what the protesting veterans had to say about the issue:

• Time period for revision
• Fixing pensions at top of the scale
• Date of implementation
• Base year

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US indicts 52 Indians in call centre scam: All you need to know

Here is everything you need to know: 

1.  The extraction scheme scared Americans into paying nonexistent tax dues through threatening phone call. sing information obtained from data brokers and other sources, call centre operators allegedly called potential victims in the US and impersonated officials from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

2.  The scam was primarily run out of a network of call centres in Ahmedabad.The five Ahmedabad-based call centres that made calls to people living in the US are Hglobal, Call Mantra, Worldwide Solution, Zoriion Communications and Sharma BPO Services.

3.  The US Senate Aging Committee, that studies issues related to older Americans, received more than 1,100 calls from senior citizens across the country on its fraud hotline in 2015.The most common complaint reported to the fraud hotline continues to be the IRS impersonation scam.

4.  United States will be seeking the extradition of those based in India and warned others engaged in similar schemes.

5.  The indictment accuses the U.S. arm of the network of grabbing the cash off the prepaid cards and then laundering the money. If victims agreed to pay, the call centres would turn to a network of US-based co-conspirators to liquidate and launder the extorted funds by purchasing prepaid debit cards which were often registered with misapproporiated information. The second method used were wire transfers which were directed by the criminal associates using fake names and fraudulent identifications.

6.  The call centers also ran scams in which victims were offered short-term loans or grants on condition of providing good-faith deposits or payment of a processing fee.

7.  The case involves more than 15,000 victims and more than $300 million in stolen money. Authorities said the bust was the largest single domestic law enforcement action yet in this scam.

8.  The names and personal information of the potential targets were purchased through data brokers. "Runners" would then be responsible for retrieving the payments of the scammed funds and then depositing them in bank accounts. The callers would use information about their victims they learned through the internet to present a facade of authenticity, and the number that appeared on a caller ID seemed to come from a legitimate US government agency.

9.  The justice department said this network was busted in a three-year-long investigation. The indictment was returned by a grand jury in a Texas court on October 19, following which arrests were made.

10.  The justice department also found evidence of the use of “hawala” of illegal money transfer.

According to several reports, an 85-year-old woman of California was conned into paying $12,300 by one of the call centres for some “fictitious tax violations”.
With inputs from Agencies

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India shows second highest growth in science research: Report

India is at the second position among countries with the highest increase in their contribution to high-quality scientific research, according to a new report which shows that the growth of research in the country is only behind China's.

The institutions from India among the top 100 highest performers across the globe include Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Indian Institute of Science (IIS) and Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

While India made its mark, Chinese institutions are leading the world in rapidly increasing high-quality research outputs, according to the Nature Index 2016 Rising Stars report.

As many as 40 of the top 100 performers are from China, with 24 of those showing growth above 50 per cent since 2012.

The US - which remains the largest contributor to high-quality scientific papers overall - has 11 entrants into the top 100, despite many starting from a high base.

Nine institutions feature from the UK, eight from Germany and five from India.

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BRICS summit: How India failed to convince other nations on Pakistan

The Indian side, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his officials, pushed for the BRICS summit Goa Declaration to specifically mention "cross border terrorism" that India was faced with and also the names of Pakistani based terror outfits. However, it failed to convince the other member states.

The Goa declaration didn't refer either to the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), which is headed by Masood Azhar, the man India believes was behind the Pathankot terrorist attack, or the Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD). Saeed is considered to be the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks.

It did, however, name such groups as the Islamic State, Jabat-al-Nasra, the Syrian Islamist rebel group, and other UN designated groups. Amar Sinha, India’s chief negotiator in the BRICS, said that India couldn't get a consensus on naming Pakistan-based terrorist outfits since it doesn't concern all the BRICS countries.

Misses for India

• Despite Modi’s urgings to fellow BRICS leaders, Goa Declaration has no mention of “cross border” nature of terrorism

• Goa Declaration doesn’t mention any of the Pakistan-based terrorist outfits, like JeM or JuD

• Agreement on BRICS credit rating agency postponed

Hits of the summit

• Agreement on setting up and Agriculture Research Platform

• Discussions to set up a Railway Research Network

• All members committed to support the NDB, popularly known as BRICS Bank

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Kohli anchors India to 6-wicket win over NZ, lead series 1-0

Virat Kohli held centrestage with a delightful unbeaten 85 after a collective bowling effort as India cruised to an easy six-wicket victory over New Zealand taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match ODI series, here tonight.

After bowling out New Zealand for 190 in 43.5 overs, India reached the target in a mere 33.1 overs in a match that turned out to be thoroughly one-sided.

If debutant all-rounder Hardik Pandya (3/31) stole the limelight in the bowling department, it was another flawless effort from 'Chase Master' Kohli, whose 85-run knock came off 81 balls. He struck nine fours before effortlessly lofting Ish Sodhi for his only six to finish the match in style.

It was rearguard action from New Zealand that saw them reach 190 after being down at 106 for 8.

If not for Tom Latham, who remained unbeaten on 79 and Tim Southee (55), New Zealand would have never imagined to reach near the 200-run mark.

Southee played the role of an aggressor and together with Latham stitched quickfire 71 runs off just 58 balls for the ninth wicket to give New Zealand bowlers something to bowl at.

But India hardly had any problems in overwhelming the target with vice-captain Kohli again showing his supreme command in the 50-over format.

View full Scorecard

New Zealand

190/10 (43.5)

vs

India

194/4 (33.1)

India won by 6 wickets

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Pakistan vs West Indies, 1st Test, Day 4 at Dubai

View full Scorecard

Oct 13-17, 2016- 1st Test at Dubai International Cricket Stadium (day/night)

Pakistan579/3d & 123

West Indies357 & 95/2 (31 ov, target: 346)

Stumps - West Indies require another 251 runs with 8 wickets remaining

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India has lost 550 jobs a day in last 4 years: Study

As many as 550 jobs have disappeared every day in last four years and if this trend continues, employment would shrink by 7 million by 2050 in the country, a study has claimed.

Farmers, petty retail vendors, contract labourers and construction workers are the most vulnerable sections facing never before livelihood threats in India today, the study by Delhi-based civil society group PRAHAR has said.

According to the data released by Labour Bureau early 2016, India created only 1.35 lakh jobs in 2015 in comparison to 4.19 lakh in 2013 and 9 lakh in 2011, the group said in a statement.

Related: There will be no job losses, Finance Ministry assures CBEC officers

"A deeper analysis of the data reveals a rather scary picture. Instead of growing, livelihoods are being lost in India on a daily basis. As many as 550 jobs are lost in India every day (in last four year as per Labour Bureau data) which means that by 2050, jobs in India would have got reduced by 7 million, while population would have grown by 600 million," the statement said.

The data clearly points to the fact that job creation in India is successively slowing down, which is very alarming, it pointed out.

"This (rise in unemployment) is because sectors which are the largest contributor of jobs are worst-affected. Agriculture contributes to 50 per cent of employment in India followed by SME sector which employs 40 per cent of the workforce of the country," the statement said.

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Ravichandran Ashwin regains number one spot in Test rankings

Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Wednesday reclaimed the number one spot in Test rankings for bowlers following a career-best match haul of 13 for 140 in the third Test against New Zealand in Indore.

Ashwin, who was named man of the series after he finished with 27 wickets in a 3-0 sweep by India, now has 220 wickets, the most by any bowler after 39 Tests.

Ranked third before the final Test in Indore, Ashwin, who also holds the top position in rankings for all-rounders, has leapfrogged pace bowlers James Anderson and Dale Steyn to attain a career-best rating of 900 points.

Ashwin, who finished the 2015 year-end rankings as the number-one bowler and was also at the top briefly in July this year, has joined a select band to have touched a rating of 900 points since 2000, the others being Muttiah Muralitharan, Glenn McGrath, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn and Shaun Pollock.

In the rankings for Test batsmen, India's middle-order batsman Ajinkya Rahane has attained a career-best sixth rank with scores of 188 and 23 not out

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Dipa Karmakar to return BMW

Gymnast Dipa Karmakar on Wednesday revealed that she was planning to return the BMW that was gifted to her by the auto major's brand ambassador and cricketing legend, Sachin Tendulkar.

Karmakar was gifted the vehicle at a function in Hyderabad organised by the Badminton Association of Hyderabad.

Related:  Fear of bad roads force Dipa Karmakar to return BMW car gifted to her

According to media reports, the decision to return the car was taken jointly by Karmakar's family and her coach, as maintaining it would be a challenge for them, considering there are no service centres in the north-eastern state. Moreover, the poor condition of roads in Tripura also made the Indian gymnast sceptical about the BMW's suitability to ply on the hilly and narrow lanes of the region.

“Roads in Tripura are not good enough to drive such a vehicle. There are no capable drivers in Agartala to drive a BMW and the company has no showroom or service centre in the state,” Dulal Karmakar, Dipa's father told Hindustan Times.

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Army camp attacked in Kashmir's Kupwara, 3 terrorists killed

Three terrorists were on Thursday killed in an encounter with security forces after they attacked an army camp in north Kashmir's Kupwara district, the army said in Srinagar.

The terrorists opened fire on an army camp at Langate in Kupwara district around 5 AM, which was retaliated by the alert jawans, an army official said.

After repulsing the attack, the security forces launched a search operation in the area, during which the terrorists fired upon them, leading to an encounter.

"Three terrorists have been killed in the ensuing encounter and three AK 47 rifles have been recovered from the spot," the official said.

He said the operation was on and further details were awaited.

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Three militants killed in Langate attack in J&K

Three separatist militants were killed on Thursday in a gunfight that erupted after they attacked a counter-insurgency Rashtriya Rifles (RR) camp in north Kashmir's Kupwara district.

"Three terrorists were killed in the resulting encounter," Colonel Rajesh Kalia, spokesman of the Indian Army's Srinagar-headquartered 15 Corps confirmed to IANS.

"Heavily armed terrorists dressed in army fatigues attacked the 30 RR camp situated in Langate town of Kupwara district at 5.10 a.m. today (Thursday)

"The alert guards at the 30 RR camp in Langate located close to a civilian facility foiled the terrorists' attempt to enter the camp by breaching its security periphery," he said.

"The terrorist firing stopped for some time, but it started again at 6.30 a.m," he added.

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70 call centre staff held for duping US nationals

In a swift operation, Thane Crime Branch officials conducted raids at seven call centres on Mira Road and arrested 70 employees for allegedly threatening US citizens for extortion and siphoning off their money.

Police investigations also revealed that the daily turnover of these call centres was to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore, with an annual collection of over Rs 400 crore. The modus operandi was that the call centre employees would pose as the US Internal Revenue Service department officials.

They would provide their badge number and identity card number. They would call US citizens and demand their financial and bank details, failing which they would allegedly threaten them with dire consequences, including legal action and jail term.

After obtaining requisite details from American citizens, these call centre employees would siphon off money from their accounts. The callers would ask US citizens not to disconnect the phone call, and ask them to purchase a gift card or make some other payment, and obtain their account details.

Police investigations have revealed these call centres employed 770 people, of which 70 have been arrested. The police allowed another 73 to go, while the remaining 630-odd agents are on radar.

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Delhi tops most polluted megacity list, says WHO

Delhi's air is the worst among world megacities, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed recently, even as IndiaSpend's #breathe network of air-quality sensors reported fine-particulate-matter (PM2.5) levels were almost four times above daily safe levels, on average, for the seven-day period from September 22 to 28, 2016.

For long-term exposure, these 24-hour levels are nearly 11 times above the WHO health standards. Over the monsoons, Delhi's air was relatively cleaner because the rain and wind diminished the impact of pollutants. But with the season changing, three of our five sensors in the National Capital Region (NCR) registered "poor" to "very poor" air-quality levels from September 22 to 28, meaning prolonged exposure affects healthy people and "seriously impacts" those with existing disease. In December 2015, week-long analysis of data from #breathe devices showed Delhi's air pollution was one-and-a-half times worse than in Beijing, IndiaSpend reported.

In 2012, with one million deaths, China reported the highest toll from PM2.5 and PM10 pollution. At the time, India followed, reporting 621,138 deaths, nearly 10 per cent of the global toll (6.5 million deaths) associated with outdoor and indoor air pollution.

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2 terrorists, 1 BSF man killed in attack on army, BSF camps in Baramulla

At least two terrorists and a Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were killed while one BSF jawan was injured when militants attacked two adjoining camps of the army and the paramilitary force at Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir.

The heavily-armed terrorists attacked the two camps belonging to Rashtriya Rifles and BSF late last night, leading to a fierce gun-battle with the security forces.

Following the firefight, two terrorists were killed by the forces while one BSF personnel, who was hit by bullets, succumbed to his injuries later, a Home Ministry spokesperson said in New Delhi.

The martyred jawan has been identified as Constable Nitin while the injured personnel is Constable Pulwinder. Both belong to the 40th battalion of the BSF, officials said.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval discussed the incident and necessary instructions have been given to the forces.

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Related Stories:

Pakistan goes global to deny surgical strikes

The global cost of India-Pakistan nuclear war

If India and Pakistan fought a war detonating 100 nuclear warheads (around half of their combined arsenal), each equivalent to a 15-kiloton Hiroshima bomb, more than 21 million people will be directly killed, about half the world’s protective ozone layer would be destroyed, and a “nuclear winter” would cripple the monsoons and agriculture worldwide.

As the Indian Army reports striking terrorist camps across the border, and a member of Parliament (MP) of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) urges a nuclear attack and the Pakistan defence minister threatens to “annihilate”India in return, these projections, made by researchers from three US universities in 2007, are a reminder of the costs of nuclear war.

Visualisation by nucleardarkness.org based on study by researchers from Rutgers University, University of Colorado-Boulder and University of California, Los Angeles

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy said, on 23 September, 2016, that if 100 million Indians died in a Pakistani nuclear attack, India’s retaliation would wipe out Pakistan.

Source: Pakistani Nuclear Forces, 2015; Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Source: Indian Nuclear Forces, 2015; Bulletin of Atomic Scientists

Agni III, IV and V, with their longer ranges, might be able to reach all of Pakistan, but it can be safely said that they are directed more towards China.

India also possesses an estimated two ship-launched 350-km range Dhanush SRBM, which could be fitted with nuclear warheads.

India’s aircraft can deliver an estimated 45% of 106 warheads. The Indian Air Force’s Jaguar fighter bombers can deliver about 16 nuclear warheads, while the French-built Mirage-2000 fleet can deliver 32.

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