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☆ Opinion: Why student protests against Israel are so painful, polarizing and complicated
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Opinion Nicole Hemmer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Student radicals have been targets of condemnation since at least the early 1960s, when they experimented with new forms of protest against anti-Black racism, the Vietnam War, poverty and censorship. “I think they oughta shoot ‘em if they’re carrying the Vietcong flag,” actor John Wayne said of the protests. In the 1960s, student radicals occasionally waved the Viet Cong flag to show solidarity with the people of Vietnam. But students did have the power to disrupt, to grab camera time and to create the iconic imagery of an era. You may hate these student activists’ words and actions, but they’re not the ones with the power here.

Persons: Nicole Hemmer, Carolyn T, Robert M, “, Who, Stanford ”, ” Nicole Hemmer, Bill Ackman, —, Victoria’s, Leslie Wexner, Abigail, Jon Huntsman, Huntsman, John Wayne, it’s, Mao Zedong, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Israel, Christopher Rufo, they’re Organizations: Rogers Center, Vanderbilt University, “ Partisans, Conservative, CNN, “, Harvard, Hamas, University of Pennsylvania, Huntsman Foundation, Utah Gov, Penn, Democratic Party, Capitol, United, Getty, Viet, Universities, Police, National Students for Justice, Israel, Democratic Socialists of America Locations: Israel, Gaza, Vietnam, Iraq, Washington, United States, AFP, firefights, Viet, Viet Cong, California, Palestine

☆ For Palestinian Americans and activists, doxxing is nothing new
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN is not naming the site because it reveals the identities of students and other individuals without their consent. A conservative nonprofit said it organized the truck featuring the virtual billboards with students’ names and images under a banner that reads: “Harvard’s Leading Antisemites.”Palestinian human rights activists say doxxing is nothing new. They told CNN they’ve feared losing jobs and endured psychological harm for advocating for fair treatment of Palestinians under occupation – or for simply being Palestinian themselves. Doxxing is the release of personal information without a person’s consent, often with malicious intent, according to the International Encyclopedia of Gender, Media, and Communication. Despite the reality of harassment for Palestinian Americans, the student said, the current sense of hysteria on the Harvard campus is unprecedented.

Persons: Fouad Abu, Israel, Hijleh, “, CNN they’ve, ” Abu, ”, ” Dylan Saba, ” Saba, ” Lena Ghrama, ” Ghrama, Ghrama, ” Harvard Hillel, Meredith Weenick, Bill Ackman, UC Berkeley Law Dean, Erwin Chemerinsky Organizations: New, New York CNN, University of North, CNN, West Bank, Harvard, International, Gender, Media, Communication, Facebook, ” CNN, Palestinian, UN, Palestine, City University of New York School, Law, ”, Jewish, Holocaust, Alliance, Harvard University, University of California, Department of Education, Daily Cal, UC Berkeley Law, Justice, Peace, “ Locations: New York, Jordan, University of North Carolina, Chapel, Abu, Israel, Israeli, Gaza, Palestine, Brooklyn, undergrad, Berkeley

☆ Biden administration blacklists China firms for Moscow, Tehran drone links
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A broken window is seen after Russia launched 33 drones into the direction of Kyiv region, Ukraine on September 10, 2023. In a separate statement, the Ukrainian Air Force said that Russia sent 33 Shahed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) toward Kyiv and Ukrainian forces shot down 26 of them. Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty ImagesThe Biden administration slapped fresh trade curbs on 11 Chinese and five Russian companies Monday, targeting foreign actors seen as compromising national security and drawing Beijing's ire. None of the Chinese entities cited were able to immediately respond to CNBC's requests for comment. CNBC was unable to reach the spokesperson of one company for comment, while some of the companies did not have public contact details.

Persons: Biden, Hong, Alan Estevez Organizations: Ukrainian Air Force, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Asia, Technology, U.S, Commerce Department's, of Industry, Commerce, Industry, CNBC Locations: Russia, Kyiv region, Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Anadolu, U.S, Hong Kong, St . Petersburg, Iran, Yemen, Washington

☆ U.S. Blacklists 28 Entities From China, Russia and Other Countries, Citing National Security Risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Yuka Hayashi | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/u-s-blacklists-28-entities-from-china-russia-and-other-countries-citing-national-security-risks-67233a54

Persons: Dow Jones Locations: russia

☆ U.S. Treasury official says Iraq must act to avoid further action on banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Timour Azhari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Employees walk at the headquarters of the Central Bank of Iraq in Baghdad, Iraq August 15, 2023. Despite the crackdown, the senior U.S. Treasury official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there were still other Iraqi banks operating with risks "that must be remediated". Iraq's central bank governor has said Iraq is committed to implementing tighter financial regulations and combating the smuggling of dollars. The central bank did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. However, there were still "vested interests comfortable with the status quo that can create friction to driving change," the Treasury official said, without identifying who these were.

Persons: Ahmed Saad, Farhad Alaadin, Alaadin, Saddam Hussein, Mohammed Shia Al, Timour Azhari, Alexander Smith Organizations: Central Bank of, REUTERS, Treasury, U.S, Reuters, Iraqi, U.S . Federal, Iraq, U.S . Treasury, Thomson Locations: Central Bank of Iraq, Baghdad, Iraq, Iran, BAGHDAD, U.S, United States, Iraqi, Iranian, Tehran, Iraq's

That stirred protests by Palestinian Americans and U.S. calls for a change in policy. Under the pilot, more than 5,400 Palestinian Americans have entered Israel or crossed its boundary with the West Bank, according to Interior Ministry figures. The U.S. Embassy says some Palestinian Americans have complained of being barred from travelling between Israel and the West Bank by car. Between 45,000 and 60,000 Palestinian Americans live in the West Bank, a U.S. official estimated. An Israeli official gave lower figures, saying that of 70,000 to 90,000 Palestinian Americans worldwide, 15,000 to 20,000 are West Bank residents.

Persons: Joe Biden, Amir Cohen, Benjamin, blacklists, Hani Almadhoun, Dan Williams, William Maclean Organizations: Ben, Ben Gurion International, REUTERS, Palestinian, U.S, Visa, West Bank, Islamists, Ministry, Embassy, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Israel, Ben Gurion, Lod, Tel Aviv, JERUSALEM, GAZA, Gaza, United States, U.S, Egypt, Jerusalem, Palestinian American, Washington ,

☆ In the Market: Funds fret over the fallout of Biden's China order
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Paritosh Bansal | Thomson Reuters | Paritosh Oversees The Work Of More Than Journalists Across The Globe Who Write About Finance | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The executive order along with anti-China moves by lawmakers and agencies means the overall policy is unclear and riddled with landmines. "It will be very important to monitor how this executive order is being received in Congress." The executive order affects venture funds and private equity firms that invest in Chinese companies in semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies and artificial intelligence. MORE RESTRICTIONSSome of the investors said the administration's approach in framing the executive order had been more consultative. U.S. Representative Maxine Waters, Biden's fellow Democrat, said on Friday the executive order and rulemaking on outbound investment must be "broadened and strengthened."

Persons: Florence Lo, Biden, Anthony Rapa, Blank, Blackrock, MSCI, Maxine Waters, Paritosh Bansal, Andrea Shalal, Laura Matthews, Anna Driver Organizations: REUTERS, Fund, Investors, Blackrock, U.S, Chinese Communist Party, The, Vanguard, Morningstar, Blackrock's, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Beijing, Washington, MSCI, New York

☆ Alibaba is doubling down on A.I. — Chinese stocks to watch
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Where to play it Where HSBC analysts are looking is in Chinese AI hardware stocks. Its customers also include Nvidia and U.S. and Chinese cloud companies. Based on in-person company visits — which revealed about a third had "lousy management" and not investable — he's decided to focus on Chinese AI and green energy companies. His watchlist of about 90 Chinese AI companies has more than doubled in value this year, Ogan said, noting his firm only owns a handful. However, publicly disclosed figures show the AI company only made net revenue of $48.2 million in 2022, with a net loss of $6 million.

Persons: They're, Tencent, Ernie chatbot, Frank He, Innolight, FII, Taylor Ogan, — he's, Ogan, Yuan Hui, Xiao, That's, Yuan, —, China's, Hua Zang, chatbot Organizations: Baidu, HSBC, HSBC Qianhai, Nvidia, Microsoft, Google, Biden, Snow Bull, Nasdaq, IDG Locations: China, Suzhou, Friday's, U.S, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing

☆ America’s new China curbs eschew scale for smarts
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Ben Winck | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The White House on Wednesday took the wraps off its proposal for screening investments U.S.-based funds make abroad, giving President Joe Biden a new tool for “de-risking” from China. But while the government’s inbound-investment reviews have often proven onerous, the pitch for outbound screening should placate investors and even diplomats. If recipients boast close ties to Chinese military or intelligence capabilities, the department could then block the transaction. Follow @BenWinck on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSU.S. President Joe Biden on Aug. 9 issued an executive order that tasks the Treasury Department with forming an outbound investment screening program. In response to the executive order the Treasury Department issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comment on the program.

Persons: Joe Biden, Jonathan Ernst, Janet Yellen’s, Antony Currie, Katrina Hamlin Organizations: Auburn Manufacturing, REUTERS, Reuters, Washington, Wednesday, Biden, Regulators, Treasury, Department, Treasury Department, Thomson Locations: U.S, Auburn , Maine, WASHINGTON, China, Washington

☆ U.S. House committee flags MSCI, BlackRock for China investments
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A bank employee count China’s renminbi (RMB) or yuan notes next to U.S. dollar notes at a Kasikornbank in Bangkok, Thailand, January 26, 2023. BEIJING — U.S. investments in around 50 blacklisted Chinese companies have drawn the attention of the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. The committee on Tuesday announced it sent separate letters to MSCI and BlackRock asking for more information about the firms' facilitation of U.S. investments into those Chinese companies. The Chinese companies were blacklisted over claims of supporting China's military or alleged human rights abuses, the committee said. MSCI said in a statement it is reviewing the request for information, and that it doesn't "facilitate" investments in any country.

Persons: China’s renminbi, MSCI Organizations: U.S . House, Chinese Communist Party, BlackRock, U.S . Department, CNBC Locations: U.S, Bangkok, Thailand, BEIJING — U.S

☆ U.S. Blacklists Two Spyware Firms Run by an Israeli Former General
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Mark Mazzetti | More About Mark Mazzetti | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration added two Europe-based hacking firms controlled by an Israeli former general to a Commerce Department blacklist on Tuesday, its latest effort to try to rein in a spyware industry that has spiraled out of control in recent years. The two firms, Intellexa and Cytrox, are at the center of a political scandal in Greece, where government officials have been accused of using their hacking tools against journalists and political opponents. Under the terms of the blacklist, American companies are largely prohibited from doing business with the designated firms, a move designed to starve them of the U.S. technology — such as servers and cloud storage — they need to continue operations. In November 2021, the White House blacklisted the Israeli firm NSO Group, the most well-known purveyor of hacking tools. Both Intellexa and Cytrox are controlled by Tal Dilian, a former general in the Israeli military intelligence who was forced to retire from the Israeli Defense Forces in 2003 after an internal investigation raised suspicions that he had been involved in funds mismanagement, according to three former senior officers in the Israeli military.

Persons: Biden, Tal Dilian Organizations: Commerce Department, Intellexa, White House, NSO Group, Israeli Defense Forces Locations: Europe, Greece, U.S

☆ U.S. blacklists two firms that built Meta, iOS and Android spyware
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Commerce Department blacklisted two European cyber firms that build spyware software, the Commerce Department announced Tuesday, including technology hawked by both firms that was used to surveil Meta users and reportedly at least one Meta employee. The software exploited vulnerabilities in Android and iOS software and deployed hundreds of spoof Meta accounts to surveil activists, politicians and journalists around the world. Meta in December 2021 warned thousands of Facebook users that they'd been targeted by spyware-for-hire software, including Predator. The New York Times reported extensively on Intellexa's Predator product, and the company's efforts to sell it to a Ukrainian intelligence agency. Intellexa's Predator was also used by Greek intelligence to spy on a Meta trust and safety employee, the Times reported.

Persons: Gina Raimondo, —, Cytrox —, they'd, Tal Dilian, Intellexa, Biden, Trump Organizations: Commerce, The Commerce Department, Commerce Department, Industry, Security, Citizen Lab, Export, Meta, Facebook, Israel Defense Forces, The New York Times, Times, Huawei Locations: Davos, Switzerland, Greece, Ireland, Hungary, North Macedonia, Ukrainian

☆ Opinion | Speech We Loathe Is Speech We Must Defend
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Bret Stephens | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the late 1950s, the Rhode Island legislature created a commission “to encourage morality in youth.” One of its practices was to send notices to out-of-state distributors and retailers of publications it deemed obscene, asking for “cooperation” in suppressing them. The notices warned that the commission had circulated lists of objectionable materials to local police departments, and that it would recommend prosecution against those found to be purveying obscenity. The case went to the Supreme Court. With one dissent, the justices in Bantam Books Inc. v. Sullivan (1963) held that the “informal censorship” violated the 14th Amendment. They also noted that it didn’t matter that the Rhode Island commission had no real power beyond “informal sanctions.”“People do not lightly disregard public officers’ thinly veiled threats to institute criminal proceedings against them if they do not come around,” noted Justice William Brennan, a fierce liberal, in his opinion.

Persons: Sullivan, ’, ”, William Brennan, Biden, Terry Doughty Organizations: ”, Supreme, Bantam Books Inc Locations: Rhode, Missouri, Louisiana

☆ What are Gallium and Germanium? China curbs exports of metals critical to chips and other tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Germanium and gallium are the two metals in the spotlight. China's commerce ministry on Monday said that new regulations will require exporters of gallium and germanium to get a license to ship the metals. What are germanium and gallium used for? Gallium is used for manufacturing the gallium arsenide chemical compound, which can make radio frequency chips for mobile phones and satellite communication, for example. China produces 60% of the world's germanium and 80% of gallium, according to the Critical Raw Materials Alliance, an industry body.

Organizations: U.S, Micron, Alliance, CRM Alliance Locations: China, Europe, U.S, Beijing, Japan

The Chinese customs service did not provide detailed information on imports. It said that "company trade data are not disclosed in our public information". China imported copper and copper alloys worth $852 million from Russia between October and February, according to public customs statistics. As of early 2023, its only owner was the Ukrainian Donetsk regional state administration. The copper alloy shipments from the plant were carried out via the port of Novorossiysk in southern Russia, according to the customs data.

☆ U.S. Blacklists Chinese Companies Involved in Balloon Program
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Ian Talley | Vivian Salama | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The U.S. blacklisted six Chinese companies Friday that it said were involved in Beijing’s surveillance-balloon program, in a move taken in retaliation for the suspected spy balloon that traversed the U.S. The addition of the government-owned defense firms and contractors to the Commerce Department’s roster of blacklisted firms follows pledges by Biden administration officials to further restrict Western technology China could use to advance its military and economic might.

☆ U.S. Warns Banks to Watch for Russian Oligarchs Investing in Commercial Real Estate
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Dylan Tokar | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

Banks should be on alert for Russian oligarchs attempting to circumvent U.S. sanctions by investing in commercial real estate, a U.S. Treasury Department watchdog said. Sanctioned individuals may try to use pooled investment vehicles or offshore funds to avoid due-diligence processes, FinCEN said in its alert. Sanctioned individuals could keep lowering their stakes to avoid detection, while still maintaining control of the fund, FinCEN said. Sanctioned individuals aren’t just investing in high-end or luxury properties, according to the alert. Federal prosecutors have warned that lawyers, consultants and other service providers who work for sanctioned individuals could run afoul of the law.

☆ U.S. blacklists Chinese firm selling video surveillance tech to Iran
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

“The Chinese Communist Party is weaponizing technology companies to further its geopolitical goals,” Rubio said in an email. Human rights advocates and lawmakers are concerned Iranian authorities could use Tiandy’s video surveillance technology to help squelch a wave of anti-regime protests in the country. The Biden administration last month effectively banned the sale or import of new equipment from a number of Chinese surveillance firms. China has strongly rejected U.S. criticism of Chinese tech companies and of its treatment of Uyghurs or other Muslim minorities in the country. But he said it was “absurd” to portray Chinese technology as a security threat.

☆ Biden blacklists China's YMTC, crackdowns on AI chip sector
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Alexandra Alper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Thursday added Chinese memory chipmaker YMTC and 21 "major" Chinese players in the artificial intelligence chip industry to a trade blacklist, broadening its crackdown on China's chip industry. It also comes as Congress prepares to finalize legislation to bar the U.S. government from buying products that contain semiconductors made by YMTC, Chinese memory chipmaker CXMT or China's top chip manufacturer SMIC. The Commerce Department on Thursday also targeted nine Chinese entities for allegedly seeking to support China's military modernization, including Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment Group Co Ltd (SMEE), China's only lithography company. Two of the Chinese companies removed from the unverified list - YMTC and SMEE- were added to the entity list. Being added to the unverified list forces U.S. suppliers to perform greater due diligence before shipping to the targeted companies.

☆ Elon Musk said he's 'open' to buying publishing platform Substack after a Twitter user said it would give him control of the 'narrative layer' of the internet
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk said he's "open to the idea" of buying publishing platform Substack, on Friday morning. He agreed with a user saying that Substack would give him "control" over the "narrative layer" of the internet. Musk has also speculated about possibly buying Wikipedia this week, but was told the site was not for sale. The user said: "You would have the information layer with Twitter and the narrative layer. Earlier in the week, Musk also suggested he could try to buy Wikipedia, but was told it was not for sale by founder Jimmy Wales.

☆ The 'Twitter Files' part 2 claimed to 'reveal' that the platform limited some accounts' reach, but that was already public knowledge — and in line with Elon Musk's new 'freedom of speech, not freedom
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | Erin Snodgrass | Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Twitter first announced in 2018 it would effectively hide some tweets from conversations and search results, according to The Washington Post's Will Oremus. Critics, and there were many, especially as prominent Republicans were impacted, referred to Twitter's practice of limiting certain tweets' visibility as "shadowbanning." In her thread, Weiss said Twitter's Strategic Response Team - Global Escalation Team, known as SRT-GET, was the body tasked with deciding which users were marked for "visibility filtering." The description outlined by Weiss of Twitter's internal moderation policy appears to fall in line with Musk's own recently-announced approach to content moderation on the site: "Freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom of reach. But Weiss, a former New York Times columnist, is not thought to be a current employee at Twitter.

☆ Elon Musk and Facebook's former chief security officer got into it on Twitter over the release of the 'Twitter Files Part 2'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Elon Musk sparred on Twitter with Facebook's former security chief over "Twitter Files part two." Alex Stamos tweeted "Musk fired the lawyer" who would tell him what happens if non-employees have access to users' DMs. On Thursday, conservative columnist Bari Weiss tweeted the latest thread of "files," an installment about "Twitter's secret blacklists." Journalist Matt Taibbi tweeted the first part of the "Twitter Files" last week, which Musk described as internal communications that would reveal Twitter tried to censor free speech on the platform. Stamos tweeted that he was the target of "a wave of really poorly targeted racist and antisemitic slurs from" Musk's "posse," after Musk's reply.

☆ U.S. blacklists companies for aiding Russian military
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Wednesday added 24 companies and other entities to an export control list for supporting Russia’s military or defense industrial base, Pakistan's nuclear activities or for supplying an Iranian electronics company. The companies include Fiber Optic Solutions in Latvia, which produces fiber optic gyroscopes and other equipment and Russia's AO Kraftway Corporation PSC, which calls itself one of the biggest Russian IT companies. Also on the list are Russian AO Scientific Research Center for Electronic Computing, LLC Fibersense, and Scientific Production Company Optolin, AO PKK Milandr; Milandr EK OOO; Milandr ICC JSC; Milur IS, OOO; (OOO) Microelectronic Production Complex (MPK) Milandr; and Ruselectronics JSC and Swiss based Milur SA. The Biden administration also added 10 companies in Pakistan and UAE that it says pose unacceptable risks of using or diverting items for Pakistan's unsafeguarded nuclear activities or are involved Pakistan's "nuclear activities and missile proliferation-related activities." Suppliers of U.S. goods must seek a special a difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to companies added to the list.

Magnitsky sanctions aim to punish those accused of corruption or enabling human rights abuses. The U.S. Treasury Department, which is responsible for Magnitsky sanctions, declined to comment. U.S. officials in Brazil and the United States have already begun the process of identifying and investigating specific targets, the source said, with potential punishments ranging from visa blacklists to Global Magnitsky sanctions. It is unclear when or if the United States could sanction specific targets, as the investigations can take a while. Targeting environmental criminals with Global Magnitsky sanctions is unusual but not unprecedented.

☆ Israel's president opens talks ahead of expected Netanyahu mandate
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Herzog began consultations with political parties on Wednesday, meeting representatives from Netanyahu's Likud party, to be followed by meetings with other party representatives over the coming days. He said he expected to complete the talks on Friday and assign the task of forming a government on Sunday. Last week's election saw Netanyahu end a stalemate after five elections in less than four years. "There is a clear mandate from most of the public to form a right-wing government," he said. Earlier on Wednesday, Herzog issued a statement dismissing local reports that he was pushing for a unity government with outgoing centrist premier Yair Lapid and National Unity party leader Benny Gantz.

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