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☆ Iran, US on Verge of Prisoner Swap Under Qatar-Mediated Deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +9 min

"Iran initially wanted direct access to the funds but in the end agreed to having access via Qatar," said a senior diplomat. Reuters pieced together this account of previously unreported details about the extent of Qatari mediation of the secret talks, how the deal unfolded and the expediency that motivated both parties to clinch the prisoner swap deal. Ties between the U.S. and Iran have been at boiling point since Donald Trump quit a nuclear deal with Iran as U.S. president in 2018. Reaching another nuclear deal has gained little traction since then, as President Joe Biden prepares for the 2024 U.S. election. Then president Trump in 2018 reimposed the sanctions when he pulled Washington out of a deal under which Iran had restricted its nuclear program.

Persons: Parisa Hafezi, Andrew Mills, Antony Blinken, Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz, hasn’t, Jin, Washington, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Biden, Blinken, Iran’s, Trump, Iran Robert Malley, Abram Paley, Ali Bagheri Kani, Mehdi Safari, Foreign Ministry Mohammed Al, Khulaifi, Malley, Paley, Kani, Al Khulaifi, Laila Bassam, Samia Nakhoul, William Maclean Organizations: Reuters, U.S, British, Islamic, Washington, Doha, Iranian, State Department, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The State Department, Democrat, Qatari, TRANSIT QATAR, Iran, The Central Bank of, U.S ., State, Foreign Ministry Locations: Andrew Mills DUBAI, DOHA, Qatar, Iran, U.S, Tehran’s, Emad Sharqi, Islamic Republic, Western, Gulf, South Korea, Washington, Switzerland, Tehran, Seoul, Doha, Iranian, The Central Bank of Iran, Beirut

☆ Iran, US on verge of prisoner swap under Qatar-mediated deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Reuters pieced together this account of previously unreported details about the extent of Qatari mediation of the secret talks, how the deal unfolded and the expediency that motivated both parties to clinch the prisoner swap deal. 'You can build trust'The U.S. administration has not commented on the timing of the funds transfer. Ties between the U.S. and Iran have been at boiling point since Donald Trump quit a nuclear deal with Iran as U.S. president in 2018. Reaching another nuclear deal has gained little traction since then, as President Joe Biden prepares for the 2024 U.S. election. Then president Trump in 2018 reimposed the sanctions when he pulled Washington out of a deal under which Iran had restricted its nuclear program.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz, hasn't, Jin, Washington, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Biden, Blinken, Trump, Iran Robert Malley, Abram Paley, Ali Bagheri Kani, Mehdi Safari, Foreign Ministry Mohammed Al, Khulaifi, Malley, Paley, Kani, Al Khulaifi Organizations: Capitol, Iranian, National, Washington D.C, U.S, Reuters, British, Islamic, Washington, Doha, State Department, Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The State Department, Democrat, Qatari, Iran, The Central Bank of, U.S ., State, Foreign Ministry Locations: Iranian, Washington, United States, Qatar, Iran, U.S, Tehran's, Emad Sharqi, Islamic Republic, Western, Gulf, South Korea, Switzerland, Tehran, Seoul, Doha, The Central Bank of Iran

Persons: Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi, Iran Dr, Ali Bagheri, Antony Blinken, Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz, hasn’t, Jin, Washington, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Biden, Blinken, Iran’s, Trump, Iran Robert Malley, Abram Paley, Ali Bagheri Kani, Mehdi Safari, Foreign Ministry Mohammed Al, Khulaifi, Malley, Paley, Kani, Al Khulaifi, Laila Bassam, Samia Nakhoul, William Maclean Organizations: Regional Affairs, Political Affairs, Qatar News Agency, Handout, REUTERS Acquire, Qatar, Qatar DUBAI, U.S, Reuters, British, Islamic, Washington, Doha, Iranian, State Department, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The State Department, Democrat, Qatari, TRANSIT QATAR, Iran, The Central Bank of, U.S ., State, Foreign Ministry, Thomson Locations: Islamic Republic, Iran, Tehran, Qatar Gulf, DOHA, Qatar, U.S, Tehran’s, Emad Sharqi, Western, Gulf, South Korea, Washington, Switzerland, Seoul, Doha, Iranian, The Central Bank of Iran, Beirut

☆ Quantitative trading firm explains why it likes TSMC and GlobalFoundries
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailQuantitative trading firm explains why it likes TSMC and GlobalFoundriesMehdi Hosseini of Susquehanna International Group says TSMC will benefit from the artificial intelligence race, while GlobalFoundries will benefit from the localization of semiconductors.

Persons: GlobalFoundries Mehdi Hosseini, GlobalFoundries Organizations: Susquehanna International Group

☆ Inside the secret Google DeepMind mafia of founders working on new stealth AI startups
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

There is an influx of cash and interest into artificial intelligence startups right now. Insider spoke to ex-Google DeepMind staffers who have founded AI startups in stealth. He isn't the only DeepMind alum working on practical applications of artificial intelligence. Last month, Mistral, an AI startup founded by DeepMind alum, secured $113 million in seed funding from Lightspeed just four weeks after it launched. He has since been working on his second AI startup in stealth mode since June 2023, adding that working under the radar was inspired by DeepMind's "own model of working in stealth."

Persons: Mustafa Suleyman, Suleyman, Devang Agrawal, Jonathan Godwin, DeepMind, Godwin, Simon Kohl, Ang Li, isn't, Li, Simon Menashy, Adam Liska, Demis Hassabis, GlyphicAI's Agrawal, Mehdi Ghissassi, OpenAI's, Agrawal, Karl Moritz Hermann, DeepMind's Organizations: Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, Labs, MMC Ventures, DeepMind, Lightspeed Locations: DeepMind, London, California

☆ The No. 1 skill you need to 'win every argument,' says public speaking expert: 'Few people have it'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Mehdi Hasan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

In my book, "Win Every Argument: The Art of Debating, Persuading, and Public Speaking," I outline the two types of listening to master: critical listening and empathetic listening. Good listening skills boost your credibility and make you sound confident. People who win arguments and are good at debating don't just speak well, they listen well, too. You need to be a critical listener when your teacher is giving you feedback on an essay you wrote. By listening critically to your opponent and being ready to catch fallacious or false claims, you can prepare zinger-like responses, and win your argument.

Persons: Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Gates Organizations: Debating Locations: London, Branson

☆ Iran bans film festival over poster of actress without hijab
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Mostafa Salem | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Cairo CNN —Iranian authorities have banned a film festival after a promotional poster showed an actress not wearing the hijab, a headcover worn by many Muslim women, the country’s state-run media outlet IRNA reported Saturday. The 13th edition of the Iranian Short Film Association (ISFA) festival was banned after Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance deemed the poster inappropriate, according to IRNA. The image that caused the festival to be banned is a promotional poster for the 1982 film “The Death of Yazdgerd,” starring Susan Taslimi, AFP reports. A video circulating on pro-government channels purports to show a ceremony during which the poster was unveiled by a woman not wearing the hijab. Given current sensitivities around the removal of the hijab, the publication of the poster is deemed against social interests,” Samoui told IRNA.

Persons: “, ”, Mohammad Mehdi Samoui, Amini, Susan Taslimi, ” Samoui, IRNA, Saeid Montazeralmahdi Organizations: Cairo CNN, Film, Iran’s Ministry of Culture, Mizan News Agency Locations: Cairo, Iran, Tehran, Fars, Shandiz

☆ ASML benefits from selling older-generation tools to China: Analyst
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailASML benefits from selling older-generation tools to China: AnalystMehdi Hosseini of Susquehanna says ASML strategy of selling "trailing edge" equipment to China that are not subject to export controls allows it to benefit from higher profit margins.

Persons: Mehdi, Susquehanna Locations: China

☆ Who is the Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The demonstration was called by supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr, 48, an influential Shi'ite cleric who commands the loyalty of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. He led two anti-U.S. revolts, prompting the Pentagon to call his Mehdi Army militia the biggest threat to Iraq’s security. In Iraq's sectarian 2006-2008 civil war, the Mehdi Army was accused of forming death squads that kidnapped and killed Sunni Muslims. In 2008, after clashing with the Iraqi army, he disbanded the Mehdi Army, renaming it the Peace Brigades. - Sadr has opposed Iranian influence in Iraq, setting him apart from other Shi'ite leaders who have close ties to Tehran.

Persons: Muqtada, Mehdi, Sadr, Mohammed Sadeq al, Saddam Hussein, Mohammed Baqir, Saddam, sayyid, Prophet Mohammad ., Sadr's, Tom Perry, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Protesters, Pentagon, Mehdi Army, Brigades, Sweden, Thomson Locations: BAGHDAD, Swedish, Baghdad, Sweden, Muqtada al, Sadr, U.S, Iraq, Tehran, Iran, Stockholm, Iraqi

☆ Microsoft adds $154 billion in market value after it announces $30 per month AI subscription
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft stock surged as much as 6% on Tuesday after the company unveiled an AI subscription for its Office 365 platform. The software giant will charge $30 per month per user to have AI capabilities integrated into its Microsoft Office platform. At its peak on Tuesday, Microsoft added $154 billion to its market value, which is bigger than Morgan Stanley. Investors cheered the move and the company's apparent pricing power, with Microsoft stock adding as much as $154 billion to its market valuation at its peak on Tuesday. Microsoft stock hit a record high of $366.78 in Tuesday trades and was on track to close at its highest level ever.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Yusuf Mehdi, Dan Ives, Ives Organizations: Microsoft, Service, Intel, Honeywell, Bing Locations: Wall, Silicon, Copilot, OpenAI

☆ Microsoft unveils more secure AI-powered Bing Chat for businesses to ensure ‘data doesn’t leak’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Microsoft on Tuesday announced a more secure version of its AI-powered Bing specifically for businesses and designed to assure professionals they can safely share potentially sensitive information with a chatbot. With Bing Chat Enterprise, the user’s chat data will not be saved, sent to Microsoft’s servers or used to train the AI models, according to the company. Microsoft also said Tuesday that it will add visual searches to its existing AI-powered Bing Chat tool. Bing Chat Enterprise will be free for all of its 160 million Microsoft 365 subscribers starting on Tuesday, if a company’s IT department manually turns on the tool. Microsoft, which uses OpenAI's technology to power its Bing chat, said workers can now have "complete confidence" their data "won't be leaked" outside of the company.

Persons: Bing, ” Yusuf Mehdi, “, ChatGPT, JPMorgan Chase, OpenAI, ” OpenAI, Mehdi Organizations: CNN, Microsoft, JPMorgan, Bing, Bing Chat Locations: Italy

☆ A vaccine scientist says being tag-teamed and dogpiled on by Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, and RFK Jr. all at once has been 'overwhelming'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But the attacks are now coming from Joe Rogan and Elon Musk, Twitter's most influential users. And let's face it, when you have RFK Jr. and Joe Rogan, and Elon Musk, all tag-teaming, those tres hombres at the same time," Hotez added. "I offered to go on Joe Rogan but not to turn it into the Jerry Springer show with having RFK Jr. on," Hotez said. "First, science is not something that is typically debated like say 18th enlightenment philosophy or political issues," Hotez added. And then there is the particular problem of debating RFK Jr on this.

Persons: it's, Peter Hotez, he's, Joe Rogan, Elon Musk, Hotez, MSNBC's Mehdi Hasan, Joe, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Rogan, Peter, Bill Ackman, Kennedy, MSNBC's Hasan, Jerry Springer, Tweeting, I'm, Elon Organizations: Twitter, RFK Jr, Billionaire, RFK Locations: duking

☆ A brief history of the beef between 2 rising political stars: Ron DeSantis and his California nemesis, Gavin Newsom
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

On Thursday, Ron DeSantis dared Gavin Newsom to run for president. Ron DeSantis threw out a challenge to his Californian counterpart, Gov. In July, DeSantis attacked Newsom after Newsom put up an ad in Florida enticing Floridians to move to California. Newsom told MSNBC in April that he thought DeSantis was better off waiting "a few years" instead of running in 2024. Newsom has been beefing up his baseWhile DeSantis continues to wrestle with a twice-indicted Trump, Newsom has been working to shore up his platform.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Gavin Newsom, DeSantis, Trump, Newsom, —, Biden, MAGA, Donald Trump, he's, Floridians, Insider's Kimberly Leonard, Newsom sparred, Sean Hannity, Twitter's, MSNBC's Mehdi Hasan, Adam Parkhomenko, Ron Filipkowski, who's, Newsom's, Hannity Organizations: GOP, Service, Florida Gov, Democratic, Fox News, Hannity, Fox, DeSantis Locations: Florida, California

The Google parent has advised employees not to enter its confidential materials into AI chatbots, the people said and the company confirmed, citing long-standing policy on safeguarding information. Alphabet also alerted its engineers to avoid direct use of computer code that chatbots can generate, some of the people said. A growing number of businesses around the world have set up guardrails on AI chatbots, among them Samsung (005930.KS), Amazon.com (AMZN.O) and Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE), the companies told Reuters. By February, Google told staff testing Bard before its launch not to give it internal information, Insider reported. A Google privacy notice updated on June 1 also states: "Don’t include confidential or sensitive information in your Bard conversations."

Persons: Bard, ChatGPT, OpenAI, Harry Potter, Yusuf Mehdi, Mehdi, Bing, Matthew Prince, Jeffrey Dastin, Anna Tong, Kenneth Li, Nick Zieminski Organizations: FRANCISCO, Reuters, Google, ChatGPT, Microsoft Corp, Samsung, Deutsche Bank, Apple, Data Protection, Politico, EU, cyberattacks, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: Bard, San Francisco

☆ Check out the 11-slide pitch deck these ex-DeepMind staffers used to raise $5.5 million for their large language model startup Glyphic AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

London-based Glyphic AI has raised $5.5 million from Point72 Ventures. A startup founded by former DeepMind staffers using AI to help sales teams just raised $5.5 million in fresh funds. London-based Glyphic AI, founded last year, has developed a "copilot" that automates an array of manual processes in the sales process. With the recent explosion of ChatGPT catapulting many AI startups into the spotlight, VCs are scrambling to invest in AI startups that enhance workplace productivity. With the fresh funds, Glyphic AI will build out its team, and hone in on its AI and software development.

Persons: Glyphic's, Adam Liska, Liska, Devang Agrawal, that's, Mehdi Ghissassi, Rushin Shah Organizations: London, Point72 Ventures, Creator, Dhyan Ventures, Google Locations: London

☆ Hot UK labour market raises pressure on BoE to act again
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Andy Bruce | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Employment and wage growth soared during the three months to April while the unemployment rate fell, according to the Office for National Statistics. Outside of the COVID-19 pandemic, when wage statistics were skewed by furlough schemes, it was the highest reading on record. Including bonuses, wage growth jumped to 6.5% from 6.1% previously, but it still lagged inflation, meaning Britons are suffering declining pay in real terms. "With the possibility of higher-for-longer rates, a UK recession looks unavoidable as tight monetary policy filters into the real economy - including the housing market," Medhi said. BoE officials are likely to note that the headline employment and wages data came in above all forecasts, while the unemployment rate was below all forecasts.

Persons: BoE, Sterling, Hussain Mehdi, Medhi, Andy Bruce, Sachin Ravikumar, Sarah Young, Kate Holton, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Reuters, Bank of England, Office, National Statistics, RBC, HSBC Asset Management, Thomson

☆ Tucker Carlson is nothing without Fox News, and his sad Twitter broadcast debut proves it
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tucker Carlson is in trouble, if his first livestream is anything to go by. Without the chyron and quick cuts, Carlson must now compete with the likes of Alex Jones — and he's losing. First off, make no mistake: Tucker Carlson still gets the views. But "Tucker on Twitter" is not "Tucker Carlson Tonight." And of course, Alex Jones, who screams about gay frogs while selling snake oil dietary supplements.

Persons: Tucker Carlson, Carlson, Alex Jones —, he's, —, Tucker, Carlson —, Taylor Lorenz, Tucker Carlson's, MSNBC's Mehdi Hasan, Alex Jones, Hasan, Lorenz, Steve Bannon, Nick Fuentes, Dan Bongino, Carlson's Organizations: Fox News, Service, Twitter, Kanye West

☆ ‘Rise’ Review: Step, Repeat, Recover
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Natalia Winkelman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The remainder of “Rise,” directed by Cédric Klapisch, traces Elise’s lengthy but rather untroubled road to recovery, both of body and of confidence. Much of this coming-of-age work occurs at a picturesque artists’ retreat in a seaside villa where Elise, limping but breezy, accepts a job preparing meals. And what luck that her cooking gig should coincide with the residency of an esteemed contemporary dance troupe — one that includes a break dancing hunk, Mehdi (Mehdi Baki), who Elise had admired back home. This is a sweet, uncomplicated story relayed with enough entrancing dance breaks to fill an American halftime show. It drives home a point we already intuit: the dialogue is incidental when the dancing is this expressive.

Persons: ”, Cédric Klapisch, Elise, Mehdi, Mehdi Baki, Barbeau Organizations: Paris Opera Ballet, intuit Locations: American

☆ An ex-GOP Florida congressman who opposed Trump says DeSantis would be 'far more dangerous' if elected president
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ron DeSantis is "far more dangerous" than Donald Trump, an ex-GOP Florida congressman said on MSNBC. Former Rep. David Jolly called DeSantis "a cultural warrior who wants to take us back 100 years." Ron DeSantis, would be "far more dangerous" for the United States than Trump. "I say this with conviction — I think Ron DeSantis is far more dangerous than Donald Trump for a very specific reason," former Rep. David Jolly said Sunday on MSNBC's, "The Mehdi Hasan Show." "But Donald Trump is a transactional figure and he'll do whatever it takes to win."

☆ TSMC or Samsung? One chipmaker is the better play on A.I., geopolitics and earnings, analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Samsung Electronics have emerged as two key players in the increasingly competitive landscape of the chip-making sector. "So, on a relative basis, I think TSMC offers better quality of earnings and also a much better free cash flow margin." "So, the quality of earnings, quality of management, and shareholder return favor TSMC over Samsung," Hosseini concluded. The tech analyst said that when it comes to advanced microchip manufacturing, TSMC is pretty much the only game in town. But they are still way behind TSMC," Hosseini said.

☆ Microsoft says Bing can be default search engine for ChatGPT users
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Microsoft said Tuesday that it will offer Bing as the default search engine in OpenAI's viral ChatGPT chatbot. "ChatGPT will now have a world-class search engine built-in to provide timelier and more up-to-date answers with access from the web," Mehdi wrote. "Now, ChatGPT answers can be grounded by search and web data and include citations so you can learn more — all directly from within chat." Microsoft is trying to expand the use of Bing, which has for years struggled to gain market share from Google. Microsoft said developers will be able to build plugins that work in ChatGPT, Bing and its Copilot chatbot coming to Microsoft 365 apps such as Word and Excel.

☆ Trump's advisor showed him a tweet from AOC to fire him up during the commercial break of CNN's town hall: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Chris Panella | Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Trump's advisor reportedly showed him an AOC tweet during the CNN town hall to fire him up. Axios reported that Trump advisor Jason Miller showed Trump Ocasio-Cortez's tweet during the first commercial break of the night. Axios reported that Trump was also shown a tweet from The Lincoln Project calling the town hall "a CNN sponsored Trump 2024 fundraiser." During and following the town hall, several media experts and professionals publicly denounced the event. According to the former president's advisor, Miller, in the eyes of Trump's team, the CNN town hall "was fantastic."

☆ Bank of England hikes rates by 25 basis points, no longer sees recession
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

A passageway near the Bank of England (BOE) in the City of London, U.K., on Thursday, March 18, 2021. LONDON — The Bank of England on Thursday hiked interest rates by 25 basis points and revised its economic projections to now exclude the possibility of a U.K. recession this year. The Monetary Policy Committee voted 7-2 in favor of the quarter-point increase to take the main bank rate from 4.25% to 4.5%, as the bank reiterated its commitment to taming stubbornly high inflation. "In the context of resilient economic activity, we think there is a good chance of the Bank Rate peaking at 5% by the August meeting. "As rates moves deeper into restrictive territory and credit conditions tighten, a policy-induced recession becomes almost inevitable."

Trump was back on CNN primetime during a town hall appearance on Wednesday night. And CNN certainly seemed to be eager for conservative buy-in during the Wednesday town hall, filling the room with a mixture of New Hampshire Republicans and effectively independent voters. The former president's advisor told other outlets that the town hall was an effort to underline Trump's 2016 strategy of reaching beyond the traditional GOP coalition. During the Wednesday town hall, Trump called Carroll a "whack job," echoing the very falsehoods that landed him with a defamation charge this week. "The predictably disastrous @cnn town hall was indeed disastrous," former broadcast exec and current dean of the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication at Hofstra University, Mark Lukasiewicz tweeted.

☆ Microsoft says it's working on new AI features for Bing to let users search with images instead of text, and turn questions into graphs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft is introducing new AI features on its Bing search engine giving users the ability to search visually. Users will soon be able to upload images to Bing and search the web for related content. Bing exceeded 100 million daily active users just a month after its AI updates. Other visual updates will offer image-based answers like charts and graphs and the option to receive an answer in different formats. This follows from Microsoft's integration of Bing Image Creator with Bing Chat, which lets users generate written and visual content in one place.

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