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Worldwide current events · Sports events

Topics in the news

More than three million people, including dozens of world leaders, march for unity in France following the Charlie Hebdo shooting.
Maithripala Sirisena is elected President of Sri Lanka.
A new antibiotic for drug-resistant infections, teixobactin, is extracted from soil bacteria using a novel technique.
Attacks by Boko Haram on the Nigerian town of Baga leave hundreds of people dead and more than 35,000 displaced.
Archaeologists announce the discovery of the tomb of Khentakawess III, a previously unknown ancient Egyptian queen.
Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain, and Venezuela take their seats on the United Nations Security Council.

Recent deaths: Anita Ekberg – Edward Brooke – Mario Cuomo

January 12, 2015 (Monday)

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Disasters and accidents

The death toll of people drinking poisoned home brew beer in the Mozambique village of Chitima last Friday rises to 69 with 169 in hospital. (AFP/Reuters via ABC News Australia)

Law and crime

Chinese police kill six attacking militants wearing explosive devices in Xinjiang. (Reuters),(Naharnet)
A serviceman stationed at the Russian 102nd Military Base, Valeri Permyakov, kills six members of an Armenian family, including a two-year-old child, and, in addition, wounds a six-month-old child, in Gyumri, Armenia, initiating a manhunt by the Armenian security services. (ArmeniaNow)

Science and technology

The SpaceX CRS-5 supply ship arrives at the ISS with groceries and christmas gifts. (AP)

Sports

In college football, the Ohio State Buckeyes defeat the Oregon Ducks to win the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship. (WFAA)
In association football, Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid C.F. wins the FIFA Ballon d'Or for the best player of the year for his second successive year. (BBC)

January 11, 2015 (Sunday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Charlie Hebdo shooting
- Thousands of police and military personnel prepare to secure a Paris unity rally with up to a million people expected to attend. (Daily Mail)
- An arson attack on the German newspaper Hamburger Morgenpost, which published cartoons from Charlie Hebdo, causes no injuries but leads to two arrests. (Reuters via DNA)
Boko Haram
- More female suicide bombers, this time two, and again each believed to be around 10 years old, kill themselves and three others at a market in the northeastern city of Potiskum, Nigeria. (Reuters via News24)

Disasters and accidents

Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501
- Divers retrieve the flight data recorder from the crashed jet. (AP)
The death toll from the Karachi traffic accident rises to 62. (Indian Express)

Politics and elections

Croatian presidential election, 2014–15
- Former diplomat and foreign minister Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović from the Croatian Democratic Union narrowly defeats incumbent president Ivo Josipović and will become the first female president of Croatia on February 18, 2015. (BBC)
Sri Lankan presidential election, 2015
- The new Sri Lankan government announces that it will investigate allegations of a coup attempt by Mahinda Rajapaksa, in a bid to retain power after being defeated at the polls. (Deutsche Welle)

January 10, 2015 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

A suicide bomb attack on a Shiite mosque in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, kills at least seven people. Militants linked to the Taliban and al-Qaeda have previously attacked the country's Shiite minority. (AAP via SBS News)
Boko Haram
- A female suicide bomber, believed to be aged around 10 years old, kills herself and 19 others, possibly against her will, at a market in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, Nigeria. (Wall Street Journal) (BBC)
Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon
- A suicide attack by al-Nusra Front (al-Qaeda's official affiliate in Syria) at a café in Tripoli, Lebanon, kills at least seven people.(Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

A traffic accident between an oil tanker truck and passenger coach en route to Shikarpur from Karachi on the Pakistan National Highway Link Road near Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Karachi, results in at least 57 dead and scores injured. (The News)

Law and crime

A bomb threat on Tigerair Flight 539 at Melbourne Airport, Victoria, Australia, causes disruptions for passengers and airlines throughout the airport. (News.com.au)
A shooting spree in Moscow, Idaho, U.S., leaves three dead and one injured. After a high-speed chase on Highway 195 ten miles away in the neighboring state of Washington, Pullman police arrest the suspect, John Lee. (AP)
A mass poisoning at a funeral in Mozambique involves beer that was deliberately contaminated with crocodile bile leaving at least 69 dead and 169 hospitailized. (RT TV.Russia)

Science and technology

SpaceX successfully launches a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, as part of boosting its Dragon spacecraft into space for a Monday arrival at the ISS in the SpaceX CRS-5 resupply mission. However, an experimental recovery attempt of the first stage fails when it crash-lands on a floating platform possibly due to insufficient hydraulic fluid, resulting in damage to the platform. The state of the destruction of the launch vehicle is publically unknown. (Space.com),(Twitter)
The Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District temporarily closes the Golden Gate Bridge until Monday to install a $30 million moveable barrier between opposite traffic flows. (SF Gate)

Sports

In American football, Tom Brady of the New England Patriots breaks the National Football League records for career postseason yardage and touchdown passes in the AFC Divisional playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens won by the Patriots 35–31, advancing them to the AFC Championship game. (Sports Illustrated)

January 9, 2015 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Charlie Hebdo shooting
- The two suspect brothers take a hostage at a sign printing company, Création Tendance Découverte, in the French town of Dammartin-en-Goële. (AAP via SBS)
  - The standoff ends with the two brothers dead and the hostage released. (CNBC) (BBC) (CNN)
- A second hostage situation of unclear connection occurs at a Jewish market, Hypercacher, in the eastern Paris suburb of Vincennes. There are two suspected hostage takers, Hayat Boumeddiene, 26, and Amedy Coulibaly, 32, who were previously suspected of shooting a policewoman dead earlier in the week. There are at least sixteen hostages. (Herald-Sun)
  - The concurrent standoff ends with Coulibaly dead as well as four hostages. Four additional hostages and two police officers require hospitalization. Boumeddiene remains at large. (MSNBC)
2015 Baga massacre
- Refugees flee Nigeria's Borno State following the Boko Haram massacre in the town of Baga. 7,300 flee to neighbouring Chad while over 1,000 are trapped on the island of Kangala in Lake Chad. Nigeria's army vows to recapture the town, while Niger and Chad withdraw their forces from a transnational force tasked with combating militants. (UNHCR) (NPR via BBC)

Business and economy

The People's Republic of China plans to soon permit the online sale of prescription drugs. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

A 193-vehicle pileup along a snowy Interstate 94 highway in Kalamazoo County, Michigan leaves one motorist dead and 20 injured. A fire among the vehicles which includes a chemical tanker and a truck loaded with fireworks further compounds the disaster. The debris and fire closes the expressway for over 14 hours. Exploding fireworks hit rescue workers injuring an additional three. (ABC News) (CNN)

Law and crime

Former Prime Minister of Thailand Yingluck Shinawatra appears to face impeachment charges over a failed rice subsidy scheme. (BBC)
Russia lists transsexual and transgender individuals among those with "personality and behavioural disorders" who will be banned from obtaining driving licenses. (BBC) (The Moscow Times)
At a court in New York City, a US District Judge sentences the radical imam Abu Hamza al-Masri to a life sentence for terrorism offences in the United States. (Reuters via (ABC News Australia)
Saudi Arabia sentences a human rights blogger, Raif Badawi, to ten years imprisonment and 1,000 lashes after being found guilty of insulting Islam. (Pulse Nigeria)
A shooting into a car in San Francisco, California, U.S., leaves four men dead. (AP)

Politics and elections

Sri Lankan presidential election, 2015
- Mahinda Rajapaksa concedes defeat to Maithripala Sirisena. (The Guardian)
Barack Obama proposes a new program to waive tuition at community colleges in the United States for the first two years. (The New York Times)
Stockholm University cuts its ties with the Confucius Institute citing concerns about foreign interference in academic freedom. (South China Morning Post)

Science and technology

The Lovejoy Comet enters its brightest phase to roughly magnitude 4 or 5. (Sydney Morning Herald)

Sports

2015 AFC Asian Cup
- The AFC Asian Cup holds the opening ceremony, followed by the first game in Group A between Australia and Kuwait in Melbourne Rectangular Stadium. Australia wins the match 4–1. (ABC)

January 8, 2015 (Thursday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Charlie Hebdo shooting
- One of the suspects in the killings, Hamyd Mourad, voluntarily surrenders to police in Charleville-Mézières while the other two suspects are still at large. (The New York Times) (CNN)
- On the night of January 7 and morning of January 8, assailants throw grenades and fire guns at three mosques throughout France. (ForeignPolicy.com)
2015 Baga massacre
- Boko Haram militants raze the entire town of Baga in north-east Nigeria. Bodies lay strewn on Baga's streets with as many as 2,000 people having been killed. Boko Haram now controls 70% of Borno State, which is the worst-affected by the insurgency. (BBC)
Iraqi insurgency (2011–present)
- A suicide bomber targets a police checkpoint in the town of Youssifiyah, killing seven people. (AAP via The Australian)

Business and economy

Dunkin' Donuts signs a franchise agreement for 1,400 new cafes in China by the year 2035. (Reuters)
Coca-Cola announces that it plans to cut 1,800 jobs worldwide. (CNBC)
Subaru recalls 199,000 vehicles (2008-2014), citing brake line rust issues. (NBC Bay Area)

Disasters and accidents

Schools in the Midwestern and Northeast United States close for a second successive day due to bitterly cold temperatures. (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
A Princess Tours catamaran, Pura Vida Princess, catches fire and capsizes off the coast of Punta Leona, Costa Rica, while carrying 98 passengers and ten crew; the Costa Rican Red Cross confirms that three are dead. (AP via The Costa Rican Times),(The Costa Rican Times)

Law and crime

An unknown gunman shoots dead Nerlita Ledesma, a journalist from the Philippine tabloid Abante in the province of Bataan; her death is the 172nd murder of a journalist since the return of democracy in 1986 and the 31st during the presidency of Benigno Aquino III. (Rappler)
The Obama administration fines Honda $70 million for failing to report deaths and injury complaints from 2003 to 2014. (KNTV)
Brunei officially bans all future public celebrations of Christmas, in accordance with its conservative Islamic law Shariah. (International Business Times)

Politics and elections

Sri Lankan presidential election, 2015
- Voters in Sri Lanka go to the polls for a presidential election with a tight contest predicted between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and challenger Maithripala Sirisena. (BBC)

Sports

The US Olympic Committee chooses the city of Boston as the American bid city to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. (The New York Times)

January 7, 2015 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Charlie Hebdo shooting
- Gunmen attack the Paris office of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing twelve people and injuring ten. Some witnesses report that the gunmen identified themselves as belonging to al-Qaeda in Yemen. A 2011 issue had depicted a cartoon of the Islamic prophet Muhammed. (BBC)
- French police identify three suspects in the killings with raids being conducted in the city of Reims for the assailants, brothers Said and Cherif Kaouchi, aged 32 and 34, respectively, and Hamyd Mourad, 18. (Washington Post), (Bloomberg via Washington Post)
al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen
- A car bomb explodes outside a police college in the Yemeni capital Sanaa with at least 38 people reported dead and more than 50 wounded. (Reuters), (BBC), (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

Archaeologists in China uncover 2,800-year-old tombs (Eastern Zhou dynasty) in Hubei province. (Ancient Origins)

Disasters and accidents

An Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation bus falls into a ravine near the town of Penukonda in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh killing at least 20 people. (DNA)

Health

Nature publishes the findings of Northeastern University scientists that a new class of drug can kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria. (Reuters)

International relations

Philippines President Benigno Aquino III demands an investigation after a drone purportedly belonging to the United States Navy is found in the Philippine province of Quezon, the second found in the country. (Manila Standard Today)
The United States denounces a flag-raising ceremony at Taiwan's de facto embassy in Washington DC, saying the ceremony violated US-Taiwan ties. (AFP via Yahoo)

January 6, 2015 (Tuesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
- Clashes with ISIL in Anbar province kill twenty-three Iraqi Army soldiers and allied Sunni fighters. (AP via The Hindu)
- The Combined Joint Task Force combating ISIL conducts ten airstrikes in Syria, eight of them targeting the contested city of Kobani, with the airstrikes destroying fourteen ISIL fighting positions and a building. (Reuters)
A suicide bomber kills herself and a policeman in an attack on a police station in a popular tourist district in the Turkish city of Istanbul. (New York Times)

Arts and culture

Officials in the American state of Massachusetts open a time capsule left behind by founding fathers Paul Revere and Samuel Adams. (Reuters via Yahoo! News)

Business and economics

American luxury fashion company Coach, Inc. agrees to purchase shoe brand Stuart Weitzman for $574 million. (Wall Street Journal)
The price of crude oil drops to $48 per barrel, the lowest since April of 2009. (KGO)

Disasters and accidents

A military truck collides with a bus carrying members of the National Guard of Ukraine in Ukraine, killing 12 soldiers and injuring 20 others. (BBC)
Two commuter trains collide at Mesquita, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, injuring 158 people. (AFP via News24)

Health

Scientists at Oxford University begin a new Ebola vaccine trial on 72 healthy volunteers. (BBC)
43 US states report an epidemic of influenza, with 21 confirmed deaths. (NBC News)

International relations

Cuba–United States relations
- Cuba starts releasing political prisoners as part of an historic agreement with the United States announced last month. (The Guardian)

Law and crime

Thai police arrest Gurmeet Singh convicted of involvement in a bombing in Chandigarh that killed 18 people in 1996, including Beant Singh who was then chief minister of Punjab. (Reuters)
Various California state district attorneys fine Safeway a total of $10 million for the illegal dumping of electronics and pharmaceuticals into landfills. (KPIX)
A man claiming to be the Lord's Resistance Army top commander Ugandan Dominic Ongwen turns himself in to United States forces in the Central African Republic. (AP)
A U.S. District Judge sentences former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell to two years in prison for corruption. (AP via FOX News)
A gunman shoots a doctor at the William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, Texas, and then kills himself. (Daily Mail)
An improvised device explodes outside of the Colorado Springs chapter of the NAACP with no injuries. (ABC News)

Politics and elections

The 114th United States Congress begins. (ABC News)
The US Congress re-elects John Boehner to his third term as Speaker. (USA Today)

Science and technology

NASA's Kepler space observatory announces the discovery of three new planets in the Goldilocks zone capable of supporting life. (News Limited)

Sport

Major League Baseball
- A proposal to change the demolition of Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California from a gradual process to implosion has been met with opposition from the city's residents, citing health risks from the dispersal of concrete dust. (KGO)
- The Baseball Hall of Fame announces the results of balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) for the Hall's induction class of 2015. The BBWAA elects Randy Johnson, Pedro Martínez, John Smoltz and Craig Biggio; this marks the first time since 1955 that the group has elected four players. (Boston Herald)

More January 2015 events...

Ongoing events
Economic Eurozone crisis Greek government-debt crisis Financial crisis in Russia Health Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa Political Irish demonstrations against water tax Military intervention against ISIL American-led intervention in Syria American-led intervention in Iraq Iranian intervention in Iraq Russian military intervention in Ukraine South Sudanese Civil War Unrest in Ferguson, Missouri More details on ongoing conflicts below Sports January 9 – 31: AFC Asian Cup in Australia edit sidebar

Recent deaths
January 11: Tim Drummond 11: Anita Ekberg 10: Junior Malanda 10: Taylor Negron 10: Francesco Rosi 10: Robert Stone 9: Samuel Goldwyn, Jr. 9: Roy Tarpley 9: Abdul Rahman Ya'kub 8: Andraé Crouch 8: Kep Enderby 8: Richard Meade 7: Cabu 7: Charb 7: Rod Taylor 7: Tignous 7: Georges Wolinski 7: Julio Scherer García 7: Bernard Maris 7: Arch A. Moore, Jr. 7: J. P. Parisé 7: Jethro Pugh 6: Vlastimil Bubník 5: Jean-Pierre Beltoise 5: Khan Bonfils 4: Pino Daniele 4: Chitresh Das 4: Gasan Magomedov 4: Stu Miller 4: Hank Peters 4: Stuart Scott 4: He Zhenliang 3: Martin Anderson 3: Edward Brooke 3: Allie Sherman 2: Abu Anas al Libi 1: Mario Cuomo 1: Donna Douglas 1: Omar Karami December 31: Edward Herrmann 31: James McNaughton Hester 30: Philip Converse 30: Beau Kazer 30: Luise Rainer 29: Madhu Kaithapram 29: Paul Sprenger 28: Michio Kushi 27: Carl Neumann Degler 27: Ron Henry 26: James B. Edwards 26: Leo Tindemans 25: Alberta Adams 25: Nand Chaturvedi 25: Kjell Hanssen 25: George Miller 25: Gleb Yakunin 24: Ekhlasuddin Ahmed 24: Rubén Amorín 24: Leonard Beerman 24: Owen H. Johnson 24: Krzysztof Krauze 24: Rosella Towne 23: K. Balachander 23: Jo Jo Benson 23: Mike Elliott 23: John J. Powers 22: Joe Cocker 22: Jeremy Lloyd 21: Morteza Ahmadi 21: Udo Jürgens 21: Billie Whitelaw 20: Lucio Abis 20: Gino Pellegrini 19: Barbara Jones 18: Virna Lisi 18: Mandy Rice-Davies 17: Daniel Sintentu Mpasi 16: Man Haron Monis 15: Donald Metcalf edit sidebar

Ongoing conflicts
Global War on Drugs War on Terror Operation Active Endeavour Operation Enduring Freedom Terrorist incidents in 2015 Africa Lord's Resistance Army insurgency Maghreb insurgency OEF – Horn of Africa OEF – Trans Sahara Central African Republic Civil conflict Egypt Sinai insurgency Libya 2014 Libyan Civil War Nigeria Boko Haram Somalia Civil war Sudan and South Sudan Sudan internal conflict South Sudan internal conflict War in Darfur Americas Colombian conflict Internal conflict in Peru Mexican War on Drugs Paraguayan People's Army insurgency Asia Afghanistan War Military operations Taliban insurgency India Naxalite–Maoist insurgency Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir Insurgency in Northeast India Korea Korean maritime border conflict Pakistan Balochistan conflict North-West War Sectarian violence Philippines Communist insurgency Moro insurgency Southeast Asia Cambodian–Thai border dispute Kachin conflict Papua conflict South Thailand insurgency Territorial disputes in the South China Sea Europe Abkhaz–Georgian conflict North Caucasus insurgency War in Donbass Dissident Irish Republican campaign Middle East Arab–Israeli conflict Gaza–Israel conflict Israeli–Lebanese conflict Israeli–Palestinian conflict Israel–Iran proxy conflict Iraqi insurgency Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant Kurdistan Kurdish–Iranian conflict Syrian Civil War Yemen al-Qaeda crackdown Shia insurgency South Yemen insurgency edit sidebar

Elections
Recent: December 14: Japan, Parliament 17: Greece, President (1st round) 20: Liberia, Senate 21: Tunisia, President (2nd round) 21: Uzbekistan, Parliament (1st round) 23: Greece, President (2nd round) 28: Croatia, President (1st round) 29: Greece, President (3rd round) Recent: January 4: Uzbekistan, Parliament (2nd round) 8: Sri Lanka, President Upcoming: January 11: Croatia, President (2nd round) 20: Zambia, President 25: Comoros, Parliament (1st round) 25: Greece, Parliament Upcoming: February 7: Slovakia, Referendum edit sidebar

Trials
Recently concluded Australia: Brett Peter Cowan, Craig Thomson, Robert Hughes Brazil: Mensalão scandal Canada: Michael Thomas Rafferty, Luka Magnotta China: Liu Tienan, Li Daqiu, Bo Xilai Croatia: Ivo Sanader Egypt: Peter Greste Germany: Bernie Ecclestone, Uli Hoeness, Christian Wulff, Breno Borges Iran: Mohammad Reza Rahimi Israel: Hussam Qawasmeh Italy: Silvio Berlusconi Jordan: Abu Qatada Malaysia: Anwar Ibrahim Russia: Leonid Khabarov, Vladimir Kvachkov, Pussy Riot South Africa: Shrien Dewani, Oscar Pistorius, Chris Mahlangu Turkey: Kenan Evren, Tahsin Şahinkaya United Kingdom: Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, Ali Dizaei, Antoni Imiela, Brian Regan, Donna Air, Ched Evans, Clayton McDonald, Titus Bramble, Dan Penteado, John Terry, Iftikhar and Farzana Ahmed, Asil Nadir, Justin Lee Collins, Kweku Adoboli, Tony McCluskie, Kevin Hutchinson-Foster, Chris Huhne, Nicola Edgington, Vicky Pryce, Derek Rose, Mick Philpott, Mairead Philpott, Paul Mosley, Kevin Liverpool, Junior Bradshaw, Aggro Santos, Stuart Hazell, Mark Bridger, Andrew Lancel, Dale Cregan, Ray Wilkins, Michael Le Vell, Liam Adams, R v Grillo and Grillo, Ian Watkins, William Roache, Dave Lee Travis, Nicholas Jacobs, Nigel Evans, Max Clifford, Stuart Hall, Dappy, Rebekah Brooks, Andy Coulson, Rolf Harris, Tulisa Contostavlos, Chris Denning, Ray Teret United States: Abu Hamza al-Masri, Michael Grimm, Bob McDonnell, Vilma Bautista, George Huguely, Allen Stanford, Roger Clemens, Jerry Sandusky, Jared Lee Loughner, Lauryn Hill, Kermit Gosnell, George Zimmerman, Chelsea Manning, Ariel Castro, Whitey Bulger, Robert Bales, Nidal Malik Hasan, Crystal Mangum International ECCC: Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan ICC: Germain Katanga, Thomas Lubanga ICTY: Momčilo Perišić, Mladen Markač, Ante Gotovina SCFSL: Charles Taylor Ongoing Egypt: Mohamed Morsi, Hosni Mubarak Germany: Beate Zschäpe Iran: Babak Zanjani Philippines: Andal Ampatuan, Jr., Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Janet Lim-Napoles, Jovito Palparan Russia: Alexei Navalny South Korea: MV Sewol crew members United Kingdom: Eddy Shah, Koo Stark United States: Jodi Arias International ICTY: Radovan Karadžić, Ratko Mladic Upcoming Libya: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Spain: Lionel Messi United Kingdom: Dane Bowers, Gary Glitter, Andy Coulson United States: Paul Anthony Ciancia, Javaris Crittenton, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Dylan Quick, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, James Eagan Holmes, Aaron Hernandez, Graham Spanier, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, Anas al-Libi, Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Rick Perry International ICC: Laurent Gbagbo edit sidebar

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2012: January; February; March; April; May; June; July; August; September; October; November; December

2011: January; February; March; April; May; June; July; August; September; October; November; December

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