News Archives for World - 2021-01-12

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World - 2021-01-12

USA

Trump says impeachment causing 'tremendous anger'

The crisis galvanized many of Trump's former boosters in the corporate and sporting world to turn their backs.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 09:55pm

Middle East

Ghosn meeting with French investigators postponed: lawyers

Tamalet said a strict 11-day lockdown that will go into force in Lebanon on Thursday until January 25 prompted the move.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 09:32pm

Africa

Two Malawi ministers die of Covid-19

The minister, who was also vice president of the ruling Malawi Congress Party, passed away Tuesday morning.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 09:28pm

Europe

Russia 'blocking return of poisoned Navalny'

The move was also interpreted by Navalny and his allies as an attempt to prevent him from returning to Russia.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 09:27pm

Africa

Egypt follows Gulf allies in reopening airspace to Qatar

Qatar Airways was expected to restart flights between Doha and Egypt on Friday, pending approval, sources at Cairo airport said.
Goods transport between the two countries will also become possible under agreements that are set to be activated.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 09:26pm

USA

Trump breaks isolation with Texas trip, but impeachment looms

The crisis galvanized many of Trump's former boosters in the corporate and sporting world to turn their backs.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 09:25pm

Middle East

Iran slams US move to rebrand Cuba state sponsor of terror

Trump has reversed many of Obama's efforts to normalise relations with Cuba, also ramping up sanctions against the Havana government.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 09:20pm

Middle East

Sheldon Adelson was 'champion of the Jewish people': Israeli PM

Adelson, who died aged 87, was a supporter of outgoing US President Donald Trump as well as Netanyahu.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 09:19pm

Guterres to run for second term as UN chief: official

Guterres, a former prime minister of Portugal and the UN's former high commissioner for refugees, will see his first term expire in December.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 09:18pm

Middle East

Iran wants 'snapback' erased from nuclear deal: Khamenei advisor

The text also contains a "snapback" mechanism that could be triggered in case of "significant non-performance" of its commitments by Iran.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 09:18pm

Europe

Spain aims for all care home residents to get first COVID-19 vaccine dose by weekend

During the first wave of infection from March-May the virus devastated the care-home population, killing some 20,000 people.
From Jan. 18, health authorities will begin administering the second round of the double-dose Pfizer-BioNTech jab to the earliest recipients of the first shot.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 09:09pm

Trump calls move to impeach him 'absolutely ridiculous'

Trump would become the first U.S. president to be impeached twice if the House of Representatives votes in favor of impeachment on Wednesday.
- The president did not answer a question about whether he would resign.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 08:54pm

Europe

Ukraine asks EU neighbours for more help getting COVID-19 vaccines

The pandemic has killed more than 20,000 Ukrainians and plunged one of Europe's poorest countries into recession last year.
Ukraine has agreed to buy some vaccines from China and also expects to secure some under the global COVAX programme for poorer countries.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 08:51pm

USA

US to release COVID-19 doses in push for older Americans to get shots, Azar says

Most states prioritized health-care workers and nursing home staff and residents for their first deliveries of the COVID-19 vaccines which began last month.
The government will call on governors to open up vaccinations to everyone older than 65, Azar said on the television program.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 08:46pm

USA

PIMCO says 2021 'not a time for excessive optimism'

In its 2021 outlook published Tuesday, the California-based fixed-income investor, which manages over $2 trillion in assets.
Investors may have become too complacent as reflected by the bullish consensus positioning. As these risk factors underline.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 08:44pm

Europe

Lauberhorn ski classic cancelled as UK tourist spreads virus variant

The aim was to prevent the virus from circulating in an uncontrolled way during the Lauberhorn races and thus endangering the participating athletes and officials as well as the local population and thus the further winter ski season in Wengen.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 08:26pm

USA

Mexico to conclude Sputnik vaccine approval process quickly

Mexico was considering acquiring 24 million doses of Sputnik V.
Separately, Lopez Obrador said his government would not be reserving information on Mexico's vaccine contracts despite officials previously saying they would be withheld for five years.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 08:15pm

Europe

Coronavirus toll at 1100 GMT Tuesday

More than 90,807,760 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 55,908,500 are now considered recovered.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 08:08pm

Middle East

Egypt reopens airspace to Qatar after Gulf reconciliation

The four countries imposed a three-and-a-half-year blockade, closing their airspace to Qatari flights.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 08:05pm

South Asia

Sri Lanka pleads for debt rollover as economy falters

Sri Lanka's economy contracted by 3.9 percent last year, its worst-ever slump.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 08:02pm

Europe

Swiss give green light to Moderna as 2nd Covid vaccine

The neighbouring European Union gave its approval to the Moderna vaccine last Wednesday, with Britain doing likewise on Friday.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 07:58pm

Europe

Austria expels alleged Turkish spy

Ozturk's trial is scheduled for February 4, Vienna's criminal court confirmed Tuesday.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 07:56pm

Africa

Niger opposition seeks single candidate in presidential poll

The manifesto was first read out on Sunday to more than 3,000 people in Niamey's main sports arena.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 07:54pm

Europe

Swiss enforce quarantine on arrivals from Ireland

The new rules came after the World Health Organization's emergencies director Michael Ryan drew attention to Ireland's plight.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 07:52pm

Africa

UN seeks $35 million in emergency aid for Madagascar

The economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has amplified the hit from a long-term drought, it said.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 07:50pm

Europe

Greece urges EU to adopt vaccine certificate for travel

The budget sees the Greek economy slumping by 10.5 percent in 2020, worse than the 8.2 percent predicted in October.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 07:48pm

Europe

Sweden declines case against Eritrea for journalist jailing

The case concerns Swedish-Eritrean journalist Dawit Isaak, who has been imprisoned in Eritrea since 2001.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 07:47pm

Europe

EU nears deal with Valvena for Covid-19 vaccine

The EU has already signed contracts with AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi-GSK, Pfizer-BioNTech, CureVac, and Moderna.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 07:44pm

Africa

Alarm after Senegal's 'best student' goes missing in France

The Senegalese consul in Paris reported her missing on January 7 and the consulate has put her picture and details on the home page of its website.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 07:42pm

Africa

Ethiopia says Sudan pressing further into disputed border zone

In early December Sudan accused Ethiopian "forces and militias" of ambushing Sudanese troops along the border, leaving four dead and more than 20 wounded.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 07:40pm

Middle East

Kuwait government resigns en masse in challenge for new emir

Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah must submit the resignations to the OPEC member state's ruler, Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmed al-Sabah, for approval.
CGC said the government submitted its resignation "in light of developments in the relationship between the National Assembly and the government", but did not elaborate.

Updated 12 Jan, 2021 08:15pm

Europe

Erdogan pledges to put EU ties 'back on track'

Erdogan added that he was open to better relations with Paris after months of personal feuds with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 07:38pm

Kuwait government resigns en masse in challenge for new emir

Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah must submit the resignations to the OPEC member state’s ruler, Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmed al-Sabah, for approval.
The prime minister had been due to be questioned at a parliamentary session on Jan. 19.

Updated 12 Jan, 2021 08:26pm

Africa

Uganda regulator orders social media shutdown ahead of vote

Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter were down in the East African nation on Tuesday, after the communications regulator ordered a social media shutdown.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 07:37pm

Europe

UK condemns Chinese 'barbarism' against Uighur minority

Raab outlined plans to bar British companies which inadvertently or deliberately profit from, or contribute to, human rights violations against the Uighurs in Xinjiang province.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 07:35pm

Europe

Greece proposes joint EU vaccination certificate to ease travel

Greece, which relies on tourism for a fifth of its economic output and is keen to revive travel before the summer season.
While we are not going to make vaccination compulsory or a prerequisite for travel, persons who have been vaccinated should be free to travel.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 07:25pm

Middle East

Saudi Arabia puts financing for Riyadh airport expansion on hold

Riyadh Airports Company, which manages and operates King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital.
The expansion was part of the country's aim to diversify the economy, create jobs and reduce dependence on oil revenues.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 07:21pm

Europe

Sweden records 17,395 new COVID-19 cases to take total above 500,000

The statistics also showed that Dec. 17 was the deadliest day since the start of the pandemic with 116 deaths.
Sweden's death rate per capita is several times higher than that of its Nordic neighbours.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 07:19pm

South Asia

Singapore Airlines staff offered COVID-19 vaccinations

Those who are eligible for the vaccine include cabin crew, pilots, airport-based staff whose job requires them to interact with passengers, and selected engineering staff.
Singapore has only approved Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine but has said it has secured enough doses for its 5.7 million population.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 07:18pm

Europe

Ukraine leader appeals for EU vaccine help

Ukraine had reported more than 1.1 million cases of coronavirus and 20,019 deaths by Tuesday.

Updated 12 Jan, 2021 07:36pm

Europe

Erdogan hopes new Turkey-Greece talks will herald new era

NATO members Ankara and Athens announced on Monday they had agreed to resume on Jan. 25 long-suspended exploratory talks over disputed offshore rights in the Mediterranean.
We must stop the Mediterranean from being an area for competition and turn into waters that will serve our long-term interests.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 07:09pm

South Asia

India's retail inflation eases in December, within RBI target

December's annual retail inflation was 4.59%, down from 6.93% in November to the lowest since September 2019 and below the 5.28% forecast.
The central bank may continue its pause at the February's policy meeting and look out for more incoming data.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 07:03pm

Europe

UK says Twitter entitled to ban Trump, but social media firms must be accountable

Social media companies are entitled to make their own moderation decisions.
Social media companies must be held accountable for the consistent, transparent, and effective enforcement of their terms and conditions.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 07:00pm

USA

Brazil inflation ends 2020 at 4.5pc, above target and highest in four years

It was the second month in a row the benchmark annual IPCA consumer inflation rate has been above 4%.
The annual rate of 4.5% in December exceeded the 4.4% median forecast in a Reuters poll of economists and was higher than the central bank's year-end goal of 4.00%.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 06:50pm

Europe

UK says will keep Magnitsky sanctions in reserve over China's Xinjiang

Raab said "on Magnitsky, we will keep that in reserve", after he announced new rules for companies to try to prevent goods from the region entering the supply chain.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 06:43pm

Africa

Uganda bans social media ahead of presidential election

Presidential and parliamentary elections on Jan. 14.
Wine says home raided by security forces, police deny this.
President Museveni due to address nation on Tuesday.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 06:40pm

USA

Brazil environmental fines fall 20pc as deforestation soars

The federal agency gave out 9,516 fines in 2020 compared with 11,914 in 2019.
Bolsonaro has said more commercial farming and mining in the Amazon rainforest are necessary to lift the region out of poverty.

Updated 12 Jan, 2021 06:37pm

USA

Twitter suspends 70,000 accounts linked to pro-Trump QAnon conspiracy

The social network was Trump's preferred megaphone, and his account had 88 million subscribers when it was suspended.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 05:52pm

Africa

C.African rebels try to sever capital's vital artery

The border point has now become a parking lot -- more than 400 trucks are stacked up, waiting to cross.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 05:50pm

South Asia

WHO warns coronavirus herd immunity unlikely this year

England opened seven mass vaccination sites Monday to fight a surge fuelled by that variant, which is threatening to overwhelm hospitals.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 05:48pm

South Asia

Japan says working to isolate, analyse new virus variant

The variant was found in two adults and two children who arrived in Japan on January 2 from Brazil.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 05:45pm

South Asia

India's top court orders stay on new farm laws that riled growers

We have the power to make a committee and the committee can give us the report.
We are grateful to the Supreme Court for its positive response.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 05:45pm

South Asia

Hong Kong opposition shudders as mass arrests herald 'a harsh winter'

The 56-year-old law professor is no stranger to police interview rooms and has previously been jailed for his democracy campaigning.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 05:44pm

Europe

EU watchdog to review AstraZenenca-Oxford vaccine this month

Opinion on conditional authorisation expected by Jan. 29.
EMA studying additional information provided by AstraZeneca.
EMA began rolling review of vaccine in Oct.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 05:43pm

Europe

Russia extends UK flight ban over new strain

The government said the move was taken to "prevent the import and spread of the new coronavirus infection".

Published 12 Jan, 2021 05:42pm

South Asia

Thailand approves soft loans and subsidies to mitigate virus impact

Government to support utility bills.
Has 638 billion baht ready for soft loans.
Central bank extends debt restructuring period.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 05:38pm

South Asia

Indonesian divers hunt seabed for crashed plane's black boxes

Authorities have so far been unable to explain why the 26-year-old plane crashed just four minutes after takeoff.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 05:37pm

Europe

AstraZeneca files for EU vaccine approval

The EMA said its assessment would "proceed under an accelerated timeline".

Published 12 Jan, 2021 05:32pm

USA

Two US lawmakers test positive for Covid-19 after Capitol riot

The US is the world's hardest-hit country and some 375,000 people have died from the coronavirus -- with about 3,000 more dying every day.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 05:29pm

South Asia

Indian Supreme Court suspends India's contentious farming laws

The government has said the changes would allow farmers to sell to private buyers instead of just at state markets.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 05:27pm

South Asia

Another Chinese city goes into lockdown amid new COVID-19 threat

55 new COVID-19 cases reported vs 103 a day earlier.
Hebei province accounts for 40 of 42 new local infections.
Langfang city in Hebei orders home quarantine for all.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 05:26pm

USA

Jabs equal jobs? Fed sees possible economic boom if vaccine gets on track

After a catastrophic spell when economic conditions were so confounded by the coronavirus that the Fed stopped making projections altogether, US central bankers now like what they see.
We have a trillion (dollars) in excess savings. We have checks coming in the mailbox. There will be enough demand" from consumers to keep the recovery on track.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 05:22pm

USA

Trump administration to deliver guidelines to speed up vaccinations

The drive to speed up the process will also include expanding venues where people can get vaccinated to community health centers and more pharmacies.
Nearly 9 million people in the United States had been given their first COVID-19 vaccination dose as of Monday.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 05:20pm

South Asia

Indonesia military chief confident of finding plane's cockpit voice recorder soon

He was speaking at a joint news conference where Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi confirmed the data recorder had been found on Tuesday.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 05:18pm

Africa

Lower imports cut Tunisia's trade deficit to $4.7bn in 2020

The deficit decreased from 19.43 billion dinars in 2019 to 12.75 billion dinars in 2020. Imports fell by 18.7% to 51.4 billion dinars.
Worsening trade deficits have been a dilemma in recent years.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 05:16pm

Europe

UK virus breaches 'costing lives' as police seek priority jabs

Government minister Kit Malthouse said the situation was "very, very perilous" but not everyone was complying with stay-at-home orders.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 05:15pm

South Asia

Polish retailers threaten to sue state over coronavirus restrictions

The association said it was particularly unfair that clothes, shoe and jewellery shops in shopping malls must stay closed while supermarkets.
We are being discriminated against. We expect that our shops are allowed to open.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 05:14pm

South Asia

WHO experts to arrive in Wuhan for delayed virus probe

WHO team will leave from Singapore and fly straight to Wuhan, the central city where the first cluster of cases was detected in December 2019.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 05:12pm

South Asia

Malaysia declares emergency to curb virus, shoring up government

Emergency declared until Aug. 1, or earlier if COVID-19 under control.
Daily COVID cases hits record high.
PM, cabinet get more powers during emergency.
PM suspends parliament; commits to elections when it is safe.
Opposition says PM using emergency to avoid govt collapse.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 05:11pm

Africa

South Africa's manufacturing output down 3.5pc year on year in November

Factory production was down 1.3% in November month on month and rose 8.9% in the three months to end-November.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 05:05pm

Europe

EU wraps preliminary talks with Valneva on supply of COVID vaccines

The envisaged contract with Valneva would provide for the possibility for all EU Member States to purchase together 30 million doses.
They could further purchase up to 30 million more doses.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 05:00pm

South Asia

Security concerns block Chinese bid for Australian builder

In 2020, the Australian government tightened rules covering foreign investment in the country.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 04:59pm

Europe

Greek parliament to vote this week on Rafale jets purchase

The agreement, expected to be signed by both countries' ministers in Athens this month.
For the purchase and maintenance of six new and 12 used Rafale jets, Greece will spend 1.5 billion euros this year.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 04:58pm

South Asia

China places 5 million more under lockdown to stamp out virus cluster

Hebei province in northern China has reported 560 new cases in recent weeks -- 234 of which are asymptomatic -- sparking a raft of new lockdowns and restrictions.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 04:57pm

Middle East

Lockdown adds to suffering of vulnerable Lebanese: charity

Lebanon, a country of more than six million, is grappling with its worst economic downturn since the 1975-1990 war.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 04:56pm

Europe

EU 'regrets' new US tariffs, looks to Biden

Washington last week suspended a plan to impose new tariffs on $1.3 billion in French products in a dispute over a digital services tax.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 04:54pm

Middle East

Jordanian sentenced to death for 2019 tourist knife attack

The Jordanian victims included a tour guide and a security officer who attempted to intervene.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 04:52pm

Europe

Italy's Conte faces showdown with aggrieved coalition party

The long-delayed cabinet meeting is scheduled to start at 9:30 p.m. (2030 GMT) and if Italia Viva pulls its support.
I think it would be serious political error that would hurt Italy and that fellow Italians would not understand.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 04:51pm

Europe

Portuguese president tests negative after a Covid positive

Portugal is facing a new lockdown after a record 122 deaths in the past 24 hours and nearly 4,000 people in hospital on Monday.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 04:50pm

Europe

Merkel sees coronavirus lockdown until early April

If we don't manage to stop this British virus, then we will have 10 times the number of cases by Easter.
Merkel said the coming eight to ten weeks would be very hard if the British variant spreads to Germany.

Published 12 Jan, 2021 04:49pm

Previous Day

Forex
World
Commodity

Currency	Rate
USD PKR Interbank Selling / Apr 25	278.52
USD PKR Interbank Buying / Apr 25	278.32
USD to Japanese Yen / Apr 25	155.60
USD to Swiss Franc / Apr 25	0.91
Pound Sterling to USD / Apr 25	1.25
Euro to USD / Apr 25	1.07

Stock	Volume
S&P 500 / Apr 24	5070.63
Nasdaq / Apr 24	15712.75
Dow Jones / Apr 24	38460.92
India Sensex / Apr 25	73780.80
Tokyo Nikkei / Apr 25	37628.48
Hang Seng / Apr 25	17264.90
FTSE 100 / Apr 25	8077.84
Germany DAX 30 / Apr 25	17994.97

Item	Value
Karachi Cotton PKR/37.32 KG / Apr 23	21035
Gold 10 Grams PKR / Apr 23	213220
Petrol/Litre / Apr 25	293.94
Crude Oil USD/Barrel / Apr 25	83.02
Gold Spot USD/Ounce / Apr 25	2325.45
Diesel/Litre / Apr 25	290.38

Gainers
Losers
Leaders

Stock	Price
786 Invest Ltd / Apr 25 786 Investments Limited(786)	5 ▼ 0.00 (0.00%)
AL-Abbas Sugar / Apr 25 Al-Abbas Sugar Mills Limited(AABS)	585 ▼ 0.00 (0.00%)
Agro Allianz / Apr 25 Agro Allianz Limited(AAL)	16 ▼ 0.00 (0.00%)
AL-Abid Silk / Apr 25 Al-Abid Silk Mills Limited(AASM)	3.49 ▼ 0.00 (0.00%)
Ali Asghar / Apr 25 Ali Asghar Textile Mills Limited(AATM)	2.07 ▼ 0.00 (0.00%)
Allied Bank / Apr 25 Allied Bank Limited(ABL)	87.10 ▼ 0.00 (0.00%)
Abbott Lab. / Apr 25 Abbott Laboratories (Pakistan) Limited(ABOT)	499.34 ▼ 0.00 (0.00%)
Abson Ind. / Apr 25 Abson Industries Limited(ABSON)	2.50 ▼ 0.00 (0.00%)
Alfalah ETF. / Apr 25 Alfalah Consumer Index ETF.(ACIETF)	9.84 ▼ 0.00 (0.00%)

Stock	Price
786 Invest Ltd / Apr 25 786 Investments Limited(786)	5 ▲ 0.00 (0.00%)
AL-Abbas Sugar / Apr 25 Al-Abbas Sugar Mills Limited(AABS)	585 ▲ 0.00 (0.00%)
Agro Allianz / Apr 25 Agro Allianz Limited(AAL)	16 ▲ 0.00 (0.00%)
AL-Abid Silk / Apr 25 Al-Abid Silk Mills Limited(AASM)	3.49 ▲ 0.00 (0.00%)
Ali Asghar / Apr 25 Ali Asghar Textile Mills Limited(AATM)	2.07 ▲ 0.00 (0.00%)
Allied Bank / Apr 25 Allied Bank Limited(ABL)	87.10 ▲ 0.00 (0.00%)
Abbott Lab. / Apr 25 Abbott Laboratories (Pakistan) Limited(ABOT)	499.34 ▲ 0.00 (0.00%)
Abson Ind. / Apr 25 Abson Industries Limited(ABSON)	2.50 ▲ 0.00 (0.00%)
Alfalah ETF. / Apr 25 Alfalah Consumer Index ETF.(ACIETF)	9.84 ▲ 0.00 (0.00%)

Stock	Volume
P.I.A.C.(A) / Apr 25 Pakistan International Airlines Corp(PIAA)	47,200,500 ▲ 0.00
Cnergyico PK / Apr 25 Cnergyico PK Limited(CNERGY)	29,719,327 ▲ 0.00
Pak Petroleum / Apr 25 Pakistan Petroleum Limited(PPL)	21,170,581 ▲ 0.00
Pak Refinery / Apr 25 Pakistan Refinery Limited(PRL)	16,965,134 ▲ 0.00
The Searle Co. / Apr 25 The Searle Company Limited(SEARL)	15,793,227 ▲ 0.00
P.T.C.L. / Apr 25 Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd(PTC)	15,054,641 ▲ 0.00
K-Electric Ltd. / Apr 25 K-Electric Limited(KEL)	14,145,556 ▲ 0.00
WorldCall Telecom / Apr 25 Worldcall Telecom Limited(WTL)	13,158,668 ▲ 0.00
Telecard Limited / Apr 25 Telecard Limited(TELE)	12,358,668 ▲ 0.00

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