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Sunday 7 December 2014

Sydney smashed by severe storm AGAIN! We take a look at why wild weather batters the east coast every evening… and why we can expect even more

Severe thunderstorms bringing lightning and thunder has lasted for an incredible six days in a row in Sydney and around eastern parts of NSW
The ritualised weather in the past week has been caused by strong humidity, which hasn't been able to move away, hence triggering thunderstorms
NSW SES have answered 396 calls for help from lunchtime Sunday until around 7pm, with crews expected to work through the night
Thunderstorms are expected to arrive again tomorrow night and are also forecast for Wednesday and through the week

For an incredible sixth day in a row, Sydney and the rest of the east coast has been hit by spectacular storms - and it looks like the crazy weather is showing no signs of slowing up.

In what is becoming a regular occurrence, the Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe thunderstorm warning for most of the east of New South Wales on Sunday.

The Bureau admits that it is not unusual for the east coast to see a couple of days of storms which usually pass through, but the frequency and intensity of the recent wild weather is very rare.

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A Qantas plane flies near storm clouds above Sydney on Sunday. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Sydney and surrounding areas late Sunday afternoon

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Electrifying!Photographer Roland Taylor has layered 28 images from his Surry Hills home, capturing the incredible electric storm on Wednesday (https://www.facebook.com/RolandTaylorPhoto)

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Lightning show in Sydney : The heavens open up and give a spectacular show

Every evening for the past week in Sydney and parts of NSW the temperature and humidity rises followed by a burst of thunder and lightning before the sun goes down.

'A week ago we saw a lot of humid air come in from the Tasman Sea and Queensland and since then it has no strong weather systems coming through from the west, Western Australia, to push the humidity away,' said Mr Logan.

'It has stayed with us and the warm days have combined with humidity to trigger thunderstorms.'

'It's unusual for this time of year, a system will normally come through from and we'll get reprieve, but this has allowed the storms to hang around.'

'It's called a blocking pattern, high pressure systems out in the Tasman Sea prevents any front coming up from Western Australia and prevents it from making it this far and therefore there's no impact in NSW.'

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Photographer Roland Taylor has layered 28 images from his Surry Hills home, capturing the incredible electric storm on Wednesday (https://www.facebook.com/RolandTaylorPhoto)

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A lone boat is seen out on the water as it is lashed by rain with dark clouds forming overhead

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Electrifying : a lightning bolt lights up the Sydney skyline during thunderstorms

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The Sydney skyline as seen from the inner-east suburb of Potts Point, where a dramatic display of lightning stole the show earlier this week

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Beach goers watch as a thunderstorm moves in over Stanwell Park beach south of Sydney on Sunday

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And then it becomes dark : Beach goers watch as a thunderstorm moves in over Stanwell Park beach south of Sydney on Sunday

'This afternoon (Sunday) severe storms hit the northern suburbs, Hornsby, Turramurra, Wahroonga,' he said.

'There was multiple reports of two to three centimetres of golf ball sized hail. Each storm, over one location lasts for about half an hour, sometimes longer and across the city (Sydney) it stays around for a couple of hours every night.'

'Been going through the records, Sydney airport lightning activity each day has reached its sixth day in row, not sure we've seen that before, it's a really rare event,' he said.

The weather didn't help flight schedules at Sydney airport as thunderstorms caused delays and a number of diversions.

Although not for a Qantas Airways Boeing 737-800 plane that braved the dark skies and was seen flying near threatening storm clouds above Sydney on Sunday evening and with all that lightning in the sky it's possible it could have actually been hit by struck.

According to Wisegeek, on average, each commercial airplane gets hit by lightning approximately once a year or even more, but it rarely causes any serious damage or accidents.

Fortunately they're built to handle it because the outside of an airplane is primarily composed of aluminium, which is a good conductor of electricity, the electricity from the lightning is sent back into the air and prevents the interior of the plane feeling much of an impact.

But lightning strikes did cause a few problems for Fire and Rescue NSW in the past couple of days.

At 5:30 on Sunday, right in the middle of the storm, fire crews got called to a fire that had started in a home at Winston Hills and a Fire and Rescue NSW spokesperson confirmed the fire had started by a lightning strike.

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What a sight! the storm got plenty talking on social media with some spectacular views of the sky over Sydney

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Amazing shot taken from Olympic Park of the storm clouds starting to consume the sky

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Beach goers watch as a thunderstorm moves in over Stanwell Park beach south of Sydney on Sunday

Here comes the cold snap! Parts of Britain covered in a blanket of snow as temperatures plummet to -3C prompting forecasters to issue ice weather warnings

Temperatures plummeted to -2.9C in Frittenden, Kent, last night and -2.8C at Shoreham Airport in West Sussex

Severe weather warnings of snow and ice in place for north west of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland today

Widespread snow fallen in Inverness, Northumberland, Cumbria, the Peak District and Buxton in Derbyshire today

Met Office said temperatures are set to plummet to -8C in some rural parts, with snow and gale-force winds forecast

Parts of Britain awoke to inches of snow, heavy frost and low-lying mist this morning as temperatures plummeted to -3C – kicking off the winter cold snap which is set to last throughout the week.

Severe weather warnings for snow and ice are in place for the north west of England, most of Scotland and Northern Ireland today, with forecasters predicting snowfall accumulations of between 5cm and 10cm.

Widespread snow has already fallen across Inverness, Northumberland, Cumbria, the Peak District and Buxton in Derbyshire, with children taking to sledges and dogwalkers out in force to make the most of it.

The rest of the country is braced for 'slushy deposits' of hail, snow and sleet today, before temperatures plummet to as low as -8C in rural parts on Monday on what will be the 'coldest night of the week'.

Plummeting temperatures will make parts of Britain colder than Moscow as the 'arctic blast' brings 'substantial' swathes of snow and sleet as far as the Midlands and western England over the next couple of days.

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Cold snap: Temperatures dropped to almost -3C in parts of Britain last night, with forecasters warning the cold weather is set to continue this week, and bring with it more snow and gale-force winds. Pictured: A train battles through heavy snowfall in Inverness this morning

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Travel chaos: The Met Office is warning of disruption on roads and railways as snow falls across parts of the UK, including Inverness (above)

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Winter wonderland: A dogwalker made the most of the heavy snowfall in the picturesque village of Tomatin near Inverness this morning

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Fun and games: Children took to sledges as they played in the snow this morning after accumulations of up to 10cm fell in Inverness

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Snowfall: Severe weather warnings for snow and ice are in place for the north west of England,

most of Scotland and Northern Ireland today, with forecasters predicting snowfall accumulations of between 5cm and 10cm. Pictured: A man clears snow from his drive in Tomatin, Scotland

Forecasters said the coldest place in England last night was Frittenden, Kent, where the mercury dropped to -2.9C.

It was closely followed by Shoreham Airport in West Sussex, and Charlwood in Surrey, where temperatures hit -2.8C and -2.7C respectively.

Temperatures were also recorded as -2.2C in Writtle, near Chelmsford in Essex.

Today, the Met Office posted on Twitter: 'Polar maritime air will make it feel colder today with a chance of #uksnow in the north, especially on higher ground (sic).'

Calum MacColl, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said the plummeting temperatures were due to a band of cold air moving across the country, combined with clear skies overnight.

India Uber taxi driver in Delhi rape allegation

A woman in India says she was raped by a taxi driver after booking the cab using the popular Uber smartphone app.

The 26-year-old from Delhi told police she dozed off in the taxi and when she woke up the vehicle was parked in a secluded part of the capital.

A medical examination found she had been raped, police say. A man suspected of being the driver has been arrested.

The latest incident comes amid increasing concern at sexual violence against women in India.

Uber, which enables customers to book and pay for taxis online, said it was co-operating with the police.

"Our thoughts are with the victim of this terrible crime and we are working with the police as they investigate," it said in a statement.

The woman, who works in finance, told police she called the taxi on Friday evening after dining at a restaurant.

The Uber taxi booking app showing New York, 21 November 2014

India is one of dozens of countries where Uber is popular

After the driver raped her, she alleged he warned her she would be hurt if she raised the alarm. He then dropped her off near her home.

The driver later abandoned the taxi, police said.

Safety

Uber, which is growing in India, has been accused failing to conduct adequate checks on its drivers.

"Our initial investigations have revealed shortcomings of the private cab company which didn't have GPS installed in its cabs and the staff wasn't verified," Delhi Special Commissioner Deepak Mishra said.

But Uber, which is based in San-Francisco, said safety was paramount, and said it had GPS traces of all journeys.

"We work with licensed driver-partners to provide a safe transportation option, with layers of safeguards such as driver and vehicle information, and ETA-sharing [estimated time of arrival] to ensure there is accountability and traceability of all trips that occur on the Uber platform," its statement added.

Uber, established in 2009, is present in dozens of countries and recently attracted investment which values it at $40bn (£25bn).

The latest allegation of rape has again put the spotlight on the issue of sexual violence against Indian women, following a series of recent incidents.

It comes only days before the second anniversary of the gang rape and murder of a student on a bus in Delhi, which prompted outrage and a tightening of the laws on sexual violence.

more info:http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-30368479

Archbishop Justin Welby urges help for UK hungry

A new parliamentary report is expected to call for some food banks to be bigger

More help is needed to prevent families in the UK going hungry, the Archbishop of Canterbury has said.

Food is being wasted in "astonishing" amounts but hunger "stalks large parts" of the country, Justin Welby wrote in the Mail on Sunday.

He backed a parliamentary report, to be released on Monday, which aims to end hunger in the UK by 2020.

Nick Clegg said benefits sanctions were partly to blame and proposed a "traffic light system" to limit them.

The deputy prime minister said sanctions - where benefit payments are stopped for infractions such as missing interviews or failing to take part in a work-related activity - should not always be imposed "overnight".

The archbishop said he was left more shocked by the plight of the UK's poor than by those suffering in African refugee camps, because it was so unexpected.

The archbishop said the report makes recommendations that should be seized on by politicians and charities

The parliamentary report is expected to propose a new publicly funded body, known as Feeding Britain, to tackle hunger among poor people.

It is expected to call for bigger food banks to distribute more free food and advise people on how to claim benefits, a rise in the minimum wage, and the provision of free school meals during school holidays for children from poor families.

'Ashamed to be hungry'

The archbishop said the report sought to "bring people together from churches, food banks, the food industry and government to make a real difference".

Among the suggestions in his article, he said it should be made easier for UK food companies to pass on food they could no longer sell.

After describing scenes of a refugee camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo, e wrote: "... a few weeks later in England, I was talking to some people - a mum, dad and one child - in a food bank.

"They were ashamed to be there. The dad talked miserably. He said they had each been skipping a day's meals once a week in order to have more for the child, but then they needed new tyres for the car so they could get to work at night, and just could not make ends meet.

"So they had to come to a food bank. They were treated with respect, love even, by the volunteers from local churches. But they were hungry, and ashamed to be hungry.

"I found their plight more shocking. It was less serious, but it was here."

Nick Clegg spoke to the Andrew Marr Show earlier

Mr Clegg said there was "some evidence" that benefit sanctions forced people to use food banks temporarily.

"Whilst it is of course necessary to have sanctions in the benefit system, I think we should introduce a sort of traffic light system so that some of the sanctions are not imposed quite as 'overnight' as they sometimes are," he said.

"That might help alleviate some of the problem."

The Trussell Trust, which runs more than 400 food banks, has blamed growing use of them on the rising cost of living, static incomes and changes to benefits.

'Sticking to plan'

Business Minister Matthew Hancock said one reason use of food banks had increased was that "more people know about them".

He added: "The key and essential question here is: how do you tackle these deep ingrained problems of poverty? And the single best way through that is - undoubtedly - work."

A government spokesman said UK people should not go hungry because "we have enough food to go around".

"While this report outlines important areas for consideration, we should remember that this country has been through the deepest recession in living memory, and sticking to this government's long-term economic plan is the best way to improve living standards," he said.

Earlier this year 43 Christian leaders, including 27 Anglican bishops, signed a letter urging David Cameron to ensure people get enough to eat, saying "cutbacks and failures" in the benefits system were driving people to food banks.

Do you work for a food bank or have you made use of one? Do you agree with the Archbishop of Canterbury? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. If you are willing to be contacted by a BBC journalist, please include a telephone number.

more info:http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-30366020

Yemen raid: US 'unaware' hostage Korkie was with Somers

Mr Korkie (right) in an undated photo provided by Gift of the Givers

Teacher Pierre Korkie (right) was seized in Yemen in May 2013A charity working with Mr Korkie said he was to have been freed on Sunday.

Its project director said the US rescue attempt had "destroyed everything".

The US says the raid in southern Yemen was launched because they believed there was an immediate threat to Mr Somers' life.

However, it is understood that a payment had been made to enable the release of Mr Korkie.

Some workers at the charity that he was with, Gift of the Givers, have criticised the US raid.

The South African government said it was "deeply saddened" by Mr Korkie's killing, adding that his body was expected to arrive in the country on Monday.

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Luke Somers was abducted in Yemen in 2013, as the BBC's Frank Gardner reports

A senior official in the US administration told the BBC's Tom Esslemont in Washington that the rescuers were not aware that Mr Korkie was being held with Mr Somers.

Separately, details have been emerging of the rescue mission. US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have said some 40 special forces took part in the rescue attempt, which came after drone strikes in the area.

The rescuers reportedly landed by helicopter around six miles (10 km) from the compound where the hostages were being held. Backed by Yemeni ground forces, they advanced to within 100m (320ft) of the site in Shabwa province.

A gunfight broke out when they were spotted by the militants, one of whom was briefly seen entering the compound. US officials believe this was when the hostages were shot.

Both hostages were evacuated with serious injuries and received immediate medical care. Mr Korkie died on a helicopter while Mr Somers died while being treated on a US navy ship in the region.

South African Yolande Korkie, a former hostage and wife of Pierre Korkie, holds a press conference in Johannesburg in January 2014

Former hostage Yolande Korkie had campaigned for her husband's release

US officials said the men could not have been hit by US gunfire, based on where they were being held. The raid lasted about 30 minutes.

The US ambassador to London, Matthew Barzun, told the BBC that the rescue mission had lacked the "element of surprise" because of threats made by the hostage takers in a video featuring Mr Somers.

"In this case, sadly, the timetable was set by the hostage takers because they had basically said publicly that they were going to do awful things by a [certain] date," he said.

US President Barack Obama condemned the "barbaric murder" of both hostages.

He said he authorised the raid to rescue Mr Somers and other hostages held in the same location.

He also offered his "thoughts and prayers" to Mr Korkie's family, saying: "Their despair and sorrow at this time are beyond words".

The charity working with Mr Korkie said it was saddened by his death.

"Pierre Korkie was very sick - he had a hernia," Gift of the Givers' Yemen project director Anas Hamati told the BBC's Newshour.

Mediators had been working on an "arrangement to take him out", he said, adding: "His passport was ready, everything was ready.

"In that time, the attack happened by US special forces in Yemen and that has destroyed everything."

Mr Korkie was abducted with his wife Yolande in May last year in Yemen's second city, Taiz.

She was freed on 10 January without ransom and returned to South Africa.

"The psychological and emotional devastation to Yolande and her family will be compounded by the knowledge that Pierre was to be released by al-Qaeda tomorrow," the charity said in a statement.

more info:http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30366455

Typhoon Hagupit sweeps across Philippines

Rupert Wingfield-Hayes reports on the damage done by Typhoon Hagupit

Typhoon Hagupit is sweeping across the Philippines, toppling trees and power lines and threatening areas with heavy rain, flooding and mudslides.

About a million people have fled their homes for shelter. The storm has killed at least three people, officials say.

In Tacloban, where thousands were killed by typhoon Haiyan last year, roofs have been blown away and streets are flooded.

But Hagupit does not appear to have been as severe as many had feared.

Hagupit, known locally as Ruby, weakened on Sunday as it continued to move slowly across the Philippines.

It was packing maximum sustained winds of 140km/h (90mph) and gusts of 170km/h (105 mph) at 17:00 local time (0900 GMT), government forecaster Pagasa said.

The BBC's Jonathan Head in Legazpi, about 200km (125 miles) north of Tacloban, said Hagupit was clearly a powerful storm but nowhere near as powerful as Haiyan.

The authorities believed they were well prepared this time, he adds, but it could be some time before the extent of damage in more remote areas becomes clear.

Correspondents say the Philippines has undergone its largest peacetime evacuation in history.

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Typhoon Hagupit slow to clear

Homes destroyed

Officials say at least three people have been killed by Hagupit. One person was killed by a falling tree in the eastern town of Dolores.

Another two people in the central province of Iloilo reportedly died from hypothermia.

"The devastation in homes is huge because of the strong winds," Philippine Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas told local radio DzBB.

"Many people voluntarily returned to evacuate centres tonight... because they do not have homes anymore."

Damage on the seafront in Tacloban (7 Dec 2014)

The BBC's Maria Byrne in Tacloban sent this image of people beginning to clear up along the seafront on Sunday morning

The government has warned residents in low-lying and mountainous areas to be alert to possible flash floods and landslides, while those on the coast were warned of the risk of big waves associated with storm surges.

Soldiers have been deployed to major roads along the typhoon's path, to clear debris from roads and prevent looting.

Joey Salceda, governor of Albay province where Legazpi is situated, told the BBC that the main lesson from Typhoon Haiyan had been to prepare well and to evacuate people from vulnerable areas.

"It doesn't happen overnight so you need to train people. I feel confident we can achieve our zero casualty goal," he said.

Waves batter coast at Legazpi. 7 Dec 2014

High winds sent waves crashing into the coast at Legazpi

Policeman moves a fallen tree in Legazi (7 Dec 2014)

Though trees were brought down in Legazpi the city appeared to have escaped extensive damage

Joey Salceda, governor of Albay province. 7 Dec 2014

Joey Salceda, governor of Albay province, says widespread evacuation has been vital

At the scene: Saira Asher, BBC News, Legazpi

The main cities that have so far been in the path of Typhoon Hagupit look to have avoided major damage. But Northern and Eastern Samar are the big worry now, with many small communities that are isolated.

The Philippines Red Cross says their teams are trying to get into some of these areas, but floods or fallen trees blocking roads mean they are unreachable.

Until rescue teams can get to the isolated communities, we will not know the extent of the damage or the loss of life.

Hagupit is a slow-moving typhoon which means a higher risk of prolonged rain that can cause flooding and mudslides. While we may not be seeing the scenes of mass devastation we saw after Typhoon Haiyan, there is still cause for concern.

The typhoon first made landfall in the Philippines on Saturday.

It is expected to cross Sibuyan island in the early hours of Monday. According to forecaster Pagasa, it is expected to leave Philippine territory on Thursday morning.

Man climbs over fallen building in Borongan city, Samar island (7 Dec 2014)

In Borongan city, north-east of Tacloban, buildings were brought down by the strong winds

Maulid Warfa, the head of Unicef's field office in Tacloban, said their five-storey concrete building was shaking under the force of the storm.

Speaking early on Sunday he said: "We're in this dark building and it's raining heavily and there's no electricity and we are using candles.

"We have a generator... but because of the rain and the flood and power problems we have switched it off. It's too dangerous."

Mr Warfa added: "Our concern now is not us sitting in this building. Our concern is for the little children who have had to go through this experience for the second time in 13 months."

About 19,000 people from coastal villages are in 26 evacuation centres, Tacloban's disaster office spokesman Ilderando Bernadas told Reuters.

Haiyan - known as Yolanda in the Philippines - was the most powerful typhoon ever recorded over land. It tore through the central Philippines in November 2013, leaving more than 7,000 dead or missing.

Friday 5 December 2014

India cataracts scandal: Arrests over 'botched' surgery

A man sits on a bed while waiting for treatment at a hospital after undergoing cataract removals from a free eye surgery camp, in the northern Indian city of Amritsar December 5

India's medical infrastructure is under intense scrutiny after 15 women died following sterilisation surgery.

Tens of thousands of older people are operated on for cataracts in charity-run camps and government hospitals every year.

The operations are generally considered to be low risk and easy to perform.

The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Amritsar says all of the cataract patients who claim to have lost their sight were poor villagers attracted by the offer of free treatment.

Close-up of the eye showing a cataract, an opacity in the lens of the eye that results in blurred vision

Cataracts are the main cause of impaired vision worldwide. They are cloudy patches that develop in the lens of the eye and can cause blurred or misty vision, which can become worse over time. Cataracts are very common, especially in older people.

Surgery to remove cataracts is a relative straightforward procedure, which is usually carried out under local anaesthetic. During the operation, the surgeon makes a tiny cut in the eye so the affected lens can be removed. The surgeon then inserts a small plastic lens in its place.

The risk of serious complications as a result of cataract surgery is small. The most common complication is vision becoming cloudy again. This can happen when a skin or membrane grows over the back of the lens implant months or years later.

Other complications are much rarer. There is a very small risk of permanent sight loss in the treated eye from the operation.

Mr Joshi organised the cataract surgery in the Gurdaspur district of Amritsar on 4 November.

Before he was arrested, he told the BBC that 49 people had been treated and all had received proper care.

However, some 20 patients later said they had not been able to see since removing their bandages.

Our correspondent says 10 of those patients are in danger of losing sight in one eye, and one patient who had already lost sight in one eye was in danger of going blind.

Indian patients Gurbachan Singh, (L), Sampuran Kaur (C) and Pooro Kaur, who lost their eyesight after undergoing surgery at an eye camp, show their damaged eyes at a government hospital in Amritsar on December 5

It is not yet known whether the patients have permanently lost their sight

An Indian doctor checks the eye of patient Shinder Kaur, (R), who lost her eyesight after undergoing surgery at an eye camp, at a government hospital in Amritsar on December 5

The patients are now being treated by doctors in an Amritsar hospital

The cause of the problem was not clear, with officials suggesting the patients had contracted infections either as a result of a lack of proper equipment, or because the equipment was not sterilised.

Dr Rajiv Bhalla, Amritsar's chief medical officer, said the charity did not have proper permission to set up the camp.

It is not the first time cataract surgery has hit the headlines in India.

Between 2008 and 2009, 14 patients lost their sight after contracting infections in northern Uttar Pradesh state.

And in August 2008, eight patients lost their eyesight and 21 became partially blind after free eye surgery in Tamil Nadu.

for more info:http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-30341213

Sunday 7 December 2014

Sydney smashed by severe storm AGAIN! We take a look at why wild weather batters the east coast every evening… and why we can expect even more

Related Stories

More info:http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30365721

Friday 5 December 2014

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