News : France24

The crash of the Air India Boeing 787 on Thursday in Ahmedabad, in northwestern India, left at least 279 dead, making it the deadliest air disaster in the world since 2014, according to a new report released on Saturday.

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World leaders call for restraint, de-escalation after Israeli strikes on Iran

Pacific Asia • 4:42 PM

1 min

World leaders urged restraint on Friday after Israeli strikes hit 100 targets in Iran including nuclear and military sites, killing senior figures in the country's Revolutionary Guards.

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India: Witnesses and sole survivor recount the first minutes after the crash

Pacific Asia • 4:02 PM

1 min

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, only survivor of the Air India plane crash: "It [plane crash] happened before my eyes and even I can’t believe that I came out alive. For some time, I thought I would die too. When I opened my eyes and realised I am still alive, I

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Korean peninsula: Living under propaganda loudspeakers

Pacific Asia • 2:05 PM

1 min

South Korea has suspended its propaganda broadcasts across the border to North Korea, following the election of new president Lee Jae-myung, who wants to improve relationships with Seoul's Communist neighbour. According to the South's military, Pyongyang

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In Kazakhstan, Caspian Sea is disappearing at alarming pace

Pacific Asia • 10:45 AM

1 min

The world's largest landlocked body of water, the Caspian Sea, is evaporating at an alarming pace. Since the 1990s, its level has fallen by more than 3 metres. With ports drying up, fishing in decline and the economy in turmoil, Kazakhstan is bearing the

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Boeing leadership under increased scrutiny after Air India crash

Pacific Asia • 6:01 PM

1 min

The deadly Air India crash has thrust American plane manufacturer Boeing into the spotlight, as company shares fell by over four percent Thursday. The incident marked the first deadly crash of a 787 Dreamliner, a plane that has enjoyed a strong reputatio

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World leaders react to deadly Air India plane crash

Pacific Asia • 2:15 PM

1 min

An Air India plane bound for London crashed within minutes of take-off on Thursday carrying hundreds of passengers onboard in India’s northwestern city of Ahmedabad. Here's what world leaders have said so far.

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India plane crash: All 242 on board flight to London killed this morning

Pacific Asia • 1:45 PM

1 min

An Air India passenger plane en route to London crashed Thursday morning near Ahmedabad in northwestern India, killing all 242 people on board, Indian Express reported, citing police.

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More than 240 killed and one survivor after Air India crash in Ahmedabad

Pacific Asia • 9:15 AM

1 min

A London-bound Air India passenger jet crashed in India's residential area of Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff Thursday, killing more than 240 on board and others on the ground in one of India's worst airline disasters in decades, officials said. One pas

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Iran says it will target US bases if conflict breaks out over nuclear enrichment

Pacific Asia • 1:31 PM

1 min

Iran said on Wednesday it would target US military bases if conflict breaks out between the two countries over Iran's nuclear enrichment program. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Washington "cannot have a say" on the issue, as US Preside

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South Korea halts loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts along border with North

Pacific Asia • 8:47 AM

1 min

South Korea’s military has shut down loudspeakers broadcasting anti-North Korean propaganda along the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), marking the first concrete step towards easing cross-border tensions under Seoul's newly elected president, Lee Jae-myung.

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Trump's student visa pause hits Indian and Chinese students hardest

Pacific Asia • 2:13 PM

1 min

Recent student visa pauses by the US have left thousands of Indian and Chinese students in the lurch. On this week's show we bring you a report on how students in New Delhi are being forced to look for alternatives. Plus, we speak to the first Chinese wo

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Hiroshima, 80 years on: Meeting the last survivors of the apocalypse

Pacific Asia • 1:51 PM

1 min

August 6 will mark 80 years since the US dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Little Boy, as the bomb was nicknamed, killed 80,000 people instantly. By the end of the year, the death toll had risen to 140,000. What has become of the

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🌟The Bright Side: Japan's Oscar-winning anime house Studio Ghibli turns 40

Pacific Asia • 4:33 AM

1 min

The two-time Oscar-winning Japanese Studio Ghibli that has won the heart of fans of different generations turns 40 this month. With films like "Spirited Away" and "The Boy and the Heron", the anime house established by Hayao Miyazaki and the late Isao Ta

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Pakistan, broken innocence: An exclusive investigation into sexual violence at madrasas

Pacific Asia • 12:20 AM

1 min

In Pakistan, more than 2 million children frequently attend madrasas – Koranic schools that offer free religious education to the most disadvantaged. But behind the walls of these revered institutions lies a chilling reality: thousands of children are su

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North Korea's Kim promises 'unconditional support' for Russia's war in Ukraine

Pacific Asia • 1:39 AM

1 min

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has promised Pyongyang's "unconditional support" for Russia's war in Ukraine, telling top Russian security official Sergei Shoigu Wednesday that he believed Moscow would "surely win". Pyongyang confirmed in April that it h

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New South Korean President Lee takes power after resounding election win

Pacific Asia • 1:41 AM

1 min

Centre-left candidate Lee Jae-myung took power on Wednesday as South Korean president as he seeks to initiate a "fresh start" after a chaotic transitional political period, stimulate a tariff-stricken economy and navigate mounting tensions with North Kor

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South Korea's election: After Yoon's turmoil, can Lee calm the country?

Pacific Asia • 6:15 PM

1 min

Can South Korea turn the page on its most turbulent time since democracy was installed? An election held this Tuesday looks like a landslide victory for the Democratic Party of Lee Jae-myung. What is his agenda? Where will he take South Korea? Will he be

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South Korean voters head to polls after months of political turmoil

Pacific Asia • 5:57 AM

1 min

Millions of South Koreans voted Tuesday in a snap presidential election triggered by the ouster of former leader Yoon Suk Yeol, who in December tried and failed to impose martial law. The resulting political turnoil has polarised the electorate making fo

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South Korea's centre-left candidate Lee Jae-myung wins presidency

Pacific Asia • 1:57 AM

1 min

Centre-left leader Lee Jae-myung defeated conservative foe Kim Moon-soo to win South Korea’s presidential election on Wednesday, telling a huge crowd of supporters he would work to unite the people in the first election since the country was plunged into

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South Korea votes for new president after martial law turmoil

Pacific Asia • 7:22 PM

1 min

South Koreans will vote Tuesday for a new president, capping six months of political upheaval following ex-leader Yoon Suk Yeol's disastrous declaration of martial law. Millions have already cast their ballots in the snap election, with more than a third

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China 'firmly rejects' US claims it violated Geneva tariffs deal

Pacific Asia • 2:43 AM

1 min

China on Monday “firmly rejected” US claims it breached a tariffs deal, as tensions between the world’s top economies flared. The dispute comes weeks after Beijing and Washington agreed to a 90-day reduction in tariffs following high-level talks in Genev

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Iran carried out secret nuclear programme, has amassed more near weapons-grade uranium, IAEA says

Pacific Asia • 3:07 PM

1 min

Iran carried out a secret nuclear programme with undeclared material and has conducted covert experiments, the United Nations nuclear watchdog has stated in a confidential report to member states. In another report, IAEA said Tehran has now increased its

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Pentagon chief pushes to raise defence spending in face of China 'threat'

Pacific Asia • 6:14 AM

1 min

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth called on US allies in the Asia-Pacific to boost their defence spending in the face of what he described as a possibly "imminent" threat posed by China. Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore, Hegseth

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Pentagon chief pushes Asian allies to raise defence spending in face of China 'threat'

Pacific Asia • 1:59 AM

1 min

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth called on US allies in the Asia-Pacific to boost their defence spending in the face of what he described as a possibly "imminent" threat posed by China. Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore, Hegseth

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Japanese manga scares tourists away with doomsday prediction

Pacific Asia • 3:23 PM

1 min

Superstitious tourists from Hong Kong and China have been cancelling their trips to Japan, partly due to a manga – first published in the 1990s – predicting that a major catastrophe will hit the country in July. We take a closer look.

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North Korean defectors struggle to adapt to new life in South Korea

Pacific Asia • 2:16 PM

1 min

Every year, North Koreans risk their lives trying to escape the regime in Pyongyang. For those who do manage to flee, neighbouring South Korea is the obvious destination. More than 34,000 North Korean defectors have entered the country since 1953. But th

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SE Asia region 'important': Macron first European leader in years to tour multiple Asian countries

Pacific Asia • 1:00 PM

1 min

French President Emmanuel Macron opens the SHANGRI-LA security conference with a keynote address expected to touch on an emboldened China, Russia's war on Ukraine, as well as Trump's hefty tariffs on Asian allies. For in-depth analysis and a deeper persp

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Macron calls for ‘new special relationship’ between EU and Indo-Pacific countries

Pacific Asia • 12:25 AM

1 min

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday called for the building of a “new special relationship” between the European Union and Asian countries in the Indo-Pacific region in a keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore. Amid

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France-Indonesia 'strategic partnership' goes 'beyond geopolitics', includes commerce and defence

Pacific Asia • 7:08 AM

1 min

The French president met with his Indonesian counterpart on Wednesday as Emmanuel Macron continued his week-long trip to Southeast Asia focused on strengthening regional ties in an increasingly unstable global landscape. On arrival, Macron had warm words

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France, Indonesia call for 'mutual recognition' between Israel and Palestinians

Pacific Asia • 1:53 AM

1 min

France and Indonesia on Wednesday called for "mutual recognition" between Israel and Palestinians as Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said his Muslim-majority country would formally recognise Israel if it allowed for a Palestinian state. French Pres

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Macron's vow to respect sovereignty of Indo-Pacific partners inscribed in French strategy for years

Pacific Asia • 1:19 PM

1 min

Between jabs at Donald Trump's US trade tariffs and criticism of Beijing's assertiveness in the South China Sea, French President Emmanuel Macron warned Vietnamese students Tuesday that "on the impulse of a superpower, everything can change". Macron was

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Macron warns Vietnamese students about 'impulsive' superpowers on Southeast Asia tour

Pacific Asia • 8:49 AM

1 min

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday warned students at the University of Science and Technology in Hanoi that “on the impulse of a superpower, everything can change” while on a Southeast Asia tour, urging them to embrace a “third way” between the

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🌟The Bright Side: Famed Sherpa guide breaks own record by climbing Mount Everest for 31st time

Pacific Asia • 4:19 AM

1 min

Kami Rita Sherpa, a Nepali climber who has led expeditions up Mount Everest since 1994, broke his own record Tuesday by reaching the mountain's peak for the 31st time.

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Macron in Hanoi as a 'reliable' EU partner, in contrast to Trump who is 'stuck in the 19th century'

Pacific Asia • 6:48 PM

1 min

France and Vietnam signed deals on Airbus planes, defence and other pacts, worth over $10 billion as President Emmanuel Macron visited Hanoi seeking to boost France's influence in its former colony amid risks of high US tariffs. Macron's first formal vis

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Iran slams French case at International Court of Justice over citizens' detention

Pacific Asia • 9:03 AM

1 min

Iran on Monday slammed France for filing a case against it at the International Court of Justice over the detention of two French nationals in conditions Paris denounced as inhumane. Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris have been able to receive only four con

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North Korea arrests fourth official over failed warship launch

Pacific Asia • 3:23 AM

1 min

North Korea has detained an official linked to last week's failed warship launch, which damaged a 5,000-ton destroyer, state media said Monday. Pyongyang called it "a serious accident" during Wednesday's ceremony, crushing parts of the vessel's hull

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Iran summons French envoy over minister's 'insulting' Cannes comments

Pacific Asia • 4:15 PM

1 min

Iran on Sunday summoned the French chargé d'affaires in Tehran after France’s foreign minister called filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s triumph at the 78th Cannes Film Festival “a gesture of resistance against the Iranian regime’s oppression", state media reporte

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Macron pitches France as reliable trade and defence partner on Vietnam visit

Pacific Asia • 3:30 PM

1 min

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that Paris would engage in closer cooperation with Vietnam on defence, satellites and railways, as he met his Vietnamese counterpart in Hanoi on the first stop of his Southeast Asia tour.

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Deadly windstorms batter Pakistan after extreme heatwave

Pacific Asia • 12:59 AM

1 min

At least 14 people were killed and over 100 injured as violent windstorms tore through Pakistan after days of extreme heat, toppling trees, downing power lines and causing widespread damage, officials said Sunday.

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Hong Kong to accept more international students after US Harvard ban

Pacific Asia • 9:20 AM

1 min

Hong Kong has said it will accept more foreign students at its universities in the wake of US President Donald Trump's bid to stop Harvard University from enrolling foreign nationals. Around one fifth of Harvard's international students come from China.

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Bollywood classic 'Come Fall in Love' takes centre stage in Manchester

Pacific Asia • 1:46 PM

1 min

Before “Come Fall in Love: The DDLJ Musical” hits the stage in Manchester, we catch up with one of the stars to talk about bringing this iconic love story – and Bollywood’s longest-running film, starring Shah Rukh Khan – to life on stage. We also reveal

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North Korea state media reports 'serious' accident at warship launch ceremony

Pacific Asia • 2:48 AM

1 min

A serious accident occurred during the launch of a new North Korean warship on Wednesday while leader Kim Jong Un was attending the event, with him calling it a "criminal act" that could not be tolerated, state media KCNA reported. An investigation follo

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China's EV battery maker CATL sees shares soar in Hong Kong debut

Pacific Asia • 8:47 AM

1 min

China's CATL, the world's largest electric vehicle battery maker, saw its shares soar 17% on its first day of trading in Hong Kong on Tuesday, after it raised $4.6 billion in the world’s largest initial public offering this year.

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Taiwan president calls for 'peace' with China but says island must prepare for war

Pacific Asia • 5:31 AM

1 min

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te said on Tuesday he wanted peace and dialogue with China, but that the island nation must simultaneously strengthen its defences and prepare for war. China has ramped up military drills and war games around Taiwan in the pa

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Cleaning up Fukushima: Decommissioning work continues on nuclear power plant

Pacific Asia • 9:32 AM

1 min

Decommissioning the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan began soon after it suffered a triple meltdown in March 2011. Fourteen years on, the work continues. This summer will mark two years since Tokyo Electric Power Company, the plant’s operat

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China slaps duties on plastic imports from US, EU, Taiwan and Japan over dumping

Pacific Asia • 3:35 AM

1 min

China on Monday slapped anti-dumping duties of up to 75% on polyformaldehyde copolymer imports from the US, EU, Taiwan and Japan, its commerce ministry said. The plastic, used in auto parts and medical devices, follows a probe into alleged dumping. The t

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How do Indians feel about the ceasefire between India and Pakistan?

Pacific Asia • 8:55 AM

1 min

Britain is working with the U.S. to ensure a ceasefire between India and Pakistan endures and that "confidence-building measures" and dialogue take place, foreign minister David Lammy said on Saturday. How do Indians feel about the ceasefire? Details wit

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What's next in the US-China trade war?

Pacific Asia • 3:17 PM

1 min

A 90-day truce in the US-China trade war has officially begun, with both sides temporarily lowering sky-high tariffs on each other's goods. But there's still a lot of uncertainty facing global trade. Yuka Royer speaks with Louise Loo, China lead at Oxfor

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India-Pakistan crisis: Rise in misinformation, warmongering and censorship

Pacific Asia • 1:41 PM

1 min

The ceasefire is apparently holding between India and Pakistan. But even if the fighting has stopped, the information war continues. There has been misinformation, warmongering and a crackdown on independent journalists in both countries. Experts say the

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Chinese weapons pass combat test in India-Pakistan clash – with flying colours

Pacific Asia • 4:34 PM

1 min

The recent military engagement over Kashmir by South Asia’s arch enemies saw India deploy its French and US weapons against Pakistan’s new range of sophisticated Chinese arms. In its first battlefield test against Western arms, Chinese weapons mostly hit

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Kurdish militant group PKK ends decades of armed struggle

Pacific Asia • 8:53 AM

1 min

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) on Monday announced its dissolution and the end of its armed struggle, drawing a line under its deadly four-decade insurgency against the Turkish state. Story by Antonia Kerrigan.

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Kashmir ceasefire: How to spin a stalemate?

Pacific Asia • 6:10 PM

1 min

What started it? Who ended it? After the worst week of fighting between India and Pakistan in a quarter century, the whole world is breathing a sigh of relief that it didn’t escalate further between nuclear-armed neighbours .... and wondering how much su

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From Kazakhstan to Hollywood: Equestrian stuntmen coveted by film studios

Pacific Asia • 9:44 AM

1 min

Specialising in combat and equestrian aerobatics, Kazakhstan supplies many of the stuntmen for Hollywood productions such as "Mulan" and "Napoleon". With its spectacular landscapes and recognised expertise, the country is becoming a new hub for action fi

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Indian PM Modi vows strong response to any future 'terrorist attack' by Pakistan

Pacific Asia • 7:53 AM

1 min

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned Pakistan on Monday that India would target "terrorist hideouts" across the border if there were future attacks on the country, warning that he wouldn't tolerate what he called Islamabad's "nuclear blackmail".

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'Integral to national identity: Kashmir has particular symbolism for India and Pakistan'

Pacific Asia • 7:41 AM

1 min

Tensions soar in South Asia as India claims cross-border strikes killed over 100 militants in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. Pakistan retaliates, targeting 26 Indian military sites. The violence follows a deadly tourist massacre in Indian Kashmir, which In

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'Both India and Pakistan know it is not in their national interest to enter into a full-scale war'

Pacific Asia • 7:08 AM

1 min

The head of India's military operations claimed strikes into Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and Pakistan killed more than 100 militants including prominent leaders. Meanwhile, Pakistan announced its armed forces targeted a total of 26 Indian military instal

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Fragile ceasefire between India and Pakistan holds despite overnight clashes

Pacific Asia • 9:35 AM

1 min

A truce between India and Pakistan was holding on Sunday, hours after being shaken by overnight border fighting in the disputed Kashmir region. The two countries agreed a ceasefire on Saturday to defuse the most serious military confrontation between the

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India and Pakistan reach ceasefire but trade claims of violations

Pacific Asia • 12:19 AM

1 min

India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire Saturday to end the most serious military confrontation between the nuclear-armed neighbours in decades but accused each other of violating the agreement just hours later.

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Pakistan launches counterattacks against India after strikes on air bases

Pacific Asia • 9:15 PM

1 min

Pakistan on Saturday launched what it said were retaliatory attacks against India after three of its air bases were struck by missiles. Islamabad and New Delhi have been carrying out tit-for-tat attacks since Wednesday, and fears are growing that the con

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