Australia remains committed despite 3 soldiers killed in Afghanistan: PM
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Defense Minister Stephen Smith on Sunday described the shooting deaths of three Australian soldiers in Afghanistan as a "terrible blow to our nation", but said Australia remains committed.
Three Australian soldiers - a corporal, captain and lance corporal - were killed and seven others were wounded in the incident at Shah Wali Kot in the southern province of Kandahar in Afghanistan on Saturday morning. An Afghan interpreter was also killed in the incident.
"Today is a bitter day for Australia," Gillard said in a press conference in Perth. "Our dead will come home with honor, we will mourn their loss."
Smith said the incident was the single worst loss of Australian life involving firearms or gunshots since Australian troops began operations in Afghanistan in 2001. It was also the first occasion on which Australian members of the mentoring and training taskforce have been killed outside Uruzgan province.
Troops in Afghanistan are in shock, but they are tough and resilient, Smith said, adding that they will find the strength and determination to continue their mission and honor their mates.
While there have been 11 Australian deaths and 43 soldiers wounded in Afghanistan this year, Smith agreed that the incident would naturally prompt the public to question Australia's role in Afghanistan, but said Australia would stay the course.
Gillard also acknowledged that public support for Australia's mission in Afghanistan could waver as a consequence of Saturday's incident, but urged people not to judge the progress Australian forces were making on the one incident alone.
"Despite the gravity of this incident, and the horror of this incident, we are making progress in training members of the Afghan National Army..." she said, "Our mission is a defined one..."
She also said Australia remains committed to the war in Afghanistan, and the mission in Afghanistan was in Australia's "clear national interest" because it was a nation that had been used as a terrorist training base and Australian lives had been lost in terrorist attacks.
If Australia was to pull out, it would leave a vacuum that would be filled by terrorists and the Taliban, the prime minister said.
Of the seven wounded soldiers, Defense Chief General David Hurley said one was being treated for life-threatening wounds, four for serious wounds and two for minor wounds.
General Hurley said it was likely the most seriously wounded soldier would be moved to Germany for further treatment.
General Hurley said an "extensive investigation" would be launched into the attack.
The latest deaths bring to 33 the number of Australian fatalities since the start of the Afghan operation, and 209 have been wounded.
Editor: Yamei Wang
English.news.cn 2011-10-30 12:17:11 FeedbackPrintRSS
CANBERRA, Oct. 30 (Xinhua)
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Detained Libyan prime minister mulling political asylum in Tunisia: lawyer
Detained Libyan PM mulling political asylum in Tunisia: lawyer
Baghdadi Mahmoudi, the former Libyan prime minister who has been kept in custody by the Tunisian general prosecutor after a Libyan summon, is mulling political asylum in Tunisia, the Radio Express FM reported on Saturday quoting his lawyer.
Baghdadi, who began a hunger strike on Thursday to protest his continued detention, had previously been acquitted by a Tunis appeals court after being sentenced by a court in Tozeur to six months imprisonment for illegally entering the country.
Earlier, his lawyer slammed his detention in the Mornaguia prison, some 14 km from the Tunisian capital of Tunis as "illegal, " the radio said.
Editor: Mu Xuequan
English.news.cn 2011-10-02 04:26:56 FeedbackPrintRSS
TUNIS, Oct. 1 (Xinhua)
Baghdadi Mahmoudi, the former Libyan prime minister who has been kept in custody by the Tunisian general prosecutor after a Libyan summon, is mulling political asylum in Tunisia, the Radio Express FM reported on Saturday quoting his lawyer.
Baghdadi, who began a hunger strike on Thursday to protest his continued detention, had previously been acquitted by a Tunis appeals court after being sentenced by a court in Tozeur to six months imprisonment for illegally entering the country.
Earlier, his lawyer slammed his detention in the Mornaguia prison, some 14 km from the Tunisian capital of Tunis as "illegal, " the radio said.
Editor: Mu Xuequan
English.news.cn 2011-10-02 04:26:56 FeedbackPrintRSS
TUNIS, Oct. 1 (Xinhua)
Kenya security forces in shootout with abductors of Frenchwoman
Kenya security forces in shootout with abductors of Frenchwoman
Kenya's security forces engaged in a fierce shootout with abductors of the French woman who was kidnapped early on Saturday at a resort island in northern Kenya.
National Security Minister George Saitoti also warned foreign militia that the East African nation will defend its territory following a series of abduction involving foreigners at the coastal town of Lamu. "This is totally unacceptable to the government as it is a serious violation of Kenya's territorial integrity. The government, therefore, reserves the right to self-defence of its territorial integrity," Saitoti said in a statement issued on Saturday in Nairobi.
The 66-year old former journalist returned two days ago from France when she was attacked by the pirates who were driving their boat under the cover of darkness.
The elderly woman who has been living in Manda Island in her own house was abducted by about 10 heavily armed Somali bandits suspected to be Al shabaab operatives from Ras Chiamboni in Somalia, near the Kenyan border.
Saioti said the government swung into action immediately after it learnt of the unfortunate incident by deploying its security forces to pursue the abductors as they sped northwards in a high- speed boat towards Ras Chiamboni. "In the ensuing shoot-out between the abductors and the Kenyan Navy, several of the abductors were injured but managed to enter Ras Chiamboni," Saitoti said.
The pattern of the latest incident mirrors that of the recent abduction of the British lady at Kiwayu Safari Village near the Kenya-Somali border during which one British citizen was killed by the abductors also from Ras Chiamboni.
The minister promised that every effort is being made to rescue the victim and reassured Kenyans that adequate security measures have been put in place. "The government would like to send a strong warning to those bent on undermining Kenya's security from within or without that they will be firmly dealt with by our security forces," he said.
The latest incident occurred barely after a British couple was attacked in Kiwayu. The assailants shot dead the husband and kidnapped his wife.
The woman, Judith Tebbutt, was taken across the border to Somalia where she is still being held.
According to locals from the area, which borders Shela Island, the kidnapped French woman, who is crippled and uses a wheelchair, was whisked from her home in the early hours of the morning and taken to a speed boat which the suspected pirates were using.
Editor: Mu Xuequan
English.news.cn 2011-10-02 00:19:53 FeedbackPrintRSS
NAIROBI, Oct. 1 (Xinhua)
Kenya's security forces engaged in a fierce shootout with abductors of the French woman who was kidnapped early on Saturday at a resort island in northern Kenya.
National Security Minister George Saitoti also warned foreign militia that the East African nation will defend its territory following a series of abduction involving foreigners at the coastal town of Lamu. "This is totally unacceptable to the government as it is a serious violation of Kenya's territorial integrity. The government, therefore, reserves the right to self-defence of its territorial integrity," Saitoti said in a statement issued on Saturday in Nairobi.
The 66-year old former journalist returned two days ago from France when she was attacked by the pirates who were driving their boat under the cover of darkness.
The elderly woman who has been living in Manda Island in her own house was abducted by about 10 heavily armed Somali bandits suspected to be Al shabaab operatives from Ras Chiamboni in Somalia, near the Kenyan border.
Saioti said the government swung into action immediately after it learnt of the unfortunate incident by deploying its security forces to pursue the abductors as they sped northwards in a high- speed boat towards Ras Chiamboni. "In the ensuing shoot-out between the abductors and the Kenyan Navy, several of the abductors were injured but managed to enter Ras Chiamboni," Saitoti said.
The pattern of the latest incident mirrors that of the recent abduction of the British lady at Kiwayu Safari Village near the Kenya-Somali border during which one British citizen was killed by the abductors also from Ras Chiamboni.
The minister promised that every effort is being made to rescue the victim and reassured Kenyans that adequate security measures have been put in place. "The government would like to send a strong warning to those bent on undermining Kenya's security from within or without that they will be firmly dealt with by our security forces," he said.
The latest incident occurred barely after a British couple was attacked in Kiwayu. The assailants shot dead the husband and kidnapped his wife.
The woman, Judith Tebbutt, was taken across the border to Somalia where she is still being held.
According to locals from the area, which borders Shela Island, the kidnapped French woman, who is crippled and uses a wheelchair, was whisked from her home in the early hours of the morning and taken to a speed boat which the suspected pirates were using.
Editor: Mu Xuequan
English.news.cn 2011-10-02 00:19:53 FeedbackPrintRSS
NAIROBI, Oct. 1 (Xinhua)
New rotational Chinese medical team arrives in Rwanda
New rotational Chinese medical team arrives in Rwanda
A team of 16 medical doctors from China has arrived in Rwanda to replace another outgoing team of 12 doctors who have been rendering medical services in Ngoma Hospital located in the African nation's Eastern province, 80 km from the capital Kigali.
The Chinese Embassy on Friday held a party in Kigali to welcome the incoming team of medical doctors and to bid farewell to the outgoing one.
Speaking on behalf of the outgoing team, Dr. Yu Minxue said ''his team treated over 10,000 outdoor patients and 4,000 patients in their two years of service in Rwanda's Ngoma hospital.''
In his remarks, the representative of the incoming Chinese medical team Gao Zhongxian pledged that his team will take off from where the outgoing team had reached towards preventing and curing diseases with the available medical equipment, so as to help Rwandese have healthier lives. The Permanent Secretary to Rwanda's ministry of health Uziel Ndagijimana, who represented the minister of health, commended the outgoing team for saving many Rwandese lives during their two years medical service in Rwanda.
He also highlighted that China's cooperation with Rwanda covers a wide range of areas in addition to health, such as infrastructure, education, agriculture, and many other developmental projects within Rwanda.
Ndagijimana said several Rwandan medical doctors have been trained in China and that many more are undergoing medical training to date.
Speaking on behalf of the Chinese ambassador to Rwanda, Chen Dong, the Charge d'Affairs of the Chinese embassy in Kigali, commended the strong bilateral relationship that exists between Rwanda and China, upon which he attributed the successful cooperation of both countries.
Unlike the previous Chinese medical teams to Rwanda that were specifically served in Rwanda's Ngoma hospital, out of 16 doctors of the incoming team 11 of them will be allocated to a newly Chinese constructed Masaka hospital in Kicukiro, one of Kigali City's District, and five of them to Ngoma hospital in the Rwanda' s Eastern Province.
The newly Chinese constructed Masaka modern hospital that opened its doors about three weeks ago, has the capacity to accommodate 100 indoor patients.
The new Chinese medical team will also serve for next two years before it is replaced by another team.
Editor: Yamei Wang
English.news.cn 2011-10-01 14:36:38 FeedbackPrintRSS
KIGALI, Oct. 1 (Xinhua)
A team of 16 medical doctors from China has arrived in Rwanda to replace another outgoing team of 12 doctors who have been rendering medical services in Ngoma Hospital located in the African nation's Eastern province, 80 km from the capital Kigali.
The Chinese Embassy on Friday held a party in Kigali to welcome the incoming team of medical doctors and to bid farewell to the outgoing one.
Speaking on behalf of the outgoing team, Dr. Yu Minxue said ''his team treated over 10,000 outdoor patients and 4,000 patients in their two years of service in Rwanda's Ngoma hospital.''
In his remarks, the representative of the incoming Chinese medical team Gao Zhongxian pledged that his team will take off from where the outgoing team had reached towards preventing and curing diseases with the available medical equipment, so as to help Rwandese have healthier lives. The Permanent Secretary to Rwanda's ministry of health Uziel Ndagijimana, who represented the minister of health, commended the outgoing team for saving many Rwandese lives during their two years medical service in Rwanda.
He also highlighted that China's cooperation with Rwanda covers a wide range of areas in addition to health, such as infrastructure, education, agriculture, and many other developmental projects within Rwanda.
Ndagijimana said several Rwandan medical doctors have been trained in China and that many more are undergoing medical training to date.
Speaking on behalf of the Chinese ambassador to Rwanda, Chen Dong, the Charge d'Affairs of the Chinese embassy in Kigali, commended the strong bilateral relationship that exists between Rwanda and China, upon which he attributed the successful cooperation of both countries.
Unlike the previous Chinese medical teams to Rwanda that were specifically served in Rwanda's Ngoma hospital, out of 16 doctors of the incoming team 11 of them will be allocated to a newly Chinese constructed Masaka hospital in Kicukiro, one of Kigali City's District, and five of them to Ngoma hospital in the Rwanda' s Eastern Province.
The newly Chinese constructed Masaka modern hospital that opened its doors about three weeks ago, has the capacity to accommodate 100 indoor patients.
The new Chinese medical team will also serve for next two years before it is replaced by another team.
Editor: Yamei Wang
English.news.cn 2011-10-01 14:36:38 FeedbackPrintRSS
KIGALI, Oct. 1 (Xinhua)
French woman kidnapped in Kenyan resort
French woman kidnapped in Kenyan resort
An elderly French woman was kidnapped early on Saturday by suspected pirates from her house in Ras Kitau, Manda Island in Kenya's coastal town of Lamu.
The incident comes barely a few weeks after a British woman, Judith Tebett, was kidnapped and her husband killed.
According to eye witnesses, a group of ten suspected pirates, who were using a fibre boat, anchored near her house and four of them remained as the rest went for her at around midnight.
A local resident, Ali Mohammed, claimed the men almost shot at the woman's Maasai man friend, identified as John, but he managed to escape and reported the incident to the police, who have now launched a search for the kidnappers.
The French woman has been identified as Maghe, and is said to have been living at their house in Manda for the last 25 years, together with her man friend, who takes care of her, since she cannot conduct any duties on her own.
According to locals from the area, which borders Shela Island, the woman, who is crippled and uses a wheelchair, was whisked from her home in the early hours of the morning and taken to a speed boat which the suspected pirates were using.
Police sources confirmed that already, her security guard has been arrested and is being interrogated by the police in connection to the kidnapping.
The Lamu police chief Samson Ole Kinne confirmed the incident and said they were investigating the matter.
Ali said the woman may have been taken to the Kenya-Somalia border, at Kiengoni area.
Mombasa police chief Ambrose Munyasia, confirmed that they had mounted a search for the woman, with the Kenya Navy and other police trying to chase after the suspected pirates.
Locals have raised concerns over the security lapse in the area, noting that Judith Tebett is yet to be found and is believed that she is being held in Somalia, after her husband David was killed.
Editor: Yamei Wang
English.news.cn 2011-10-01 14:34:20 FeedbackPrintRSS
MOMBASA, Kenya, Oct. 1 (Xinhua)
An elderly French woman was kidnapped early on Saturday by suspected pirates from her house in Ras Kitau, Manda Island in Kenya's coastal town of Lamu.
The incident comes barely a few weeks after a British woman, Judith Tebett, was kidnapped and her husband killed.
According to eye witnesses, a group of ten suspected pirates, who were using a fibre boat, anchored near her house and four of them remained as the rest went for her at around midnight.
A local resident, Ali Mohammed, claimed the men almost shot at the woman's Maasai man friend, identified as John, but he managed to escape and reported the incident to the police, who have now launched a search for the kidnappers.
The French woman has been identified as Maghe, and is said to have been living at their house in Manda for the last 25 years, together with her man friend, who takes care of her, since she cannot conduct any duties on her own.
According to locals from the area, which borders Shela Island, the woman, who is crippled and uses a wheelchair, was whisked from her home in the early hours of the morning and taken to a speed boat which the suspected pirates were using.
Police sources confirmed that already, her security guard has been arrested and is being interrogated by the police in connection to the kidnapping.
The Lamu police chief Samson Ole Kinne confirmed the incident and said they were investigating the matter.
Ali said the woman may have been taken to the Kenya-Somalia border, at Kiengoni area.
Mombasa police chief Ambrose Munyasia, confirmed that they had mounted a search for the woman, with the Kenya Navy and other police trying to chase after the suspected pirates.
Locals have raised concerns over the security lapse in the area, noting that Judith Tebett is yet to be found and is believed that she is being held in Somalia, after her husband David was killed.
Editor: Yamei Wang
English.news.cn 2011-10-01 14:34:20 FeedbackPrintRSS
MOMBASA, Kenya, Oct. 1 (Xinhua)
Former Nigerian ambassador to China publishes book to mark 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties
Former Nigerian ambassador to China publishes book to mark 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties
Victor Nwaozichi Chibundu, former ambassador to China, unveiled his new book "40th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relationship between Nigeria and China" on Friday in the capital of Lagos.
According to Chibundu, the book, reviewing the 40-year development of bilateral trade and cultural exchanges, aims to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Nigeria and China.
"Why I wrote the book was that I wanted to document the status of the relationship of the two countries. How it began, the stages we have gone through until today," said Chibundu, 81, who headed the Nigerian embassy to China from 1981 to 1983.
"I wanted to document it for posterity, for the future and for record purposes," he said.
Chibundu, founder and chairman of the Nigeria-China Friendship Association, spoke highly of China's contribution to development of Nigeria.
"I'm so happy that in my own lifetime, the number of Nigerian people who go to China has increased tremendously and they are now aware that they can do business in China even better than they can do business in Europe or in America," he said.
The former ambassador said bilateral cooperation had given rise to a win-win scenario. He hoped China could continue to shore up support and investment in Nigeria's infrastructure and market.
Editor: Yamei Wang
English.news.cn 2011-10-01 09:42:05 FeedbackPrintRSS
LAGOS, Sept. 30 (Xinhua)
Victor Nwaozichi Chibundu, former ambassador to China, unveiled his new book "40th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relationship between Nigeria and China" on Friday in the capital of Lagos.
According to Chibundu, the book, reviewing the 40-year development of bilateral trade and cultural exchanges, aims to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Nigeria and China.
"Why I wrote the book was that I wanted to document the status of the relationship of the two countries. How it began, the stages we have gone through until today," said Chibundu, 81, who headed the Nigerian embassy to China from 1981 to 1983.
"I wanted to document it for posterity, for the future and for record purposes," he said.
Chibundu, founder and chairman of the Nigeria-China Friendship Association, spoke highly of China's contribution to development of Nigeria.
"I'm so happy that in my own lifetime, the number of Nigerian people who go to China has increased tremendously and they are now aware that they can do business in China even better than they can do business in Europe or in America," he said.
The former ambassador said bilateral cooperation had given rise to a win-win scenario. He hoped China could continue to shore up support and investment in Nigeria's infrastructure and market.
Editor: Yamei Wang
English.news.cn 2011-10-01 09:42:05 FeedbackPrintRSS
LAGOS, Sept. 30 (Xinhua)
Tunisian electoral campaign to start on Saturday
Tunisian electoral campaign to start on Saturday
Tunisia's independent election commission announced on Friday that the electoral campaign for political parties, coalitions and independents running for the country's Constituent Assembly, will begin on Saturday, the official news agency TAP reported on Friday.
Elections for the Constituent Assembly are scheduled to take place on Oct. 23. The 218 member assembly is tasked with drafting a new constitution, as well as running current affairs for a one year period.
Some 10,937 candidates are slated to take part in the elections.
With a view to guaranteeing a fair and transparent coverage of the elections, an EU delegation of 150 observers was sent to Tunisia to monitor the electoral process.
Editor: Yamei Wang
English.news.cn 2011-10-01 08:22:50 FeedbackPrintRSS
TUNIS, Sept. 30 (Xinhua)
Tunisia's independent election commission announced on Friday that the electoral campaign for political parties, coalitions and independents running for the country's Constituent Assembly, will begin on Saturday, the official news agency TAP reported on Friday.
Elections for the Constituent Assembly are scheduled to take place on Oct. 23. The 218 member assembly is tasked with drafting a new constitution, as well as running current affairs for a one year period.
Some 10,937 candidates are slated to take part in the elections.
With a view to guaranteeing a fair and transparent coverage of the elections, an EU delegation of 150 observers was sent to Tunisia to monitor the electoral process.
Editor: Yamei Wang
English.news.cn 2011-10-01 08:22:50 FeedbackPrintRSS
TUNIS, Sept. 30 (Xinhua)
Algeria denies holding talks with Qatar over Gaddafi's fate
Algeria denies holding talks with Qatar over Gaddafi's fate
Spokesperson for the Algerian Foreign Ministry Amar Belani Friday denied holding secret talks with Qatar over the fate of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
The local APS news agency quoted Belani as saying "I categorically deny the baseless news reported by a foreign news agency alleging the existence of secret talks between Algeria and Qatar over the fate of Col. Muammar Gaddafi" of Libya.
The Algerian official confirmed, however, "once again and vigorously that Gaddafi is not on the Algerian territories."
Meanwhile, concerning reports over an imminent visit that a senior official of Libya's ruling National Transitional Council would pay to Algiers, Belani said "Well, at this moment, there's no such a visit on the agenda."
Editor: Mu Xuequan
English.news.cn 2011-10-01 02:31:50 FeedbackPrintRSS
ALGIERS, Sept. 30 (Xinhua)
Spokesperson for the Algerian Foreign Ministry Amar Belani Friday denied holding secret talks with Qatar over the fate of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
The local APS news agency quoted Belani as saying "I categorically deny the baseless news reported by a foreign news agency alleging the existence of secret talks between Algeria and Qatar over the fate of Col. Muammar Gaddafi" of Libya.
The Algerian official confirmed, however, "once again and vigorously that Gaddafi is not on the Algerian territories."
Meanwhile, concerning reports over an imminent visit that a senior official of Libya's ruling National Transitional Council would pay to Algiers, Belani said "Well, at this moment, there's no such a visit on the agenda."
Editor: Mu Xuequan
English.news.cn 2011-10-01 02:31:50 FeedbackPrintRSS
ALGIERS, Sept. 30 (Xinhua)
Italy to help Libya's rebuilding, ready to unfreeze assets: FM
Italy to help Libya's rebuilding, ready to unfreeze assets: FM
Italy's priority is to cooperate with Libya's new rulers in the reconstruction of the worn-torn nation, visiting Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said here Friday.
The Italian government has agreed to receive more Libyans who were wounded in the civil war, and help with the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) build 13 schools in Libya, according to a joint press conference in the capital Tripoli, which was also hosted by Mahmoud Jibril, chairman of the NTC's executive office.
Frattini meanwhile told reporters that Italy will give the previously-frozen assets of the fallen Muammar Gaddafi's regime to the legitimate representative of the Libyan people. The amount is expected to be 2.5 billion euro (about 3.5 billion U.S. dollars).
Italy, which has taken part in the NATO-led air raids over Libya earlier this year with the aim of toppling Gaddafi's rule, has a number of energy deals with the oil-rich North African country.
Italian companies, if permitted, will also provide assistance in recovering telecommunications in the eastern part of Libya, Frattini said, adding that Rome is also lend a hand in rebuilding the ports and airport in Tripoli.
Italian air companies will open the Rome-Tripoli route this November, while flights from the Italian capital to Benghazi, Libya's second largest city, are expected to start early 2012, Frattini said.
Meanwhile, Jibril said the NTC has talked with the Italian side on holding a meeting to discuss ways to speed up Libya's reconstruction process.
Frattini's visit came after the ones made by a U.S. Senate delegation the previous day, and by British, French and Turkish leaders earlier this month.
Editor: Mu Xuequan
English.news.cn 2011-10-01 00:49:39
Italy's priority is to cooperate with Libya's new rulers in the reconstruction of the worn-torn nation, visiting Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said here Friday.
The Italian government has agreed to receive more Libyans who were wounded in the civil war, and help with the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) build 13 schools in Libya, according to a joint press conference in the capital Tripoli, which was also hosted by Mahmoud Jibril, chairman of the NTC's executive office.
Frattini meanwhile told reporters that Italy will give the previously-frozen assets of the fallen Muammar Gaddafi's regime to the legitimate representative of the Libyan people. The amount is expected to be 2.5 billion euro (about 3.5 billion U.S. dollars).
Italy, which has taken part in the NATO-led air raids over Libya earlier this year with the aim of toppling Gaddafi's rule, has a number of energy deals with the oil-rich North African country.
Italian companies, if permitted, will also provide assistance in recovering telecommunications in the eastern part of Libya, Frattini said, adding that Rome is also lend a hand in rebuilding the ports and airport in Tripoli.
Italian air companies will open the Rome-Tripoli route this November, while flights from the Italian capital to Benghazi, Libya's second largest city, are expected to start early 2012, Frattini said.
Meanwhile, Jibril said the NTC has talked with the Italian side on holding a meeting to discuss ways to speed up Libya's reconstruction process.
Frattini's visit came after the ones made by a U.S. Senate delegation the previous day, and by British, French and Turkish leaders earlier this month.
Editor: Mu Xuequan
English.news.cn 2011-10-01 00:49:39
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