Today's Reuters News Headlines - Yahoo! News:
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Romney leads Paul in Iowa poll, Santorum surges
Sat,31 Dec 2011 05:35 PM PST
Reuters -  DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Republican Mitt Romney narrowly leads rival Ron Paul in Iowa three days before the state kicks off the party's presidential nominating race, according to a Des Moines Register poll released on Saturday. The closely watched poll, which has a strong track record in Iowa races, showed Rick Santorum surging past Newt Gingrich into third place in a fluid race where 41 percent of likely caucus-goers said they could still change their minds. ...
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North Korea calls for "human shields" to protect new leader
Sat,31 Dec 2011 10:56 PM PST
Reuters -  SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea called on its people to rally behind new leader Kim Jong-un and protect him as "human shields" while working to solve the "burning issue" of food shortages by upholding the policies of his late father, Kim Jong-il. The North's three main state newspapers said in a policy-setting editorial traditionally published on New Year's Day that Kim Jong-un has legitimacy to carry on the revolutionary battle initiated by his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, and developed by his father, the iron-fisted ruler who died two weeks ago. ...
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U.S. imposes sanctions on banks dealing with Iran
Sat,31 Dec 2011 02:16 PM PST
Reuters -  HONOLULU (Reuters) - President Barack Obama signed into law on Saturday a defense funding bill that imposes sanctions on financial institutions dealing with Iran's central bank, while allowing for exemptions to avoid upsetting energy markets. The sanctions target both private and government-controlled banks - including central banks - and would take hold after a two- to six-month warning period, depending on the transactions, a senior Obama administration official said. ...
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Man with explosives stopped at Texas airport
Sat,31 Dec 2011 04:17 PM PST
Reuters - (Reuters) - By Jim Forsyth SAN ANTONIO, Dec 31 (Reuters) - A man found to be carrying explosives in "military grade wrapping" was detained at a western Texas airport on Saturday, forcing the evacuation of the area, officials said. The explosives were found during a routine inspection at a security checkpoint inside Midland International Airport, Midland city spokeswoman Tasa Watts said. The Transportation Security Administration evacuated the terminal and conducted a security sweep, she said. ... Full Story | Top |
"Occupy" makes annual list of most overused words
Sat,31 Dec 2011 04:47 PM PST
Reuters -  BOSTON (Reuters) - Occupy this: the trash bin. At least, so say students at Michigan's Lake Superior State University who released an annual list of words they deem so misused, overused and cliched they should be banished in the year ahead. "Occupy," the term associated with the months-long protest movement in New York and across the United States against income inequality and a variety of other social ills, was among the 12 nominees after just a few months of overexposure. ...
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Romney would veto immigration "dream" act
Sat,31 Dec 2011 07:36 PM PST
Reuters -  LEMARS, Iowa (Reuters) - Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney said on Saturday he would veto a proposal granting U.S. citizenship to undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country as children, a pledge that won hearty applause from Iowa conservatives he hopes to win over. A young woman asked Romney about the bipartisan proposal known as the Dream Act, during an appearance at a crowded restaurant in Le Mars, a conservative Republican stronghold in western Iowa. ...
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Euro could become world's leading currency: Noyer
Sat,31 Dec 2011 11:18 AM PST
Reuters -  PARIS (Reuters) - The euro could become the world's leading currency in the next decade if leaders of the single-currency bloc succeed in tightening fiscal integration, European Central Bank policymaker Christian Noyer said in an article to be published in the Journal du Dimanche. European leaders struck a historic deal at an emergency summit in Brussels on December 9 to draft a new treaty for deeper economic union, in an attempt to stem the debt crisis that is threatening to cause the collapse of the single currency. The news temporarily calmed markets. ...
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Nigeria's Jonathan declares state of emergency
Sat,31 Dec 2011 01:17 PM PST
Reuters -  ABUJA (Reuters) - President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency on Saturday in parts of Nigeria plagued by a violent Islamist insurgency, and ordered shut the borders with Cameroon, Chad and Niger in the northeast. Coming nearly a week after radical sect Boko Haram set off a series of bombs across Nigeria on Christmas Day, including one at a church that killed at least 37 people and wounded 57, Jonathan told state television the measures would aim to restore security in troubled parts of Nigeria's north. ...
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U.S. steps up sanctions as Iran floats nuclear talks
Sat,31 Dec 2011 01:48 PM PST
Reuters - HONOLULU/TEHRAN (Reuters) - President Barack Obama signed new sanctions against Iran into law on Saturday, shortly after Iran signaled it was ready for fresh talks with the West on its nuclear programme and said it had delayed long-range missile tests in the Gulf. Tensions between Iran and the West have grown since EU leaders said they wanted to set tougher sanctions against Tehran by the end of next month in a bid to force it to curb a research programme that they suspect is developing nuclear weapons. In the absence of a fresh mandate from the U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
Syrian opposition signs plan for post-Assad future
Sat,31 Dec 2011 04:02 PM PST
Reuters -  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Two leading Syrian opposition parties have agreed a road map to democracy should a popular uprising succeed in toppling President Bashar al-Assad, according to a copy of the document seen by Reuters. Hundreds of thousands had taken to the streets across Syria on Friday, aiming to demonstrate the strength of their movement to Arab League monitors checking whether Assad is implementing a pledge to halt a violent crackdown on unrest that has been raging since March. ...
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Celebrities may temper Twitter comments after 2011 blunders
Sat,31 Dec 2011 12:03 PM PST
Reuters -  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Celebrities may resist the urge to send a stream of consciousness on Twitter in the new year, after famous people tweeted their way into trouble on everything from boxer briefs to breast-feeding in 2011. NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne became the latest celebrity to blunder on Twitter, when he recently had to apologize for a tweet critical of public breast-feeding. But Kahne has been far from alone in discovering Twitter's pitfalls. ...
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Romney feels campaign trail energy close to home
Sat,31 Dec 2011 10:35 AM PST
Reuters -  HAMPTON, New Hampshire (Reuters) - It was standing room only as Mitt Romney briefly took time out from Iowa to campaign in Republican strongholds in New Hampshire, where he holds a wide lead approaching the state's first-in-the-nation primary. Romney spent almost as much time posing for photographs and signing autographs for energized fans as he did making his pitch to become the Republican presidential nominee. ...
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U.S. in $3.5 billion arms sale to UAE amid Iran tensions
Sat,31 Dec 2011 07:42 AM PST
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has signed a $3.5 billion sale of an advanced antimissile interception system to the United Arab Emirates, part of an accelerating military buildup of its friends and allies near Iran. The deal, signed on December 25 and announced on Friday night by the U.S. Defense Department, "is an important step in improving the region's security through a regional missile defense architecture," Pentagon press secretary George Little said in a statement. The U.S. Congress had been notified of the proposed sale in September 2008 by former President George W. ... Full Story | Top |
Russian protesters arrested in Moscow rally
Sat,31 Dec 2011 10:47 AM PST
Reuters -  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian police detained about 60 protesters during an anti-government demonstration on Saturday in Moscow, hours after Prime Minister Vladimir Putin offered a conciliatory message to the opposition in a televised New Year's Eve address. Reuters witnesses said they saw police surround and detain protesters who were shouting slogans such as "Putin Must Go!" and "Free the Political Prisoners!." Police said about 200 people took part in the rally, with 60 detained. ...
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Syrian opposition signs plan for post-Assad future
Sat,31 Dec 2011 02:09 PM PST
Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - Two leading Syrian opposition parties have agreed a road map to democracy should mass protests nearly in their 10th month succeed in toppling President Bashar al-Assad, according to a copy of the document seen by Reuters Saturday. Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets across Syria Friday, aiming to demonstrate the strength of their movement to Arab League monitors checking whether Assad is implementing a pledge to halt his armed crackdown on the unrest. ...
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Republicans scour Iowa for undecided voters
Sat,31 Dec 2011 03:21 PM PST
Reuters -  DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Republican White House hopefuls scoured Iowa for undecided voters on Saturday and front-runner Mitt Romney argued that he is the best to take on President Barack Obama as time ran short before the first votes of the 2012 election season. Iowa Republicans kick off the race on Tuesday to decide who the party will nominate to run against Obama, a Democrat, in November 2012. An unpredictable finish was possible as no candidate had escaped a tight pack battling for the lead. ...
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Tight race in Iowa kicks off White House campaign
Sat,31 Dec 2011 06:25 AM PST
Reuters -  DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Republican voters in Iowa open a long and grueling 2012 presidential race on Tuesday, with polls showing Mitt Romney battling Ron Paul for a momentum-generating win in the party's kickoff nominating contest. Four other contenders, led by surging Rick Santorum, are vying to consolidate conservative support and break into the top tier in the state-by-state fight to pick a Republican challenger to President Barack Obama, a Democrat, in November's election. ...
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Voter photo ID, E-Verify laws to take effect in new year
Sat,31 Dec 2011 10:02 AM PST
Reuters - WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Reuters) - Laws that require voters to present photo identification at the polls, recognize same-sex civil unions and aim to restrict illegal immigration are among the state measures taking effect on New Year's Day. Measures passed in 2011, which numbered nearly 40,000 across the country, often reflected the priorities of Republicans, who held majorities in most state legislative chambers and held the highest number of seats nationally by the party since 1928. "When Republicans finally got in control in many states ... ... Full Story | Top |
China moving to more convertible yuan: Zhou
Sat,31 Dec 2011 06:10 AM PST
Reuters -  BEIJING (Reuters) - China's central bank governor argued in comments published on Saturday that Beijing does not control the yuan's flow across borders as tightly as some think and that it is natural for the currency's trading band to be widened over time. Zhou Xiaochuan said in an interview with Chinese magazine Caixin that China did not fare badly on an International Monetary Fund measure of currencies' convertibility under the capital account. But he stopped short of calling for a fully convertible currency. ...
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Greece must stick to reforms in 2012 to stay in euro: PM
Sat,31 Dec 2011 07:31 AM PST
Reuters -  ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece faces another tough year in 2012 but must stick to its program of austerity and reform to stay in the euro, Prime Minister Lucas Papademos said in a pre-recorded New Year's Eve address. "A very difficult year is ahead of us. We must continue our efforts with decisiveness, to stay in the euro, to make sure we do not waste the sacrifices and do not turn the crisis into an uncontrolled and disastrous bankruptcy," Papademos said, according to a transcript provided by his office. ...
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Iraq celebrates U.S. withdrawal
Sat,31 Dec 2011 06:49 AM PST
Reuters -  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki declared a new dawn on Saturday as Iraq celebrated the departure of American troops at a ceremony held amid tight security and without Maliki's key political rivals. Iraq was engulfed in its worst political crisis in a year after the last U.S. troops left on December 18 when Maliki sought the arrest of Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, threatening a frail coalition government of Sunnis, Shi'ites and Kurds. Saturday marked the end of the 2008 security pact agreed by then-President George W. Bush and was the last day for U.S. ...
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China's Hu lauds military promotion for young Kim
Sat,31 Dec 2011 06:53 AM PST
Reuters -  BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Hu Jintao sent congratulations to North Korea's Kim Jong-un on Saturday on his appointment as supreme military leader, in Beijing's most direct show of support for the young and untested successor to his father Kim Jong-il. Hu's message, issued on the Chinese government's website (www.gov.cn), lauded the younger Kim's military promotion, which consolidated his status as the top leader of the North. "There is a deep tradition of friendship between the peoples and the military forces of China and North Korea," said Hu, according to the statement. ...
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Boeing wins $3.48 billion U.S. missile contract
Fri,30 Dec 2011 09:32 PM PST
Reuters -  (Reuters) - Boeing Co beat out Lockheed Martin to retain its position as the prime contractor for the U.S. long-range missile shield, the Pentagon said on Friday. The U.S. Defense Department said it was awarding Boeing a $3.48 billion, seven-year contract to develop, test, engineer and manufacture missile defense systems. A team led by Lockheed Martin Corp and Raytheon Co had vied with Boeing to expand and maintain the Ground-based Midcourse Defense, or GMD, hub of layered antimissile protection. Boeing partnered with Northrop Grumman Corp to retain the work. ...
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Nigeria President declares state of emergency in some of north
Sat,31 Dec 2011 07:57 AM PST
Reuters -  ABUJA (Reuters) - President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency on Saturday on parts of northern Nigeria plagued by a by a violent Islamist insurgency, and said he would shut any borders with other nations in those areas covered by the decree. "I have in the exercise in the powers conferred on me ... declared a state of emergency in the following parts of the federation," Jonathan told state TV, before going on to list the northern local governments affected by the decree. ...
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China says man dies of bird flu
Sat,31 Dec 2011 08:39 AM PST
Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - A man in southern China's Guangdong province died of bird flu Saturday a week after being admitted to hospital with a fever, state media reported. The 39-year-old bus driver living in Shenzhen, just across the border from Hong Kong, developed symptoms on December 21 and was admitted to a hospital on December 25 because of severe pneumonia, the official Xinhua news agency said. He died in the early afternoon of multiple organ failure, having tested positive for the H5N1 virus, the report added. ... Full Story | Top |
Verizon ditches $2 fee after customer uproar
Fri,30 Dec 2011 03:41 PM PST
Reuters -  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Verizon Wireless has reversed its decision to charge a $2 fee for telephone and online bill payments, bowing to a storm of criticism from consumers and the U.S. communications regulator. The biggest U.S. wireless operator retracted its decision on Friday, just a day after it announced the fee for one-time payments, which was to have begun January 15. The consumer victory comes after Bank of America recently decided against a new $5 monthly fee for debit card users after consumers and lawmakers protested the charge. ...
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North Korea says names Kim Jong-un top military commander
Fri,30 Dec 2011 07:49 PM PST
Reuters -  SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea announced on Saturday it has appointed Kim Jong-un, the anointed successor and youngest son of Kim Jong-il, as supreme commander of its 1.2 million-strong military, two days after official mourning for the late leader ended. The North's state news agency KCNA said the appointment was made at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party on Friday. ...
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Kodak loses third director in a week
Fri,30 Dec 2011 02:58 PM PST
Reuters - (Reuters) - The third director in a week has resigned from Eastman Kodak Co as the former film giant struggles to survive the dominance of digital photography. Laura Tyson, a professor and White House advisor, told Kodak on Thursday she was resigning from its board, the company said on Friday in a Securities and Exchange filing. Kodak, which was once synonymous with photography, is looking to sell patents to shore up its shrinking cash position and stay in business after failing to turn an annual profit since 1997. ... Full Story | Top |
White House delaying debt ceiling request
Fri,30 Dec 2011 01:11 PM PST
Reuters -  HONOLULU (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has agreed to delay submitting a debt ceiling increase request until next month to allow lawmakers time to consider it while they are in session, the White House said on Friday. Under an August deal between Obama's Democrats and the Republicans, Congress is unlikely to block the expected $1.2 trillion increase request, ensuring that the debt limit will not be reached again until after November's presidential election. ...
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Iran delays missile test
Sat,31 Dec 2011 04:25 AM PST
Reuters - TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran delayed promised long-range missile tests in the Gulf on Saturday and Tehran signaled it was ready for fresh talks on its disputed nuclear program. Iran's state media initially reported early on Saturday that long-range missiles had been launched during naval exercises, a move that may irk the West concerned over threats by Tehran to close off a vital oil shipping route in the Gulf. But Deputy Navy Commander Mahmoud Mousavi later went on the English language Press TV channel to deny the missiles had in fact been fired. ... Full Story | Top |
Iowa's quirky caucuses open 2012 White House race
Fri,30 Dec 2011 11:53 AM PST
Reuters -  DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - The long and sometimes quirky drama of electing a U.S. president, marked by obscure rules and long-held traditions, begins on Tuesday in more than 800 schools, libraries, churches and homes across Iowa. Iowa's caucuses, which bring voters together for hours to cast ballots in a public place on a winter night, are the first step in a state-by-state nominating race that ultimately will decide the Republican challenger to President Barack Obama in the election on November 6, 2012. ...
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Spain says deficit bigger than expected, hikes taxes
Fri,30 Dec 2011 12:01 PM PST
Reuters -  MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's new government said on Friday that this year's budget deficit would be much larger than expected and announced a slew of surprise tax hikes and wage freezes that could drag the country back to the centre of the euro zone debt crisis. In its first decrees since sweeping to victory in November, the centre-right government said the public deficit for 2011 would come in at 8 percent of gross domestic product, well above an official target of 6 percent. It announced initial public spending cuts of 8.9 billion euros ($11. ...
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Seventeen dead as Syrians stage mass protests
Fri,30 Dec 2011 03:55 PM PST
Reuters -  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian security forces, undaunted by the presence of Arab League observers, have killed at least 12 protesters as hundreds of thousands demonstrated against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, opposition activists said. Five members of the security forces were also killed in a shooting in the city of Homs, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday. ...
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New details rekindle HP-Hurd flap
Fri,30 Dec 2011 08:32 AM PST
Reuters -  (Reuters) - Former Hewlett Packard CEO Mark Hurd made increasingly aggressive romantic advances over several years toward an independent contractor who later accused him of sexual harassment, according to claims in a letter from her lawyer obtained by Reuters. The letter, ordered unsealed and allowed to be made public for the first time since the scandal emerged last year, outlined in intricate detail accusations by TV starlet and HP contractor Jodie Fisher that Hurd had wined and dined her, then allegedly sought sexual favors in return for employment. ...
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North Korea's new leaders lash out at South Korea and allies
Fri,30 Dec 2011 01:42 PM PST
Reuters -  SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea sounded a bellicose note in its first communication with the outside world since the death of leader Kim Jong-il, saying its confrontational stance against South Korea would not change and labeling its opponents "foolish." Since Kim Jong-il died on December 17, the outside world has been watching to see whether his son Kim Jong-un, aged in his 20s, would stick to its hardline "military first" policies that have seen the isolated nation move closer to nuclear weapons capacity. ...
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Boeing wins $3.48 billion U.S. missile defense contract
Fri,30 Dec 2011 02:54 PM PST
Reuters - (Reuters) - Boeing Co beat out Lockheed Martin to retain its position as the prime contractor for the U.S. long-range missile shield, the Pentagon said on Friday. The U.S. Defense Department said it was awarding Boeing a $3.48 billion, seven-year contract to develop, test, engineer and manufacture missile defense systems. A team led by Lockheed Martin Corp and Raytheon Co had vied with Boeing to expand and maintain the Ground-based Midcourse Defense, or GMD, hub of layered antimissile protection. Boeing partnered with Northrop Grumman Corp to retain the work. ...
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North Korea names Kim Jong-un top military commander
Fri,30 Dec 2011 03:02 PM PST
Reuters - SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said Saturday it has officially appointed Kim Jong-un, anointed successor and the youngest son of the late leader Kim Jong-il, the supreme commander of North Korea's 1.2 million-strong military. The North's state news agency KCNA said the appointment was made at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party Friday. ...
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Israel kills al Qaeda-linked chief in Gaza strike
Fri,30 Dec 2011 03:27 PM PST
Reuters -  GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters)- Israel killed the leader of an al Qaeda-inspired faction in the Gaza Strip on Friday, accusing him of involvement in firing rockets and a planned attack on the Jewish state from the neighboring Egyptian Sinai. The deadly air strike was Israel's second against a Salafi Islamist militant this week. Militants identified him as Momen Abu Daf, chief of the Army of Islam, among a loose network of Palestinian groups which profess allegiance to al Qaeda and have been reinforced by volunteers who slip in from the Sinai. ...
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WHO "deeply concerned" by mutated birdflu research
Fri,30 Dec 2011 01:43 PM PST
Reuters -  LONDON (Reuters) - The World Health Organization issued a stern warning on Friday to scientists who have engineered a highly pathogenic form of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, saying their work carries significant risks and must be tightly controlled. The United Nations health body said it was "deeply concerned about the potential negative consequences" of work by two leading flu research teams who this month said they had found ways to make H5N1 into a easily transmissable form capable of causing lethal human pandemics. ...
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Exclusive: U.S. mulls transfer of senior Taliban prisoner
Fri,30 Dec 2011 06:44 AM PST
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration is considering transferring to Afghan custody a senior Taliban official suspected of major human rights abuses as part of a long-shot bid to improve the prospects of a peace deal in Afghanistan, Reuters has learned. The potential hand-over of Mohammed Fazl, a 'high-risk detainee' held at the Guantanamo Bay military prison since early 2002, has set off alarms on Capitol Hill and among some U.S. intelligence officials. ...
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