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President’s nod to Domestic Violence Act
19 killed, 30 hurt in road accidents
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Don’t give into US pressure on Iran: CPM
New Delhi, September 16 The Communist Party of India (Marxist) today asked the UPA government not to give in to US pressure on Iran on the nuclear issue and asked the Indian Government to go ahead with the LNG purchase agreement and the gas pipeline agreement as these are crucial for the country’s energy needs.
Left has failed to counter communal forces in Bihar: Jyoti Basu
Rahul was misquoted, says Cong
No threat to Indo-Pak peace process
Mahanta, Sangma hold closed-door meeting
Favouritism alleged in IA appointment
Report for CBI probe, ban on khap panchayats
Job scheme may take 3 months for implementation
Life term means for life, not 14 yrs
Rural poor have little access to formal finance
Global experts join fire fighting team in Dikom
Undersea cable damage disrupts flight operations
High-level panel to probe Mumbai High fire
M.F. Hussain turns 90 today
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President’s nod to Domestic Violence Act
New Delhi, September 16 Under the Act, applicable to all states and Union Territories except Jammu and Kashmir, any act of omission or commission or conduct of adult male person shall constitute domestic violence, an official press note said here today. As per the Act, a police officer, protection officer, service provider or magistrate who receives a message of domestic violence shall inform the aggrieved person of her right to make an application for obtaining relief by way of a protection order. The Act provides the rights for free legal services under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, and right to file a complaint under Section 498-A of the Indian Penel Code, wherever relevant. The aggrieved person may be provided shelter in the home and also medical facilities, if needed. Under the new Act, any woman subjected to mental or physical injuries, physical abuse, criminal intimidation or force, sexual abuse (any conduct of a sexual nature that abuses, humiliates, degrades or otherwise violates the dignity of woman), will be covered under domestic violence. The state governments may appoint, by notification, such number of protection officers, as far as possible women, in each district as may be considered necessary and shall notify the area or the areas within which a protection officer may exercise the powers and perform duties conferred on him by or under this Act. |
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19 killed, 30 hurt in road accidents
Kolkata, September 16 All injured persons had been admitted to different hospitals in Kolkata and Uttarpara government hospital where the conditions of about a 12 persons, including women and children, were stated to be critical. The 10 persons killed included the bus conductor and two elderly women. The bus on the route no. 79, carrying about 60 passengers was running through the Bally bridge on way its way to Dankunti from Baranagar, in the morning, when the driver his lost control over the steering and the bus suddenly hit the railing and jumped below on the railway track. Fortunately, there was no train passing through the lines at that time. The drivers of the Visva Bharati passenger and a few other local trains stopped the trains at a distance, thus avoiding a disaster. Soon after the accident, the bus driver fled, leaving most of the passengers getting trapped inside the vehicle. Train services in this section on Howrah division were disrupted for about two hours following the accident. After 1 pm, normal train services, however, were restored. Accordingly to an eyewitness, the bus packed with passengers was running at high speed when the accident occurred. The driver was at a race with another private bus and when he tried to overtake the other, the vehicle suddenly swerved its direction and dashed against the railing before falling down on the railway track, said another witness. Soon after the accident local people rushed to the spot and engaged in the rescue operation. The police and the fire brigade personnel also were in operation and conducted the rescue operation. The gas cutter machines and the cranes were used in rescuing the trapped passengers. The bus was later taken out of the track to the local police station. In another accident near Behrampore town in Murshidabad district, nine persons were killed when a private bus, in which they were traveling suddenly, hit a wayside tree and fell down in the nearby wayside ditch, according to a report reaching the state government headquarter in the evening. The passengers were on their way to a Kali temple in Birbhum district. |
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Don’t give into US pressure on Iran: CPM
New Delhi, September 16 “The UPA government should adhere to the stand that the nuclear issue must be resolved through talks. Contrary to the intent of US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice’s demand, India, China and Russia should consult amongst themselves to take a common stand,” CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat said. “Such a common approach would, naturally, take into account the dubious motives of the United States to initiate a confrontation with Iran,” he said in an article to be published in the forthcoming issue of party mouthpiece People’s Democracy. The LNG purchase agreement and the gas pipeline agreement, which are to be firmed up by end 2005, are crucial for India’s energy needs. But there are already the usual pro-American strategic experts who are advising the government to forgo such bilateral agreements in the name of “national interests”. They argue that the US-India nuclear cooperation agreement should be accorded priority and displeasing the US will be tantamount to harming national interests. These are the same voices, which advocated India joining the US in the Iraqi misadventure. They are also the ardent supporters of Bush’s crazy ideas of spreading democracy around the world with the help of the US military, Mr Karat said. “While such advice should be ignored, any decision not to go along with the US on issues, which are the current obsession of the neo-conservative circles, will not be easy to take. Having bound itself to agreements to partner the US in its “global democracy initiative” and to uncritically extend its anti-terrorism crusade, the UPA government can consider it inexpedient to be seen as a recalcitrant partner,” the CPM General Secretary said. Karat said “however, such considerations should not guide the stand on Iran. The UPA government’s commitment to an independent foreign policy and national interest requires that India not yield to the narrow hegemonistic outlook of the Bush administration. India’s relations with Iran cannot be hostage to the US proclivity to target countries it does not like”. Reports quoting Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran after the meeting of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with US President George Bush said when Mr Bush referred to Iran, our Prime Minister spelled out India’s position on the issue. India has been resolute that Iran should abide by its nuclear obligations under the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty. He said Dr Manmohan Singh pointed out that India did not support “proliferation in its neighbourhood” but wanted the international community to give negotiations a firm shot when the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) hears Iran’s case on September 19. The IAEA has asked Iran to reinstate the seals removed at its uranium conversion facility in Isfahan and stop its enrichment programme. India is a member of the board of governors of the IAEA. Diplomacy must be given a full chance to succeed, Dr Manmohan Singh told Mr Bush, he said. Meanwhile, reports said western powers have backed away from an earlier move to refer Iran’s
nuclear programme to the UN Security Council as Teheran has sought to widen backing for its stance by offering to share peaceful nuclear technology with other Islamic nations. European officials, it said, were struggling to build a convincing majority on the board of the IAEA, the world nuclear watchdog, to report Iran to the Security Council. |
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Left has failed to counter communal forces in Bihar: Jyoti Basu
Kolkata, September 16 Talking to media persons, Mr Basu regretted that all their efforts to unite the secular parties against the BJP in Bihar had failed. He said they would now eagerly wait for the judgment of the people in electing a new government in Bihar. He criticized the CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc— the three major partners of the Left Front for opposing the CPI(M)’s decision to support the RJD leader, Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav in the elections. Mr Basu wanted the CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc to support the RJP against the BJP and other NDA parties. He also wanted Mr Lalu Yadav and Mr Paswan to unite in order to form a strong and stable government in the state. The
CPI(M) general secretary, Mr Prakash Karat also expressed concern that they could not get united for countering the BJP and other communal parties in the Bihar election. But he ruled out that their differences in the elections in Bihar would have any impact in the CPI(M)’s bi-lateral relations with the CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc, as partners of the Left Front. The CPI leader, Mr A.B.Bardhan demanded that all left parties should maintain an
equi-distance from the Congress(l) and the BJP in the elections in Bihar and hence, there could be no way they would support the RJD. Similar demands were also made by the RSP and the Forward Bloc. Mr Debabrata Biswas, the FB general secretary, said they were opposed to the CPI(M)’s decision to support Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav in Bihar as they felt, both Mr Yadav and Mr Paswan were equally anti-left and were fighting amongst themselves for their own political gains. |
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Rahul was misquoted, says Cong
New Delhi, September 16 After a series of high-level meetings, the Congress put out an official denial, saying that not only had Rahul Gandhi been misquoted but an informal and casual conversation had been passed off as an interview. The Congress was forced to take quick, remedial measures as it realised the political ramifications of Rahul Gandhi’s disparaging remarks on Bihar, especially now when the state is preparing for an assembly poll and the party is firming up an electoral alliance with RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. Party sources disclosed an irritated Mr Yadav did call up a senior Congress leader to complain about Rahul Gandhi’s remarks, whereupon he was assured that the party was putting out a denial. Congress sources maintained the RJD chief was suitably mollified and his party leaders, who had earlier been complaining about the interview, changed their tune later. |
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Mulayam promises Boeing
to his village!
Etawah, September 16 Laying the
foundation of the upgradation and extension project of the airstrip in his village, Mr Yadav vowed to land the high-flying aircraft on the upgraded airstrip during the 2006 Saifai Mahotsava. Mr Yadav said the historic landing would be witnessed by Union Civil Aviation minister Prafful Patel, who was instrumental in giving early clearance to the airstrip upgradation project. The project would be realised in 18 months time and the total cost on this ambitious initiative would be to the tune of Rs 44 crore. Later addressing a public meeting at the airstrip, Mr Yadav flayed the changes in the
IIT-JEE rules and termed it as an attempt by Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh to prevent the
promising wards of farmers and poor people from entering the institutions of excellence in engineering education.
— UNI |
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No threat to Indo-Pak peace process
New Delhi, September 16 Key officials here feel that the two countries are going to stay on course and their bilateral interaction is set to get into top gear next month when External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh travels to Pakistan on October 3 for talks with his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri and the first-ever meeting of the to-be-revived Joint Commission also takes place next month. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also accepted President Pervez Musharraf’s invitation to visit Pakistan and the visit may materialise soon. In fact, Pakistan’s daily “The Dawn” today said, quoting unnamed officials, that Dr Manmohan Singh was likely to visit Pakistan on May 3. Analysts here feel much hype was being created out of the Indo-Pak diplomatic stand-off on Kashmir and whatever General Musharraf told the UN General Assembly and hours later to Dr Manmohan Singh at the dinner hosted by the latter was General Musharraf’s political compulsion. He was addressing his domestic constituency. In fact, “The Dawn” , in a despatch from New York, today quoted General Musharraf in a positive manner as far as Indo-Pak talks are concerned. The newspaper said General Musharraf, at a press conference in UN Headquarters, dispelled the impression that his talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had failed, but acknowledged that it involved ‘complex and difficult issues’ that could not be resolved in ‘two days’. The General also conveyed his happiness on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent talks with the All-Party Hurriyat Conference leaders which he flagmarked as a sign showing that the peace
process was moving ahead. “India never recognised the APHC. Now they allowed them to visit Pakistan and meet me. The Indian Prime Minister also has met APHC leaders. Is this not moving forward?” said General Musharraf while citing the Kashmir bus service as another sign of progress in talks, the Pakistani daily reported. The Tribune understands that there is nothing on the ground to even remotely suggest that the Indo-Pak peace process has run into rough weather because Pakistan is fast losing patience. This is evident in the facts that the two major Confidence Building Measures — the military ceasefire, in force since November 23, 2003, and the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service, plying since April 7 — are continuing. Besides, the two countries are going to hold technical-level talks next month for starting
Poonch-Ravalkot bus service and inter-LoC truck service and there are no negative vibes from Islamabad on these two crucial CBMs aimed at intensifying people-to-people contacts. One criticism of the joint statement issued after Manmohan-Musharraf meeting in New York on September 14 is that it did not specifically mention what was stated in the New Delhi joint statement when the two leaders had met in April this year: that the peace process is “irreversible”. Even this criticism does not seem to be valid if one looks at the following sentence of the September 14 joint statement: “ The two leaders referred to the earlier statements of January 6, 2004 and April 18, 2005 and reiterated their pledge that they would not allow terrorism to impede the peace process.” At the same time, Pakistan has begun to queer the pitch on Kashmir once again. General Musharraf has raised the stakes on Kashmir by insisting, time and again, that Kashmir remains the core issue in the peace process between India and Pakistan. There are clear indications that Pakistan was drumming up domestic support for a Kashmir-centric resolution, an attempt to create a fait accompli in the eyes of the international community on Kashmir. Senior Pakistani officials have begun saying that majority popular opinion was for finding a solution first for Kashmir before anything
else. India has been maintaining that Kashmir should be treated as one of the points of difference to be resolved and not the issue. |
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Mahanta, Sangma hold closed-door meeting
Guwahati, September 16 Mr Mahanta started his parleys with like-mined parties today by holding a closed-door meeting with the former Lok Sabha Speaker and NCP leader P.A. Sangma at the latter`s residence here. The meeting lasted for more than an hour. Talking to this correspondent, Mr Mahanta said, “I am trying to bring all anti-Congress and anti-BJP forces together to put up a stiff fight against the ruling Congress in the coming Assembly poll”. According to Mr Mahanta, Mr Sangma assured him all possible help so that the AGPP could emerge as the only viable alternative to the Congress and the BJP before the next Assembly poll in Assam. Mr Mahanta said he already had the first round of discussions with the veteran CPM leader Harkishen Singh Surjeet and CPI General Secretary
A.B. Bardhan in Delhi . Mr Mahanta was also closely watching the outcome of the meeting involving12 minority organisations in the state led by the
Jamiat-ulema-e-Hind on October 3, which was likely to pave the way for a new political outfit of the minorities in the state. The former Chief Minister would also try to rope in the Autonomous State Demand Committee
(ASDC), various tea tribes organisations and the Bodos in his proposed platform. It may be pointed out that CPI national executive member Pramod
Gogoi, who left for Delhi today, and the United Minority Front (UMF) Chairman,
H.R.A. Chowdhury had already demanded Mr Mahanta to clear his stand on the BJP before they could consider some alliance with his party. Mr Sangma hoped that the AGPP and NCP combination, along with Left parties and other like-minded forces, was expected to shape up by the mid next month. |
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Favouritism alleged in IA appointment
Delhi, September 16 According to reports here, the company in question ‘R.R. Financial Consultants’ was appointed for the purpose of advice for the IPO in April earlier this year after the matter was put up to the then CMD Sunil Arora by the present acting CMD Sushma Chawla, who was then the Deputy MD and Director Finance. Although the Indian Airlines Board had given its clearance for appointing a pre-issue advisor, there was no particular consultant which had been identified while taking the ‘in principle’ clearance from the board. However in April last the letter from the Deputy MD and the Director Finance’s office recommended the name of RR Financial Consultants to be appointed as the pre-issue advisor. Sources disclosed that while appointing the company as the pre-issue advisor apparently no similar proposal was sought from the other companies and the appointment was made after the company in question offered its services in a letter to Indian Airlines. Incidentally, the then CMD Sunil Arora while giving his approval had clearly asked the Deputy MD and the Director Finance to discuss what the laid down procedures were. What is emerging is that after appointing the company, the airlines has also paid large sums of money to it and which also allegedly includes some part of the employees provident fund. There are allegations flying in the Indian Airlines that crores from the IA Employees Provident Fund have been invested in the same company. Seeking the approval for appointing the company as the pre-issue advisor the letter, (a copy of which is available with The Tribune), said issuance of IPO by any corporate is an extremely elaborate and well-defined task, which requires the fulfilment of various rules, regulations and guidelines, issued not only by the government but also at times by various agencies like SEBI. Apart from this, other related formalities have also to be complied with such as filing of prospectus with the RoC, SEBI and signing listing agreement with various stock exchanges. |
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Report for CBI probe, ban on khap panchayats
New Delhi, September 16 “There is an attempt to stigmatise the whole Dalit community and the violent outburst to the incident in Sonepat district in other parts of North India, including Punjab, is a reflection of the social tussle going on in the state,” said Subhash Gatade, a member of the Citizens’ report prepared jointly by six organisations working amongst depressed sections of society. The organisations involved in the fact-finding team were the Committee to Oppose Atrocities on Dalits, Jan Hastakshep, Nishant Natya Manch, Dalit Mukti Sangathan, Jan Adhikar Manch and Naujawan Bharat Sabha. They demanded that the khap panchayats “which have time and again shown anti-Dalit and anti-women and anti-poor biases” should be banned immediately and political patronage should not be given to these institutions for short-term political gains. Stating that the attack on
Dalits was organised, the report said the mob moved in vehicles with petrol and other inflammable material and attacked only Dalit-owned shops and houses. The report called for action against the officials who were responsible for dereliction of duty and cases should be registered under the SC/ST Act, 1989. Pointing to the growing incidents of violence against the socially oppressed sections of society in the past few years, the report called upon the state government to declare those districts which have witnessed a number of cases of such violence as atrocities-prone areas as per the SC/ST Act. |
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Job scheme may take 3 months for implementation
New Delhi, September 16 Mr Prasad’s ministry has decided to invite suggestions from state governments, public representatives, NGOs and people for framing rules and guidelines under the Act which was notified on September 7. Ministry officials said they were seeking suggestions regarding the implementation of the scheme which is seen as an exemplary social security legislation. Keen to make the Employment Guarantee scheme a “broad based people’s movement,” the ministry is seeking suggestions regarding developing procedures for registration and demand for work, design of the job card, method of payment of wages and selection and execution of works. It is also seeking suggestions on measuring the quality of works, social audit, grievance redressal, monitoring, transparency and accountability. The NREG Scheme intends to enhance livelihood security of households in the rural areas by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in every financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. There were indications earlier that the UPA government was thinking of launching the scheme on Gandhi Jayanti or birth anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. However, Mr Prasad said that it would take time to frame rules and adequately prepare the state governments for implementing the scheme. “It would take three months to implement the NREG scheme,” he said. The minister said the Centre would get an assessment from the states about the specific projects they intend to start once the scheme is started. The scheme lays emphasis on water conservation and water harvesting, drought proofing, micro and minor irrigation works, land development and rural connectivity to provide all-weather access. |
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Life term means for life, not 14 yrs
New Delhi, September 16 “We hold that life imprisonment is not equivalent to imprisonment for 14 years or for 20 years,” a Bench comprising Mr Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Mr Justice B.N. Srikrishna said, pointing out that it was bound by the dicta laid down in this regard by a Constitution bench in the Gopal Godse case. There was no provision either in the IPC or the CrPC, whereby life imprisonment could be treated as 14 years or 20 years without there being a formal remission by the appropriate government, the court said, while dismissing two writ petitions. A life convict from West Bengal had approached the apex court contending that he had already undergone more than 21 years of imprisonment (at the time of filing the writ in 1998) and that his further detention was illegal. He had sought compensation for his alleged illegal detention beyond the period of 14 years. — UNI |
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Rural poor have little access to formal finance
Hyderabad, September 16 The report on rural access to finance indicates that 70 per cent of the rural poor do not have a bank account and 87 per cent have no access to credit from a formal source. Besides low access, bribery and transaction costs were making banking system unattractive, the survey conducted in 2003 observed. The survey report, presented here yesterday by World Bank lead economist Priya Basu, points out that the creditors are getting only 91.8 per cent in commercial banks, 88.2 per cent in regional rural banks (RRBs), 83 per cent in cooperatives and 93.9 per cent in other banks of the actual loan amount. The remaining amount goes towards bribery or transaction costs. “Informal sector lenders remain a strong presence in rural India, delivering finance to the poor on frequently extortionary terms, “ she revealed. She said that 56 per cent of rural credit is provided by moneylenders, 31per cent by family and friends and 8 per cent by landlords. Not only the poor, even marginal and large farmer households are depending on informal borrowings. The report suggested that the Government of India should formulate suitable interest policies and the banks should use collateral substitutes, provide more flexible products and services, reduce the transaction costs through streamlining the procedure and introduce the use of IT in financial service delivery. To expand the outreach of micro finance, the report suggested promotion of micro finance institutions. |
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Global experts join fire fighting team in Dikom
Guwahati, September 16 OIL Spokesman Prasanta Barkakoti informed that the experts were on location and working out strategies along with the ONGC and OIL team to douse the blazing well, which caught fire yesterday following two days of uncontrolled emanation of gas and crude oil. Meanwhile, the fire in the OIL well was still raging even though fire fighters worked throughout the night to bring it under control. OIL General Manager (Production)
G.C. Baruah told mediapersons that the two experts from Boots and Coots had asked the OIL-ONGC crisis management team to arrange for at least 90,000 kilolitre of water in the vicinity of the fire to start the actual operation.
— UNI |
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Undersea cable damage disrupts flight operations
New Delhi, September 16 While SITA, the provider of the network services, which also has the responsibility of its upkeep, has regretted the complete break down of the communication system between the air transport industries. The occurrence itself is a very rare phenomenon. The complete breakdown of the communication systems occurred as a result of two simultaneous reasons. Firstly, an undersea cable from Mumbai to London, linking SITA’s international telecommunications networks in India to the rest of the world, was undergoing urgent maintenance. As SITA provides fully redundant links, the second path from Chennai to Hong Kong provided the necessary capacity to continue operations normally. However, at 5.40 am on Friday, this second link experienced an equipment failure resulting in networks in India being completely isolated. |
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High-level panel to probe Mumbai High fire
New Delhi, September 16 The committee will be headed by Mr T.N.R. Rao, former Secretary (P&NG), and other members will include Major-General S.C.N. Jatar (Retd.), Former C&MD, OIL & Chairman, ONGC Videsh Limited and Director General, Coast Guard (or a senior-level nominee). The committee has been asked to submit its report to the government within six months. A statement issued by the Petroleum Ministry here today stated that the committee would look into circumstances leading to the accident and adequacy of the response thereto. It will probe whether the MSV was sea-worthy, and whether the MSV as well as the MHN complex had adequate safeguards and safety factors in accordance with international and Indian standards to ensure that the platform and sensitive equipment do not get damaged by vessels/rigs. The committee has also been asked to look into whether the certification procedures and safety audit practices followed were adequate to prevent such accidents.
— TNS |
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M.F. Hussain turns 90 today
Hyderabad, September 16 “He will be completing 89 tomorrow but no birthday bash has been planned,” said his son Mustafa Hussain, adding that he wouldn’t even know where the peripatetic painter would be spending his birthday. Speaking to The Tribune at Cinema Ghar, the acclaimed painter museum of art and cinema at the scenic Banjara Hills here, Mustafa said that his father is in good health even at this age. The maverick but iconic painter was born in 1915 at Pandharpur in Madhya Pradesh. “He is fine as a fettle, touchwood. The doctors here said that even physically, he is like a forty-year old,” his son who takes care of Cinema Ghar said. Established in 1991, Cinema Ghar is described as “a tribute to Indian cinema from the silence of Dada Phalke to the dazzle of Madhuri Dixit.” |
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