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American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

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The #Rio2016 Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean, week 2

While the pools turn green, the athletes are breaking records and earning medals, even if some (like Ryan Lochte and four teammates) get mugged at gunpoint by men in police uniforms.

ARGENTINA
Theresa May reaches out to Argentina with ‘mutual respect’ as she works to ease restrictions on the Falkland Islanders exploiting their oil reserves

BOLIVIA
Evo Morales Confirms Bolivia’s Economic Downturn

BRAZIL
Brazil Mourns Olympics Guardsman Shot in Ambush.Out-of-town officer was part of large security contingent deployed to Rio for Games

Israeli Wrestler Takes Olympic Gold Without Winning Single Match After All Muslim Opponents Forfeit‘

NBC PANIC: RIO RATINGS HIT LOW…

From green pool to missing pontoon, problems won’t go away…

At The Economist, they’re not into records:

Why few records will be broken in Rio: The human body may have reached its limits
The factors fuelling America’s dominance of gymnastics
Why Pacific-island nations are so good at rugby
Olympians have discovered new fads and superstitions

CHILE
Chile’s privatized social security system, beloved by U.S. conservatives, is falling apart

COLOMBIA
Good luck with that: Colombia wants involvement of pope and UN in post-conflict courts.

CUBA
The fruits of “smart diplomacy”: Fidel Castro Lambasts US And Obama On 90th Birthday. The veteran Communist firebrand mocks attempts by America to kill him during Havana’s long Cold War stand-off with Washington.

Judicial Watch Investigates Starwood’s Hotel Deal With Cuban Military

MEXICO
Jorge Ramos Moves Towards Hitting Campaign Trail for Hillary. He will continue to call himself a “journalist,” which brings to mind this,

Mexico’s President Faces New Scrutiny. President Enrique Peña Nieto, whose past two years in office have been shadowed by a conflict-of-interest scandal linked to a Mexico City mansion, is facing new scrutiny linked to the first family’s use of a luxury apartment in Miami.

Ricardo Pierdant, a Miami-based businessman, in 2013 paid close to $30,000 in property taxes on behalf of first lady Angélica Rivera for an apartment she owns in Miami, according to tax records seen by The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Pierdant is a close friend of Mexico´s first family, according to Mr. Peña Nieto´s office.

The first lady purchased her apartment in the wealthy island enclave of Key Biscayne in 2005.

Mr. Pierdant subsequently purchased another apartment directly above Ms. Rivera’s, according to Miami property records.

Texas Family Among Those Kidnapped by Los Zetas Cartel in Mexico

NICARAGUA
Nicaragua’s president makes a farce of democracy

Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega shows his true colors. Since taking office in 2007, the president has concentrated power in his family’s hands

PANAMA
IDEAS PANAMA PAPERS Joseph E. Stiglitz and Mark Pieth: Why We Left the Panama Commission

PARAGUAY
Murders Add to Fears of Narco War in Eastern Paraguay

Paraguay recalls ambassador in diplomatic dispute with Venezuela

Earlier this week, socialist Maduro accused Paraguay of being part of “an extreme right wing alliance” aimed at blocking Venezuela from assuming its role as head of Mercosur as scheduled during the second half of the year.

PERU
PPK works out: Peru’s 77-year-old new president isn’t acting his age. And Peruvians love it.

PUERTO RICO
1 in 4 Puerto Ricans will have Zika by end of year…

URUGUAY
Montevideo Is Considering Joining The Pacific Alliance Trade Bloc, since Peru and Colombia issued an invitation.

VENEZUELA
Again, Venezuelans cross into Colombia after border is reopened

Invictus, via Miguel Octavio,



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The Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

ARGENTINA
Argentina judge orders cash seized from Fernandez’s daughter, Florencia Kirchner.

BOLIVIA
Fitch cuts Bolivia’s credit rating

Chile rejects Bolivia call for talks on sea access

BRAZIL
Brazil reviews security measures ahead of Rio Olympics

Rio de Janeiro’s Airspace to Be Restricted on July 24, Ahead of Olympics

CHILE
Stormy seas hit Chile copper exports, could buoy prices

COLOMBIA
The Chilean fighting in a foreign conflict in Colombia

CUBA
Good question: In Age Of Terror, Why Is Obama Rushing to Open Daily Flights With Cuba?

ECUADOR
Steve Hanke: “Electronic money leads into bankruptcy”

HONDURAS
Former Honduran President Zelaya to Supporters: “Ready Your AK-47s”. Deposed Seven Years Ago, Leftist Manuel Zelaya Seeks to Return to Power in 2017

MEXICO
Mexico to its Expatriates: “The Door Is Open to You Here”

PANAMA
Panama’s Manuel Noriega to Have Surgery on Brain Tumor

PERU
Spanish Historian Recounts Quest to Locate Last Inca Capital

PUERTO RICO
Zika Virus Jump: Puerto Rico Sees Big Increase in Case Count

VENEZUELA
Venezuela Comptroller General Says Cabinet Members Being Investigated



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The Russian spy facility in Nicaragua Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

A very big deal we haven’t been paying attention to: Russia is building an electronic intelligence-gathering facility in Nicaragua.

ARGENTINA
Argentina raises Falklands negotiations at UN meeting – is that why Macri is so desperate to have Malcorra named as UN Secretary General?

A Cautionary Tale of ‘Stem Cell Tourism’

Ephedrine Traffic: Kirchner’s Cabinet Chief in the Crosshairs Again

BOLIVIA
Sex, lies and paternity claims: Bolivia’s president reels amid tumultuous scandal

The Jewish year is 5776, and the Chinese is 4712; now Bolivia’s leader wants you to know: It’s the year 5524. Set Your Clocks Forward: Bolivia’s President Says That It’s the Year 5524

BRAZIL
As the Olympics Near, Brazil and Rio Let the Bad Times Roll

WADA Suspends The Only Doping Lab in Brazil

Brazil’s Shuttered Anti-Doping Lab

Come to the Olympics in Brazil — Zika is under control, says Brazil’s health minister.

#Rio2016: World is ready, but is Brazil?

CHILE
Chile to preserve Colonia Dignidad cult archive

Colonia Dignidad’s documents spelling out the torture and other abuses that happened in the cult are important in investigating crimes of the Chilean military dictatorship, the National Monuments Council said while announcing its decision to preserve the archive.

The closed, cult-like community was set up in 1961 by former Nazi and convicted pedophile Paul Schäfer, ushering his decades-long rule over hundreds of mostly German expats. Schäfer and other cult members molested children and prevented adults from leaving the estate in central Chile.

After General Augusto Pinochet took power in Chile in 1973, the cult leadership started cooperating with the regime and offering their premises as a torture camp and a warehouse for weapons and poison gas.

Chile returned to democracy with Pinochet stepping down in 1990, leading to a public shift on the status of the German enclave. Schäfer was forced to flee the country in 1997, but was arrested in 2005 and died in prison in 2010.

COLOMBIA
Peace, at last, in Colombia

Historic Peace Agreement in Colombia

Let’s hope it holds.

CUBA
House lawmakers blocked from visiting Cuba. Chairman McCaul’s Cuban Visa Crisis

Obama dispatches Shaquille ‘Kazaam’ O’Neal to apartheid Cuba as ‘Sports Envoy’

ECUADOR
Venezuela vs. Ecuador (Chavismo vs. Chavismo Dollarized)

Sweden asks to meet Julian Assange inside Ecuador embassy

MEXICO
From Mexicata:
New Criminal Justice System now in effect throughout Mexico, Office of the Mexican Presidency

‘The Vulture of Impunity’ casts a Shadow over ‘Mexico’s Moment,’ by J. Tadeo (openDemocracy)

Three Key Takeaways from Mexico’s Regional Elections, by Ben Raderstorf and David Alzate (Inter-American Dialogue)

As Cartels Ebb, Kidnapping is on the Rise in Mexican States, by Patrick Corcoran (InSight Crime)

NICARAGUA
Is Moscow preparing for new Cold War? Russia agrees to build spy base in Nicaragua and prepares to deploy missiles on Polish border

Russia and Nicaragua have agreed a deal for an electronic spy base
Moscow will also give Nicaragua 50 tanks as part of the deal
In the 1980s Nicaragua’s Sandinista regime was a sworn enemy of US
Russia has also announced plans to deploy missiles in Kaliningrad enclave

PANAMA
Panama Canal Expansion Opens Tomorrow

Redone Panama Canal deepens port rivalries

Panama Canal expansion will affect shipping — but how?

PARAGUAY
Drug Czar Steps Down After Deadly Anti-Cannabis Operation

PERU
PICTURED Peru Two drugs ‘mule’ living the high life with her cocaine-smuggling pal after being released from jail. Northern Irish stunner Michaella McCollum Connolly pictured enjoying her glamorous new-life in capital city Lima

PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico Governor suspends payments on infrastructure debt

URUGUAY
CHAIRMAN ROYCE: FORMER GITMO DETAINEE’S ESCAPE FROM URUGUAY UNDERSCORES NEED TO HALT FUTURE RELEASES. He was in Brazil, doing what?

VENEZUELA
Venezuela petition signatures ‘validated’. Venezuelan opposition leaders say they have validated enough signatures on a petition to move to the next stage in a process to remove President Maduro.

Mass Famine Is Imminent as Neighbors, Washington Stand By

UPDATE
Linked to by Da Tech Guy. Thank you!



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The impending disaster Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

There’s always an impending disaster. In the case of the Rio Olympics, it looks more likely than most.

ARGENTINA
Argentina gripped by mystery: the ex-minister, a convent and bundles of cash. Ex-president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and the church face tricky questions after José López was found trying to stash $8.9m in cash at a nunnery at 4am. Cristina says she doesn’t know who gave him the money:

BOLIVIA
Why Bolivia turned away Bill Gates’ chicken donation. It’s about more than a few ruffled feathers

BRAZIL
Brazil ‘mass rape’ video: Seven suspects to be charged

Brazil’s Rio state declares financial disaster before Games

New Plan to Fix Brazil’s Royal Mess: Restore the Monarchy. How did that work out the first time?

Brazil Gets Worst Possible Resignation On Eve Of Olympics

Brazil President Michel Temer Says Graft Claims Are ‘Lies’

CHILE
Chile’s government, in major defeat, will cease work on key labor reform

The reform, aimed at strengthening organized labor in the South American country, was initially passed by the Senate in March after a bruising battle that opened divisions within the governing Nueva Mayoria coalition.

But Chile’s Constitutional Tribunal in April rejected a provision of the bill that said companies could only negotiate with legally designated unions during collective wage talks.

It also struck part of a measure that prohibited companies from extending many benefits to non-unionized employees.

COLOMBIA
Colombian President Threatens Bloodshed if FARC Peace Deal Fails. Critics Claims Juan Manuel Santos Has Become Too Close with Guerrilla Leaders

Colombia’s pilot crop substitution program to begin on July 10

On the one hand, Colombia sheds cocaine capital image as economy grows

On the other hand,

World Economic Forum in Medellin, Colombia

CUBA
FedEx Downsizes Cuba Ambitions in Amended Flight Request

Stonegate Bank is Breaking the Law by issuing a credit card for use in Cuba.

“Check it out, Mildred!” Rejoice, Cubans, Rejoice! Hark, Hark! Dolce & Gabbana coming soon to the historic center of Old Havana!

GUATEMALA
Guatemala ex-president and deputy face fresh corruption charges

JAMAICA
IMF approves US$80-m disbursement for Jamaica. From the IMF statement,

Jamaica’s economic reform programme supported by the fund’s Extended Fund Facility has made major strides in restoring macroeconomic stability, pursuing fiscal consolidation, reducing public debt and undertaking significant tax policy reforms, building financial sector resilience, and tackling structural issues.

MEXICO
Mexican minister says ties with Canada could strengthen if Trump elected

PANAMA
Panama Papers awarded Investigation of the Year

‘Panama Papers’ firm demands prosecution of suspect in Switzerland

PARAGUAY
Killing of Mysterious Figure Part of Larger Narco War in Paraguay?

PERU
Mrs. Ollanta Humala, Peru: first lady banned from going abroad (emphasis added)

A judge in Peru has banned First Lady Nadine Heredia from leaving the country while she’s investigated for allegedly hiding undeclared campaign contributions. The order handed down Thursday night prevents Heredia from travelling [sic] abroad for four months, as her husband, centrist President Ollanta Humala, leaves office in July.

Heredia has been dogged for years by accusations that she hid large contributions from socialist Venezuela that funded her husband’s 2006 and 2011 campaigns.

PUERTO RICO
Orlando shooting victim’s death takes a toll on Puerto Rico town

Puerto Rico could see hundreds with Zika birth defects, CDC says

URUGUAY
Uruguay: ex-Guantanamo detainee traveled legally to Brazil. He gets around.

VENEZUELA
Beautiful essay: The Last Flight



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The Copa America Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

Soccer fans everywhere are cheering their teams. Since I’m not a fan, all I can do is point you to their Twitter feed.

ARGENTINA
Argentina to suspend RT from national broadcasting

Por orden del papa Francisco, Scholas Ocurrentes rechazó los 16 millones de pesos que le donó el gobierno de Macri

“El Gobierno argentino tiene que acudir a tantas necesidades del pueblo, que no tienen derecho a pedirle un centavo”, fue el argumento del Santo Padre; sorpresa y malestar en la Casa Rosada

Taxi Drivers Protest against Uber in Argentina

BOLIVIA
Bolivia to File Counter-Suit against Chile over Silala River Dispute

BRAZIL
Brazil’s Iguatemi sees early signs of confidence returning

Brazil’s Fiscal Accounts Were a Nasty Surprise to Temer’s Team

Brazil’s Rousseff calls for referendum on early elections

Brazilians Supporting Dilma Rousseff Protest Temer Government

CHILE
Chile is “sick” from the lack of a pluralistic press, journalist says

COLOMBIA
Ex-President Uribe Launches Signature Drive against Colombian Peace Accords. Santos finds it laughable:

CUBA
Is Cuba preparing to extradite convicted cop killers back to the US?
Obama’s Cuba Trip Was Just a Family Vacation

ECUADOR
Visiting Ecuador After the Earthquake

HONDURAS
Honduras gang violence uproots thousands a month: UN

MEXICO
Mexican Government Protests Border Agent Shooting Illegal Alien In Self-Defense

Striking Teachers Burn Government Offices in Mexico

Zetas drug gang ‘used Mexico prison as extermination camp to kidnap and kill 150’

NICARAGUA
Earthquake hits Nicaragua close to Honduras

PANAMA
The Panama Canal Expansion: Changes Beyond the Waterway

PERU
Peru’s Keiko Fujimori vows to lead opposition in sour concession

PUERTO RICO
Obama urges Senate to pass Puerto Rico aid bill quickly

US Geological Survey says it will end water monitoring

Puerto Rico gets help in Congress as July deadline looms

Puerto Rico Lawmakers Mull Bill to Prevent Water Utility Default

VENEZUELA
‘We want food!’ Looting and riots rock Venezuela daily

Few options as Venezuela nears brink
NPR + NYT: A RECIPE FOR CLUELESSNESS



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The jitney Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

The total disintegration of Venezuela has brought muggers traveling in jitneys to formerly safe neighborhoods:

My cleaning lady is upset and scared, and near tears when she tells me the stories.
In the past three weeks the area has become very unsafe in day time. People that walk the streets are now getting mugged broad daylight. And she has more trouble than ever to get food.  Why?

The invasion of bachaqueros in the area follows a clear modus operandi.

They arrive in “busetas”, those worn down mini vans or mini bus that can carry up to 20 people, more if necessary… These unload the bachaqueros in front of a given store. The group arrives and breaks to the front of the line threatening as needed the locals, who terrified give them sway, the more so when home made weaponry is shown (chuzos like those made in Venezuelan jails). Sometimes more busetas arrive when from some magical knowledge they learn that this particular store will get more supplies than usual. There is indeed deep internal corruption links with some of the employees of these grocery stores. They get their cut of the loot.

ARGENTINA
OAS chief accuses Macri’s Argentina of obstructing moves to censure Venezuela.‘Games like this should not be played,’ says secretary general Luis Almagro, amid reports of effort to secure Caracas’s backing for Argentinian UN leader candidate. You heard it here first.

BOLIVIA
Narco-barcos con bandera boliviana

BRAZIL
Some NBC staffers refuse to travel to Brazil for Olympic coverage over Zika virus fears. Can’t say I blame them.

HAITI
‘Miami Vice’-style coke bust on the Miami River

MEXICO
Former Governor of Mexico’s Nuevo Leon State Faces Fraud Charges

Prosecutors in Mexico’s northern state of Nuevo Leon have accused former Gov. Rodrigo Medina and 10 senior members of his administration of fraud involving some $200 million in land sales and other dealings.

PERU
Peruvians Vote for President

VENEZUELA
Socialism for the 21st Century: Venezuela’s Discovery of Hunger



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The Memorial Day Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

Big news in Colombia: the ELN released Salud Hernández, Diego D’Pablos and Carlos Melo after holding them for a week. Details below.

ARGENTINA
Argentina’s Last Dictator Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison For Cross-Border Conspiracy

An Argentine court has sentenced Reynaldo Bignone, the country’s last dictator, to 20 years in prison for his part in Operation Condor.

It’s the “first time a court has ruled that Operation Condor was a criminal conspiracy to kidnap and forcibly disappear people across international borders,” The Associated Press reports.

Under this plan, the military dictatorships in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay and Brazil agreed to share information with each other to help track down political opponents and leftists starting in 1975. 376 people were killed as a result of Operation Condor, the BBC reports. As The Guardian describes, “after their arrest, the victims were made to ‘disappear’, usually by being cremated, or thrown drugged but still alive from military planes into the Atlantic Ocean.”

Argentina Plans Amnesty Over Funds Stashed Abroad. President Mauricio Macri tries to encourage Argentines to repatriate billions of dollars hidden in overseas vaults and accounts. If he succeeds, it’ll be very good news.

BAHAMAS
STRIKING NEW SNAKE SPECIES FOUND IN THE BAHAMAS

BOLIVIA
The Worst Boyfriend in Bolivia

BRAZIL
Dilma Rousseff claims her downfall in Brazil is ‘clearly’ a ‘coup’ after leaked tape ensnares her critics

Petrobras scandal highlights need for deep reform in Brazil. Political changes required to try remove the carrots that incentivise corruption

Brazil police launch manhunt after sickening gang rape

CHILE
Chile President Bachelet testifies in tax probe into daughter-in-law

COLOMBIA
Colombian rebels free Spanish journalist, 2 others

CUBA
Reports That Castro is Legalizing ‘Private Business’ Are False

JAMAICA
Jamaica, Venezuela, OAS and Caricom

MEXICO
Attorneys for Mexico’s Chapo Seek to Block Extradition to U.S.

Sinaloa Cartel’s Takeover of US Heroin Market Questionable

Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel has taken control of the US heroin market by elbowing out traffickers of the Asian product, according to a DEA official, but the dynamics of the drug trade on both sides of the border are somewhat more complex.

Mexico Has a New US Ambassador after 10-Month Blockade – Roberta Jacobson.

NICARAGUA
ICYMI: There is Nothing New Under the Nicaraguan Sun

PANAMA
Panama Papers May Inspire More Big Leaks, if Not Reform

PARAGUAY
Refuge in Paraguay gives street kids their lives back

PERU
Poll gives Peru’s Fujimori 5.8 point lead a week before election

PUERTO RICO

Puerto Rico’s born-again farmers dig for victory in island’s debt battle. They have a long way to go: agriculture accounts for less than 1% of the island’s GDP.

VENEZUELA
Oposición se reúne en secreto con régimen de Maduro para bloquear a la OEA

Chávez’s little blue book. Outsiders should push Nicolás Maduro to hold a recall referendum this year

In graphics: A political and economic guide to Venezuela

Venezuela Goes from Bad to Catastrophe. Until the country has a government that can build a sustainable economic system, its misery will only deepen



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The radical tourists Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

Nick Cohen takes to task “lefty westerners who trawl the world for revolutions to praise:” Radical tourists have been deluded pimps for Venezuela, in The Guardian, no less.

ARGENTINA
Viviana Fein still trying to justify herself: Alberto Nisman may have been forced to kill himself, says Argentine prosecutor. Shot in the back of the head, no less.

BOLIVIA
Bolivia police, workers clash at protest over plant shutdown

Dynamite Used at Bolivian Protest, 3 Injured, 76 Arrested

BRAZIL

Brazil’s Revised 2016 Budget Projects Worse-Than-Expected Fiscal Picture. Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles says forecasts are ‘transparent and realistic’

Brazil Partners with WHO to Track Tobacco, Alcohol Industries. Country Also Plans to Monitor Use of Alcohol and Sugar Intake. I don’t drink or smoke, but this gives me a craving for a Derby and caprinhas.

CHILE
Violent protests erupt during Chile president’s speech

Chileans are angry because of an economic downturn and a corruption scandal involving Ms Bachelet’s family.

COLOMBIA
Colombia and FARC Rebels Reach a Deal to Free Child Soldiers

FARC has said in the past that it no longer recruits child soldiers. But during a visit this year by a New York Times reporter to a rebel camp,minors said guerrilla fighters had taken them into custody in recent months.

COSTA RICA
At Drudge:  Hell opens? Costa Rica volcano erupts…

Hundreds hospitalized…

CUBA
Cuban and North Korean Special Forces in Venezuela

Furthermore, how this arrangement stems from a confidential military cooperation and intelligence-sharing agreement that North Korea’s Kim Jong-un with Cuba’s Castro regime in March.

ECUADOR
Ecuador Bank Hacked — $12 Million Stolen in 3rd Attack on SWIFT System

Ecuador deporta a cinco de los cubanos detenidos en el Hotel Carrión

JAMAICA
Venezuela’s Maduro stopped by: Venezuelan president in Jamaica for working visit

MEXICO
Mexican Marines Denounce Superiors’ Unwillingness to Fight Cartels

‘El Chapo’ Extradition to the U.S. Approved. The Mexican Foreign Ministry said Friday that the government has authorized the extradition of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán to the U.S. where he faces drug trafficking and other charges.

Mysterious Roar And Light In The Sky Wake Mexican City

Police, soldiers swarm Acapulco, killings continue…

Lord Rolls Royce (en español),

PANAMA
Panama ends sale of Mexico air tickets to stranded Cuban migrants

PARAGUAY
Paraguay battles over land rights in the courts and across the airwavesAs soya companies appropriate land in Paraguay, many small-scale campesino farmers are forced out to cities. For those who stay to fight for their land, the conflict can turn bloody

PERU
Peru’s Fujimori faces money laundering investigation ahead of election. Prosecutors have opened an investigation against Peruvian presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori and her husband. The probe comes shortly before nationwide polls and will look into suspicious campaign contributions.

PUERTO RICO
Creditors of Puerto Rico Government Bank Revive Lawsuit Over Debt Moratorium

URUGUAY
Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro is ‘Crazy as a Goat’, says former Uruguayan president. The colloquial equivalent in American English is “batshit crazy.”

VENEZUELA
Good luck with that, Oil-for-Drugs Swap: India’s Answer to Venezuela’s Unpaid Bills

Chains of the Foolish

Sugar shortage forces Coca-Cola to stop production in Venezuela

Venezuela, where hamburger is officially $170…

Socialist paradise turned living hell…

‘We are like a bomb’…

Fidel Castro, Evo Morales discuss ‘imperialist efforts’ in Latin America…



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