Hindustan Times ST (Noida)
Iran says ball in US court, but ready for ‘talks or war’
`Iran said on Saturday that it was up to the United States whether to pursue a negotiated settlement or to return to open war, but that Tehran was ready for either outcome, after President Donald Trump said he was “not satisfied” with a new Iranian...
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Trump weighs options on Iran strikes as crude soars
WASHINGTON/DUBAI: The US and Iran showed little sign of breaking their impasse and agreeing to another round of peace talks, with President Donald Trump examining options for new strikes on Tehran ahead of a deadline to seek Congressional approval to...
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Exit polls predict BJP edge in Bengal, DMK to keep TN hold
: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is headed for a historic victory in West Bengal and a third consecutive term in Assam, the Congress-led United Democratic Front is set to win power in Kerala, and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) might beat...
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UAE to leave OPEC as war upends oil market
The United Arab Emirates said Tuesday it will leave OPEC effective May 1, stripping the oil cartel of its third-largest producer and further weakening its leverage over global oil supplies and prices. The UAE’S decision had been rumored as a...
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Trump in crosshairs again as shooter targets DC function
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump and officials in his administration were the likely targets of a suspect who fired on a security agent guarding the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, US acting Attorney General Todd Blanche...
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Iran officials leave, US envoys call off trip to Pak for parleys
The latest ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran appeared to fail Saturday before they began, as Tehran’s top diplomat left Pakistan and President Donald Trump soon afterward said he had told envoys not to travel to Islamabad. The...
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Aap-heaval: 7 Rajya Sabha MPS revolt, desert Kejriwal
NEW DELHI/CHANDIGARH: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was jolted on Friday after Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha announced that seven out of 10 parliamentarians from the Upper House were quitting the party and joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),...
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Trump’s ‘shoot, kill’ order sharpens Strait standoff
President Donald Trump has ordered the US military to “shoot and kill” small Iranian boats that deploy mines in the Strait of Hormuz, he said on Thursday, a day after Iran again displayed its ability to thwart traffic through the channel. Trump’s post...
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Iran attacks 3 ships in Strait day after ceasefire extended
Iran fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz and seized two of them on Wednesday, intensifying its assault on shipping in the key waterway. The attacks came a day after US President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire while maintaining an American...
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TN, Bengal set to vote as campaign winds up
High-decibel campaigns for the Tamil Nadu assembly polls and 152 seats in West Bengal ended on Tuesday, with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) making a strong push to breach the Opposition’s bastions in the southern and eastern parts of...
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21 killed in Udhampur accident
JAMMU: At least 21 people died and 57 others were injured, three of them critically, when a private bus carrying 63 passengers veered off a hilly road, hurtled down a steep slope before hitting a passenger auto-rickshaw on a lower road in Udhampur...
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Trump says new talks, but confusion persists
US President Donald Trump said his negotiators will head to Pakistan on Monday for talks with Iran, lifting hopes of extending a ceasefire set to expire this week even as Washington and Tehran remain locked in a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz. The...
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Modi attacks Opposition after legislative setback
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday compared the Opposition’s vote against a constitution amendment bill that sought to expand the Lok Sabha to “foeticide”, and vowed that the government will not stop trying to give women their rightful share. In...
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Iran opens Hormuz, fuels war end hopes
US blockade a sticking point: Trump says still in force, Iran calls it a violation of truce deal Trump says Israel prohibited from striking Lebanon; Not finished with Hezbollah: Bibi Iran’s nuclear programme and uranium remains a point of contention...
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LS expansion will be fair, says govt; Oppn wants it in writing
NEW DELHI: The government on Thursday attempted to convince the Opposition that the proposal to increase the Lok Sabha’s strength and fast-track 33% reservation for women would involve a proportional 50% rise in each state’s seats, thereby not hurting...
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BJP’S first Bihar CM sworn in
BJP leader Samrat Choudhary takes oath as Bihar chief minister in a ceremony at the state Lok Bhawan in Patna on Wednesday. JD(U)’S Bijendra Prasad Yadav and Vijay Kumar Chaudhary took oath as deputy CMS.
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Nitish steps down, Samrat to take oath as 1st BJP Bihar CM
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Samrat Choudhary will take oath as the 24th chief minister of Bihar on Wednesday, marking the first time the national party has claimed the top position in the state. Choudhary, a 57-year-old leader who hails from...
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US cuts off Iranian ports; Tehran vows to hit back
WASHINGTON/DUBAI: The US military began a blockade of ships leaving Iran’s ports on Monday, President Donald Trump said, and Tehran threatened to retaliate against ports of its Gulf neighbours after weekend talks on ending the war broke down. Oil...
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Talks fail, Trump says US will block Hormuz
ISLAMABAD: President Donald Trump on Sunday said the U.S. Navy would “immediately” begin a blockade of ships entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz, after Us-iran ceasefire talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement or next diplomatic steps in...
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Delhi plans ban on new petrol bikes, CNG autos
NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Saturday released its draft Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy 2026 for public consultation, maintaining its proposal to ban the registration of new petrol two-wheelers from April 2028 and new CNG three-wheelers from...
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UP SIR: Highest addition of voters from draft at 8.4 mn
Uttar Pradesh’s electorate expanded by 8.43 million between the draft roll in January and the final numbers released on Friday, the highest among the 13 states and Union Territories where the special intensive revision (SIR) has concluded. India’s...
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Israel pushes for Lebanon talks as Iran truce teeters
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he is seeking direct talks with Beirut, a day after the worst bombardment of the war killed more than 300 people in Lebanon and placed Donald Trump’s Us-iran ceasefire in jeopardy. Trump...
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RBI cuts growth forecast, in ‘wait-and-watch’ mode
NEW DELHI: The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) projections for growth and inflation suggest that the Indian economy, thanks to the war in West Asia, has gone from a Goldilocks — low-inflation and high-growth — environment towards potential stagflation —...
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Murshidabad fares worst in Bengal adjudication cuts
NEW DELHI/KOLKATA: Around nine million names were deleted as part of the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Tuesday, adding that roughly 2.71 million of those voters...
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Trump threatens Tehran with night of destruction
TEHRAN: Iran on Monday rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal and said it wants a permanent end to the war, while President Donald Trump appeared to widen his threat from civilian targets to the whole Islamic Republic as his ultimatum ticked...
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US aviator rescued after tense search, Trump vows ‘hell’ if Strait stays closed
TEHRAN: US President Donald Trump on Sunday made expletive-laden new threats to escalate strikes on Iran and its infrastructure if it doesn’t open the Strait of Hormuz by his deadline, after American forces rescued an aviator whose Iran-downed plane...
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Trump gives new ultimatum, hunt for US pilot intensifies
TEL AVIV: The US military on Saturday searched for a missing pilot shot down over a remote area in Iran, while President Donald Trump remained silent on the incident but reminded Tehran of his Monday deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz: “48 hours...
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NIA team arrives in Bengal to probe Malda hostage episode
NEW DELHI: A National Investigation Agency (NIA) team from Delhi reached Kaliachak in Bengal’s Malda on Friday following the Election Commission of India’s orders to investigate the mob siege at a block development officer’s (BDO) office the night...
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Trump dashes hopes of quick end to war as Iran continues Gulf strikes
Iran fired more missiles at Israel and Gulf Arab states Thursday, demonstrating Tehran’s continued ability to strike its neighbours even as US President Donald Trump claimed in a televised address the threat from the country was nearly eliminated but...
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EC transferred 483 officials in Bengal vs 23 in other poll states
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered the transfer of 483 administration and police officials in West Bengal since assembly elections were announced on March 15 — 21 times the 23 officers it has ordered transferred across the three other...
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Trump slams allies, Iran seeks guarantees for truce
TEHRAN/WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump expressed frustration Tuesday with allies who have been unwilling to do more to support the US war effort, telling them to “go get your own oil” as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country had the...
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India has become free from Naxals, declares Shah in LS
Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday declared India “Naxal-free” as he blamed the Congress and previous governments for the decades-long insurgency, criticised a landmark Supreme Court judgment that had banned a controversial militia, and snubbed...
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DMK’S poll pitch: ₹8,000 coupons, higher pension
CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu chief minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president MK Stalin on Sunday released his party’s manifesto for the upcoming assembly elections, promising a ₹8,000 coupon scheme for women from families not under the income tax...
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A month on, truce hopes dim, war inches closer to Red Sea
DUBAI: Iranian-backed Houthi rebels entered the month-old war in the Middle East on Saturday, claiming a missile launch that Israel said it intercepted. Pakistan said regional powers plan to meet Sunday to discuss how to end the fighting, while Iran...
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Israel strikes Iran N-sites after Trump extends Hormuz date
Iran’s nuclear facilities came under attack on Friday, state media reported, just hours after Israel threatened to “escalate and expand” its campaign against Tehran. Iran quickly threatened to retaliate and Israel claimed responsibility for the...
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Delhi govt’s ₹6.2-cr VIP boats plan runs aground
The Delhi government has scrapped its plans to procure two air-conditioned boats at a cost of ₹6.2 crore for VIP inspections of the Yamuna, and suspended two senior officials involved in the procurement, minister Parvesh Verma said on Thursday. Verma,...
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Iran shoots down US plan, says will end the war when it decides
Iran on Wednesday dismissed an American plan to pause the war in the Middle East and launched more attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab countries, including an assault that sparked a huge fire at Kuwait International Airport. Iran’s defiance came as Israel...
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Missiles hit Tehran, Tel Aviv amid uncertainty over talks
DUBAI: Airstrikes battered Iran and Iranian missiles and drones targeted Israel’s Tel Aviv and sites across the Mideast on Tuesday, even as President Donald Trump said the US was in talks with the Islamic Republic to end the war. With thousands more...
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Trump presses pause, Iran denies talks claim
US President Donald Trump said Monday the U.S. was talking with a “respected” Iranian leader and claimed the Islamic Republic was eager for a deal to end the war. He also extended a deadline for Iran to reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz or face...
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Delhi faces water supply woes as snag halts plant
NEW DELHI: Water supply to several parts of central, north and south Delhi is likely to be disrupted for at least three days after a damaged pipeline knocked the crucial Chandrawal water treatment plant out of action, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) said on...
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Eid in the mist
People offer prayers during a foggy morning at the Jama Masjid to mark Eid in New Delhi on Saturday.
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Iran threatens world tourism spots as more leaders killed
Iran threatened to target recreational and tourist sites worldwide and insisted it was still building missiles. Its supreme leader issued another defiant statement on Friday, nearly three weeks into Us-israeli strikes that have killed a slew of...
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US embassy hit as Iran strikes back over bombing on island
President Donald Trump’s administration has rebuffed efforts by West Asian allies to start diplomatic negotiations aimed at ending the Iran war, news agency Reuters reported on Saturday, as the conflict spiralled after the US struck military sites on a...
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Self-identification not part of new trans definition bill
The Union government on Friday introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha that significantly narrows the definition of transgender persons, removes the right to self-identification, introduces medical boards for certification, and prescribes punishments up to...
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SC closes MC Mehta PIL on Delhi pollution after 40 yrs
The Supreme Court on Thursday formally disposed of the landmark 1985 public interest litigation filed by environmentalist MC Mehta that led to nearly four decades of continuous judicial oversight on pollution control in Delhi — from the conversion of...
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SC allows passive euthanasia for 32-yr-old in pivotal ruling
The Supreme Court on Wednesday permitted the withdrawal of life-sustaining medical treatment for a 32-yearold man who has remained in a permanent vegetative state for more than a decade, invoking the timeless Shakespearean dilemma of “to be or not to...
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Cabinet eases investment rules for China, neighbours
NEW DELHI: Six years after India restricted investments from companies based in China and other countries that share a land border with it in local entities, the Union cabinet on Tuesday allowed the same conditionally, to boost specific sectors (such...
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Court erred with remarks on CBI in excise case order: HC
NEW DELHI: Observations made by a trial court while discharging former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and 22 others in connection with the now scrapped Delhi excise policy in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case were “prima facie...
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Indian killed in Saudi amid rising hits on civilian infra
DUBAI: An Indian and a Bangladeshi were killed in Saudi Arabia when a “military projectile” fell onto a residential area in Al Kharj governorate south of Riyadh, the country’s civil defence agency said on Sunday, as the Iran war’s targets widened into...
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Delhi max crosses 35°C, earliest in at least 15 yrs
The temperature in Delhi soared past 35°C on Saturday, the earliest it has crossed this threshold in at least 15 years, data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) showed, as Delhi checked off another grim touchpoint in an unusually hot...
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Ex-rapper Balendra Shah set to become Nepal PM
KATHMANDU: Rapper-turnedpolitician Balendra Shah’s newly formed Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) was on Friday heading towards a sweeping victory in Nepal’s first general elections since the violent Gen Z protests, shattering the dominance of established...
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Israel pounds Tehran; Gulf cities under fresh Iran fire
DUBAI/WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump claimed the right to join Iran in deciding its next leader on Thursday as the war escalated further, with US and Israeli jets hitting areas across the country and Gulf cities coming under renewed bombardment....
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Israel steps up strikes on Tehran, Iran defiant
Israel stepped up airstrikes on Iranian missile launchers and factories Tuesday, and Iran retaliated against Israel and across the Gulf region, disrupting energy supplies and travel. As explosions rang out in Tehran and in Lebanon — where Israel said...
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Trump, Tehran dig in as attacks rage on
The US and Israeli air war against Iran widened on Monday with no end in sight as Israel attacked Lebanon in response to strikes by Hezbollah, while Tehran maintained missile and drone attacks on Gulf states. US President Donald Trump said the...
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Khamenei dead, Iran strikes widen war
JERUSALEM/TEL AVIV/DUBAI: Israel launched a new wave of strikes on Tehran on Sunday and Iran responded with more missile barrages, a day after the killing of supreme leader Ali Khamenei pitched West Asia and the global economy into deepening...
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Baramati crash preliminary report puts visibility in focus
The VSR Aviation chartered jet carrying Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar crashed as the crew attempted to land in visibility of 3,000 metres, against a legal minimum of 5,000 metres for visual flight, the preliminary investigation report...
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Pak declares ‘open war’ with Afghanistan, strikes Kabul
Pakistan and Afghanistan exchanged crossborder attacks overnight in a dramatic escalation of tensions that led Pakistan’s defence minister to say on Friday that the two countries are in a state of “open war.” Afghanistan launched a crossborder attack...
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India coast past Zimbabwe, stay in WC race
India beat Zimbabwe by 72 runs on Thursday to stay in the race for the T20 World Cup. The hosts scored 256-4, the tournament’s highest this year, after fifties from Abhishek Sharma and Hardik Pandya. Zimbabwe managed just 184-6 despite Brian Bennett’s...
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‘Golden age’: Trump’s pitch despite setbacks
US President Donald Trump boasted in his State of the Union address on Tuesday that he had ushered in “the golden age of America”, seeking to project an aura of success despite sagging approval ratings and deepening voter frustration ahead of...
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Publish WB lists even after cut-off: SC to EC
The Supreme Court on Tuesday invoked its special powers under Article 142 of the Constitution and directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to continue publishing supplementary voter lists even after the final electoral roll is notified on...
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TN final roll at 56.7mn, 11.6% drop from pre-sir
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday published the final voter roll for Tamil Nadu after the monthslong Special Intensive Revision (SIR), excising nearly one in 10 names from the electorate of the southern state that goes to the polls this...
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Super 8 setback for India
India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav after being hit by a ball during the Super 8 World Cup match against South Africa in Ahmedabad on Sunday. Chasing 188, the hosts were bundled out for 111 in 18.5 overs. BATTING IMPLOSION The famed Indian batting...
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From 10 to 15%: Trump raises US global tariffs
US President Donald Trump raised his newly imposed global tariff to 15% on Saturday, maxing out the statutory ceiling of the legal provision he had invoked just a day earlier — and signalling that steeper levies were on the way. In a post on Truth...
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SC orders deployment of district court judges to oversee Bengal SIR
The Supreme Court on Friday directed the deployment of serving and retired district court judges in West Bengal to adjudicate disputed voter claims in the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral roll, in an unprecedented exercise of its...
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Providing Access to Opportunity
From helping job seekers prep for interviews in loca ll anguages to developing critical AI safety benchmarks, our partners, Entri and CERAI are using Google AI to ensure technology empowers every India n,s afely, responsibly and in their own language.
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RS polls on Mar 16, NDA tally to go up
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday announced elections to the Rajya Sabha for 37 seats across 10 states on March 16 even as data suggested that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is set to expand its presence in the Upper House,...
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India, France boost security, energy ties
India and France on Tuesday upgraded their relations to a special global strategic partnership and took several steps to deepen ties in defence, technology, critical minerals and energy, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Emmanuel Macron...
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India team heads to US to seal deal text
NEW DELHI: India’s chief negotiator Darpan Jain will visit the US next week to finalise the legal text for an interim agreement in line with the February 7 joint statement of the two countries, commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Monday, adding...
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