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Catalan businesses divided over talk of split from Spain

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Forthcoming local elections in Spain’s North Eastern region of Catalonia on 27th September are being viewed as a de facto opinion poll on a theoretical independence push, though the voting public and business leaders are clearly undivided on the matter.

Catalonia is a relatively prosperous area compared to some parts of Spain though it too has suffered with political corruption issues and a slow economy since the global financial crisis. During this period of austerity a Catalan independence movement has grown louder, yet they have never truly been able to demonstrate that a majority of their population are in favour of independence – the polls swing back and forth.

However, with its own language and a strong cultural identity, some Catalans feel they are not Spanish and they also feel unfairly treated by the central government in Madrid when it comes to taxation and the subsequent re-distribution of wealth.

In short, some Catalans feel they put in more than they get out and some would even prefer to be worse off than be dictated to by the rest of Spain. One major issue that pro-independence Catalan politicians have is that they have been unable to get a clear majority behind them and are unable to form a sensible dialogue with the Spanish government on the matter, though not for lack of trying.

The upcoming elections may change that if the population demonstrates a clear appetite for a split from Spain. Even if the pro-independence parties do gain more power, it is unclear what their way forward will be in legal and constitutional terms.

One key issue is that Catalan businesses have widely varied views on the situation. Some politicians in Barcelona and those aligned with the Catalan president Artur Mas believe Catalonia can split from Spain yet remain within the EU.

British Prime Minister David Cameron ought to be aware of the implications of testing EU legislation given his sometimes choppy relationship with the union, but at a recent press conference with his Spanish counterpart Mariano Rajoy in Madrid he commented, “If part of a state secedes, it’s no longer part of the EU and has to take its place at the back of the queue behind other countries applying to become members. Just like the UK, Spain is a great country with a long and proud history, and if I had a message, it would be the same as the one in the UK, that we are better off together.”

The respected Catalan business group, Foment del Treball, recently noted that a theoretical new independent Catalonia would not be a part of the European Union.

The Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel also recently expressed similar opinions, whilst U.S. President Barack Obama highlighted his opposition to the ambition of some Catalans to break away, after his talks with Spain’s King Felipe VI on 15th September, stating, “As a matter of foreign policy, we are deeply committed to maintaining a relationship with a strong and unified Spain.”

In response, the pro-independence bloc in Catalonia insist these statements are being provoked by Rajoy and Spanish government to sway sentiment against them. They believe Catalonia, with its industrial past, excellent trade links with Europe, modernised infrastructure and productive micro-economy can survive and prosper without Spain.

The separatists claim an independent Catalonia could have GDP per capita higher than the European average, have lower taxes and more generous pensions. They believe as a nation they could post a surplus of €11.5 billion euros per annum. The autonomous region already produces a fifth of Spain’s economic output.

Clearly no-one can prove that viability before any potential split. Catalonia has no military, relatively little access to natural resources and is highly dependent on the rest of Spain in terms of exports, with over 40% of its trade being with the rest of Spain. Meanwhile the powerful Catalan banking sector relies heavily on business with the rest of the country.

Nonetheless, if the separatist succeed at the ballot box on 27th September president Mas has pledged to create an 18-month roadmap to secession.

Many local business leaders have kept quiet on the issue due to concerns over causing offence to their fellow Catalans or local government. One exception to that trend is the president of Freixenet, Jose Luis Bonet, whose company are a leading producer of sparkling wine.

He recently told AFP, “a unilateral declaration of independence would be a disaster for the Catalan economy.”

In addition this week, statements from Cercle d’Economía, a prominent collective of Catalan businessmen and economists, described their opposition to the proposed roadmap to a unilateral declaration of independence even in the case of a majority in the regional parliament for the separatists.

The Cercle d’Economía acknowledge that they are concerned about the ‘economic, financial and investment’ implication the election result could produce for Catalonia. Their statement read, “As we have said in previous opinions, we do not support unilateral declarations that put the principle of legality and belonging to the European Union and the euro at risk.”

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FFP proves effective as 15 Champions League clubs curb spending in 2015

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One of Spain’s biggest secondary ticket market platforms Ticketbis.net have revealed that Manchester City were the biggest spenders out of this seasons Champions’ League Group Stage participants as well as being top of the Champions League ‘Net Spend Table’ on transfers in 2015.

City are followed by Ligue 1 champions PSG and Spanish side Valencia who had to qualify for this seasons competition through a play-off victory over PSG’s French counterparts Monaco. However, despite some of the major net spends of some of Europe’s elite in 2015, 15 of the 32 teams in this seasons competition had a negative net spend for the year, highlighting that many of the sides are taking a prudent approach towards spending despite FFP rules being relaxed in recent times.

Many of the teams in Europe’s biggest club competition have shied away from spending huge figures in 2015  due to the effects Financial Fair Play may have on them, with penalties including a potential eight figure fine and squad deductions for next seasons European competitions if they were to qualify. Even teams who have spent large amounts on transfers in the past including the likes of Zenit St.Petersburg, Shakhtar Donetsk and Galatasaray have been unable to loosen their purse strings significantly  in 2015.

AS Roma were penalised by UEFA over FFP in May this year and have an overall net spend of minus £27.7 million. In this summer’s transfer window they’ve had to resort to signing players on loan instead of purchasing them outright, with the most notable loan signings being Manchester City’s Edin Dzeko and Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny.

Not surprisingly, Portuguese sides Benfica and FC Porto are the two sides in this seasons Champion’s League competition with the lowest net spend in 2015. As both sides continue to develop highly talented footballers from both their homeland and South America, the big sides in Europe’s most coveted leagues such as the Premier League and La Liga continue to invest in the league’s biggest talents for astronomical fees. The most high profile departure from the Portuguese Superliga in 2015 was FC Porto’s Columbian forward Jackson Martinez who joined Spanish giants Atletico Madrid for an estimated £25.5 million.

Manchester City are way out ahead with regard to money spent in 2015, spending £175m on new signings, including the £51m signing of Wolfsburg’s Kevin De Bruyne and the £44m acquisition of England international Raheem Sterling. They have also acquired Fabian Delph, Nicolas Otamendi and Wilfried Bony this year and whilst they have recouped just over £50m by selling players their net spend is the highest in Europe at £124.7 million.

City are one of six teams in the Champions League to break their transfer record in 2015 along with Wolfsburg, Porto, Valencia, Maccabi Tel Aviv and FC Astana.

Like City, PSG have also highlighted their confidence in avoiding further FFP punishment with a net spend of £71.8 million in 2015, as they too aim to achieve European success on the back of their domestic progress.

Unsurprisingly, City’s neighbours Manchester United are also one of the competition’s biggest spenders in 2015 as Louis Van Gaal’s rebuilding continues with momentum. However, United were able to recoup just over £73 million on players in the two 2015 transfer windows and were second to Benfica in terms of total money received from transfers.

Despite being under a transfer embargo, Barcelona have a total net spend of £10.8 million due the acquisitions of Arda Turan and Alexis Vidal and the departure of versatile forward Pedro. The Catalan club fell well behind the biggest spenders in Spain, Valencia, who have a total net spend of £71.8 million in 2015 as they look to make ground in Europe again, having overcome financial difficulties in recent years. Meanwhile, Real Madrid have not spent as heavily as in previous years.

FC Astana and Maccabi Tel Aviv are the only participants outside of UEFA’s top six ranked leagues to have a positive net spend in 2015.

Irene Recio from Ticketbis.net, who commissioned the study, commented, “The Champions League is club football’s elite competition so it’s no surprise that some of the world’s biggest teams are continuing to flex their muscles in the transfer market as they strive for European glory. For Manchester City and PSG the Champions League trophy is certainly the next step if they are to be regarded as two of the world’s biggest clubs and the net spend figures show they are certainly going for it.”

champions league table

Featured Image – Source / CC 2.0 

Hewlett-Packard set for big changes as IT giant prepares to split

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American IT giant Hewlett-Packard has announced plans for significant job cuts, as it prepares to restructure over the coming months. HP is also set to be divided into two separate companies before the end of 2015.

The company’s chief executive Meg Whitman addressed the press this week, with figures revealing that HP is planning to reduce its workforce by 25,000 to 30,000, adding to the 54,000 jobs that have been cut in the last three years as the firm pushes to streamline its operations.

The proposed job losses would mean HP will have shed 100,000 employees in a decade, a notable figure given that the entire firm’s workforce is estimated to be around 300,000 in total. The number of job losses are reminiscent of the big telecoms and IT boom and bust cycles of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Many of HP’s staff reductions will come from their corporate hardware and services operations, which is to be rebranded as Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) later this year. The new company will operate separately from HP Inc, which is focused on the printer and PC marketplace.

Plummeting sales of PCs are perhaps what has hit HP hardest over recent years. Meanwhile, competitors have made massive gains in the mobile and tablet markets, while Apple’s tech market share has skyrocketed over the past five years.

HPs streamlining and split will be undertaken with the aim of putting its new HPE enterprise business in a more advantageous position as an independent entity.

Whitman and her fellow management executive team at the Silicon Valley firm have been fighting hard over recent years to turn the company’s fortunes around. A large percentage of its services workforce has already been moved to lower cost offshore facilities.

On the restructuring and changes of direction that have already taken place, in addition to the latest plans, Whitman insisted this week, “This has been a bit of a moving target. It has been a bumpy road, no doubt about it. We are conscious there have been a number of restructuring plans for this business. While we need more restructuring, I have the highest confidence I’ve had in four years that we will get there.”

Whitman will lead HPE after the split and has also warned analysts to expect modest growth rates for the company, more closely aligned with global GDP than the booming tech enterprise market. Meanwhile, in the quarter which ended on 31st July HP revenue from the PC and printer side of its business – its biggest concern – fell by over 11%.

Featured Image – Source / CC 2.0

Markets react positively to China’s fifth rate cut in nine months

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Global stock markets breathed a sigh of relief yesterday as markets recovered billions of dollars after China’s ‘Black Monday’.

European equities saw strong European investment, with indications that many losses were being recovered after losses incurred on what may describe as the worst day of trading for years.

After gaining 183 points, the FTSE ended the day 3.1% higher, it’s best performance since 2011. This reversed a 10 day run of losses, with much of the 280 point wipe out recovered.

It seems investors were tempted back into the markets after US and Chinese central banks reassured investors about the state of their respective economies.

In a much anticipated move to prevent further damage and stimulate their economy, the People’s Bank of China simultaneously cut interest rates and eased lending rules for banks.

In Shanghai the composite closed under the 3,000 mark for the first time since late 2014, shedding 42pc of its value since its May peak.

The index was the biggest faller in Asia. Japan’s Nikkei plunged another 4pc, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng recovered from its steepest decline in over 30 years on Monday, to close up 0.75pc.

Aspects relating to the rise of the British Pound

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The soaring pound is making holidays much cheaper for the British. This is surely something many British tourists are grateful for because it is one of the best times to schedule a holiday. With the rising pound British tourists are availing of holidays to 19 Eurozone countries that are nearly 12% cheaper than what they cost last year. The rising pound is also being supported with the fall in the Euro. The Euro has in fact fallen below 70p on the 16th of July 2015. This was the first time in eight years that this happened.

Since the average Briton typically takes some £450 of spending money, it basically means that there is about £50 being saved thanks to the currency cost. Spain is the most popular tourist destination for British tourists, with France and Italy being favourites too.

Those tourists who were planning to travel to Turkey should make the most of it right now. This is because one will be able to save even more since the Turkish lira has fallen victim to the political uncertainty that there is in the country and also because of their neighbour, Syria. Tourists heading to Turkey will be able to spend some 20% less than what they would have spent in the same time last year.

Those who are considering going to Ukraine should also pack their bags and head there this summer as it can be a great bargain. Since the Ukrainian currency, the Hryvnia weakened considerably against the sterling because of the sanctions that were imposed by Russia, Ukraine is a must-go this summer if you want to save a great deal of money.

After outlining some of the best countries to visit this summer, it may be worth pointing out some of the less advantageous ones. With the strengthening Swiss franc and US dollar, holidays to areas such as Geneva or Orlando are going to cost more from a currency perspective.

Following the Central Bank’s decision last January to scrap the three-year cap on the Swiss franc, this currency had a tumultuous year as it surged to parity against the euro.

The rising British pound is proving to be great news to travellers, but it certainly is not so favourable for exporters. Now UK exports are going to be more expensive and so sales volumes will suffer. According to the British Chamber of Commerce, the UK will not be hitting its target of £1tn worth of exports by the year 2020, and it will fail to do so by some 14 years.

Considering that the UK is the second biggest exporter of services in the world, just after the US, this is something worth considering. The BCC believes that besides the usual three countries, namely, Germany, France and the USA, there are also the United Arab Emirates and China as being possibly new service hot spots for the UK over the next five years.

The relative strength of the pound might end up dampening the Bank of England’s keenness for an early interest rate rise. Considering the implications this will have on exports, it is critical to take such a decision very carefully.

Can you really get cheaper break this winter?

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Ryanair could start an airfare value war, with radical strides to help traveler numbers. Michael O’Leary is cutting costs a mind-boggling 8% this winter. He likewise says he needs to work with different carriers, so they distribute one another’s costs on their sites – making it less demanding for individuals to go direct and locate the least expensive arrangement.

O’Leary declared that over the past three months, the normal Ryanair admission tumbled to £32 – as lower fuel costs were conveyed forward into lower airfares. In any case, he said the firm wouldn’t stop here, and that airfares would be cut somewhere around 4% and 8% on account of ‘extremely forceful valuing’. These value slices will apply to flights in the middle of November and March.

The cuts are mostly in light of the fact that he is flying more planes on more courses – expanding limit by 15%. It’s an offer to get more travelers from his rivals, and in light of the fact that Ryanair costs to fill the planes, it implies the normal airfare is liable to fall with a specific end goal to convince more individuals to fly.

The other driver is modest fuel – which he said represented a 7% drop at the expense of flying.

Will this mean a value war?

They’re a risk this could incite a value war – especially in the ranges where Ryanair is growing most forcefully. A key battleground will be Dublin, where Are Lingus has been assumed control by AIG (Ryanair claimed 30%), and both firms are focused on winning travelers from each other. The quantity of Ryanair airplane based in Dublin will ascend from 21 to 25, and is relied upon to rise even more, with an end goal to hold costs down and traveler numbers up.

In any case, somewhere else, there’s less proof of an imaginable value war. It merits bearing in kind that this isn’t the first occasion when that O’Leary has talked-up the likelihood of a value war. It’s to his greatest advantage, as he needs to see his rivals taking a hit with a specific end goal to diminish air passages. However, it doesn’t mean different carriers will take the snare.

We will need to see whether this winds up being an all out value war, or simply the opportunity to eat up a couple deals from Ryanair.

Value correlation

O’Leary has additionally reached four different carriers to attempt to induce them to share their costs on one another’s sites. Again, this is something that would make a valuable war more probable, yet he says he has not heard once more from them – so at this stage, it’s dubious whether this move will create much else besides more exposure for Ryanair.

The carrier likewise declared that it posted a 25% ascent in quarterly benefits, which owes an incredible arrangement of higher traveler numbers: the quantity of individuals flying with the firm over the past three months ascended from 24.3 million to 28 million

Is swapping app a good way to get cheap holiday money?

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Why search for a bank for your vacation cash when there’s a complete nation brimming with individuals you can swap with?

That is the reason of WeSwap, another cash benefit meaning to give vastly improved charges by removing the agents. WeSwap is a very good way to get cheap holiday money as it has all the must-have features of a Banking App. Simply sign up and pay the sum you need to change over, and determine the money a lot of.

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WeSwap will then send which you pre-paid card that can be utilized began this morning shops, eateries and at ATMs. Inside interim, the pounds you’ve paid over check out somebody going by the BRITISH.

Your card can hold nearly 16 monetary forms on your double, from US dollars for you to Polish zlotys.

Be that as it can, exactly how great are your rates?

Clients who can induce five companions to opt-in are right now being provided sans commission cash trade eternally. Something else, WeSwap charges 1. 4% payment for moment exchanges, 1. 3% on the off chance that you can hold up three days and only 1% when you give a week’s notice.

In any case, the trade itself is done with the mid-business sector rate – as good as that offered by most banks and trade authorities.

At on this occasion, that implies WeSwap clients are getting €69. 88 for £500 charges included, for a moment change.

That is a far superior rate compared to the present offerings from numerous high road names. The same quantity would just net €60. 72 from Telegraph Travel, €60. seventy-five from RBS and €60. 82 through Natwest, for instance.

Also, the very best rates we can discover today are €66. 44 from Barclays, €67. 01 through P&O Ferries and €68. 93 through Debenhams – all still far more terrible than WeSwap.

Be that as it can, there is a sting from the tail for WeSwap clients that aren’t general voyagers. On the off chance that you don’t utilize your card for per year, the organization will begin charging an expense of £2 a month along the card stays inert. There exists a £1 additionally. 50 charge for almost any ATM withdrawals under £200.

WeSwap, to get it plainly, searches incredibly for successive explorers and enormous spenders, yet for most could be more costly than it first occurs.

A few individuals, as effectively, may discover themselves put off from the organization’s London Underground promoting crusade previous this mid-year.

“We can’t swap your missus for any Swedish supermodel. However, we can swap your hard earned money for her Krona, ” examine one.

There was an objection on Twitter and – you got it – the organization swapped to some less-h.

Are you one of the Victims of card fraud?

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The Financial Conduct Authority has uncovered the consequences of an examination concerning how casualties of card extortion are dealt with by their banks. They raised various worries about the tenets, the level of comprehension from clients, and the challenges a few clients confronted in getting their cash reimbursed. On the other hand, they don’t plan to make a move.

The FCA brought the issue move down in March 2014, when they said that casualties may be unreasonably denied discounts, and dispatched an examination to see whether the circumstance was sufficiently terrible to oblige intercession. At last they chose banks are making an adequate showing to be allowed to sit unbothered. Then again, they highlighted various issues.

They investigated the strides banks take when there are “unapproved” exchanges on current records and Mastercards. This can be anything from a record exchange to an ATM withdrawal or a card exchange that the record holder was uninformed of. They needed to make certain that individuals got the discounts they were qualified for – and that banks were not unjustifiably dismissing the cases.

The uplifting news was that organizations are to a great extent conveying on the shields the law obliges them to offer. This incorporates things like discounting unapproved installments quickly unless there is confirmation of motivation to decline a discount. It included: “Firms have a tendency to fail in favor of the client when inspecting cases.”

In any case, it additionally illustrated regions where clients are coming up against major issues. The principal is that not every one of the terms and conditions joined to money related items are reasonable, and some make it hard for individuals hold fast to all the security procurements they are relied upon to make.

What’s more, they found that clients aren’t wading through these terms and conditions, so they aren’t mindful of the strides they have to take keeping in mind the end goal to be secured against extortion. One specific issue was that individuals attempted to recollect every one of the PINs and passwords they were relied upon to utilize, and accordingly numerous were thinking of them down or sharing them. The issue is that this is correctly the kind of thing that can mean they are not qualified for a discount on the off chance that they are a casualty of extortion.

On the positive side, most banks were not thoroughly upholding the harshest standards in their terms and conditions, yet the danger remains that they could change this arrangement in future, and begin declining claims on this premise.

At long last, the FCA brought up that in a few examples the case procedure was laborious. It said: “The cases experience fluctuated from moment fulfillment to drawn out, disappointing encounters.” It highlighted that clients could be left sitting tight months for a choice, and needing to pursue the bank for an answer. It implied that, notwithstanding when they, in the long run, recovered their cash, a considerable lot of them were left irate and baffled at how their bank had taken care of the matter.

Be that as it may, what do you think? Have you been a casualty of misrepresentation? What’s more, would you say you were content with how your bank took care of it? Tell us in the remarks.

Amazon launches Prime Music for music lovers

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Amazon has dispatched another music streaming application as a major aspect of its Prime administration, with more than a million tunes accessible to clients.

Prime Music went live in the UK toward the beginning of today, and comes as a component of Amazon Prime participation – the £79-a-year plot that gives clients free same-day conveyance from the e-business Goliath, and also access to Amazon’s current TV and film spilling administration, Prime Instant Video, among different advantages.

The US-based firm dispatched the music administration in America a year ago, and now says it has utilized its database of UK Amazon client purchasing propensities to remake the application particularly for clients on this side of the Atlantic.

The application will empower clients to stream over a million melodies at no additional expense, additionally permits them to consolidate them with the advanced tracks they’ve obtained from Amazon before.

The spilling administration will show up inside of the current Amazon Music application, which is allowed to download.

Christopher North, overseeing chief at Amazon UK, said: “UK clients cherished it when we included Prime Instant Video and boundless photograph stockpiling into Prime a year ago, on top of boundless one-day conveyance on a huge number of things and access to more than 800,000 Kindle titles to get.

“We said then that we were simply beginning, and today we’re presenting Prime Music – more than a million melodies from top rated specialists, in addition to several Prime Playlists hand-fabricated by our group of music specialists – all at no extra cost. Prime Music is the most recent extraordinary expansion for our UK Prime individuals and we believe they’re going to adore it.”

The declaration comes only three weeks after Apple dispatched its particular music spilling administration, Apple Music, to contend with Spotify.

On the other hand, Amazon says it is not hoping to tackle the iPhone creator around there, rather calling attention to that Prime enrollment contains a progression of administrations that advantage clients, with Prime Music being only one segment.

Amazon’s latest money related results demonstrate the organization beat expert expectations to go past 250 billion dollars (£160 billion) in business esteem surprisingly, making it more important than

Mortgage worth TRILLION pound – Why are you at risk?

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With the most recent figures demonstrating we owe an astounding £1trillion (that is £1,000,000,000,000) and the span of the obligation it an issue.

That is on account of we’ve got used to low rates and tackled greater and greater credits with a more cool demeanor.

As indicated by the most recent report from the Office for National Statistics, the quantity of families who considered their property obligations a ‘substantial weight’ tumbled from 11.3% in 2008-10 to 10.6% 2010-12.

This takes after a proceeding with a descending pattern since interest rates fallen to a record low of 0.5% in 2009.

Indeed, even little ascents can have huge effects. On an ordinary 2.5%, £130,000 home loan, even a 0.5% ascent in rates would cost you very nearly £400 more a year.

On the off chance that rates ascend to their 1998 levels, they should discover £5,000 more a year to pay the home loan. Anybody battling could well be constrained into repossession.

“There is a genuine danger that after over six years of record low intrigue rates, numerous home loan payers are as yet living in an incorrect conviction that all is well with the world. In all actuality they may have a short window in which to get ready for nearing treks in premium rates,” said Joanna Elson, CEO of the Money Advice Trust.

What’s more, it’s not simply contract holders that need to stress.

“We should not overlook there are a developing number of individuals battling with another sort of property obligation – private rent overdue debts. They too will be influenced by higher interest rates through rising leases as additional home loan expenses are gone on via landowners,” said Elson.

“Family units critically need to direct a money related health check to verify they will have the capacity to adapt to higher expenses – be they higher home loan installments or higher premium installments on extraordinary adjusts on charge cards and individual advances,” said Elson.

In the event that you have a tracker or variable rate home loan, consider changing to an altered rate bargain now . There are arrangements where you can secure your rate for a long time and still get a shabby rate now, and truly shoddy arrangements for fixes of 2, 3 and 5 years .

Second, pay off however much as the home loan as could be expected – excessive charges don’t simply decrease your home loan rate now, they mean you’ll pay less consistently until it’s cleared. On the off chance that rates rise, that implies rate rises will have a littler eff

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