🌎 **WhatsApp security issues: Hackers attack iPhones and Androids with code**
*Metro* - <https://archive.fo/NNKJX>

The app discovered a vulnerability that allowed attackers to install malicious code on iPhones and Android phones by ringing up a target device.

The code could be transmitted even if users did not answer their phones and a log of the call often disappeared, the Financial Times reported.

The company, which is owned by Facebook, said the attack bore a resemblance to spyware developed for intelligence agencies.

People are now being urged to update their WhatsApp immediately.

There are concerns that the software was used in attempts to access the phones of human rights campaigners, including a UK-based lawyer.

WhatsApp said: ‘We believe a select number of users were targeted through this vulnerability by an advanced cyber actor.

‘This attack has all the hallmarks of a private company known to work with governments to deliver spyware that reportedly takes over the functions of mobile phone operating systems.

‘We have briefed a number of human rights organisations to share the information we can, and to work with them to notify civil society.’

The firm is said to have alerted officials at the US Department of Justice after discovering the vulnerability in early May.

WhatsApp claims to have 1.5 billion users around the world and it released a software update on Monday.

According to the Financial Times, the spyware was developed by NSO Group, an Israeli cybersecurity and intelligence company.
---------------

🌎 **New security flaw in Intel chips could affect millions**
*AP* - <https://archive.fo/fREhv>

Intel has revealed another hardware security flaw that could affects millions of machines around the world.

The bug is embedded in the architecture of computer hardware, and it can’t be fully fixed.

“With a large enough data sample, time or control of the target system’s behavior,” the flaw could enable attackers to see data thought to be off-limits, Bryan Jorgensen, Intel’s senior director of product assurance and security, said in a video statement.

But Intel said Tuesday there’s no evidence of anyone exploiting it outside of a research laboratory. “Doing so successfully in the real world is a complex undertaking,” Jorgensen said.

It’s the latest revelation of a hard-to-fix vulnerability affecting processors that undergird smartphones and personal computers. Two bugs nicknamed Spectre and Meltdown set a panic in the tech industry last year.

Intel said it’s already addressed the problem in its newest chips after working for months with business partners and independent researchers. It’s also released code updates to mitigate the risk in older chips, though it can’t be eliminated entirely without switching to newer chips.

Major tech companies Google, Apple, Amazon and Microsoft all released advisories Tuesday to instruct users of their devices and software, many of which rely on Intel hardware, on how to mitigate the vulnerabilities.
---------------

🇺🇸🇨🇳 **Trump declares national emergency over threats against US technology amid campaign against Huawei**
*CNBC* - <https://archive.fo/9xCCn>

President Donald Trump on Wednesday declared a national emergency over threats against American technology, the White House said.

The move, done via executive order, authorized the Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, in consultation with other top officials, to block transactions that involve information or communications technology that "poses an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States."

Following the order, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced the addition of Huawei Technologies and its affiliates to the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Entity List, making it more difficult for the Chinese telecom giant to conduct business with U.S. companies.

The addition means that U.S. companies cannot sell or transfer technology to Huawei without a license issued by the BIS. That could make it harder for Huawei to do business, as it depends on some U.S. suppliers for parts.

President Donald Trump backed the decision, which will "prevent American technology from being used by foreign owned entities in ways that potentially undermine U.S. national security or foreign policy interests," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement.

The announcement has been under discussion for a year. It comes as the U.S and China remain locked in a trade dispute and could escalate tensions between the world's two largest economies.

The order had been opposed by small rural carriers, who continued to rely on Huawei equipment even after it was largely dropped by the larger telecommunications companies.
---------------

🇮🇱 **Hackers bust into Israeli site’s online Eurovision broadcast with missile threat**
*The Times Of Israel* - <https://archive.fo/c4ZzH>

Israeli viewers watching the Eurovision song contest on the Kan public broadcaster’s website Tuesday were briefly interrupted by a series of threats after hackers apparently broke into a livestream.

The hacked message replaced the campy song contest with a video of a forged warning from the Israel Defense Forces telling viewers within 1.2 kilometers of the Eurovision song contest venue in north Tel Aviv to seek shelter from an imminent rocket attack.

The approximately two-minute video ended with a warning that “Israel is not safe, you will see.”

It was not immediately clear who was behind the hack attack, though Hebrew media speculated it may have come from pro-Palestinian groups in Arab states.

Kan, which is hosting the international song contest put on by the European Broadcast Union, said in a statement that it’s site had been hacked into for several minutes.
---------------

🇺🇸 **Alabama governor signs nation's most restrictive anti-abortion bill into law**
*CNN* - <http://archive.fo/dkWhd>

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday signed into law a controversial abortion bill that could punish doctors who perform abortions with life in prison.

"Today, I signed into law the Alabama Human Life Protection Act, a bill that was approved by overwhelming majorities in both chambers of the Legislature," said Ivey, a Republican, in a statement. "To the bill's many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians' deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God."

The Alabama Senate passed the bill 25-6 late Tuesday night. The law only allows exceptions "to avoid a serious health risk to the unborn child's mother," for ectopic pregnancy and if the "unborn child has a lethal anomaly." Democrats re-introduced an amendment to exempt rape and incest victims, but the motion failed on an 11-21 vote.
Ivey noted in her statement that the new law may be unenforceable due to the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in all 50 states. But, the new law was passed with the aim of challenging that decision, Ivey said.

"No matter one's personal view on abortion, we can all recognize that, at least for the short term, this bill may similarly be unenforceable," Ivey wrote. "As citizens of this great country, we must always respect the authority of the U.S. Supreme Court even when we disagree with their decisions. Many Americans, myself included, disagreed when Roe v. Wade was handed down in 1973. The sponsors of this bill believe that it is time, once again, for the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit this important matter, and they believe this act may bring about the best opportunity for this to occur."
----------------

🇺🇸🇮🇷 **Trump says he hopes U.S. not going to war with Iran**
*Reuters* - <https://archive.fo/OIFQo>

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he hoped the United States was not heading to war with Iran as he met with Switzerland President Ueli Maurer, whose nation has served as a
diplomatic conduit between the two countries.

Asked by reporters if Washington was going to war with Tehran, Trump responded, “Hope not” as he greeted Maurer at the White House.

Tensions have escalated in recent days with increasing concerns about a potential U.S.-Iran conflict. Earlier this week the United States pulled some diplomatic staff from its embassy in Baghdad following
weekend attacks on four oil tankers in the Gulf.

Switzerland, a neutral country, has historically been a liaison between the United States and Iran, which have no diplomatic relations.

A White House statement said the two leaders discussed “a range of international issues, including the crises in the Middle East and in Venezuela.”

“President Trump expressed his gratitude for Switzerland’s role in facilitating international mediation and diplomatic relations on behalf of the United States,” the statement said.

The Washington Post, citing unnamed U.S. officials, reported late Wednesday that Trump preferred a diplomatic route with Iran and direct talks with its leaders but worried that some of his advisers were pushing war.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” that there is no friction between Trump and his advisers and he welcomes different viewpoints.

“He’s the one the American people elected. He’s going to take in the information and the guidance from all of his national security team and he then will make a decision on what he thinks is the best and safest
thing for the American people,” she said.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday welcomed what she called Trump’s lack of “appetite” for military conflict with Tehran.
----------------

🇩🇪 **Germany's top court orders broadcaster to air neo-Nazi party advert**
*Reuters* - <https://archive.fo/pUeeO>

Germany's highest court ordered public broadcaster ARD to air a small neo-Nazi party's election campaign clip, overturning a ban on the advertisement imposed on grounds that it amounted to incitement against foreigners.

Last month ARD refused an advert by the National Democratic Party (NDP) for its European Parliament election campaign in which it calls for the creation of "safe zones" for Germans who have become "victims" of mass immigration.

A Berlin court rejected an NPD appeal against ARD's decision. The Federal Constitutional Court overturned that decision, saying it infringed on the NPD's right to campaign and put it at a disadvantage against other parties.

"A constitutional complaint (by the NPD) is therefore at the moment neither inadmissible nor unfounded," the court ruled.

The NPD is hoping to make gains in the European Parliament, where it has one lawmaker, in elections later this month.

Two years ago, the Constitutional Court said the NPD resembled Adolf Hitler's Nazi party but stopped short of banning it because it was too weak to endanger democracy.

Nationalist, anti-EU parties in the European Parliament blame the EU's open border policy for a surge in migrant arrivals in 2015, mainly Muslims fleeing wars in the Middle East.

The NPD doesn't belong to any bloc in the European Parliament.

Its advertisement features a voice-over saying: "Since the arbitrary opening of the border in 2015 and the uncontrolled mass migration that followed, Germans have become almost daily victims." The voice-over is accompanied by images of crime scenes and names of victims of violence, including murder.
---------------

🇺🇸 **White House won’t sign international agreement against online extremism over First Amendment concerns**
*Washington Examiner* - <https://archive.fo/TxXqd>

The White House announced Wednesday that free speech concerns would keep the administration from signing onto an international agreement to counteract online extremism.

The agreement is being pushed by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in the wake of the Christchurch shooting. More than 50 people were killed in the mosque attacks, which were livestreamed on Facebook.

“The United States stands with the international community in condemning terrorist and violent extremist content online in the strongest terms,” the White House said in a statement.

“We continue to be proactive in our efforts to counter terrorist content online while also continuing to respect freedom of expression and freedom of the press,” the White House said.

World leaders, including Australia, Germany, India, Italy, and Spain, crafted the nine-point agreement called the “Christchurch call to action” in response to the shooting. Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, Google, and Amazon released a joint statement committing to the “Christchurch Call.”

“The terrorist attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March were a horrifying tragedy. And so it is right that we come together, resolute in our commitment to ensure we are doing all we can to fight the hatred and extremism that lead to terrorist violence,” the companies’ joint statement said.

“Terrorism and violent extremism are complex societal problems that require an all-of-society response. For our part, the commitments we are making today will further strengthen the partnership that Governments, society and the technology industry must have to address this threat,” the statement said.
---------------

🇺🇸 **Trump administration to release some migrants caught along southern border into South Florida**
*USA Today* - <https://archive.fo/uA100>

The Trump administration is preparing to release hundreds of asylum-seeking migrants caught along the southern border into Florida's Broward and Palm Beach counties, with no apparent plan to house, feed or care for them, according to local officials who have been briefed on the plans.

Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen said Thursday that Customs and Border Protection officials told him they would unload about 1,000 migrant families each month, evenly split between the two counties, for an unknown period of time.

Bogen called the plan "irresponsible" and warned that it would create a "homeless encampment" in his South Florida county.

"To bring hundreds of people here every week without providing the necessary resources to house and feed them is inhumane," Bogen said.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said Thursday that he received a similar briefing from the Customs and Border Patrol chief in Miami. He said the migrants would be mostly families currently being detained in El Paso, Texas.

They would be processed at CBP facilities in Broward and Palm Beach counties, given a date to appear in immigration court and then released into the community.

Beyond that, Bradshaw said CBP offered no other details or offers of assistance.

"No accommodations for transportation leaving (the CBP facilities). No accommodations for shelter or a place to live," he said. "Just no real plan on what's going to happen to these…people."

CBP did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Officials at the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees CBP, did not respond either.

But the decision to ship migrants to Florida appears to be the latest, and most distant, effort by Border Patrol to release Central American families directly into local communities.
---------------

🇺🇸 **Grumpy Cat has died. The Internet-famous feline with the perpetually miserable mug was 7.**
*Washington Post* - <https://archive.fo/SYJfK>

“Some days are grumpier than others,” the Instagram caption read. (<https://archive.fo/WY71N>)

It appeared next to a photo of the Internet’s most famous and beloved cat, the one with the perpetually miserable mug.

But this was no ordinary post Friday morning on @realgrumpycat, the wildly popular Instagram account with more than 2.4 million followers, who have grown to adore the cat’s perma-scowl.

Grumpy Cat’s owners had come to share some extremely sad news:

Grumpy Cat is dead.

The “grumpy” cat, whose real name was Tardar Sauce, died on Tuesday of complications from a urinary tract infection.

She was 7.

“Besides being our baby and a cherished member of the family, Grumpy Cat has helped millions of people smile around the world — even when times were tough,” her owners said.
“Her spirit will continue to live on through her fans everywhere.”

Grumpy Cat wasn’t, in fact, perpetually grumpy; her distinctive scowl was caused by a form of dwarfism.

She first achieved some level of Internet celebrity in 2012, after pictures featuring her frowning face went viral on social media, then turned into a mean-mugging meme. Within 24 hours,
a Reddit post that included images of the cat was trending with more than 25,000 upvotes, according to Know Your Meme, a website that tracks viral Internet content.

It wasn’t long before Grumpy Cat was everywhere. She appeared on TV, popping up in episodes of “American Idol,” “The Bachelorette” and WWE’s “Monday Night Raw.”
----------------

🇨🇦 **Canadians struggle to cope with famine**
>Due to Trudeau's nationalization of their grocery stores, Canadians have resorted to only eating cheap foods (Kraft Dinner). The insanely inflated prices of our grocery products were the direct result of Trudeau's bold new strategy to combat rising prices in his nations markets.

>But also due to the liberals cutting back on natural gas production, nobody but the rich uses stoves now. Canadians are resorting to making their Kraft Dinner in their kitchen sink. A trend dubbed "Tub mac", which started in 2017.

>Canadian health advisory has recommended that this is not a healthy or sanitary way to cook a meal, and has urged Canadians to not participate in this new trend.

Pots are fucking expensive in Canada. Each family has 1 maybe 2 good pots big enough to cook for a family. You burn them and its tub mac from there on out.

A typical meal in most places in Canada is either deer meat or tub mac. Sometimes moose if you live close to a first nations reserve because if your white you cant legally own a licence to hunt moose.

If a Canadian family is lucky some bug protein will find its way into the tub mac from the sink drain (left unplugged for this reason) as you serve the food. This is the origin of the saying "I got the lucky bug!" in Canada.

<:strawman:372034857099984897> 🍁

🇵🇱 **Poland plans to double jail terms for paedophiles**
*BBC* - <http://archive.fo/mWhCI>

Convicted paedophiles could now face a maximum sentence of 30 years or, in the most serious cases, life in prison.

The documentary includes harrowing testimonies from victims and has been viewed more than 18 million times.

Correspondents say the conservative government, allied to the Catholic Church, is scrambling to react.

However the ruling Law and Justice party says the legal amendments have been in the works for months. The proposal will now go to the senate.

The announcement comes 10 days ahead of the European Parliament elections. Law and Justice is currently polling neck-and-neck with the European Coalition, a collective of opposition parties.
----------------

🇺🇸 **Trump officials not sending migrants to Florida after backlash**
*The Hill* - <https://archive.fo/OPTtJ>

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) does not plan to send migrant families to Florida after reports about a Trump administration proposal resulted in backlash from local and state officials this week.

A CBP official told The Hill on Saturday that the administration is not looking at transporting family units to Florida "at this time" but said officials were looking at housing migrants in other areas across the country.

It was reported earlier this week that the administration planned to send hundreds of migrant families to Broward and Palm Beach counties, two Democratic strongholds in Florida that are among the state's most populous areas.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), an ally of President Trump, spoke Saturday with the president, who informed him that undocumented immigrants would not be sent to Florida, DeSantis spokeswoman Helen Ferre told The Hill in a statement Sunday.

"President Trump said he did not approve of such a plan and would not authorize it," she said. " Governor DeSantis was never notified by federal authorities that such a plan was in place."

"Because of everybody's efforts, we are able to stop what had appeared to be a crisis for our community," Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said in a statement Saturday, local TV station WPTV reported.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), an ally of President Trump, was among those who pushed back on the reported plans, saying Friday that the proposal was "not acceptable" and that it might not go into effect.

"I'm going to be addressing this," he said. "This is not something that came down from the White House. This was something that came out of the agencies."
---------------

🇺🇸 **🦀 Dallas transgender woman who was assaulted on video found dead 🦀**
*Fox News* - <http://archive.is/bfEnvk>

A transgender woman whose brutal beating in Dallas was recorded on video last month was found fatally shot and lying face down in the road on Saturday, authorities said.

Police found Muhlaysia Booker, 23, with a gunshot wound around 6:40 a.m. and pronounced her dead at the scene, the Dallas Morning News reported. Her death was ruled a homicide, the report said.

Police said Muhlaysia Booker, a Dallas transgender woman, was found dead on Saturday.

Booker was severely beaten and hospitalized last month after a minor traffic accident in the parking lot of an apartment complex. A purported video that circulated online showed a man beating Booker while a crowd of onlookers shouted slurs.

Edward Thomas, 29, was arrested late month for his alleged role in an attack on a transgender woman.

Police arrested 29-year-old Edward Thomas two days later for his alleged role in the aggravated assault, the Dallas Morning News reported, citing police.

Police declined to say whether Booker had received death threats before she was found dead. Dallas civil rights attorney Lee Merritt said Booker’s death is concerning for minority communities who fear retaliation for reporting hate crimes.
----------------

🇺🇸 **Michigan man charged with murder in fatal beating of 2 women**
*Fox News* - <http://archive.is/rWeyB>

A man has been charged in the killings of two women who were found fatally beaten after he showed cellphone photos of their bodies to sheriff's deputies during a traffic stop in central Michigan.

Kiernan Brown, of Delta Township, was arraigned Tuesday on two counts each of open murder and armed robbery. He entered not guilty pleas and was ordered held without bond.

The 27-year-old is accused in the deaths of 26-year-old Kaylee Ann Brock, of Holt, and 32-year-old Julie Ann Mooney, of Williamston. Police found their bodies Friday in Lansing-area communities.

Authorities say Brown was arrested early Friday on Interstate 69, after an ex-girlfriend reported that he had been violating a personal protection order by banging on her door and sending disturbing texts. She is not among the victims.
----------------

🇵🇱 **Polish nationalists protest US over Holocaust claims**
*Fox News* - <http://archive.fo/MBGVl>

WARSAW, Poland – Thousands of Polish nationalists marched to the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw Saturday, protesting that the U.S. is putting pressure on Poland to compensate Jews whose families lost property during the Holocaust.

The protest took place amid a dramatic rise in anti-Semitic hate speech in public life in Poland and it appeared to be one of the largest anti-Jewish street demonstrations in recent times. It also comes as far-right groups are gaining in popularity, pressuring the conservative government to move further to the right.

Protesters, including far-right groups and their supporters, say the United States has no right to interfere in Polish affairs and that the U.S. government is putting "Jewish interests" over the interests of Poland.

Poland was a major victim of Nazi Germany during World War II and those protesting say it is not fair to ask Poland to compensate Jewish victims when Poland has never received adequate compensation from Germany.

"Why should we have to pay money today when nobody gives us anything?" said 22-year-old Kamil Wencwel. "Americans only think about Jewish and not Polish interests."
The protesters shouted "no to claims!" and "This is Poland, not Polin," using the Hebrew word for Poland.

Rafal Pankowski, a sociologist who heads the anti-extremist group Never Again, called the march "probably the biggest openly anti-Jewish street demonstration in Europe in recent years."

One couple wore matching T-shirts reading "death to the enemies of the fatherland," while another man wore a shirt saying: "I will not apologize for Jedwabne" — a massacre of Jews by their Polish neighbors in 1941 under the German occupation.
----------------

🇺🇸 **Onetime Michelle Obama staffer evades subpoena in Smollett-Foxx case, process server says**
*Fox News* - <https://archive.fo/YoJQC>

Tina Tchen, the former chief of staff to first lady Michelle Obama, declined Wednesday to be served with a subpoena by a retired Illinois judge seeking the appointment of a special prosecutor in the Jussie Smollett case, according to the process server.

In an email to former Illinois appellate judge Sheila O'Brien obtained by Fox News, the process server wrote that a security guard at the Chicago law firm where Tchen is a partner "called up to her and spoke with her and she said that she in [sic] never going to accept service and to not allow me up to their Law firm.

"She knows all about this Subpoena," the server added.

Edward Ryan, who runs the private investigation firm that employs the process server, spoke about the incident with The Chicago Sun-Times.

"I don’t know why she’d turn it [the subpoena] down, she’ll be served eventually," Ryan told the paper.

Tchen did not immediately respond to Fox News' requests for comment.

The subpoena would have required Tchen to appear at a May 31 hearing on O'Brien's request for a special prosecutor and provide "any and all documents, notes, phone records, texts, tape recordings made or received at any time, concerning your conversations with [Cook County State's Attorney] Kim Foxx in re: Jussie Smollett."

Tchen reached out to Foxx on behalf of Smollett's family during the investigation into whether the "Empire" actor faked a hate crime attack on the streets of Chicago earlier this year. Smollett was eventually charged with 16 felony counts of lying to authorities in February, but the charges were, to the astonishment of many, dropped on March 26.
---------------

🇺🇸 **High school pulls 1,750 yearbooks because students flashed 'white power' symbol in photos**
*Yahoo!* - <https://archive.fo/mF52v>

A high school pulled 1,750 yearbooks because several students flashed a hand gesture popular among white supremacists in their photos.

According to CBS 2, students at Oak Park and River Forest High School in Illinois used the “OK” sign — in which three fingers form the letter “W” and the index finger and thumb a “P” to signify “White power” — in photos. On Friday, superintendent Dr. Joylynn Pruitt-Adams told families there would be a delay in distribution.

A spokesperson from the school sent Yahoo Lifestyle a copy of Pruitt-Adams’s letter, which reads, “We’ve been made aware that this year’s ‘Tabula’ yearbook, which has not yet been distributed, contains several photos of students making a hand gesture that has different meanings. In some cases it’s in what is known as the circle game. However, the gesture has more recently become associated with white nationalism. Regardless of intent, the potential negative impact of this gesture has led us to decide that we cannot distribute the yearbook as is. We are looking at alternative options, and in the coming days we will share further details about distribution plans. In the meantime, we appreciate your patience and support as we work through this situation.”

The Southern Poverty Law Center says the gesture was recently introduced as a white power symbol on the internet board 4Chan and by Neo-Nazis in “a deliberate attempt to ‘trigger liberals’ into overreacting to a gesture so widely used that virtually anyone has plausible deniability built into their use of it in the first place.”
---------------

🇸🇪 **Swedes up in arms as govt mulls potential ban on ancient ‘Nazi’ runes**
*RT* - <https://archive.fo/Db1Vn>

The Swedish government is looking into the possibility of forbidding the use of Norse runes, local media has reported, amid concerns that the ancient symbols have been misappropriated by neo-Nazi groups.

Justice Minister Morgan Johansson is currently investigating whether or not runes should be banned in Sweden as a way to deter hate groups, a Swedish website Samhällsnytt reported. His is expected to make a recommendation on the matter by the end of May.

If Johannsson decides to move forward with legislation prohibiting the runes, the ban could potentially encompass all Norse symbols, imagery, and traditional jewelry.

The proposal has enraged many Swedes, who see Norse runes as part of their shared history. For those who identify as pagan or heathen, the potential ban has been interpreted as an assault on freedom of religion, which is guaranteed under the Swedish Constitution. The Nordic Asa-Community, the largest heathen religious group in Sweden, has spoken out against any government efforts to police Sweden’s ancient heritage, arguing that “prejudices and misunderstandings are best cured with knowledge and facts.”

The religious organization has warned that banning Norse runes in Sweden would “wipe out a part of own history, culture and beliefs – and our freedom of expression.”

Former parliamentarian and member of the right-wing Swedish Democrats, Jeff Ahl, expressed similar contempt at the idea of such a ban.

“Our government advocates multi-culturalism, but we must not have our own culture. What the government is doing now is trying to censor our own cultural heritage and blur our roots. Fifth column,” he tweeted.
---------------

🇮🇳 **Indian forces kill leader of al Qaeda affiliate in Kashmir: police**
*Reuters* - <https://archive.fo/JjC9c>

Indian forces have killed the leader of an al Qaeda affiliated militant group in Kashmir, police said on Friday, triggering protests in parts of the disputed region.

Zakir Rashid Bhat, 25, was trapped by security forces in a three-storey house in southern Kashmir late on Thursday, said a senior police officer, adding that the house was set ablaze during the operation.

“As we were clearing debris from the house, he tried to get up. Our troops fired at him and he was killed,” said the officer, who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to media.

For decades, separatists have fought an armed conflict against Indian rule in Kashmir, with the majority of them wanting independence for the Himalayan region, or to join New Delhi’s arch rival Pakistan.

India has stepped up an offensive against militants in the Muslim-majority region since a suicide attack in February killed 40 Indian troopers in Kashmir and brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.

Pakistan denies giving material support to militants in Kashmir but says it provides moral and diplomatic backing for the self-determination of Kashmiri people.

Protests by supporters of Bhat broke out in parts of Kashmir on Thursday and there were reports of demonstrations early on Friday, the police officer said.
----------------

🇺🇸 **DOJ accuses Assange of violating Espionage Act**
*Politico* - <https://archive.fo/4TiaH>

The Justice Department has hit WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with Espionage Act charges, significantly escalating a legal fight against the high-profile activist.

DOJ had previously only indicted Assange on a single count of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. Thursday's revelation of the additional 18 charges, filed in the Eastern District of Virginia, means Assange could face significantly more prison time if found guilty.

The alleged Espionage Act violations relate to Assange’s complicity with Chelsea Manning, a former U.S. Army soldier who was convicted in July 2013 of violating the Espionage Act after she shuttled troves of classified government information to WikiLeaks. Officials said Assange solicited the information from and then brazenly published details that put the government's human sources at risk, disregarding explicit warnings from the government.

Traditionally, the Espionage Act has been used against government officials, like Manning, who reveal such classified information, rather than the journalists or foreign nationals who publish the information.

As a result, the use of the Espionage Act against Assange set off alarm bells among press freedom activists on Thursday. While WikiLeaks isn’t a conventional news organization, press advocates have long feared that charging Assange for the publication of government secrets could open the door to prosecuting reporters for doing the same.

"Any government use of the Espionage Act to criminalize the receipt and publication of classified information poses a dire threat to journalists seeking to publish such information in the public interest, irrespective of the Justice Department’s assertion that Assange is not a journalist," said Bruce Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, in a statement.
--------------

🇬🇧 **Brexit brings down May, Johnson stakes leadership claim**
*Reuters* - <https://archive.fo/MHySN>

Fighting back tears, Theresa May said on Friday she would quit after failing to deliver Brexit, setting up a contest that will install a new British prime minister who could pursue a cleaner break with the European Union.

May’s departure deepens the Brexit crisis as a new leader, who should be in place by the end of July, is likely to want a more decisive split, raising the chances of a confrontation with the EU and potentially a snap parliamentary election.


Former foreign minister Boris Johnson, the favorite to replace May, was first out of the blocks, saying Britain should be prepared to leave the EU without a deal to force the bloc to offer a “good deal”.

Current foreign minister Jeremy Hunt also confirmed he would run for the leadership just hours after May, her voice cracking with emotion, said she would resign as Conservative Party leader on Friday, June 7, setting up a contest to succeed her.

“I will shortly leave the job that has been the honor of my life to hold,” May said outside her Downing Street official residence with her husband, Philip, looking on. “The second female prime minister, but certainly not the last.

“I do so with no ill will but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country I love,” said the usually reserved May.

May, once a reluctant supporter of EU membership who won the top job in the turmoil that followed the 2016 Brexit referendum, steps down with her central pledge - to lead the United Kingdom out of the bloc and heal its divisions - unfulfilled.
--------------

🇮🇳 **India's Modi stuns opposition with huge election win**
*Reuters* - <https://archive.fo/9tRRk>

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi scored a dramatic election victory on Thursday, putting his Hindu nationalist party on course to increase its majority on a mandate of business-friendly policies and a tough stand on national security.

His re-election reinforces a global trend of right-wing populists sweeping to victory, from the United States to Brazil and Italy, often after adopting harsh positions on protectionism, immigration and defense.

Official data from the Election Commission showed Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party ahead in 302 of the 542 seats up for grabs, up from the 282 it won in 2014 and more than the 272 seats needed for a majority in the lower house of parliament.

That would give his party the first back-to-back majority for a single party since 1984. Votes will be fully counted by Friday morning.

Modi was showered with rose petals by some of the thousands of cheering supporters who waited for hours in a thunderstorm for his arrival at party headquarters on Thursday evening.

“Whatever happened in these elections is in the past, we have to look ahead. We have to take everyone forward, including our staunchest opponents,” he said in a televised address.

He was critical of the many people that doubted the BJP could increase its majority.

“The political pundits of India have to leave behind their ideas of the past,” he added.
--------------

🇺🇸 **Trump moves to escalate investigation of intel agencies**
*AP* - <https://archive.fo/jnYGZ>

Trump on Thursday granted Attorney General William Barr new powers to review and potentially release classified information related to the origins of the Russia investigation, a move aimed at accelerating Barr’s inquiry into whether U.S. officials improperly surveilled Trump’s 2016 campaign.

Trump directed the intelligence community to “quickly and fully cooperate” with Barr’s probe. The directive marked an escalation in Trump’s efforts to “investigate the investigators,” as he continues to try to undermine the findings of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe amid mounting Democratic calls for impeachment proceedings.

Press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement that Trump is delegating to Barr the “full and complete authority” to declassify documents relating to the probe, which would ease his efforts to review the sensitive intelligence underpinnings of the investigation. Such an action could create fresh tensions within the FBI and other intelligence agencies, which have historically resisted such demands.

Barr has already asked John Durham, the U.S. attorney in Connecticut, to examine the origins of the Russia investigation to determine whether intelligence and surveillance methods used during the probe were lawful and appropriate. Still, Barr has been directly involved, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss it publicly, and is also working with CIA Director Gina Haspel, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and FBI Director Christopher Wray.
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🇫🇷 **France: Package bomb explodes in Lyon 'attack'**
*DW* - <http://archive.is/i3vTm>

At least eight people have been injured in an explosion in the French city of Lyon, according to authorities. French President Emmanuel Macron has described it as an "attack."

Police in the French city of Lyon said on Friday there is an ongoing operation on the central street Rue Victor Hugo. They are searching for a man believed to be the perpetrator of what French President Emmanuel Macron called an "attack."

"It's not for me to give a toll but it appears there are no casualties," said Macron. "There have been injuries, so obviously I'm thinking of these injured and their families."
Police have urged people to avoid the area. Transport authorities said they closed the nearby Ampere — Victor Hugo station.

Prosecutors said they believe a "parcel bomb" was likely the cause of the explosion that injured at least eight people. However, police said they have not yet determined the source. Local media reports said the package was filled with screws, citing police sources.
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🇺🇸 **Video: Jerry Nadler Appears to Nearly Pass out at Press Conference**
*Breitbart* - <https://http://archive.is/ZvUhr>

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, appeared to nearly pass out during a press conference organized by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Friday morning. The House Judiciary panel chair began slumping in his seat shortly after concluding his remarks at P.S. 199 in the Upper West Side of Manhattan about speed enforcement cameras in school zones. At one point, de Blasio asks Nadler if he is okay, to which Nalder replied “no.”

A spokesperson for Nadler said in a statement: “He is okay. Seems to have been dehydrated and it was very warm in the room. He is now responsive and receiving a check-up.”
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🇺🇸 **Trenton Shooting: 9 People Hit by Gunfire Outside Bar**
*New York Times* - <http://archive.fo/yirt2>

Nine people were injured early Saturday morning in a drive-by shooting in front of a bar in Trenton, city officials said.

People were gathered in front of the bar, Ramoneros Liquor and Bar on Brunswick Avenue, enjoying a seasonable beginning to Memorial Day weekend when a car pulled up and at least one gunman began firing.

The crowd scattered. Some people took cover behind parked cars until the car sped away.

“Why is it that these shootings keep going on and on and on?” asked Lisa Austin-Granville, a local pastor who prayed amid blood stains and broken glass on the sidewalk.

Ms. Austin-Granville accused the city authorities of failing to prevent shootings, saying, “I should not know so many parents that have lost children.”

The wounded were taken to local hospitals and two required emergency surgery, but all were expected to survive, said Mayor Reed Gusciora of Trenton.

Multiple weapons were involved and possibly multiple gunmen, he said. The shooting “could very well be” related to gang rivalries, he said.

This was the second major mass shooting in the last year in Trenton, New Jersey’s capital city, which has a population of 80,000.

In June, 22 people were injured after a gunman opened fire during an art festival, striking 17, with the others hurt by being trampled. One person died.
----------------

🇯🇵 **"I love him and I couldn't help it" 21 Year Old Woman Arrested After Stabbing Male Friend**
*Asahi News* - <http://archive.is/htVdV>

*(translated from jap-speak so writing will be kinda scuffed, I'll try to clean it up)*

On the 23rd, a woman was arrested for having stabbed her boyfriend in the belly in an apartment in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo. She stated that "I love him and I couldn't help it"

Yutaka Takaoka (21) had suspicion of stabbing and killing the belly of an acquaintance man in her twenties and thirties in a room in an apartment in Shinjuku on the 23rd It is done. The victim is in critical condition and is still being treated in the intensive care unit. In a subsequent interview with the investigators, Takaoka was found to have stated that "I love him and I couldn't help it" and "I would've killed him and then myself."

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is examining the details of the incident in detail, considering that maybe there was trouble between men and women beforehand.
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🇪🇺 **Nationalists surge in EU Parliament, but pro-EU parties remain dominant**
*Reuters* - <https://archive.fo/yPEUR>

Pro-European parties kept a firm grip on the EU parliament on Monday as liberal and green parties matched a surge by eurosceptic parties, who won control of a quarter of seats in European elections for the first time.

The far-right and nationalists in Italy, Britain, France and Poland came out on top in their national votes on Sunday, shaking up politics at home but failing to dramatically alter the balance of pro-European power in EU assembly.

Facing a more hostile Russia, China’s growing economic might and an unpredictable U.S. President Donald Trump, many Europeans appeared to heed a message that the EU needed to stick together to protect workers’ rights, free speech and democracy.

“We are going to build a social Europe, a Europe that protects,” Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, whose revival among Spanish voters offset a fall in center-left support in Germany, told a news conference late on Sunday night.

Investor sentiment was bolstered by the smaller than expected gains by populist parties. However, the drop in support for the main center-right and center-left blocs could complicate policymaking and require broader cross-party agreements and discipline, market analysts said.

Provisional results published at 08:18 GMT on Monday showed the Socialists, Greens, liberals and conservatives with 507 of the 751 seats in the EU Parliament, which helps pass laws for more than 500 million Europeans.
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🇩🇪 **Jews warned against wearing kippah in Germany**
*Yahoo/AFP* - <https://archive.fo/zwhrJ>

Germany's government commissioner on anti-Semitism has warned Jews about the potential dangers of wearing the traditional kippah cap in the face of rising anti-Jewish attacks.

"I cannot advise Jews to wear the Kippah everywhere all the time in Germany," Felix Klein said in an interview published Saturday by the Funke regional press group.

In issuing the warning, he said he had "alas, changed my mind (on the subject) compared to previously."

Klein, whose post was created last year, cited "the lifting of inhibitions and the uncouthness which is on the rise in society" as factors behind a rising incidence of anti-Semitism.

"The internet and social media have largely contributed to this -- but so have constant attacks against our culture of remembrance."

And he suggested police, teachers and lawyers should be better trained to recognise what constitutes "clearly defined" unacceptable behaviour and "what is authorised and what is not".

His comments came just weeks after Berlin's top legal expert on anti-semitism said the issue remains entrenched in German society.

"Anti-Semitism has always been here. But I think that recently, it has again become louder, more aggressive and flagrant," Claudia Vanoni told AFP in an interview, adding the problem was "deeply rooted" in German society.

Anti-Semitic crimes rose 20 percent in Germany last year, according to interior ministry data which blamed nine out of ten cases on the extreme right.
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🇨🇦 **Microsoft, Facebook to help tame internet ahead of Canada's election, official says**
*Reuters* - <https://archive.fo/DWGo7>

Microsoft Corp and Facebook Inc have agreed to help boost the security of Canada’s October election by removing fake accounts and cracking down on bots, a top government official said on Monday.

Last month the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau complained that the world’s major social media companies were not doing enough to help combat potential foreign meddling in the vote
and said Ottawa might have to regulate them.

Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould told legislators that the two companies had made commitments in a voluntary declaration on electoral integrity.

“The Wild West online era cannot continue - inaction is not an option. Disinformation must not stand,” said Gould, repeating the threat to crack down on the firms if necessary.

Government officials say they fear bad actors - some linked to Russia - will try to interfere in the vote.

“The malicious, multi-faceted and ever-evolving tactics constitute a serious strategic threat,” said Gould.

Microsoft and Facebook had also agreed to intensify efforts to combat disinformation, promote safeguards to address cyber security incidents and explain their rules about accepting political advertising, Gould said.

“I urge other platforms to follow suit in the coming days,” she added in a clear reference to Twitter Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google.

Asked how she could ensure compliance given that the declaration is non-binding, Gould said the keen interest of the public, media and political parties would hold these platforms to account in the short term.

“I think they have an absolute interest to be good actors in the Canadian democratic space, and if that is not the case then we will be coming back with stronger regulatory reforms,” she told reporters, without
giving further details.
----------------

🇦🇹 **Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz ousted in no-confidence vote**
*The Guardian* - <https://archive.fo/Z5mKl>

Austria’s chancellor has been ousted in a no-confidence vote just a day after his centre-right party enjoyed a triumphant night in the European elections, as opposition politicians said they had lost faith in his handling of a corruption scandal that has engulfed his former far-right coalition partner.

With fresh elections scheduled for early September, Austria will in the interim period be governed by a technocratic government of experts and senior civil servants.

During a debate in which the delegates of the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) resolutely refused to lend Sebastian Kurz the customary applause, rightwing populist politicians accused the centre-right chancellor of having tried to use the so-called “Ibiza” scandal to consolidate his power at the top of government.

Opposition delegates said that Kurz, leader of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), had not shown enough willingness to enter into a dialogue with parliament during his time as chancellor: “You only showed contempt for parliament and Austrian democracy”, said Jörg Leichtfried, an SPÖ deputy.

The vote makes Austria’s youthful chancellor the final figure to be swept away by a political avalanche unleashed in the Alpine state by the so-called “Ibiza scandal”.
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🇮🇹 **Italy STUNNED as Salvini's League win HUGE majority and pledge a 'NEW Europe is born'**
*Express* - <https://archive.fo/wUwGy>

MATTEO SALVINI's Lega Nord (League) Party has claimed a convincing European Parliament victory, in a shock result in Italy.

The group has around 32 percent of the vote so far on the night, way ahead of the Democratic Party. Interior minister Matteo Salvini leads League, which came third in the 2018 general election. Following his victory, Mr Salvini said in Milan: “A new Europe is born.

“I am proud that the League is participating in this new European renaissance.”

He said previously: “As far as I'm concerned, if the League wins nothing changes in Italy, everything will change in Europe, starting from tomorrow.”

The head of the party’s Senate Riccardo Molinari added: “The League has probably become the top party in Italy.”

The exit poll suggests that League will claim between 27 and 31 percent of the vote.

The group’s coalition partner, the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) was beaten by the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) which came second with 21-25 percent, exit polls showed after voting ended.

Mr Salvini had hoped to gain significant ground in the EU.

He stepped up intensive campaigns to attempt to claim a majority in Italy.

The surprising result comes on a night of high drama.

In France, Marine Le Pen’s right-wing group National Rally secured victory against Emmanuel Macron’s En Marche.
--------------

🇻🇦 **Pope Francis sounds racism alarm as EU nationalists win big**
*The Straits Times/AFP* - <https://archive.fo/qsEPR>

Pope Francis warned on Monday (May 27) against a rise of intolerance and racism as far-right nationalists and eurosceptic parties made historic gains in European elections.

"The signs of meanness we see around us heighten our fear of 'the other', the unknown, the marginalised, the foreigner," he said in a message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees.

"It is not just about them, but about all of us, and about the present and future of the human family.

"Migrants, especially those who are most vulnerable, help us to read the 'signs of the times'," he said.

Nationalist forces from Marine Le Pen in France to Matteo Salvini in Italy and Nigel Farage in Britain boasted significant gains in the EU Parliament elections which wound up on Sunday.

Salvini's far-right League party did particularly well in Italy in centres seen as migrant "hot spots", including a town held up by the left as a model of tolerance and integration.

Pope Francis acknowledged the "fear" in many societies towards migrants and refugees arriving in search of protection or a better future.

"To some extent, the fear is legitimate, also because the preparation for this encounter is lacking," he said, alluding to often piecemeal and inadequate approaches to refugee integration.

"But the problem is not that we have doubts and fears. The problem is when they condition our way of thinking and acting to the point of making us intolerant, closed and perhaps even - without realising it - racist," he added.

"Today's world is increasingly becoming more elitist and cruel towards the excluded," the Argentinian said in his message titled "It is not just about migrants".
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🇺🇸 **Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs bill outlawing child sex dolls**
*Orlando Weekly* - <https://archive.fo/J9l7E>

On Thursday Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law legislation that bans the sale or possession of child-like sex dolls after it unanimously passed the Florida Legislature.

SB 160, sponsored by state Sen. Lauren Book, D-Plantation, "prohibits a person from knowingly having in his or her possession, custody, or control an obscene, child-like sex doll." State Rep. Michael Gottlieb, D-Plantation, filed a companion measure in the Florida House.

“These are anatomically correct, lifelike silicone dolls that are eerily similar to real human children made for the sole purpose of sexual gratification,” Book said in a statement from her office following the bill's approval. “Just as viewing child pornography lowers the inhibitions of child predators, so do these childlike sex dolls that have no place in the state of Florida.”

A legislative analysis found that many child-like sex dolls are imported from China, Japan and Hong Kong, the Associated Press reports.

While supporters of the bill say owning the dolls should be treated like possession of child pornography, others claim the dolls could prevent pedophiles from acting on their impulses with real children.

Violation of the law is a third-degree felony. Subsequent violations are being deemed second-degree felonies.

The law goes into effect Oct. 1.
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🇺🇸 **First-ever private border wall built in New Mexico**
*The Washington Times* - <https://archive.fo/UVe5d>

A private group announced Monday that it has constructed a half-mile wall along a section of the U.S.-Mexico border in New Mexico, in what it said was a first in the border debate.

The 18-foot steel bollard wall is similar to the designs used by the Border Patrol, sealing off a part of the border that had been a striking gap in existing fencing, according to We Build the Wall, the group behind the new section.

The section was also built faster and, organizers say, likely more cheaply than the government has been able to manage in recent years.

Kris Kobach, a former secretary of state in Kansas and an informal immigration adviser to President Trump, says the New Mexico project has the president’s blessing and says local Border Patrol agents are eager to have the assistance.

“We’re closing a gap that’s been a big headache for them,” said Mr. Kobach, who is general counsel for We Build the Wall.

The announcement comes at a critical time for the border.

Mr. Trump’s plans to build hundreds of miles of new and replacement wall took a hit late last week when a federal judge ordered a halt to part of his emergency declaration and shifting of money within the Pentagon to make up for Congress’s refusal to grant him the money he wanted.
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🇩🇪 **Germany changes course on warning against wearing kippa**
*Thelocal.de/AFP* - <https://archive.fo/FSdEV>

Following protest, the government has withdrew an earlier warning against wearing the traditional skullcap.

At the weekend, Felix Klein, the country's commissioner on anti-Semitism sparked uproar when he said in an interview with the Funke regional press group that he could not "advise Jews to wear the kippa everywhere all the time in Germany."

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin voiced shock at Klein's warning and said it was a "capitulation to anti-Semitism" and evidence that Jews are unsafe in Germany.

Late Monday, Klein reversed course after Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman intervened.

"The state must see to it that the free exercise of religion is possible for all... and that anyone can go anywhere in our country in full security wearing a kippa," Steffen Seibert told a press conference.

In his latest statement to Funke, Klein said: "I call on all citizens of Berlin and across Germany to wear the kippa next Saturday if there are new, intolerable attacks targeting Israel and Jews on the occasion of al-Quds day in Berlin."

Al-Quds is an annual event against Israeli control of Jerusalem and will take place on Saturday.

Klein also addressed his earlier statements, saying that he "could no longer recommend that Jews wear the kippa everywhere in Germany should be taken as an alarm signal."
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🇦🇹 **'Shocking' defacements of outdoor Holocaust art: Austrian president**
*France24/AFP* - <https://archive.fo/Km0Hi>

Vandals have attacked portraits of Holocaust victims in the streets of central Vienna, President Alexander Van der Bellen said Monday, adding that he was "deeply worried" over the assaults.

The attack overnight Sunday was the third since the show by Italian-German photographer Luigi Toscano was installed in early May.

Faces were cut out of around 80 portraits, an AFP photographer said. Over the past two weeks, others have been daubed with swastikas or slashed with knives.

Bellen said he was "deeply worried" over the assaults on the show honouring victims of Nazism.

"I know that the overwhelming majority of Austrian society totally rejects the atrocities committed by the Nazis," Bellen said in a statement. "That some cannot see the truth and solemn reminder shown by these photos is crushing," he said.

Toscano said he was "devastated" by the attack, the first on 13 such installations around the world.

"There's been vandalism which hasn't been politically motivated, but nothing of this proportion," Toscano told AFP. "This is right-wing radicalism."

Austria's Forum Against Anti-Semitism tallied 503 anti-Semitic acts in the country in 2017, twice the figure from 2014.
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🇫🇷 ◻ **French Senate says Notre-Dame must be restored exactly how it was**
*The Local* - <http://archive.is/y4JpK>

French Senate approved the government's Notre-Dame restoration bill - but added a clause that it must be restored to the state it was before the blaze, striking a blow to the government which had launched an international architecture competition to debate ideas on the restoration.

The Senate has now approved the restoration bill already passed by the French parliament to allow work on the structure to be completed in time for the Paris Olympics in 2024 - but requires that the restoration be faithful to the “last known visual state” of the cathedral, in an attempt to check the government, which has launched an international architectural competition soliciting designs for renovation.
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🇺🇸 **Trump Goes After John Kerry, Says He Should Be Prosecuted**
*Trending Politics* - <http://archive.is/H6qvr>

The Trump War Room on Twitter shared the following video and wrote: "John Kerry, America’s second worst Secretary of State in history behind Hillary, is violating the Logan Act by colluding with Iran. Shameful!"
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