Senin, 02 Maret 2020

UK military gears up for deployment in Mali - BBC News

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Britain is significantly stepping up its military support in West Africa to help combat the world's fastest growing Islamist-led insurgency.

Over the past month, British troops have been helping train local forces to fight extremism in the Sahel.

The region, a semi-arid stretch of land just south of the Sahara Desert, has been a frontline in the war against Islamist militancy for almost a decade.

Later this year, 250 British soldiers will join a UN mission in Mali.

It has been described as the most dangerous peacekeeping operation in the world.

In Senegal, a team of around 30 UK soldiers and Royal Marines have been training special forces from a number of West African nations in a US-led counter-terrorism exercise involving more than 1,600 troops.

Maj John House has been leading the British element of the training in Senegal with the focus on infantry skills and counter-terrorism operations.

He said it was in Britain's interests to get more involved in the region.

"If we don't act we may find the problems getting closer to our door," he said. "The more they have a presence in the region, the more we can feel the effect back in the UK."

Officers from US Special Operations Command Africa, which has been responsible for overseeing the exercise, are just as blunt.

US Maj Chris Giaquinto said the extremists "want to create a safe haven in Africa in order to grow and facilitate attacks, possibly in Europe or the United States".

There are now multiple extremist groups operating across the sub-Saharan region known as the Sahel. They include ones linked to the so-called Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

Commander Djibril Diawara, of the Senegalese Armed Forces, described the situation as "alarming".

Over the past year the extremists have spread south from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

The exercise culminated with special forces troops from Cameroon, Morocco and Nigeria conducting a raid on a village to take out an unspecified group of extremists.

Some of those involved have already been doing this for real. Lt Unyine Collins, of the Nigerian Special Boat Service, has spent seven months on the frontline fighting Boko Haram.

He described a ruthless enemy using brutal tactics. "They use suicide bombers, improvised explosive devices, mines, basically they use the same tactics as ISIS," he said.

It's an indication of the potential threats that 250 British troops will be facing when they enter Mali later this year.

They may be part of a peacekeeping mission, but the British will be conducting long-range reconnaissance patrols into hostile territory.

Nearly 200 UN peacekeepers have already lost their lives in Mali. France, which has more than 5,000 troops in the country, has also suffered casualties there.

So is Britain about to become mired in another long-drawn conflict?

Brig Gus Fair, commander of the Specialised Infantry Group, insisted it would not become another Afghanistan or Iraq for the British Army.

He said that "we are up front in seeing this as a regional problem for a regional solution", adding that it involved partnering nations rather than taking direct sovereign intervention.

Nevertheless, the British Army's peacekeeping mission in Mali will probably be the most dangerous task it has faced since the end of combat operations in Helmand.

The harsh reality is that, so far, Western support - along with international troops and peacekeepers - has been unable to turn the rising tide of extremism in the region.

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2020-03-02 12:00:25Z
CBMiJGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay01MTY5OTEwN9IBKGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvdWstNTE2OTkxMDc

UK military gears up for deployment in Mali - BBC News

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Britain is significantly stepping up its military support in West Africa to help combat the world's fastest growing Islamist-led insurgency.

Over the past month, British troops have been helping train local forces to fight extremism in the Sahel.

The region, a semi-arid stretch of land just south of the Sahara Desert, has been a frontline in the war against Islamist militancy for almost a decade.

Later this year, 250 British soldiers will join a UN mission in Mali.

It has been described as the most dangerous peacekeeping operation in the world.

In Senegal, a team of around 30 UK soldiers and Royal Marines have been training special forces from a number of West African nations in a US-led counter-terrorism exercise involving more than 1,600 troops.

Maj John House has been leading the British element of the training in Senegal with the focus on infantry skills and counter-terrorism operations.

He said it was in Britain's interests to get more involved in the region.

"If we don't act we may find the problems getting closer to our door," he said. "The more they have a presence in the region, the more we can feel the effect back in the UK."

Officers from US Special Operations Command Africa, which has been responsible for overseeing the exercise, are just as blunt.

US Maj Chris Giaquinto said the extremists "want to create a safe haven in Africa in order to grow and facilitate attacks, possibly in Europe or the United States".

There are now multiple extremist groups operating across the sub-Saharan region known as the Sahel. They include ones linked to the so-called Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

Commander Djibril Diawara, of the Senegalese Armed Forces, described the situation as "alarming".

Over the past year the extremists have spread south from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

The exercise culminated with special forces troops from Cameroon, Morocco and Nigeria conducting a raid on a village to take out an unspecified group of extremists.

Some of those involved have already been doing this for real. Lt Unyine Collins, of the Nigerian Special Boat Service, has spent seven months on the frontline fighting Boko Haram.

He described a ruthless enemy using brutal tactics. "They use suicide bombers, improvised explosive devices, mines, basically they use the same tactics as ISIS," he said.

It's an indication of the potential threats that 250 British troops will be facing when they enter Mali later this year.

They may be part of a peacekeeping mission, but the British will be conducting long-range reconnaissance patrols into hostile territory.

Nearly 200 UN peacekeepers have already lost their lives in Mali. France, which has more than 5,000 troops in the country, has also suffered casualties there.

So is Britain about to become mired in another long-drawn conflict?

Brig Gus Fair, commander of the Specialised Infantry Group, insisted it would not become another Afghanistan or Iraq for the British Army.

He said that "we are up front in seeing this as a regional problem for a regional solution", adding that it involved partnering nations rather than taking direct sovereign intervention.

Nevertheless, the British Army's peacekeeping mission in Mali will probably be the most dangerous task it has faced since the end of combat operations in Helmand.

The harsh reality is that, so far, Western support - along with international troops and peacekeepers - has been unable to turn the rising tide of extremism in the region.

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2020-03-02 10:08:14Z
CBMiJGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay01MTY5OTEwN9IBKGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvdWstNTE2OTkxMDc

UK military gears up for deployment in Mali - BBC News

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Britain is significantly stepping up its military support in West Africa to help combat the world's fastest growing Islamist-led insurgency.

Over the past month, British troops have been helping train local forces to fight extremism in the Sahel.

The region, a semi-arid stretch of land just south of the Sahara Desert, has been a frontline in the war against Islamist militancy for almost a decade.

Later this year, 250 British soldiers will join a UN mission in Mali.

It has been described as the most dangerous peacekeeping operation in the world.

In Senegal, a team of around 30 UK soldiers and Royal Marines have been training special forces from a number of West African nations in a US-led counter-terrorism exercise involving more than 1,600 troops.

Maj John House has been leading the British element of the training in Senegal with the focus on infantry skills and counter-terrorism operations.

He said it was in Britain's interests to get more involved in the region.

"If we don't act we may find the problems getting closer to our door," he said. "The more they have a presence in the region, the more we can feel the effect back in the UK."

Officers from US Special Operations Command Africa, which has been responsible for overseeing the exercise, are just as blunt.

US Maj Chris Giaquinto said the extremists "want to create a safe haven in Africa in order to grow and facilitate attacks, possibly in Europe or the United States".

There are now multiple extremist groups operating across the sub-Saharan region known as the Sahel. They include ones linked to the so-called Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

Commander Djibril Diawara, of the Senegalese Armed Forces, described the situation as "alarming".

Over the past year the extremists have spread south from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

The exercise culminated with special forces troops from Cameroon, Morocco and Nigeria conducting a raid on a village to take out an unspecified group of extremists.

Some of those involved have already been doing this for real. Lt Unyine Collins, of the Nigerian Special Boat Service, has spent seven months on the frontline fighting Boko Haram.

He described a ruthless enemy using brutal tactics. "They use suicide bombers, improvised explosive devices, mines, basically they use the same tactics as ISIS," he said.

It's an indication of the potential threats that 250 British troops will be facing when they enter Mali later this year.

They may be part of a peacekeeping mission, but the British will be conducting long-range reconnaissance patrols into hostile territory.

Nearly 200 UN peacekeepers have already lost their lives in Mali. France, which has more than 5,000 troops in the country, has also suffered casualties there.

So is Britain about to become mired in another long-drawn conflict?

Brig Gus Fair, commander of the Specialised Infantry Group, insisted it would not become another Afghanistan or Iraq for the British Army.

He said that "we are up front in seeing this as a regional problem for a regional solution", adding that it involved partnering nations rather than taking direct sovereign intervention.

Nevertheless, the British Army's peacekeeping mission in Mali will probably be the most dangerous task it has faced since the end of combat operations in Helmand.

The harsh reality is that, so far, Western support - along with international troops and peacekeepers - has been unable to turn the rising tide of extremism in the region.

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2020-03-02 08:56:58Z
CBMiJGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay01MTY5OTEwN9IBKGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvdWstNTE2OTkxMDc

UK military gears up for deployment in Mali - BBC News

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Britain is significantly stepping up its military support in West Africa to help combat the world's fastest growing Islamist-led insurgency.

Over the past month, British troops have been helping train local forces to fight extremism in the Sahel.

The region, a semi-arid stretch of land just south of the Sahara Desert, has been a frontline in the war against Islamist militancy for almost a decade.

Later this year, 250 British soldiers will join a UN mission in Mali.

It has been described as the most dangerous peacekeeping operation in the world.

In Senegal, a team of around 30 UK soldiers and Royal Marines have been training special forces from a number of West African nations in a US-led counter-terrorism exercise involving more than 1,600 troops.

Maj John House has been leading the British element of the training in Senegal with the focus on infantry skills and counter-terrorism operations.

He said it was in Britain's interests to get more involved in the region.

"If we don't act we may find the problems getting closer to our door," he said. "The more they have a presence in the region, the more we can feel the effect back in the UK."

Officers from US Special Operations Command Africa, which has been responsible for overseeing the exercise, are just as blunt.

US Maj Chris Giaquinto said the extremists "want to create a safe haven in Africa in order to grow and facilitate attacks, possibly in Europe or the United States".

There are now multiple extremist groups operating across the sub-Saharan region known as the Sahel. They include ones linked to the so-called Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

Commander Djibril Diawara, of the Senegalese Armed Forces, described the situation as "alarming".

Over the past year the extremists have spread south from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

The exercise culminated with special forces troops from Cameroon, Morocco and Nigeria conducting a raid on a village to take out an unspecified group of extremists.

Some of those involved have already been doing this for real. Lt Unyine Collins, of the Nigerian Special Boat Service, has spent seven months on the frontline fighting Boko Haram.

He described a ruthless enemy using brutal tactics. "They use suicide bombers, improvised explosive devices, mines, basically they use the same tactics as ISIS," he said.

It's an indication of the potential threats that 250 British troops will be facing when they enter Mali later this year.

They may be part of a peacekeeping mission, but the British will be conducting long-range reconnaissance patrols into hostile territory.

Nearly 200 UN peacekeepers have already lost their lives in Mali. France, which has more than 5,000 troops in the country, has also suffered casualties there.

So is Britain about to become mired in another long-drawn conflict?

Brig Gus Fair, commander of the Specialised Infantry Group, insisted it would not become another Afghanistan or Iraq for the British Army.

He said that "we are up front in seeing this as a regional problem for a regional solution", adding that it involved partnering nations rather than taking direct sovereign intervention.

Nevertheless, the British Army's peacekeeping mission in Mali will probably be the most dangerous task it has faced since the end of combat operations in Helmand.

The harsh reality is that, so far, Western support - along with international troops and peacekeepers - has been unable to turn the rising tide of extremism in the region.

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2020-03-02 08:42:19Z
CBMiJGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay01MTY5OTEwN9IBKGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvdWstNTE2OTkxMDc

UK military gears up for deployment in Mali - BBC News

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Britain is significantly stepping up its military support in West Africa to help combat the world's fastest growing Islamist-led insurgency.

Over the past month, British troops have been helping train local forces to fight extremism in the Sahel.

The region, a semi-arid stretch of land just south of the Sahara Desert, has been a frontline in the war against Islamist militancy for almost a decade.

Later this year, 250 British soldiers will join a UN mission in Mali.

It has been described as the most dangerous peacekeeping operation in the world.

In Senegal, a team of around 30 UK soldiers and Royal Marines have been training special forces from a number of West African nations in a US-led counter-terrorism exercise involving more than 1,600 troops.

Maj John House has been leading the British element of the training in Senegal with the focus on infantry skills and counter-terrorism operations.

He said it was in Britain's interests to get more involved in the region.

"If we don't act we may find the problems getting closer to our door," he said. "The more they have a presence in the region, the more we can feel the effect back in the UK."

Officers from US Special Operations Command Africa, which has been responsible for overseeing the exercise, are just as blunt.

US Maj Chris Giaquinto said the extremists "want to create a safe haven in Africa in order to grow and facilitate attacks, possibly in Europe or the United States".

There are now multiple extremist groups operating across the sub-Saharan region known as the Sahel. They include ones linked to the so-called Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

Commander Djibril Diawara, of the Senegalese Armed Forces, described the situation as "alarming".

Over the past year the extremists have spread south from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

The exercise culminated with special forces troops from Cameroon, Morocco and Nigeria conducting a raid on a village to take out an unspecified group of extremists.

Some of those involved have already been doing this for real. Lt Unyine Collins, of the Nigerian Special Boat Service, has spent seven months on the frontline fighting Boko Haram.

He described a ruthless enemy using brutal tactics. "They use suicide bombers, improvised explosive devices, mines, basically they use the same tactics as ISIS," he said.

It's an indication of the potential threats that 250 British troops will be facing when they enter Mali later this year.

They may be part of a peacekeeping mission, but the British will be conducting long-range reconnaissance patrols into hostile territory.

Nearly 200 UN peacekeepers have already lost their lives in Mali. France, which has more than 5,000 troops in the country, has also suffered casualties there.

So is Britain about to become mired in another long-drawn conflict?

Brig Gus Fair, commander of the Specialised Infantry Group, insisted it would not become another Afghanistan or Iraq for the British Army.

He said that "we are up front in seeing this as a regional problem for a regional solution", adding that it involved partnering nations rather than taking direct sovereign intervention.

Nevertheless, the British Army's peacekeeping mission in Mali will probably be the most dangerous task it has faced since the end of combat operations in Helmand.

The harsh reality is that, so far, Western support - along with international troops and peacekeepers - has been unable to turn the rising tide of extremism in the region.

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2020-03-02 07:56:48Z
CBMiJGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay01MTY5OTEwN9IBKGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvdWstNTE2OTkxMDc

UK military gears up for deployment in Mali - BBC News

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Britain is significantly stepping up its military support in West Africa to help combat the world's fastest growing Islamist-led insurgency.

Over the past month, British troops have been helping train local forces to fight extremism in the Sahel.

The region, a semi-arid stretch of land just south of the Sahara Desert, has been a frontline in the war against Islamist militancy for almost a decade.

Later this year, 250 British soldiers will join a UN mission in Mali.

It has been described as the most dangerous peacekeeping operation in the world.

In Senegal, a team of around 30 UK soldiers and Royal Marines have been training special forces from a number of West African nations in a US-led counter-terrorism exercise involving more than 1,600 troops.

Maj John House has been leading the British element of the training in Senegal with the focus on infantry skills and counter-terrorism operations.

He said it was in Britain's interests to get more involved in the region.

"If we don't act we may find the problems getting closer to our door," he said. "The more they have a presence in the region, the more we can feel the effect back in the UK."

Officers from US Special Operations Command Africa, which has been responsible for overseeing the exercise, are just as blunt.

US Maj Chris Giaquinto said the extremists "want to create a safe haven in Africa in order to grow and facilitate attacks, possibly in Europe or the United States".

There are now multiple extremist groups operating across the sub-Saharan region known as the Sahel. They include ones linked to the so-called Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

Commander Djibril Diawara, of the Senegalese Armed Forces, described the situation as "alarming".

Over the past year the extremists have spread south from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

The exercise culminated with special forces troops from Cameroon, Morocco and Nigeria conducting a raid on a village to take out an unspecified group of extremists.

Some of those involved have already been doing this for real. Lt Unyine Collins, of the Nigerian Special Boat Service, has spent seven months on the frontline fighting Boko Haram.

He described a ruthless enemy using brutal tactics. "They use suicide bombers, improvised explosive devices, mines, basically they use the same tactics as ISIS," he said.

It's an indication of the potential threats that 250 British troops will be facing when they enter Mali later this year.

They may be part of a peacekeeping mission, but the British will be conducting long-range reconnaissance patrols into hostile territory.

Nearly 200 UN peacekeepers have already lost their lives in Mali. France, which has more than 5,000 troops in the country, has also suffered casualties there.

So is Britain about to become mired in another long-drawn conflict?

Brig Gus Fair, commander of the Specialised Infantry Group, insisted it would not become another Afghanistan or Iraq for the British Army.

He said that "we are up front in seeing this as a regional problem for a regional solution", adding that it involved partnering nations rather than taking direct sovereign intervention.

Nevertheless, the British Army's peacekeeping mission in Mali will probably be the most dangerous task it has faced since the end of combat operations in Helmand.

The harsh reality is that, so far, Western support - along with international troops and peacekeepers - has been unable to turn the rising tide of extremism in the region.

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2020-03-02 06:56:29Z
CBMiJGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay01MTY5OTEwN9IBKGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvdWstNTE2OTkxMDc

Minggu, 01 Maret 2020

Coronavirus: Thirteen more cases confirmed in UK - BBC News

Twelve more people in England and one in Scotland have tested positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of UK cases to 36.

Scotland confirmed that its first patient was a Tayside resident who recently returned from Italy.

Three of the new cases in England were linked to a man from Surrey, who was the first to be infected within the UK.

It comes after Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the UK was still in the "containment" phase of the outbreak.

He said the government contingency plans, which will be published this week, included banning big events.

The Scottish government confirmed its first case on Sunday evening. It said the patient was receiving treatment in isolation in hospital.

Three of the new cases revealed on Sunday were close contacts of the man from Surrey, who was announced as testing positive on Friday.

They included another person from Surrey and two people from West Sussex who were all "part of an adult family cluster", Public Health England said.

Another new case from Essex had "no relevant travel" and it was unclear how they had contracted the virus.

The remaining eight had visited affected areas - six to Italy, and two to Iran. They were from London, West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Hertfordshire and Gloucestershire and included:

  • One person from Bury, who had become infected in Italy.
  • Two Leeds residents, who had both been in Iran
  • One person from Bradford, who had travelled to Italy
  • Someone from Gloucestershire - infected in northern Italy - who is linked to another case from the area announced on Saturday

Prof Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, said all of the newly identified cases were being investigated and health officials had begun tracing anyone who had close contact with them.

As of 09:00 GMT on Sunday, the Department of Health said a total of 11,750 people had been tested in the UK.

The latest positive tests come after three more cases were confirmed in England on Saturday.

One of those was a member of staff at St Mary's School in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, the primary school said on Sunday.

That follows another school - Willow Bank Infant School in Woodley, Berkshire - confirming that one of its staff had been infected.

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The government has said no tactics will be "off the table" as part of its plan to contain the virus in the UK.

Mr Hancock told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show an emergency "battle plan", drawn up for the "worst case scenario", includes banning big events, closing schools and dissuading people from using public transport.

The health secretary said there were four phases to the plan:

  • Containment - caring for any infected people and identifying their close contacts
  • Delay - deciding what actions to take to slow down the spread
  • Mitigation - damage limitation if the virus spreads widely
  • Research - constant and ongoing work to inform the three other phases

Currently, the UK is in the "containment" phase - which health leaders say may still be sufficient.

But the next phase could see broader "social distancing" measures.

Matt Hancock would have been warned there was a strong likelihood there would be a jump in cases when he did his interview for the Andrew Marr Show.

A few hours later the biggest increase in a single day was announced, with 12 more people testing positive for the coronavirus. That's why he went further than before in setting out possible government plans to tackle an accelerated spread of the virus around the UK if that happens.

School closures, cancellations of major public events and moves to persuade people to work at home are clearly options being actively considered.

The strategy seems to be to warn that difficult measures may be needed while focusing on trying to contain the spread of the virus. As one government source put it, "prepare for the worst, work for the best".

Labour shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said Mr Hancock must give more detail of any emergency powers he wants to bring in so that MPs "can properly scrutinise" the plans.

Meanwhile, Lib Dem MP Layla Moran has written to the health secretary to urge him to make sure people are paid if they have to self-isolate, otherwise there could be "devastating" effects.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who will chair a meeting of the government's Cobra emergency committee on Monday, visited Public Health England's centre in north London on Sunday to discuss attempts to limit the spread of the virus.

He said the virus was "likely to spread a bit more" but he was "very, very confident" the NHS would be able to cope with an outbreak.

More than 200 British holidaymakers locked down at a quarantined hotel in Tenerife have been told they will be allowed to fly home, if they test negative for the virus.

The travellers have been quarantined at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel since Tuesday after four Italians contracted the virus. Some have already been allowed to leave but others are awaiting test results.

The Foreign Office is in contact with operators and travel agents about their plans to return Britons to the UK.

What do I need to know about the coronavirus?

Globally, around 86,000 people have been infected, with cases in more than 50 countries. About 3,000 people have died - the vast majority in China's Hubei province, where the outbreak originated in December.

In other developments:

  • The Foreign Office has announced some British Embassy staff are being withdrawn from Iran because of the outbreak in the country. Iran reported 385 new cases on Sunday, bringing the total to 978 so far. The death toll rose to 54
  • Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has tested negative for the virus. The Foreign Office said he self-isolated after feeling unwell this week - and has returned to work since the test result
  • A secondary school in Ireland is to close for 14 days because the country's first confirmed case had been in contact with its pupils and teachers
  • In Paris, the Louvre museum did not open on Sunday. The museum said on Twitter a meeting was being held on the public health situation and "the museum cannot open at the moment".
  • Australia and Thailand recorded their first fatalities from the virus on Sunday. A 78-year-old Australian man died after being infected on the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan. Thailand said the 35-year-old man who died of the virus had also been suffering from dengue fever
  • The leader of a religious sect in South Korea - which is facing the worst outbreak outside China - could face a homicide investigation over some of the country's deaths. Lee Man-hee is accused of hiding the names of some members as officials tried to track patients before the virus spread

Have you been affected by the coronavirus? Or do you have any information to share? Get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:

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2020-03-01 20:15:28Z
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