Africa Matters

U.S. plan envisions factories in Africa for surging EV battery demand

Perspective by Joe Davidson With the drive toward electric vehicles in high gear, the Biden administration signed an agreement with two African countries rich in minerals needed to meet the exploding demand. But China is the unmentioned actor in this international affair. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the United States, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia was…

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Boost for Kiswahili as Google adds it on Chatbot

Google opens yet another door to technology inclusiveness for native speaker of Kiswahili after adding it to Bard’s language options Arusha. Kiswahili has got another boost after being included in Google’s conversational generative Chatbot, Bard. The widely spoken medium of communication in the continent now becomes the first African language on the platform of the tech giant. Other languages…

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Organisations turn to ‘zero trust’ to modernise their cybersecurity

Promoted | Companies are turning to “zero trust” to modernise their cybersecurity and keep pace with an evolving attack landscape. Organisations are turning to “zero trust” to modernise their cybersecurity programmes and keep pace with an evolving attack landscape. But determining where to start, the capabilities to prioritise and the actions needed to progress towards maturity can be complicated….

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Open Institute Of Technology Introduces International Distance-Learning IT Degrees To Africa

Open Institute of Technology (OPIT), a European accredited Higher Education institution under the European Qualification Framework (EQF), has launched two online Degrees in Information Technology for students and professionals in Africa and across the world. For its maiden academic year starting September 2023, OPIT looks forward to welcoming students from all over the world to its first class in…

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Tanzania set to launch its own satellite into space

Dar es Salaam. President Samia Suluhu Hassan revealed that Tanzania is planning to build its own satellite and that negotiations to reach the scientific milestone have already begun. Summary Should the plan materialize, Tanzania will join Kenya and Uganda, which have developed and launched satellites into space in the past six months. The President, who was speaking at Azam…

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Taking Advantage Of Morocco’s Emerging Aerospace Industry

Daniel Danino is the CEO and founder of Volta Metals, an international group focused on energy, industry and trading in EMEA. Morocco is a country that has been investing heavily in the aerospace sector in recent years, and the aviation industry is an important part of that effort. As a part of this effort, the Moroccan government has been…

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Africa had more than 270 million mobile apps users as of December 2022, report

As of December 2022, the total number of monthly active users of mobile apps in Africa exceeded 270 million, a 14% increase compared to the beginning of the year. This is according to a new report released by DataSparkle, a data and analytics platform for emerging markets. The report provides a holistic analysis of the evolution of Africa’s mobile market over…

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Global competition to drive domestic fintech startups

TANZANIAN fintech startups have an opportunity to participate in the global open innovation competition, called Visa Everywhere Initiative (VEI) that drives innovative solutions to solve tomorrow’s payment and commerce challenges. Fintech refers to the integration of technology into offerings by financial services companies to improve their use and delivery to consumers. “The Visa Everywhere Initiative is a platform that…

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$300 M to be invested in Tanzania’s Hydropower Project

The government of Tanzania, the African Development Bank, and the French Development Agency (AFD) have signed agreements for two development project loans worth $300 million. The funds will finance the construction of the 87.8-megawatt Kakono Hydropower Plant located in Kagera region in the northern part of Tanzania. The project also received a grant of EURO 36 million from the…

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Astronomers Used Machine Learning To Mine Data From South Africa’s MeerKAT Telescope: What They Found

by Michelle Lochner, University of the Western Cape New telescopes with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution are being unveiled around the world – and beyond. Among them are the Giant Magellan Telescope under construction in Chile, and the James Webb Space Telescope, which is parked a million and a half kilometres out in space. This means there is a wealth…

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Volvo delivers the first heavy electric truck to Africa

Volvo Trucks delivers its first heavy electric truck to Morocco. The customer is the refuse collection company Arma, and this is the first heavy battery-electric truck from a global manufacturer to be in commercial operation in Africa. Deployment of heavy electric trucks is now spreading across the world. With Europe and the US among the leaders, the shift to…

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John Haule: We Have Raised $50,000 Pre Seed To Build The Financial Operating System for African SMEs

We are excited to announce that SWAHILIES has raised $50,000 in pre-seed funding from The Baobab Network, an accelerator that backs early-stage technology startups in Africa, providing entrepreneurs with funding, support and a global platform to scale their businesses. The Baobab Network has been very supportive of us during the acceleration program and even beyond. We are super excited to be with them on this journey….

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Google launches Africa’s first product development centre in Nairobi

It also focuses on helping non-profits improve lives across Africa. In Summary • The centre is looking for talented, creative people who can help solve difficult and important technical challenges.• This involves improving the smartphone experience for people in Africa and building a more reliable internet infrastructure. As part of its billion-dollar commitment, Google launched its first product development…

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Wemade invests in Metaverse Magna to expand WEMIX ecosystem in Africa

Wemade, an online video games developer, announced it has participated in the seed funding round for Metaverse Magna (MVM), a P2E guild project from Africa, for expansion of WEMIX ecosystem in Africa. MVM’s parent company, Nestcoin, supports and invests in crypto projects in Africa. It was founded by Yele Bademosi, former director in charge of the Africa region at Binance Labs, who oversaw investments and…

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Egypt begins construction of its first nuclear power plant

Construction for the El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant has begun in Egypt. This is the first nuclear power plant in the country and will consist of 4 units with a generating capacity equivalent to 1200 MW per unit using generation III+ VVER-1200 reactors (pressurized water reactors). Alexey Likhachev, Rosatom Director General, and Mohamed Shaker, Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy gave…

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KFC launches first high-tech restaurant in South Africa

KFC South Africa has launched a new “ultra-modern” outlet in Cape Town featuring the latest in restaurant technology. The fast food giant said its revamped Pinelands restaurant was designed to make customer service quicker, easier and seamless. KFC Africa chief operations officer, Thuthuka Nxumalo, said that businesses were moving into a “new era of customer experience”. “The approach to…

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Egypt launches new Nilesat 301 satellite

Summary Egypt has successfully launched a new satellite dubbed Nilesat 301 on the SpaceX rocket Falcon 9 from Florida. The launching and the separation of Egypt’s new satellite Nilesat 301 from the Space X Falcon 9 rocket was broadcasted live. The new satellite was successfully launched into space at 11:03 pm Cairo Local Time, and the first signal was…

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The AU Projected Outer Space Breakthrough in 2063, Is It a Dramatic Entity or More Than Agenda?

Agenda 2063 is the African Union’s long-term framework for socio-economic development, regional integration and the preservation of history and culture. The agenda has 15 flagship projects. These have been identified as necessary for meeting the continent’s aspirations. They are wide-ranging and include constructing a network of high-speed trains; ending violence and creating continental financial institutions. But, in my view, the core…

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How Huawei Plans To Empower 100 000 Young People In Southern Africa With ICT Skills

Spurred on by young people’s ingenuity, creativity and audacity, digital technology is changing the face of Africa. Africa has been known for its vast natural resources for decades, including diamonds, platinum, cobalt, iron ore, gold, etc. However, the continent will now need to enter the speed race for ICT skills, which have become a critical part of any national digital…

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Technical, vocational programs benefit Africa

Education and development are inextricably linked. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” noted Nelson Mandela. Where there is no education, there is no development. Inversely, where there is no development, there is no education. In its reports, the World Economic Forum has observed that “obtaining a quality education is the foundation…

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CR2 will see Mosul Bank offering a more advanced digital banking service to the Iraqi retail and corporate banking market

Mosul Bank (www.almosulbank.iq) has selected CR2 (www.CR2.com), one of the world’s leading software vendors in the digital banking and payments market, to accelerate its digital banking transformation strategy in the Iraqi market. This latest win for CR2 will see Mosul Bank offering a more advanced digital banking service to the Iraqi retail and corporate banking market, across both mobile…

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African Metaverse Set to Boost Economy and Create Employment

Africarare, Africa’s first metaverse, is set to unlock African creativity and connect Africa to the global digital economy. At an event in Johannesburg on Monday, plans were announced for the commercialisation of the 3D virtual reality experience, that is set in Ubuntuland, a virtual world that marries creativity, cryptocurrency, and commerce. Firstly, virtual land will soon be available to…

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MTN Group emerges first African company on the metaverse

MTN Group emerges first African company on the metaverse MTN Group announced that it purchased 144 plots of digital land in Africarare, the first virtual reality metaverse in Africa. MTN said the move aligns with its ambition 2025 which entails leveraging trends to augment and increase its customers’ digital experiences. Many companies around the world have already jumped on the…

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Canon Unveils its Mighty New Outdoor PTZ Camera, the CR-X300

This high quality, versatile camera gives outdoor remote production teams a robust camera solution Canon (www.Canon-CNA.com) today announces the expansion of its remote camera system line-up, with the launch of the CR-X300 – a small, robust PTZ camera. Joining Canon’s current range of PTZ cameras, which includes the CR-N500, CR-N300 and CR-X500, the CR-X300 offers high-quality 4K video output…

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TECNO Security Response Center Demonstrates Commitment to the InfoSec Community

TECNO Security Response Center affirms commitment to the digital security community, sponsors Security BSides and offers prizes and gifts to detect vulnerabilities Serious in its commitment to digital information security, TECNO Security Response Center (SRC) (https://bit.ly/3e6nOyH) sponsored the latest Security BSides in Ahmedabad, India in 2021. More than 400 security specialists and professionals attended the conference, fostering cooperation and…

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Trove Finance’s Global Share Dealing app wins 2021 Ecobank Fintech Challenge

The Ecobank Fintech Challenge is a flagship event of the Ecobank Group to support and enthuse early stage fintechs from across the African continent ACCRA, Ghana, The leading pan-African Banking Group, Ecobank Group (www.Ecobank.com), announces that Trove Finance, a Nigerian-based global share dealing app, is the winner of the fourth edition of the annual Ecobank Fintech Challenge. The winner…

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Sustainability Takes Centre Stage

Corporate sustainability in practice was under the microscope at a special Expo 2020 Dubai edition of the Canon Frontiers of Innovation thought-leadership series DUBAI, United Arab Emirates,  Corporate sustainability moves from the sidelines to centre stage; Big businesses embracing a triple bottom line see positive business returns; Growing commitment by corporates to helping achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals…

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TECNO Announces Innovative Memory Fusion Technology to Boost RAM and Apps Running Efficiency

Memory Fusion Technology was designed to make use of unused read-only memory (ROM) and channel them for RAM operations HONG KONG, Hong Kong, TECNO (www.TECNO-mobile.com), a rising superstar as a global smartphone brand of the new generation, announced the release of a new virtual Random Access Memory (RAM) expansion technology for its users to increase the RAM capacity of…

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TECNO to Deploy Sensor Shift with Latest Technical Innovations, Leading the New Trend for Android Phones

Sensor Shift stabilizes images using sensor movements to compensate for vibrations rather than using lens movements as in existing cameras HONG KONG, Hong Kong, A premium smartphone brand focused on global emerging markets, TECNO (TECNO-Mobile.com), outlined an array of its latest technologies and achievements at a webinar entitled “Global Mobile Camera Trends 2022: Innovation Talk” (https://bit.ly/3yom1hM). One eye-catching development…

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Canon brings the precision and simplicity of the EOS R3 to its range of professional cameras

Building on user feedback and the success of the EOS R3, Canon’s latest firmware levels up the EOS R5, EOS R6 and EOS-1D X Mark III DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Canon (Canon-CNA.com) today announces firmware updates for the EOS R5 (firmware v1.50), EOS R6 (firmware v1.50) and EOS-1D X Mark III (firmware v1.60). Following the recent launch of the EOS R3,…

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2021 Visa Openness Index calls for easier travel to propel Africa out of Covid-19 slump

Published yearly since 2016, the Index measures African countries’ openness to travellers from elsewhere on the continent ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, Opening up Africa’s borders to travel will drive investment and an economic rebound, according to the authors of the 2021 Africa Visa Openness Index (https://bit.ly/3IPoRkJ). Published yearly since 2016, the Index measures African countries’ openness to travellers from elsewhere…

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Vertiv Partners with Tech Consortium to Lead Low-Carbon Fuel Cell Development for Data Centres

Consortium of seven organizations chosen by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership to develop a next-generation fuel cell platform to ensure a greener future for data centres across the world DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Vertiv (https://bit.ly/3ymc18R) (NYSE: VRT), a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, today announced the Clean Hydrogen Partnership will provide EUR 2.5 million to help…

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Following Nigeria’s Example: Developing Marginal Fields Is More Important Than Ever for Africa (By NJ Ayuk)

Marginal field development has also allowed indigenous companies to step out from oil majors’ shadow and thrive JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, (By NJ Ayuk, Chairman, African Energy Chamber). Nigerian energy-industry leaders have been reminiscing lately about the country’s earliest efforts to develop marginal oil and gas fields. That’s because after nearly two decades, Nigeria recently stepped up its marginal-field development efforts,…

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Setting The Wheels Of Sustainability In Motion – Moments That Matter (By Muhammad Muheisen)

A photograph can compel you to take action or make you cry or even transport you back to the happiest moment of your lives DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, By Muhammad Muheisen, Canon (www.Canon-CNA.com) Ambassador, National Geographic Photography and Founder of Everyday Refugees There is no denying that photography has an immense power to evoke emotions, move our minds, touch…

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Building for the future of Africa’s energy industry takes the spotlight on Day Two of the US-Africa Energy Forum

Technological advancement in energy is a guaranteed force of change in the coming years and with the global focus on addressing issues of climate change, it becomes clear that US-Africa relationships will play a major role in developing and enabling the future of African energy HOUSTON, United States of America, Day two of the US-Africa Energy Forum in Houston,…

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Clickatell’s 2022 Prediction: Brands Will Prioritize Chat Commerce to Improve the Consumer Experience, Becoming a Multi-Billion Dollar Market

Convergence of fast-growing CPaaS, CCaaS, and Digital Commerce sectors drives adoption of Chat Commerce REDWOOD CITY, California, Clickatell (https://bit.ly/3yfdmhr), a leader in mobile communications and Chat Commerce (https://bit.ly/3GqJr8U), collaborated with senior executives across the CPaaS, CCaaS, and Digital Commerce industries to predict the stand-out trends for 2022. The responses point to the consolidation of all three sectors into a…

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Sustainable print high on the agenda – Canon Frontiers of Innovation, Expo 2020 Dubai

Digital printing and personalisation are major growth drivers DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, The print industry in Africa and the Middle East is growing despite predictions; Digital printing and personalization are major growth drivers; Sustainability is high on the print industry agenda. The future of print in a digital world was in question even before COVID-19. Yet, according to regional…

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Meta Unveils its ‘Africa Year in Review’ for 2021

The infographic highlights key Meta successes and milestones across the region, whilst reinforcing its continued commitment to Africa JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Meta (https://about.facebook.com/Meta/) today released its ‘2021 Africa Year in Review’, an infographic capturing some of the company’s significant investments and initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa this year – focused on driving innovation, connecting communities, helping businesses to grow and…

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Clickatell’s Annual CIT Event Addresses How Chat for Customer Experience is Taking the World by Storm

The event included insight from global market intelligence and advisory service, IDC, as well as a panel of industry thought leaders LAGOS, Nigeria, Attendees at Clickatell’s (www.Clickatell.com) Connect Interact and Transact (CIT) annual event last week experienced how creating a world where commerce and communications collide is where brands may do their best work for their customers. The event…

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Strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training in South Sudan

This project is in line with the strategy for Sweden’s development cooperation with South Sudan 2018–2022, which fosters the humanitarian-development-peace nexus in the country On 6 December 2021, the Embassy of Sweden and the UNESCO Office in Juba, signed an agreement to implement a four-year project “Strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in South Sudan” amounting to…

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The State of Cyber Extortion Crime in South Africa

The ransomware story is getting longer and more complicated and South African organisations are not excluded JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, The KnowBe4 (www.KnowBe4.com) and ITWeb Ransomware Survey took a deep look into the South African organization, finding that ransomware and cybercrime are increasingly impacting organizations on the continent. While many companies (32%) were attacked in 2021, some multiple times (12%),…

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Equinix to Expand into Africa with Acquisition of MainOne

Expansion Aims to Enable Organizations to Accelerate Digital Transformation throughout Africa REDWOOD CITY, United States of America, Equinix, Inc.(www.Equinix.com) (Nasdaq: EQIX), the world’s digital infrastructure company™, today announced its expansion into Africa through its intended acquisition of MainOne (www.MainOne.net), a leading West African data center and connectivity solutions provider, with presence in Nigeria, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. The acquisition is expected to close…

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Canon celebrates 10 years of Cinema EOS

Canon broke new ground with the launch of the Cinema EOS System bringing to market its first Full HD digital cinema camera and dedicated camera lenses DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Canon (www.Canon-CNA.com) celebrates the 10th anniversary of its renowned Cinema EOS line-up, praised by filmmakers including Jimmy Chin, Director and Producer of the Academy Award winning documentary Free Solo, the…

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TECNO, Samsung Electronics and DXOMARK Forecast Mobile Camera Trends 2022 at A Counterpoint Webinar

Speakers Tarun Pathak, Hervé Macudzinski, Pan Xuebao, and Jimmy Hsu shared their insights on camera innovation, market trends, and the latest developments in imaging technology HONG KONG, During a webinar entitled “Global Mobile Camera Trends 2022: Innovation Talk”, experts in the field of optical imaging technology along with leading industry research analysts discussed how camera systems are evolving, and…

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South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria see a decrease of ordinary threats, yet experience a massive increase of targeted malware schemes

The reason for such a change was the introduction and popularisation of new cybercrime models in the region, with cybercrime tools becoming more targeted NAIROBI, Kenya, — According to Kaspersky’s (https://Kaspersky.co.za/) latest research on the threat landscape trends, South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria are facing a dramatic change in the threat landscape. While regular, self-propagating malware is decreasing dramatically,…

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Nokia, UNICEF and Orange Foundation partner to empower young people in Morocco

The UPSHIFT program will empower young people to become resilient citizens who engage more actively with their families, schools, everyday life and contribute to the economy RABAT, Morocco, — Nokia , UNICEF and Orange Foundation to empower young people with digital, entrepreneurial and environmental skills, as well as knowledge about climate change as part of UNICEF’s UPSHIFT program in…

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Adanian Labs partners with EMURGO Africa to scale blockchain start-ups in Africa

EMURGO has invested a 7x figure undisclosed amount as a seed investment to Adanian Labs through its newly launched EMURGO Africa investment entity NAIROBI, Kenya, October 15, 2021/ — EMURGO is the official commercial arm of Cardano blockchain; This investment is part of EMURGO Africa, a subsidiary of EMURGO’s new $100 million Cardano ecosystem investment vehicle; The undisclosed funding will…

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Islamic Corporation for the development of the Private Sector (ICD) Launches the ICD Finnovation Award 2020

Islamic Corporation for the development of the Private Sector (ICD) Launches the ICD Finnovation Award 2020The winners will be awarded in a very special ceremony to be organized during the Annual Meetings of Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDBG) to be held in June 2021JEDDAH, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, November 19, 2020/ — The Islamic Corporation for the development of…

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Carnegie Mellon University in Rwanda Graduates Its First Class

KIGALI- Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Rwanda (http://www.cmu.edu) is proud to announce that its first class in Africa graduated on 24 July, 2014. The ceremony, which took place at the Serena Hotel in Kigali, Rwanda, awarded 22 students with master’s degrees in information technology (IT). The graduation underscores Carnegie Mellon University and the Government of Rwanda’s commitment to educating…

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