1 MONGOLIA DRAGGED ITS WILD HORSES BACK FROM EXTINCTION – CAN IT SAVE THE REST OF ITS WILDLIFE? WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM PUBLISHED:2024/01/13      2 FOUR KILLED BY HEAVY SNOW IN MONGOLIA WWW.XINHUANET.COM PUBLISHED:2024/01/13      3 CHINA-MADE BUSES TO HIT THE ROAD IN MONGOLIA'S CAPITAL WWW.XINHUANET.COM PUBLISHED:2024/01/13      4 MONGOLIA'S GDP EXPECTED TO GROW BY 6.2% IN 2024 - WORLD BANK WWW.AKIPRESS.COM PUBLISHED:2024/01/13      5 CHINA'S IMPORTS OF MONGOLIAN COAL SET TO RISE AS TRANSPORT IMPROVES WWW.REUTERS.COM PUBLISHED:2024/01/13      6 RUSSIA BOOSTS FUEL EXPORTS TO CENTRAL ASIA, AFGHANISTAN AND MONGOLIA IN 2023 WWW.REUTERS.COM PUBLISHED:2024/01/13      7 MONGOLIA'S INFLATION DOWN TO 7.9 PCT WWW.XINHUANET.COM PUBLISHED:2024/01/11      8 PRESIDENT OF MONGOLIA INVITED HEADS OF STATE OF TWO NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES WWW.GOGO.MN PUBLISHED:2024/01/11      9 63.2 PERCENT OF MILK AND DAIRY PRODUCTS DOMESTICALLY SOURCED WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2024/01/11      10 ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS TO BE BUILT AT 25 LOCATIONS IN ULAANBAATAR WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2024/01/11      ИНФЛЯЦЫН ТҮВШИН 7.9 ХУВЬТАЙ ГАРЛАА WWW.EAGLE.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/01/14     АЮУЛТ ҮЗЭГДЭЛ, ОСЛЫН ТОХИОЛДОЛ ӨМНӨХ ОНООС 4.3 ХУВИАР ӨСЖЭЭ WWW.EAGLE.MN  НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/01/14     ОЛОН УЛСЫН ЗАХ ЗЭЭЛЭЭС 225 САЯ АМ.ДОЛЛАРЫН БОНДЫГ АМЖИЛТТАЙ АРИЛЖААЛЛАА WWW.IKON.MN  НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/01/14     "МОНГОЛЫН ХӨРӨНГИЙН БИРЖ" ХК НЭГ ЖИЛИЙН ХУГАЦААНД 15.1 САЯ ТОНН НҮҮРСИЙГ ₮7.4 ИХ НАЯДААР АРИЛЖЖЭЭ WWW.IKON.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/01/14     ИНФЛЯЦЫГ ТОГТВОРЖУУЛАХАД ЧИГЛЭСЭН МӨНГӨНИЙ БОДЛОГО ХЭРЭГЖҮҮЛНЭ WWW.MONTSAME.MN  НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/01/14     ИРЭЭДҮЙН БЭЛЭН БАЙДЛЫН ИНДЕКСЭЭР МОНГОЛ УЛС 124 УЛСААС 75 ДУГААРТ ЭРЭМБЭЛЭГДЭВ WWW.BLOOMBERGTV.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/01/14     XII САРД ШИНЭ ОРОН СУУЦНЫ ҮНИЙН ӨСӨЛТИЙН ХУРД ҮЛ ЯЛИГ СААРЧ, 9.9 ХУВЬ БОЛОВ WWW.BLOOMBERGTV.MN  НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/01/14     БҮХ ТӨРЛИЙН ТЭЭВРЭЭР 105 САЯ ТОНН АЧАА ТЭЭВЭРЛЭЖЭЭ WWW.MONTSAME.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/01/14     ИНФЛЯЦ 3 САР ДАРААЛАН НЭГ ОРОНТОЙ ТООНД ХАДГАЛАГДАВ WWW.BLOOMBERGTV.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/01/11     ӨНГӨРСӨН ОНД НҮҮРСНИЙ ЭКСПОРТЫН 92 ХУВИЙГ АВТО ЗАМЫН ХИЛИЙН БООМТООР ГАРГАЖЭЭ WWW.MONTSAME.MN  НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/01/11    

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NEWS

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Glencore coking coal shipments delayed after Australia train accident www.mining.com

Glencore (LON:GLEN) announced some "short-term" delays in its coking coal shipments from Queensland's Bowen basin in Australia, after a derailment that took place over the weekend.

Aurizon, Australia's largest rail freight operator, said in a statement that there was major infrastructure damage as a result of the derailment, which occurred 120 kilometres south of the Abbot Point export terminal. The company hopes to restart services by September 19.

As a consequence, the Swiss-based mining and trading giant has been having difficulties in getting coal from its Newlands mine to port this week.

The situation could add further heat to prices that have nearly doubled since the start of August. Coking coal is used primarily to heat iron ore during steel making.

BHP Billiton (ASX:BHP), which operates coal mines in the Bowen region, also issued a statement saying that any impact on its operations would be reported in its next quarterly review.

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IMF approves delayed $1bn tranche to Ukraine www.rt.com

After a year’s delay the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a $1 billion aid tranche for Ukraine from its $17.2 billion bailout program.
 
Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko has described the IMF decision as “positive.”
 
The amount is less than the originally planned $1.7 billion because some conditions were not met.
 
So far, Ukraine has received only the first two tranches from its four-year bailout program. Last year the IMF allocated $5 billion in March and $1.7 billion in August.
 
Kiev was to receive another three $1.65 billion tranches in 2015 and $600 million each quarter in 2016-2018. However, the IMF has delayed the allocations, criticizing Ukraine for the lack of progress in fighting corruption, slow privatization of state assets and delays in reforms.
 
The decision on the IMF’s bailout extension to Ukraine comes despite Moscow’s strong opposition. According to the Russian Finance Ministry, the extension would violate IMF rules on providing aid to countries with unresolved sovereign debt.
 
The ministry insists Ukraine has not fulfilled all the financing conditions because the country has not repaid its $3 billion debt to Russia due last December. The funds were provided by Russia in 2013 through the purchase of Ukrainian Eurobonds.
 
In December 2015, the IMF lifted the ban on lending to countries with expired sovereign debt. Now, the debtor is required to be in dire need of financial aid and to hold active talks to reach a settlement with the lender.
 
Ukrainian Finance Minister Aleksandr Danilyuk told the IMF that Kiev is ready to settle with Moscow, but is also preparing to go to court. Earlier he said that it was a “political loan we were forced to take” and “our position is that we should not return the money.”
 
Ukraine hasn’t asked to start negotiating the restructuring of the debt to Russia, which is $3 billion plus interest, according to the Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov. The Moscow vs. Kiev case will be heard in London in January next year.
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US asks Deutsche Bank for $14bn to settle mortgage investigation www.bbc.com

The US Department of Justice is asking Deutsche Bank to pay $14bn to settle an investigation into mortgage-backed securities, the bank has said.
Deutsche Bank said it "has no intention to settle these potential civil claims anywhere near the figure cited."
The claim against Deutsche, which is likely to be negotiated for several months, far outstrips investor expectations.
The bank's shares fell more than 1.6% in after-hours trading.
"The negotiations are only just beginning. The bank expects that they will lead to an outcome similar to those of peer banks which have settled at materially lower amounts," Deutsche Bank said.
The sale of residential mortgage-backed securities played a significant role in the 2008 financial crisis.
Banks in the US have been subject to a number of investigations over allegations of giving mortgages to unqualified borrowers, then repackaging those loans as safe investments and selling the risk on to others.
A number of banks have settled with US authorities over mis-selling of mortgage-backed securities.
Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, HSBC, UBS have all paid out. Goldman Sachs settled for $5.1bn in January this year.
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Blackrock to sue VW over emissions scandal www.bbc.com

Asset manager Blackrock and a group of institutional shareholders are to sue car maker Volkswagen for €2bn (£1.7bn) over its emissions scandal.
Investors, including sovereign wealth funds and pension funds, are expected to file a complaint in a court in Braunschweig, Germany, on Friday.
They are to claim that VW failed to disclose its use of software defeat devices on diesel cars in a timely way.
VW has faced a flood of legal actions over the scandal.
In September 2015 the US Environmental Protection Agency found that many diesel VW cars had a software "defeat device" that could detect emissions testing and change how the car performed to improve the test results.
The shareholder claims relate to the drop in Volkswagen's share price after the scandal broke.
Between September and October 2015, Volkswagen AG preference shares lost about 45% of their value, and are still about 28% down.
Blackrock, one of the world's largest asset managers, said: "On behalf of their investors, a number of Blackrock-managed collective investment schemes are pursuing, alongside other institutional investors, legal action against Volkswagen AG in connection with Volkswagen's failure to disclose to investors its use of 'defeat devices' that manipulated emission tests.
"In light of the ongoing legal proceedings we cannot comment further on the matter at this point."
Norway's Oil Fund, which is the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, the California State Teachers' Retirement System, the Greater Manchester Pension Fund, and State Street are part of the action against VW.
The complaint will be filed by law firm Quinn Emanuel.
The case is being funded by Bentham Europe, which is also backing a complaint brought in June by institutional investors.
In May Volkswagen more than doubled its provisions for the diesel emissions scandal to €16.2bn (£12.6bn). In the same month Norway's sovereign wealth fund said it was planning legal action against VW.
In June, VW agreed to pay $10.2bn (£6.9bn) to settle some of its US claims, and in September Australia launched legal action against the car maker.
 
 
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Hinkley Point: UK approves nuclear plant deal www.bbc.com

The government has given the go ahead for a new £18bn nuclear power station in the UK after imposing "significant new safeguards" to protect national security.
The new plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset is being financed by the French and the Chinese.
In exchange, China wants to use its design for new UK nuclear stations.
The Chinese welcomed the decision, saying they were not concerned about new rules on future projects.
Jean-Bernard Lévy, group chief executive of French firm EDF, which is building the plant, said: "The decision of the British Government to approve the construction of Hinkley Point C marks the relaunch of nuclear in Europe."
The government said it would now "impose a new legal framework for future foreign investment in Britain's critical infrastructure".

Critics of the deal have warned of escalating costs and the implications of nuclear power plants being built in the UK by foreign governments. France's EDF is funding two-thirds of the project, which will create more than 25,000 jobs, with China investing the remaining £6bn.

The Chinese agreed to take a stake in Hinkley, which will meet 7% of Britain's energy needs, and to develop a new nuclear power station at Sizewell in Suffolk on the understanding that the UK government would approve a Chinese-led and designed project at Bradwell in Essex, which has raised questions over national security.

A new agreement means that the government will be able to block the sale of EDF's controlling stake in Hinkley. The government will also take a special or "golden share" in all future new nuclear projects. This will ensure that significant stakes cannot be sold without the government's knowledge or consent.
There will also be increased scrutiny of the national security implications of foreign ownership of critical infrastructure. There is no specific mention of China's plans to design and build their own reactor at Bradwell but Chinese company CGN have welcomed this decision and sources close to the company say it will press ahead with their Bradwell ambitions under these new rules with confidence.
The price of the electricity, the parties involved and the future of UK nuclear all look the same. That will prompt some to ask what the hiatus since July's surprise review has really achieved.
In a statement, the government said: "After Hinkley, the British Government will take a special share in all future nuclear new build projects. This will ensure that significant stakes cannot be sold without the Government's knowledge or consent."
It added: "There will be reforms to the government's approach to the ownership and control of critical infrastructure to ensure that the full implications of foreign ownership are scrutinised for the purposes of national security."
The state-owned China General Nuclear Corporation (CGN) said: "We are delighted that the British Government has decided to proceed with the first new nuclear power station for a generation.
"We are now able to move forward and deliver much needed nuclear capacity at Hinkley Point, Sizewell and Bradwell with our strategic partners, EDF, and provide the UK with safe, reliable and sustainable low-carbon energy."
Guarantees
Energy Secretary Greg Clark, told the BBC: "I think it was right for a new government to look seriously at all the components of the deal.
"What we have decided is that for critical infrastructure generally we want to make sure our powers in this country are comparable to those of others, to be able to check that national security considerations are taken into account."
He added: "So what we have done here in Hinkley is require that EDF, the principal operator, guarantees - makes a commitment - that they won't dispose of their stake without the government's consent unless and until the plant is built. And in future all nuclear power plants will be subject to the same regime."
Projected sources of energy generation in the UK
The government has not altered the guaranteed payment of £92.50 per megawatt hour for electricity generated. Shadow energy minister, Barry Gardiner said it was "too high a price" and it should have been renegotiated.
Claire Jakobsson, head of climate and environment policy at EEF ,the manufacturers' organisation, said it was a relief to see the project going ahead "after months of delays and uncertainty".
"However, this project will clearly require a vast amount of support and it remains to be seen whether this deal is able to offer value for money. If new nuclear is to continue to play a major role we must see significant reductions in strike prices for future projects," she added.
Josh Hardie, deputy director-general of the Confederation of British Industry, called the announcement "good news", adding: "Investors are hungry for further signs from the government that the UK is open for business."
The decision on investment was approved by EDF's board in July, and was agreed in principle with China during the state visit by President Xi Jinping to the UK in October 2015.

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External trade surplus keeps rising www.en.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ In the first eight months of 2016, Mongolia traded with 140 countries and a total external trade turnover reached USD 5166.8 million, of which USD 2993.3 million was made up by exports and USD 2173.5 million -- by imports.
 
Total external trade turnover decreased by USD 631.5 million or 10.9 percent. Exports decreased by USD 258.3 million or 7.9 percent and imports decreased by USD 373.3 million or 14.7 percent compared with the same period of the last year.
 
The external trade balance, so far this year, resulted in surplus of USD 819.9 million, increasing by USD 115.1 million against the same period of 2015.
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Hinkley Point: UK expected to approve nuclear plant deal www.bbc.com

Plans to build the first new UK nuclear plant in 20 years are expected to be approved by the UK government, the BBC understands.
One source says the French and Chinese governments have been told that the £18bn Hinkley Point project will go ahead, with conditions.
The decision was postponed by the government in July.
France's EDF had agreed to pay for two-thirds of the project, with China paying one-third.
Critics of the deal have warned of escalating costs and the implications of nuclear power plants being built by foreign governments.
As part of the original agreement, EDF secured a guaranteed payment of £92.50 per megawatt hour of electricity generated.
China General Nuclear Power Group, the state-controlled company investing in Hinkley, sees the project as part of a three plant deal. It is hoping to build other new nuclear power stations in the UK at Bradwell in Essex and Sizewell in Suffolk.
The Chinese agreed to take a stake in Hinkley and at Sizewell on the understanding the UK government would approve a Chinese led and designed project at Bradwell.
Justin Bowden, national officer of the GMB union, said: "Giving the thumbs up to Hinkley is vital to fill the growing hole in the UK's energy supply needs.
"It will be a big relief for the 25,000 quality jobs which were put at risk by the latest delay, never mind the reputational damage inflicted on UK plc."
However, he said: "The GMB has always had reservations about linking Bradwell and Sizewell with the contract for Hinkley.
"The government should never have allowed the country to be held over a Chinese barrel."
The decision on investment was approved by EDF's board in July, and was agreed in principle with China during the state visit by President Xi Jinping to the UK in October 2015.
During her recent visit to the G20 summit in China, Prime Minister Theresa May defended the delay, insisting it was down to "the way I operate" because she wanted a fresh look at the evidence.
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Russian hackers release secret data of 25 more Olympic athletes www.cnn.com

Russian hackers have released confidential information about dozens more Olympic athletes, the World Anti-Doping Agency says.
The new leak from cyber criminal group known as "Tsar Team" and "Fancy Bear" affects 25 athletes, including 10 from the U.S., WADA said late Wednesday.
WADA said the hackers stole the medical data of Olympic stars by breaking into its database. The anti-doping agency said the hackers were operating from Russia.
Earlier this week, the same group published information about four U.S. athletes, including gold medal gymnast Simone Biles and tennis player Venus Williams.
The same group of Russian hackers is thought to have been behind the Democratic National Committee hack in June -- which released sensitive political information and led to the resignation of the committee chairman.
"WADA is very mindful that this criminal attack, which to date has recklessly exposed personal data of 29 athletes, will be very distressing for the athletes that have been targeted and cause apprehension for all athletes that were involved in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games," said Olivier Niggli, the agency's director general.
Related: Hackers steal medical data of U.S. Olympic stars
It didn't name the athletes whose information was released in the latest leak. Besides the 10 from the U.S., those affected include five from Britain, five from Germany, and one athlete each from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Poland, Romania and Russia.
On the Fancy Bears website, which CNN cannot confirm as legitimate, the hackers offered a message this week that said in part: "Greetings citizens of the world. Allow us to introduce ourselves. We are Fancy Bears' international hack team. We stand for fair play and clean sport."
They're expected to make more athletes' information public in the future, releasing the data "in batches," WADA said.
The initial leak earlier this week affected Biles, Williams and basketball player Elena Delle Donne, revealing their use of approved medications.
The United States Anti-Doping Agency said all of them had "done everything right in adhering to the global rules for obtaining permission to use a needed medication."

The Russian government has denied any involvement in the hack.
This is not the first time WADA has been targeted. The anti-doping agency database account of whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova was hacked in August. The runner helped expose the scale of Russian doping problems last year.

WADA recommended banning all Russian athletes from the Rio 2016 games, after an independent report said the country operated a state-sponsored doping program during the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. Russian officials and athletes likened the move to Cold War era conflicts.
"WADA has no doubt that these ongoing attacks are being carried out in retaliation against the agency," Niggli said.
The organization has asked Russia "to do everything in their power to make it stop," he said. "Continued cyber-attacks emanating from Russia seriously undermine the work that is being carried out to rebuild a compliant anti-doping program in Russia."

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Chinese tycoon who bought Grindr paying wife more than $1 billion in divorce www.cnn.com

The Chinese tech tycoon who bought gay dating app Grindr is paying his wife an eye-watering $1.1 billion in a massive divorce settlement.
Zhou Yahui, the chairman of online gaming firm Beijing Kunlun Tech, has agreed to transfer hundreds of millions of shares in the firm to his wife, Li Qiong, according to a stock exchange filing this week.
The huge settlement has made headlines in Chinese state media, which have described it as one of the costliest splits in the country's history.
Earlier this year, the couple were ranked 11th in a global list of self-made billionaires under 40. Compiled by the Hurun Report, their combined wealth was estimated at $3.5 billion.

But under a civil mediation agreement issued by a Beijing court, Zhou will hand over 278 million Kunlun shares to Li. The company's stock in Shenzhen closed Wednesday at 26.44 yuan, putting the value of the settlement at 7.35 billion yuan ($1.1 billion).
Zhou will remain the largest shareholder of Kunlun, which bought a majority stake in Grindr earlier this year. Kunlun declined to comment further on the settlement.
Beijing Kunlun Tech
Zhou Yahui will transfer hundreds of millions of shares in his company to his wife under a court settlement.
It's unlikely to be the last megabucks split in China. The country's divorce rate has climbed steeply in recent years, according to state media. Meanwhile, new billionaires are being minted at a staggering pace despite the economic slowdown.
The settlement between Zhou and Li eclipses the $975 million that U.S. oil tycoon Harold Hamm paid his ex-wife last year.

But other super rich businessmen -- including media mogul Rupert Murdoch and Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone -- are reported to have shelled out well over a billion dollars for divorces in the past.
A Swiss court in 2014 ordered Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev to pay his former wife a record $4.5 billion, but a higher court reduced the sum last year to around $600 million.

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Ford to move all small-car production to Mexico as profits set to fall www.theguardian.com

Ford has warned shareholders that it is pouring cash into “emerging opportunities” and expects a steep decline in its financial performance in 2017.
 
The second-largest US automaker dropped its expected pre-tax profits forecast from $10.8bn to $10.2bn as it announced plans to expand its self-driving and electric lines in the face of intense competition from Silicon Valley as well as traditional car firms.
 
Chief executive Mark Fields also said that the company was moving all of its small-car production to lower-cost Mexico, drawing another rebuke from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump who called the decision “horrible”.
 
“We will have migrated all of our small-car production to Mexico and out of the United States,” over the next two to three years, Fields told Wall Street analysts at annual investor day presentation.
 
Fields reiterated plans to explore ride-sharing options for its automated vehicles, framing the change as an expansion into a new market. “As we expand to be an auto and a mobility company, we’re not moving from an ‘old’ business to a ‘new’ business,” Fields said. “The world is moving from simply owning vehicles to owning and sharing them. That’s why we are expanding to sell more vehicles and provide transportation services at the same time.”
 
The lowered guidance from Ford was also driven by old school problems as well as future plans. The company lowered its 2016 pre-tax profit forecast to $10.2bn from a minimum of $10.8bn because of an expanded a vehicle recall. Multiple models across multiple years were found to have door latches that could malfunction and cause the doors to fly open while driving, causing a $640m impairment charge.
 
The recall comes at a bad moment as Ford attempts to move forward with the development of nascent technology that will take years to return investment, notably self-driving cars. The company has highly ambitious plans to enter the emerging sector as early as possible with a “high volume” of cars available.
 
Ford is also pushing an unusually large number of electric vehicles and will invest some $4.5bn in 13 new models that will comprise 40% of its lineup by 2020.
 
Driverless cars are gaining acceptance in parts of the US. Uber began a pilot study for automated cabs in Pittsburgh this week, although they have a human co-pilot for now. And California’s legislators are pushing for a relaxation in the rules governing robot cars on their roads.
 
Ford expects its first fully automated models to be road-ready by 2021, regulators permitting. Though the focus at the moment is on consumer vehicles, the possibility of automated commercial highway travel is also enticing. Rival manufacturers including Daimler and General Motors are also working on plans to build driverless trucks that would allow trucking companies to send shipments across the country.
 
Ford and its peers are also facing a growing challenge from technology companies including Apple and Google which are testing their own models, while high-end electric vehicle maker Tesla already produces vehicles that enable partial automation with its “autopilot” function, which was involved in a fatal accident this summer.
 
Caught between a rock and a hard place, Ford said it “plans to achieve cost efficiencies averaging $3bn annually between 2016 and 2018 and is adding new processes like zero-based budgeting to further its business transformation”.
 
“Zero-based budgeting” requires that every single budget item be individually approved, which bodes ill for new staplers at the Ford offices.
 
Beyond the simple cost of the research and development, though, there are serious regulatory hurdles to interstate travel in self-driving vehicles, as the US Congress has pushed back on automakers who believe their own standards are high enough: “If I asked somebody, ‘Do you think that that red light means stop?’ and they came back to me and said: ‘We have great respect for stoplights,’ I would say, ‘The answer is ‘yes’,” Senator Michael Blumenthal of Connecticut told General Motors’ Michael Ableson at a hearing in March.
 
“The credibility of this technology is exceedingly fragile if people can’t trust standards,” Blumenthal said. “Not necessarily for you, but for all the other actors that may come into this space at this point.”
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