News

Co-organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau and the Macau Artist Society, the opening ceremony of “Walk and See—Youth Artist Art Exhibition” and “As Memory Whispers—Exhibition by Cai Guo Jie” was held on Saturday, 23 July, at 11am, at the Lakeside Gallery in the Anim’Arte NAM VAN. The opening ceremony was officiated by the Vice President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Chan Peng Fai; the Assistant of the Chief of the Department of Education and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao S.A.R., Shao Bin; the Vice President of the Macau Artist Society, Lok Hei; the Director of the Macau Artist Society, Sio In Leong; the Vice President of the Art For All Society, Nick Tai; the Macao artists Lai Sio Kit and Coke Wong. The “Walk and See—Youth Artist Art Exhibition” is held at the Lakeside Gallery - S1 room in Anim’ Arte NAM VAN. The exhibition features over 60 artworks including paintings, sculptures and installation arts by local artists Mok Pui Teng, Leong Man Ying, Tam Kok Chum, Ng Hoi Teng, Zhang Chi, Loi Yin Yi, Janette Tam, Bobo Choi, Julia Lam, Im Hok Lon, Sou Leng Fong, Coke Wong, Flower Lam, Fan Lee, Dor Lio, Haruka Lam, Allen Wong, Wing Pun, Chi Leng, Song Wei, Hana Tou, Leong Keng Ip, Sissi Ho, Kitman Leong, Lao I Wo, Eric Fok, Lai Sutweng, Lai Sio Kit, Bruno Kwan, Pat Lam, Mak Kuong Weng, Andre Lui, Jane Ieng, Tatyana Ieong, Maggie Ng and Tiffany Ng. The artists hope the public understand more about their insights and persistence in art creation through the exhibitions held in Anim’ Arte NAM VAN. They also hope the public can support the development of local art by purchasing the artworks on-site. “As Memory Whispers—Exhibition by Cai Guo Jie” is held at the Lakeside Gallery - S2 room in Anim’ Arte NAM VAN, featuring 14 paintings by artist Cai Guo Jie. Focusing on the topic of “recording” and “documenting”, the artist explores cultural modules, the compilation of articles and image loggings. Both exhibitions are open from 23 July to 20 September, at the Lakeside Gallery in Anim’ Arte NAM VAN located at Nam Van Lakeside Plaza, Avenida Panorâmica do Lago Nam Van, and are open daily from 11am to 10pm. Admission is free.
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The Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT) is paying close attention to the car accident which occurred at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok. From the information gathered through the MGTO representative in Thailand and the Macao travel industry, until the present moment, there is no indication that any Macao tour groups or Macao resident has been involved. Until the present moment, GGCT has not received any request for information or assistance. If necessary, Macao residents can call: 24-hour Tourism Hotline (853) 2833 3000; The Chinese Embassy and consulates or the Global Emergency Call Center for Consular Protection and Services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24-hour hotline: +86 10 12308 for assistance.
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Consumer Council conducted its latest ‘Supermarket price survey’ in July on 22 July for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Surveyed locations included 12 supermarkets in Sé Parish. The latest ‘Supermarket Price Survey’ is now available on Consumer Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo), ‘Supermarket Price Information Platform’ iPhone and Android apps, and on the Council’s WeChat account page. The survey is also available free of charge at the offices of Consumer Council, IACM’s Iao Hon and S. Domingos Markets, bookstores and libraries. Consumers may also access the resources through WAP channels on their mobile phones. With reference to the local seven parishes and the number of supermarkets in each parish, the Council has divided around 100 supermarkets into 8 areas for price collection. The Council collects prices from these supermarkets for the provision of a more comprehensive database for consumers to check price discrepancies and make price comparisons according to their desired locations. For inquiry, please call 8988 9315.
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Zhang Weixiang, a master’s student of medicinal administration from the Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences (ICMS), University of Macau (UM), has received full funding to present his paper at the 52nd annual meeting of the Drug Information Association (DIA) in the United States. This is the tenth consecutive year that a student from the ICMS has received full funding from the DIA’s annual meeting. The DIA serves as a global forum for those involved in healthcare product development and life cycle management to exchange knowledge and collaborate in a neutral setting. It has more than 20,000 members worldwide, including governmental health agencies, academic organisations, and pharmaceutical companies. Held in Philadelphia, USA, from 26 June to 30 June, the 52nd DIA annual meeting attracted 450 exhibitors and more than 7,000 attendees from around the world, including regulatory officials, academic elite, medical groups, and professionals from the pharmaceutical industry. This year’s event received over 3,000 student paper abstracts from more than 40 countries. Only 20 students were selected to receive full funding to present their findings in the Student Poster session of the meeting. UM student Zhang Weixiang not only received full funding from the meeting, but also won the Student Award for his paper titled ‘Three Decades Research Advances in Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery: A Global View of Big Data’. His research combined qualitative and quantitative data analysis approaches with various network visualisation and mapping tools, to provide a global view of big data on research advances and changing research foci in the field of pharmaceutics and drug delivery over the past three decades. Zhang’s paper were supervised by Prof Wang Yitao and Dr Ouyang Defang. This is the tenth consecutive year since 2007, when Prof Bian Ying from the ICMS initiated the activities, that a student from the ICMS has received full funding from the DIA’s annual meeting. Other students who have received full funding from the DIA annual meeting include Hu Yuanjia (who is now an assistant professor in the ICMS), Liu Jingjing, Yin Shi, Ye Mao, Su Weiping, Bai Jishan, Shi Yunzhen, Yang Xueyan, Song Meng-Huan, and Zhang Weixiang.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that visitor arrivals totalled 2,358,346 in June 2016, up by 4.9% year-on-year and yet down by 4.8% month-to-month. Overnight visitors rose by 13.9% year-on-year to 1,225,176, accounting for 52.0% of the total; same-day visitors dropped by 3.3% to 1,133,170. The average length of stay of visitors remained stable as in June 2015, at 1.2 days; the average stay of overnight visitors and same-day visitors was 2.2 days and 0.2 day respectively. Visitors from Mainland China increased by 5.7% year-on-year to 1,516,599 in June 2016, of which those travelling under the Individual Visit Scheme rose by 3.4% to 665,919. Overnight Mainland visitors (776,482) registered double-digit growth, at 17.2%. Mainland visitors came mainly from Guangdong Province (657,858), Hunan Province (67,254) and Fujian Province (59,164). Visitors from the Republic of Korea (46,957) and Taiwan (95,615) increased by 49.5% and 19.1% respectively year-on-year, while those from Hong Kong (511,692) decreased by 2.3%. Long-haul visitors from the United States (16,012), Australia (6,921), Canada (4,859) and the United Kingdom (4,348) increased year-on-year. Analyzed by mode of transport, visitor arrivals by land increased by 6.9% year-on-year to 1,319,701; those arriving through the Border Gate (1,157,876) and the Checkpoint of Cotai (160,251) rose by 5.8% and 16.6% respectively. Visitor arrivals by sea decreased by 1.1% year-on-year to 841,580; those disembarking at the Outer Harbour (502,841) fell by 7.7% while those arriving at the Provisional Ferry Terminal in Taipa (338,739) rose by 18.5%. Visitor arrivals by air increased by 21.0% year-on-year to 197,065, with 196,373 arriving at the airport. In the first half year of 2016, visitor arrivals totalled 14,764,296, up marginally by 0.1% year-on-year; overnight visitors rose by 8.3% to 7,163,259 while same-day visitors dropped by 6.6% to 7,601,037. The average length of stay of visitors increased by 0.2 day year-on-year to 1.2 days; the average stay of overnight visitors rose by 0.2 day to 2.2 days while that of same-day visitors held stable at 0.2 day. Visitors from Mainland China (9,741,394) and Hong Kong (3,058,316) decreased by 0.4% and 3.1% year-on-year, whereas those from the Republic of Korea (312,648) and Taiwan (520,034) increased by 6.5% and 11.7% respectively. Moreover, long-haul visitors from the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom registered year-on-year increase.
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Banco Nacional Ultramarino (BNU) granted MOP450,000 to Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) as student scholarship fund. The cheque presentation ceremony was hosted by President of IFT, Dr. Fanny Vong, and Mr. Pedro Cardoso, Chief Executive Officer of BNU. The BNU IFT Mastercard is an affinity credit card which was jointly launched by the two parties and specially designed for IFT staff, students and alumni. For each retail transaction settled with the BNU IFT Mastercard credit card, a certain percentage will be transferred to a fund that provides scholarship to IFT students. During the event, a total fund of MOP450,000 was granted to IFT for scholarship purposes. The cooperation between BNU and IFT on launching the MasterCard credit card is an example of cooperation between the financial institution and the Education organization achieving harmony and benefits for the society of Macao. To support students to pursue their tertiary studies at IFT, high school graduates with outstanding performance in their admission examinations at IFT can apply for the Institute's Scholarship. Besides, some of the governmental departments, social organizations and other institutions in Macao, such as BNU, offer scholarships to IFT students every year. In addition, the Institute offers different types of scholarship for its students to take part in overseas exchange and internship programmes, as well as activities alike, with an aim to go abroad to study and widen their horizons. Successful applicant of the card can enjoy permanent fee waiver and other benefits such as cash bonus points, payment by installments, BNU Life merchant discount offers, 24 hour customer service hotline, interest free repayment period up to 56 days flexible repayment scheme. Besides, various flexible payment methods are available including by Autopay (minimum or full payment), BNU Online, BNU Direct (Phone Banking), BNU ATM, Jetpayment, cheque or visiting branch counter. About IFT Established in 1995, the Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao (IFT) offers the most extensive selection of tourism and hospitality related bachelor degree programmes in Macao, and about twenty thousand participants attend its vocational and professional training courses annually. IFT collaborates with 97 universities and tourism organisations around the world, and builds strong links with 500 leading tourism and hospitality corporations to offer internship opportunities to its students. Being the first institution accredited by the UNWTO.TedQual Certification System for tourism education, IFT has now 7 bachelor degree programmes with the Certification. Currently, the Institute has the most number of bachelor degree programmes certified under the System of any tertiary education establishment worldwide. IFT has received the Medal of Merit in Tourism from the Macao SAR Government, and won twice the Gold Award in ‘Education and Training’ from the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). About Banco Nacional Ultramarino (BNU) BNU is the first note-issuing bank in Macao, with 114-years of history on supporting and serving the local community. For over a century, BNU has been part of the financial life of Macao while maintaining an active role in the social and economic development of the territory, supporting local business activities. The knowledge and experiences acquired have been essential to bring success to its customers’ businesses and projects in sectors such as retail, real estate, manufacturing, transportation, construction, public utilities and international trade. BNU has been cooperating for the harmonious development of the Macao society with significant contributions, in particular, • the support to the educational system, supporting students of schools and universities with scholarships; • the assistance to the ones in need through partnership with leading organizations in the field; • the support to cultural and sport activities. BNU is part of Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD) Group, which is one of Europe’s largest financial institutions with an extensive global network in 23 Countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. CGD has presence in seven Portuguese-speaking countries and holds a leading position in five of them. It is also currently present in Macao, Zhuhai and Shanghai and thus has established a strong platform to link up China and Macao with Portuguese-speaking Countries. BNU has been extremely active in supporting the trade between China and the Portuguese speaking countries, both on the trade and investment flows.
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Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel (formerly known as New Century Hotel), located at Taipa, Macao, has committed serious administrative irregularities, constituting threats to public safety and harming the image of Macao’s tourism sector, leading to the decision of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) to implement provisional measures to close down the hotel establishment tomorrow (23 July). MGTO and other relevant departments jointly held a press conference today (22 July), announcing that Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel has committed serious administrative irregularities and has failed to carry out essential fire safety measures, thus constituting risks and possible harm to public safety. In view of safety reasons and public interest, MGTO decided to implement provisional measures to close down Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel tomorrow (23 July) for a period of six months, in accord with the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Code. The public is prohibited from entering the establishment without authorization during the period of temporary closure. Unauthorized entry will constitute a violation of order. MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, together with Acting Deputy Director of Labour Affairs Bureau, Ng Wai Han, Acting Head of Research and Planning Department of Fire Services Bureau, Lam Io Fan, and Acting President of Executive Committee of Consumer Council, Chan Hon Sang, met with the media. Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, Public Security Police Force, Government Information Bureau, Environmental Protection Bureau and Tourism Crisis Management Office also had their representatives present at the press conference. Involvement in serious administrative irregularities and illegal reconstructions The restaurants/catering outlets and numerous other facilities of Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel either had their licenses suspended or were permanently closed down earlier, including New Century Sauna, Waterfall Garden Tea House, New Century Chinese Restaurant, Scenic Veranda Coffee Shop, Beijing Imperial Palace Club House and Caesar Terrace, one of which even no longer exists. During past inspections, MGTO kept discovering new evidence that the hotel has committed severe irregularities and a multitude of illegal reconstructions. Serious fire safety issues include inadequate number of fire extinguishers, defective emergency lighting systems, blocked exits, obstructed escape routes, malfunctioning smoke chamber, use of decorative materials without fireproofing and storage of fuel beyond legal limits, etc. MGTO has imposed various sanctions procedures and penalties against the above irregularities, and demanded the hotel to rectify these within a stipulated time limit. However, most of the situations remained unsettled. Failure to meet the requirements for operation During its latest inspection in June, MGTO uncovered that the overall facilities of Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel still failed to meet the requirements stipulated by the regulations and fire safety standards. In view of public safety, MGTO called various public entities including Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, Labour Affairs Bureau, Health Bureau, Public Security Police Force, Fire Services Bureau, Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau and Environmental Protection Bureau to form an inspection committee to carry out a joint inspection at Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel on 12 July. The inspection committee concluded that the hotel failed to meet the essential requirements to maintain its operation, and submitted a report on the irregularities identified during the inspection. Provisional close-down measures Considering the severity of the hotel’s irregularities against fire safety and the inspection committee’s conclusion, the Office has reason to believe that it would cause serious or irreparable damage to the public if the Office did not adopt any provisional measures. Therefore, according to the provisions of Clause No. 1, Article No. 83 of the Administrative Procedure Code, MGTO decided to implement provisional measures to close down Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel for a period of six months. MGTO conducted an interdepartmental meeting on 20 July with the representatives of partner entities in the joint inspection and other departments concerned, to discuss measures for the closing down of the establishment. Following that, the Office also met with representatives of travel agencies and hotels to announce its measures to shut down the establishment. In addition, MGTO publicized its notification mandate about its administrative decision to close down Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel temporarily in designated Chinese and Portuguese newspapers on 22 July. The notification mandate was posted at Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel this morning (22 July); teaming up with the police force, MGTO inspectors will close down the establishment tomorrow (23 July) and post the notification mandate at all entrances and exits of the hotel. Besides, MGTO has informed travel agencies to make arrangements accordingly and set up a help desk at the Tourism Activities Centre, where staff members from MGTO, Labour Affairs Bureau, Consumer Council and Tourism Crisis Management Office are stationed to provide information. Enquiries can also be made through Tel: 28333000. Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel (formerly known as New Century Hotel) is a five-star hotel opened in 1992 in Macao. The hotel applied for approval to be renamed as Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel in 2013 and currently operates over 500 rooms. This is the first time in Macao to have a five-star hotel closed down temporarily by the Government. This press release is available at: http://industry.macaotourism.gov.mo/en/pressroom/index.php
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The Government has highlighted three approaches to furthering Beijing-Macao cooperation – including featuring Beijing’s role as a centre for commerce and trade services during the coming edition of the Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF). The Government’s steps in deepening bilateral cooperation with Beijing also cover youth affairs and the setting up of a regular communication mechanism in order to boost the scale of such bilateral cooperation. The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, made the comments in Beijing this morning (Thursday) during a meeting with the Secretary of the Communist Party of China Beijing Municipal Committee, Mr Guo Jinlong. A partnership between Beijing and Macao – to start with Beijing’s official participation in the 21st edition of MIF, an event to be held in Macao in October – would cover a number of topics including matters connected with public administration and justice; economy and finance issues; and social and cultural affairs, Mr Chui said. Further topics for cooperation would include education, healthcare, culture, sports and tourism, he said. Mr Guo said during the meeting that Beijing would give its full support to the coming edition of MIF. He noted there would be room for further Beijing-Macao cooperation in the field of tourism, since Beijing was being positioned to develop as a city for tourism. In the afternoon, Mr Chui met the Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, Mr Xu Shaoshi, to discuss the initiative of Macao’s first Five-Year Development Plan. Mr Chui told Mr Xu about the three key findings regarding the opinions collected during the consultation period in Macao concerning the proposal for the Plan: first, a majority of the opinions gathered expressed support for the Government initiative that established the Plan; second, that there was active participation from members of the public during the consultation period; and third, some of the opinions expressed showed high expectations regarding the Plan, as well as high expectations in relation to standards of public governance. The Government expected that a final version of the Five-Year Development Plan could be released in September, said Mr Chui. The Chief Executive also briefed Mr Xu on how the Five-Year Development Plan initiative had been created, including the research, public consultation and analysis that had gone into it. The Government had started in 2014 to prepare the initiative, with a view to ensuring Macao’s economy was robust enough to cope with any changes in domestic or international circumstances; to press ahead with the city’s sustainable development; and to enhance the respective livelihoods of Macao people. Mr Chui thanked the Commission for the support it had given regarding the Five-Year Development Plan initiative. Mr Xu said the Commission would provide the necessary assistance to help Macao further incorporate its efforts with that of the country’s 13th Five-Year Plan. Officials attending the morning meeting with Mr Guo Jinlong included: the Deputy Secretary of the Communist Party of China Beijing Municipal Committee, Mr Zhang Gong; and the Director-General of the Hong Kong and Macao Office of the Beijing Municipal Government, Mr Zhao Huimin. Macao’s representatives included: the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms O Lam; the Director of the Office of the Macao Special Administrative Region in Beijing, Ms Hong Wai; and the Consultant to the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms Lei Ngan Leng. Representatives of the National Development and Reform Commission attending the afternoon session included: the Vice Chairman, Mr Hu Zucai; the Director of the Department of Development Planning, Mr Xu Lin; and the Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation, Mr Li Xuedong. Macao officials present at the afternoon session included Ms O Lam and Ms Lei Ngan Leng.
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Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) presented the remodeling concepts for the Macao Grand Prix Museum to members of the media today (21 July). In view of the scale and complexity of the remodeling project, MGTO made a down-to-earth estimate of the remodeling costs based on current market price as reference. MGTO will keep upholding the principle of effective use of public funds, maintaining information transparency and listening to different opinions to improve its work. MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Deputy Director Cheng Wai Tong, Engineer Diamantino Torrado and Architect Filipe Coutinho met with the media at the Tourism Activities Centre, where they presented the remodeling concepts for the Macao Grand Prix Museum and the plan of the remodeling project. MGTO plans to remodel the entire five-storey building of the Tourism Activities Centre into the Macao Grand Prix Museum. After remodeling, the total gross floor area of the Museum will be expanded six-times to a total of 16,000 square meters, with a significantly greater capacity for visitors. To date, the market reference price for the remodeling expenses is 19,000 patacas per square meter. Based on the reference price, it is estimated that the remodeling project will cost 304 million patacas in total. MGTO will invite public tenders for the entire project in accord with the law. Considering that the Tourism Activities Centre has been utilized for over two decades as well as the conditions of the foundation of the building which is joined to the Centre, MGTO decided to adopt the remodeling method. After professional evaluation in engineering, the Office decided to remodel the building while maintaining its core structure. The project involves a multitude of reconstructions and system installations, which increases its level of complexity. The remodeling project mainly consists of “consultation service for electrical and mechanical equipment plan, fire protection plan, air conditioning and ventilation system plan, structural plan, water supply, drainage and piping system plan” as well as the construction work. Among them, the Office has completed the procedure of public service procurement for the consultation service, whereas the Office expects to invite public tenders for the construction work early next year, with hope that the Museum will be opened to the public by the end of 2018. MGTO hopes to remodel the Tourism Activities Centre into an interactive museum that is brand-new, practical and energy-saving. According to the Office’s plan, the remodeled museum is expected to feature racing vehicle display, movie theatre, wax figure zone, cultural and creative zone as well as family interactive zone, aiming to raise visitors’ and residents’ awareness and interest of the Grand Prix with simulated experience in car racing as well. Opened in 1994, the Tourism Activities Centre is a facility under MGTO’s management as part of the multifunctional structure of the Macau Forum. The whole architecture consists of five floors including its basement with major facilities such as Grand Prix Museum, Wine Museum, exhibition hall and conference hall. Macau Grand Prix is a tourism gem and signature event that boasts significant historical value in Macao. MGTO will effectively leverage the unique brand of Macau Grand Prix to promote Macao and raise the destination’s profile.
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The Government has requested Macau (Yat Yuen) Canidrome relocate from its current site, prior to 21 July 2018. The Company will have a two-year period to consider if it wants to keep running the dog racing operations. Speaking to reporters today, the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Leong Vai Tac, said if the company were to continue running a dog racing business, it would need to find another location in which to do so. Any new location would need to comply with urban planning rules in general, and, in particular, would need to avoid creating any negative effect on local people’s livelihoods. The Government would also closely monitor the Canidrome’s existing dog racing business, taking into consideration matters such as how racing dogs were kept and how races were managed, said Mr Leong. The Secretary said the Macau (Yat Yuen) Canidrome would be responsible for reaching an agreement with its employees, should the company decide to close its dog racing business. If that were the case, the Government would provide the necessary services to help the current workforce at the Canidrome find new jobs. The Government’s announcement on the two-year timetable was made after taking several factors into consideration, including public opinion and what economic and social benefits the Canidrome had brought to Macao. The Government had also taken into consideration a report on the city’s dog racing industry that it had commissioned from the University of Macau, said Mr Leong. The extent to which the company had helped to diversify the city’s gaming industry; and had contributed to the transformation of Macao into a world centre of tourism and leisure, were also factors that had been weighed. The Government would study alternative uses for the current dog racing site, he said. The Director of the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, Mr Paulo Martins Chan, represented the Government this morning in a meeting to inform representatives of the Macau (Yat Yuen) Canidrome about the Government’s decision. In view of concerns among some members of the community regarding the Canidrome’s operations, the Government had, in September 2015, commissioned an in-depth study on the local dog racing industry from the University of Macau. The report covered an analysis of the results of a random survey conducted via telephone; and a total of 1,031 interviews conducted in the street; among people living and working near the Canidrome. The current concession of Macau (Yat Yuen) Canidrome will expire at the end of the calendar year.
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