American missionary pilot Ryan Koher and two other men jailed in Mozambique for more than four months on suspicion of supporting insurgents have been released, the ministry Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) has reported.

However, Koher and two South Africans, W.J. du Plessis and Eric Dry have been ordered to remain in country as the case is “still ongoing.” The three were freed on Tuesday.

MAF-US says it is grateful to the courts in Mozambique for the decision to release the men, and that it is “continuing to learn more about the next steps in the case from their legal counsel.”

“The executive leaders team of MAF-US expresses its thanks for all those who have been praying for Ryan and his family,” a statement from the organization read. “We asked for continued prayer that the final outcome will be a full release of Ryan from any charges and trial.”

MAF-US reports that Koher is “doing well” following his release and has spoken multiple times with his wife and two sons.

Koher was allowed to communicate with his family during his incarceration and said he remained “committed to God’s will” despite his tragic circumstances. Koher and the other two men were arrested in November 2022 while preparing to help load vitamins and other supplies on a plane bound for an orphanage in Cabo Delgado, the northernmost province in Mozambique.

The country has been embroiled in a war with the Islamic State, who since 2017, have seized villages, churches and mosques in the northern region of the country, leaving hundreds dead.

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Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media

A California church has denied coercion with county officials after being accused by a neighboring church of spying on its members who defied lockdown orders during the COVID pandemic.

Media reports say that Substack investigative journalist David Zweig obtained court documents that revealed enforcement officers with Santa Clara County began spying on the congregation at Calvary Chapel San Jose and reported details about the church’s worship, prayer and other church meetings.

Pastor Mike McClure defied the mandated social distancing order and reopened the church during the pandemic in 2020 for regular church services and business.

The documents obtained by Zweig allege that the county’s compliance unit made a deal with an adjacent church, Central Church of Christ, to use their location as a base camp to surveil Calvary Chapel San Jose—now known as Calvary Christian Fellowship—The Christian Post reported.

But Alexander Tullis, minister at Central Church of Christ, told The Christian Post that “while the court documents ‘seem to suggest’ his church was working with Santa Clara County,” that is not “the whole story.

“While certain members, even in leadership, may have individually allowed this to take place unofficially, I and the rest of leadership came together soon after and officially asked such surveillances be stopped immediately,” Tullis told The Christian Post.

The county apparently complied with Tullis’ request in October 2020 and ceased all surveillance activity from the location, The Christian Post reported.

But that wasn’t before the damage had been done.

Fox News Digital reported that the account published by Zweig detailed how the county “watched church activities through a neighboring property’s chain-link fence, walking in on church gatherings like Bible study and tracking churchgoers’ cellular mobility data, monitoring the church for compliance with public health mandates.”

Santa Clara County became known for its rigid pandemic directives as early as March 2020, when it, along with other Bay counties, became the first in the country to announce a shelter in place order that directed residents to stay home except for specific activities deemed essential by government officials.

The Christian Post reported that, “on one occasion, officers watched as ‘greeters welcomed attendees into the building’ and noted ‘members of the public entering the church were not wearing face coverings, and none of the greeters were wearing face coverings.'”

In February 2021, Charisma News reported that the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Pastor Che Ahn and Harvest Rock Church by enjoining California’s total ban on indoor worship. In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court halted California from enforcing the total ban on worship in Tier 1 of the state’s “blueprint” pending disposition of the case at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and a petition of writ of certiorari to the Supreme Court.

“I want to thank the Supreme Court,” Ahn said at the time. “The main thing they did was they lifted the ban on in-person worship. I think that people can worship in perpetuity, so in future pandemics, they’ll think twice before locking down the church.”

In May 2020, Calvary Christian Fellowship defied Santa Clara County’s public health mandates, holding indoor gatherings not in accordance with the mandatory limitations, Fox News Digital reported. The church left itself open to fines in excess of $2 million levied by the county.

Calvary counter-sued the county, arguing it had violated the First Amendment of the Constitution and the excessive fines clause of the Eighth Amendment. Both cases are still in litigation.

What should be upsetting to believers is how one church, even if it is an allegation, could cooperate in “spying on another.” Such is the way of today’s culture in America. {eoa}

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Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.

Here’s a quick summary of the top stories on :

Satan’s Diabolical Plan to Divide the Body of Christ

Demons and deliverance have become a very hot topic in the church today, especially on the heels of the release of Pastor Greg Locke’s movie Come Out in Jesus’ Name. It opened Monday night in nearly 2,000 theaters and was followed by Pastor Locke coming on live in these theaters via livestream and conducting a mass deliverance service.

In Pastor Locke’s own words, “This is a historic church moment. This has never happened! It’s almost like God says, ‘OK, you want to run my spirit out of church? Well, I’m going to take you into a movie theater.”

What are we to make of this?

3 Reasons Why Wine Today is Not the Same As Wine in the Bible

In the Bible, you read about wine being a common drink among the Jews. Wine was enjoyed at feasts, in the fellowship with friends, the Lord’s Supper and even kept inside of the Temple. But, did you know the wine drank in Jesus’ time on earth was much different than the wine consumed today?

Charisma magazine sat down with Evangelist Perry Stone who shared his thoughts on the consumption of alcohol today.

While talking about going to dinner with those who do drink wine, he says, “I don’t preach to them, I just tell them I don’t, and when they ask why I go into the history. The wine in Jesus day was mixed with water and it would take 27 glasses of wine in Jesus day, the way it was mixed, to equal the alcohol of two martinis,” he says.

Rule of Law on Track for ‘Barbarism’ Warns Judge After Universities ‘Tantrum From Hell’

A federal appeals court judge is calling for Stanford University to fire one of the college’s associate deans after she participated in a student-led protest during his scheduled appearance on campus. He’s also calling for the university to discipline the students that were involved.

According to multiple outlets, the university’s Federalist Society chapter had invited 5th U.S. Circuit Court Judge Kyle Duncan, a Trump appointee, to give a lecture at Stanford’s law school.

Last Thursday, Duncan appeared at the school for his talk to the group of students who had invited him. Instead, he was shouted down by almost a hundred students who prevented him from giving his address in spite of Stanford’s documented free speech policies published by the university’s Office of Community Standards. {eoa}

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A Christian school in Vermont that withdrew its girls’ basketball team from a playoff game because a transgender athlete—who is male—was competing on the opposing team has been banned from participating in future tournaments.

The decision was announced Monday by the Vermont Principals’ Association.

Mid Vermont Christian School forfeited the Feb. 21 game, with the head of the school, Vicky Fogg, stating at the time that competing against “a biological male jeopardizes the fairness of the game and the safety of our players.” She added, “Allowing biological males to participate in women’s sports sets a bad precedent for the future of women’s sports in general.”

The executive council of the VPA determined the decision by MVCS violated the policies to which member schools are bound, rendering the girls’ basketball team ineligible to continue competing.

“The VPA again reiterates its ongoing support of transgender student-athletes as not only a part of building an inclusive community for each student to grow and thrive, but also as a clear expectation by Vermont state law(s) in the Agency of Education Best Practices, and in VPA Policy regarding transgender student athletes,” read a statement from the association.

For the rest of this article, visit our content partners at CBN News. {eoa}

Reprinted with permission from . Copyright © 2022 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.

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While the enemy has set his sights on several cultural issues of the day in America, there is one where it seems he has shown a particular interest in to stir up hatred and dissension these days—the right of free speech in this country.

Recently he has ramped up his evil work on the college campuses of America—and some of the incidents have turned violent.

Earlier this week at the University of California-Davis, the school’s chapter of Turning Point USA hosted an event featuring keynote speaker Charlie Kirk, who attempted to share his thoughts on “American values” before a group of students intervened and vandalized the building where the event was being held and injured a police officer.

Kirk himself was assaulted by eggs, according to his friend, Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills.

UC-Davis officials accused the group Antifa for the attack.

At Stanford University in California, the university’s Federal Society chapter had invited 5th U.S. Circuit Court Judge Kyle Duncan, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, to give a lecture at Stanford’s law school. During the lecture, Duncan was shouted down by “almost a hundred students” who prevented him from giving his address despite Stanford’s documented free speech policies published by the university’s Office of Community Standards.

At the University of Pittsburgh, a number of community members have become “understandably concerned” about three upcoming events on campus, according to an Instagram post. The post says:

“Two registered independent student organizations are sponsoring the events, which feature controversial speakers whose ‘expressed views on transgender rights and identity raise significant concerns about equity and for the belongingness of all our community members.’ One of the events features a debate between Michael Knowles and Deirdre McCloskey, who is a distinguished economist and a transgender woman.”

Each of these incidents are fraught with peril, and as in the case of the event at UC-Davis, have the potential to turn violent.

Turning Point USA is a nationwide non-profit organization that advocates for conservatism on higher education campuses, with 250,000 student members nationwide.

Hibbs called the attack on Kirk “tragic.”

“It is a constitutional right and freedom (free speech) that has gone on for hundreds of years where expression, debate and argumentation can be expressed by design on a university campus,” Hibbs said on a Facebook post. “Tragically, many people don’t know that anymore because they have attended universities like that.

“It’s tragic that a university, which used to be a bastion of debate and dialogue and of tolerance where a person would get up and express their view and their another person would give an opposing view … well, that’s gone. And it’s because America doesn’t know what it believes today. America doesn’t know where it has come from. Today in the U.S., students are completely ignorant of their origins. They have no concept of the value of free speech and how it came about, why it came about, and who the authors of the First Amendment to the Constitution were.

“Having said that, Charlie attempted to speak at UC-Davis, and it was his Constitutional right to do so. He was shut down, he was attacked, the building was broken up and glass doors were busted. What is the reasoning behind this? To remove free speech and shut the mouths of Christians or conservatives.”

Two people were arrested at UC-Davis for the attack, but the university would not identify them, only that one of them was not affiliated with UC-Davis.

At Stanford, the protesters were angry with Duncan over a 2020 opinion in which he refused to use a transgender’s offender’s preferred pronouns, several media outlets reported.

During an interview with The Washington Free Beacon about the incident, Duncan said, “If enough of these kids get into the legal profession, the rule of law will descend into barbarism.”

At Pitt, an unidentified official from the Office of the Provost said this on Instagram about the upcoming events:

“We acknowledge that legally protected speech and expression can at times offend, marginalize and cause distress to some members of our community. A recent speech by Michael Knowles disrespected transgender individuals by suggesting that their identities are false. Such rhetoric is repugnant.

“I want to emphatically state that hate-filled rhetoric is not what our community stands for. I stand for—and with—all Pitt community members, including our trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming community members. I affirm not only their right to exist and thrive, but also value their vibrant contributions to our academic community.”

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Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.

For the second time in nine months, CompassCare, a Christian pro-medical office in Buffalo, was attacked by a pro-abortionist group. This incident happened on Wednesday, and the Moist group Antifa has taken credit for the vandalism.

This incident wasn’t nearly as bad as the first, which took place on June 7, 2022 and executed by the group Jane’s Revenge, when the CompassCare facility was firebombed. On Wednesday, the facility’s exterior sign was defaced using red-letter graffiti in typical Antifa/Jane’s Revenge fashion.

Red Letters spelling out “LIARS” were sprayed over the entirety of the CompassCare sign.

“This fits the definitions of domestic terror,” CompassCare CEO Rev. Jim Harden said in a press release. “Those in the FBI and DOJ who refuse to treat it as such need to be fired and investigated. This is an act of intimidation and a violation of the FACE Act.

“America needs to return to civilized order. CompassCare dignifies women with true choice and there’s nothing Antifa can do to make us stop. All people are made in the image of God and are equally valuable—both the mother and child. The love of God triumphs over terror.”

Maoist Antifa sympathizers, CompassCare says, “oddly insist that Christian pro-life pregnancy centers ‘mislead and enslave women.'” International Maoist Antifa claims are based on a political philosophy that is anti-Christian and anti-capitalist, wrongly believing women are being forced to have their babies and thereby becoming a “permanent socio-economic underclass.”

Here is a timeline of incidents and attacks against CompassCare, along with the “inactions” of the federal government to bring the perpetrators to justice.

CompassCare says the attack was caught on video and is “consistent with the increasingly violent rhetoric against pro-life Christians and organizations.

CompassCare is asking for the community’s help in identifying the perpetrator and asks readers to view the video carefully.

In an unrelated incident, the University of California-Davis has accused Antifa of attacking an on-campus event hosted by Turning Point USA on Tuesday where one police officer was injured and a building was vandalized. Protesters repeatedly chanted “trans lives under attack. What do we do? Fight back!”{eoa}

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Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.

Here’s a quick summary of the top stories on :

40 Gang Members Crash Revival with Mario Murillo

A palpable presence of God covered Mario Murillo’s, Bakersfield tent revival as gang members poured in from the streets riddled with fentanyl overdoses. As soon as their feet hit the tent grounds they knew they were walking through in desperate need of one thing, Jesus.

In a Charisma News interview, Murillo describes an unprecedented unity among the local churches as the national yearning for God continues to grow in the country.

Bakersfield is located right off the Kern River, just north of Los Angeles, California. “There is no doubt the laws of science are being overruled,” Murillo says. Life-long physical body injuries are being healed along with emotional trauma.

Demons Manifest, Deliverance Arrives at Locke’s Movie Premier

Throughout the Gospels there are firsthand accounts of Jesus casting out demons and taking authority over them.

Following in His footsteps, the disciples continued this practice of delivering the afflicted from spiritual torment that had physical manifestations.

So why have so many modern-day Christians abandoned the practice of deliverance ministry?

Perry Stone: America and the Dragon with 7 Heads

The book of Revelation describes a fiery red dragon with seven heads and 10 horns whose tail sweeps a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to earth. The pictures describes Satan who was hurled from heaven to earth with some of the angels who had been fighting with him.

Evangelist Perry Stone sat down with Charisma magazine to talk about the seven headed dragon, which he says is actually translated into a seven headed serpent, and it’s influence on American culture as we know today.

Throughout the Bible the serpent represents Satan all the way from Genesis to Revelation. Throughout biblical times, Satan had six major empires and every one of those empires affected either the Jewish people, the temple, Israel or a combination of all of them. {eoa}

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A federal appeals court judge is calling for Stanford University to fire one of the college’s associate deans after she participated in a student-led protest during his scheduled appearance on campus. He’s also calling for the university to discipline the students that were involved.

According to multiple outlets, the university’s Federalist Society chapter had invited 5th U.S. Circuit Court Judge Kyle Duncan, a Trump appointee, to give a lecture at Stanford’s law school. Last Thursday, Duncan appeared at the school for his talk to the group of students who had invited him. Instead, he was shouted down by almost a hundred students who prevented him from giving his address in spite of Stanford’s documented free speech policies published by the university’s Office of Community Standards.

The protesters were angry with Duncan over a 2020 opinion in which he refused to use a transgender offender’s preferred pronouns, according to several outlets.

During an interview with The Washington Free Beacon about the incident, Duncan said, “If enough of these kids get into the legal profession, the rule of law will descend into barbarism.”

The heckling continued as Duncan tried to ask school administrators to step in and quiet the protesters. Despite the law school’s free speech policy to prevent the interruption of guest speakers, none of the administrators who were in the room moved to quiet the students.

According to video clips of the incident posted to social media, it was then that Tirien Steinbach, the school’s associate dean of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) stepped to the podium. Instead of admonishing the students, Steinbach proceeded to lecture the judge for several minutes from prepared remarks, accusing Duncan of causing “harm” through his work on the appeals court.

“I had to write something down because I am so uncomfortable up here. And I don’t say that for sympathy. I’m just saying I’m deeply, deeply uncomfortable. I’m uncomfortable cuz this event is tearing at the fabric of this community that I care about and am here to support. And I don’t know and I have to ask myself and I’m not a cynic to ask this: Is the juice worth the squeeze? Is this worth it?” Steinbach said.

“It’s uncomfortable to say that for many people here, your work has caused harm. Has caused harm,” she said.

Steinbeck repeated she was “uncomfortable” by Duncan’s appearance on campus and kept asking, “Is the juice worth the squeeze?”

When Duncan asked her what that meant, he didn’t understand, she replied, “I mean is it worth the pain that this causes and the division that this causes? Do you have something so incredible important to say about Twitter and guns and COVID that that is worth this impact on the division of these people who have sat next to each other for years, who are going through what is the battle of law school together, so that they can go out into the world and be advocates. And this is the division it’s caused.”

When recalling the incident to the Free Beacon, the judge described it as a “bizarre therapy session from hell.”

Duncan wasn’t given the opportunity to continue with his lecture. After a hostile question and answer session, he was escorted out the back door by U.S. Marshals who were there to protect him, according to the outlet.

To read the full article, visit our content partners at CBN News. {eoa}

Reprinted with permission from . Copyright © 2023 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.“

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A shift in cultural morality has led to an increase in hostility and persecution against Christians worldwide.

No longer is biblical morality considered acceptable or even welcome in a “modern” society.

Now, appellate courts are blatantly ruling against the religious freedoms the United States were founded on and allowing the intentional targeting of Christians who do not bow at the altar of gender ideology.

In New York state, Raymond Zdunski found himself terminated from his job for refusing to attend mandatory LGBTQ training in 2018.

Zdunski has been in court ever since his firing as an account clerk for Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES.

The original lawsuit was dismissed in 2022 by District Court Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford saying Zdunski’s claims were “unsupported.”

“Plaintiff’s unsupported assumption that Defendants believe him to be ‘bigoted’ due to his religious beliefs is insufficient to support an inference of discrimination,” Crawford said in his ruling. “In sum, no facts in the record support a finding that Mr. Zdunski was terminated because of his religion; rather, the evidence in the record supports Defendants’ position that his termination was due to repeatedly refusing to attend a mandatory employee training.”

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the judge’s ruling this week, supporting the religious discrimination occurring within New York, claiming Zdunski did not provide “sufficient evidence.”

“It just seems like the country is against the Christian way of life, and it’s for everything else,” Zdunski said in response of the ruling. “We’re not allowed to practice our way of life but anyone else can, it seems.”

It seems that way because that is exactly what is happening in the U.S. these days, and according to Scripture, it’s only going to get worse.

This blatant persecution should not come as a surprise to Christians, as Jesus’ own words say that the world will hate them because it first hated Him, but believers should be prepared for the coming spiritual warfare.

Meanwhile, the company claimed that Zdunski was “insubordinate” because he was not willing to compromise his faith.

“Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES is committed to providing educational and employment opportunities in an environment free from unlawful discrimination, including harassment and intimidation,” David O’Rourke, Ph.D., District Superintendent and Chief Executive Officer, claimed.

“The plaintiff in this matter was terminated for insubordination after he repeatedly refused directives to attend a mandatory cultural competency training program that was designed to facilitate a safe environment for both students and staff consistent with Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES obligations under New York State and Federal laws. We agree with the decisions of both the United States District Court and the Court of Appeals and remain committed to fostering a safe and supportive environment for all students and staff.”

Could you imagine an employer saying this about anyone of faith other than a Christian?

Meanwhile, Zdunski’s lawyer, Kristina S. Heuser, pointed out the glaringly unconstitutional ruling violated her client’s rights “for no other reason than his refusal to be indoctrinated with anti-biblical teaching.

“Though the lower courts did not find in his favor, we are not deterred and will seek redress from the U.S. Supreme Court,” she added.

“We are very disappointed that the Second Circuit decided the matter incorrectly,” Heuser said. “This country was founded upon and for religious freedom, but these days people of faith—particularly Christian faith—are among the most discriminated against in our nation. Mr. Zdunski sought a religious accommodation to avoid a training his employer was requiring aimed at teaching ‘cultural sensitivity’ toward transgender persons.

“Mr. Zdunski was an account clerk,” Heuser continued. “He worked on spreadsheets in a cubicle. The training was not even remotely related to the requirements of his job. The Left will stop at nothing to force their ideology upon everyone, including stripping people of their livelihood if they do not submit to their beliefs. Mr. Zdunksi refused to violate his sincerely held religious beliefs by submitting to teaching that contradicts what Scripture teaches, which is his absolute right under prevailing federal law. The Court’s ruling was clearly erroneous, and we intend to petition the United States Supreme Court to hear Mr. Zdunski’s case.”

Thankfully for Zdunski, the Supreme Court is currently filled with pro-freedom Justices.

But this may not be the case forever.

Heuser is correct in pointing out the political targeting of Christians within America these days, but the problem goes much deeper than political and cultural hit jobs.

Satan is paving the way for his war on Christ and the establishment of the beast and false prophet. The spiritual warfare against Christians is not stopping, or even slowing down, but is instead ramping up for the End Times showdown that the book of Revelation warns Christians about.

The warnings in Revelation are not meant for Christians to hide nor cower in fear, but to strengthen and reinforce their faith in Christ during times of severe persecution.

Those times are indeed coming, and in some ways are already here. The question remains: are Christians ready for the coming tribulation that will engulf the entire world? {eoa}

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

Here’s a quick summary of the top stories on Charisma News:

Why You Shouldn’t Worry About the Bank Crisis

The second largest shut down of a bank in U.S. history just happened and now everyone is wondering if this will have a domino effect. Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) which is America’s 16th largest commercial bank collapsed last week along with Signature Bank.

SVB, along with many other banks invested the money coming throughout their doors into bonds, a seemingly normal practice. With the continual spike in interest rates, the price of the bonds fell and the assets which many banks relied on decreased in price. This drove worried depositors to rush to the ATM and withdrawal their money out of their accounts. Now, there is a question on whether other banks will follow in the same footsteps as SVB.

President Joe Biden assured Americans on Monday that “our banking system is safe,” adding: “We will do whatever is needed on top of all this.”

How Lonnie Frisbee Became the Catalyst for the Jesus Movement

There has been a resurgence of interest in evangelist Lonnie Frisbee. With the release of Greg Laurie’s powerful movie, Jesus Revolution, more people are asking about Lonnie.

It was apparent that Lonnie was a main catalyst to the Jesus Movement. Although the movie captured a small portion of Lonnie’s story, what was seen on-screen was a small paraphrase into the life of a man I have studied over the years.

After reading two of Lonnie’s books compiled by Roger Sachs who transcribed the evangelist’s words onto the printed page, my oldest son and I had the pleasure of meeting Roger at The Send Orlando in 2019. I’d asked him a few questions and he prayed, laying hands and prophesying over us. I then anxiously awaited the release of the third book in the series and when I received it I honestly wept before the Lord. I highly recommend that you read them in their entirety to get more insight into the Jesus Movement and what God did afterwards until Lonnie’s untimely death.

More Evidence That the World Is Losing Its Mind

In the midst of many positive things that are happening in America and abroad, including the beginnings of both spiritual and moral awakenings, there’s also plenty of evidence that, on another level, the world is losing its mind. Here are some striking, recent examples.

Writing for Breitbart, Jack Montgomery reported that, “Women and ‘non-binary’ people with breasts will be able to go topless at Berlin swimming pools after a ruling from the German capital’s diversity ombudsman.”

Indeed, “Dr. Doris Liebscher, who heads the city’s ombudsman office, hailed the change, saying: ‘The ombudsman very much welcomes the decision of the bathing establishments because it creates equal rights for all Berliners, whether male, female or non-binary and because it also creates legal certainty for the staff in the bathing establishments.'” {eoa}

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