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A scathing 353-page investigation report detailing alleged corruption at Anaheim City Hall is shedding new light on an exclusive private retreat in 2020 hosted by the local Chamber of Commerce which was called out by the FBI in sworn affidavits last year.

Investigators found some of Anaheims most powerful and politically connected people were in attendance at the December 2, 2020 retreat at the JW Marriott orchestrated by former Chamber CEO Todd Ament and lobbyist Jeff Flint.

Aments attorneys declined to comment Tuesday. Flint didnt respond for comment.

The guest list included: Former Mayor Harry Sidhu, City Councilman Stephen Faessel, former City Councilman Trevor ONeil, City Manager Jim Vanderpool and Laura Cunningham, Aments successor as head of the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, and Disneylands Director of External Affairs Carrie Nocella.

Investigators painted a picture of outsized influence on elected officials at the retreat through interviews with Faessel, ONeil and Vanderpool.

The Retreat was, by all appearances, a strategy session for the Mayor and the Council majority members to gain more control over the direction of the city, by primarily controlling its funding, reads the report.

Sidhu, Faessel, Vanderpool, ONeil, Cunningham and Nocella did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

On the agenda, JL Group investigators say, was how to resurrect Anaheim First a chamber created nonprofit resident advisor group by devoting $30 million in tax revenue annually to the initiative after the city pays off resort bonds.

[Read: How Disneyland Resort Interests Planned to Withhold Tax Money from Anaheims Working Class]

Investigators say Anaheim First was really a political operation one used for data mining to get contact information to help get resort friendly officials like Councilwoman Natalie Rubalcava get elected and a way to freeze out the city council minority.

[Read: Was an Anaheim City Hall-Funded Nonprofit Used as a Political Data Mining Operation?]

After the pandemic put a halt to Anaheim First, investigators say Ament tried to save it in part to provide millions in lobbying, development and business costs that could go directly to him, Flint and other trusted individuals and entities.

It was Aments second chance to succeed where he had previously failed with Anaheim First. Unfortunately for him, he would find himself embroiled in an FBI investigation that would sidetrack any ambitions he had concerning this activity, reads the report.

Ament pleaded guilty to fraud and false statement charges last year and is awaiting sentencing.

[Read: Anaheim Chamber CEO Todd Ament Pleads Guilty to Fraud Charges, Could Face Decades in Federal Prison]

Also on the agenda was a streetcar project proposed and backed by Disneyland resort interests but opposed by a previous city council majority, when Tom Tait was mayor, who viewed it as impractical.

The Disney resorts special interests were clearly included and given a priority in this session, reads the report. The streetcar project was on their list of favored projects they wished to receive with the help of those attending this retreat.

It appears Ament and Flint understood the financial value that could be realized by them by accommodating and supporting the resort interests.

In a sworn affidavit attached to Aments criminal complaint that surfaced in May 2022, FBI agents claimed Ament and Political Consultant 1, later identified as lobbyist Jeff Flint, were ringleaders of a shadowy group who held outsized influence over City Hall.

Federal agents say the group would hold meetings they called retreats to discuss strategy surrounding several matters within Anaheim matters that were often pending, or soon to be pending, before the Anaheim City Council.

And the ringleaders, the FBI says, were very careful in who they invited to attend their meetings, taking input on the guestlist from Company A Employee who the Los Angeles Times identified as Nocella.

In the affidavit, the FBI details an intercepted conversation between Ament and Flint debating who should come to the Dec. 2, 2020 retreat with Flint allegedly telling Ament: the first retreat needs to be, you know, family members only.

The implication and assertion made in the affidavit by the FBI agent was that unelected individuals were influencing and manipulating City elected officials with reminders of previous and future campaign support, reads the JL Group report on page 37.

According to investigators, once the guest list was carefully selected, the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce sent out the invitations.

Investigators said Faessel, who has written about Anaheims history, had a limited recollection of what was discussed but provided them handouts from the meeting.

As far as I was concerned we were there to meet to discuss the financial condition of the city going forward, he told investigators in his interview.

Faessel abstained on votes related to the investigation this year, including a request by investigators for more money, and hasnt really engaged in those public discussions on the dais.

ONeil told investigators that Nocella, Sidhu, former Councilwoman Kris Murray and possibly some hoteliers were present at the meeting that Ament helmed.

Murray also did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Shortly after Murrays 2014 election to the Anaheim City Council, she and Nocella vacationed together in Europe.

[Read: Anaheim Councilwoman Criticized for Trip With Disneyland Lobbyist]

Murray is also on the advisory board of the Support Our Anaheim Resort political action committee Ament helped create which spends heavily on local elections and which investigators say was used by Ament to groom elected officials.

Jessica Good, a spokeswoman for Disney, did not respond to Voice of OC when asked about Nocellas participation in the retreat.

ONeil could also not recall specifics to investigators.

I probably had forty or fifty meetings with Todd Ament and Jeff Flint, sometimes apart, sometimes together, he told investigators.

But he did provide investigators with a little insight on what was discussed at the meeting including a debate on how to limit the agenda of former City Council member Jose Moreno, a member of the political minority on the dais.

Certainly discussion around Councilmember Moreno and his agenda and potential things that this council could do to deflate those issues and take control of some of the issues, and find solutions that were more palatable to our majority, he told investigators.

He also said the retreat was often referred to as a strategic planning session and that he attended two similar meetings in 2019.

When the FBI affidavits emerged last year, ONeil admitted to being one of the elected officials at the retreat at a public meeting and said Faessel was there too.

Faessel, who spoke after ONeil at that meeting, stayed silent on his participation in the retreat.

Vanderpool also admitted to the Voice of OC last year that he was in attendance at the Dec. 2020 retreat but refused to name who else was present.

[Read: Family Members Only: Anaheims City Manager Admits He Was At Private Briefing Called Out By FBI]

At the time, Vanderpool took issue with how federal agents described the retreat in their affidavit and said when he worked in Buena Park, he enjoyed a collaborative partnership with the North Orange County Chamber of Commerce.

The meeting I attended focused on critical issues facing Anaheim, Vanderpool wrote to Voice of OC at the time. If others viewed this as anything other than that, I cannot speak to that.

He said those issues included: the pandemics economic impact, planning for the rollout of vaccines, the impacted city budget and working toward getting Anaheims economy back open.

Vanderpool went into more detail with the JL Group and told investigators Cunningham was present at the private meeting.

He also told investigators they discussed how to split up revenue freed up once the city pays off resort bonds including withholding $100 million in taxpayer money from the general fund.

Vanderpool said it was a good meeting and recounted a conversation he had with Assistant City Manager Greg Garcia after.

I told him the Chambers filling a void. Im getting better information than Im getting from our Finance Department, and its a problem. And so, he was defending, and I said, Im telling you, theyre filling a void, and as long as [the Chamber] is existing, theyre doing what we should be doing. And thats why they are who they are, Vanderpool told investigators.

Investigators said that while not all three witnesses were entirely forthcoming, Vanderpool was the most willing to speak about the private meeting.

When asked if Anaheim First came up at the meeting:

Faessel told investigators possibly.

ONeil told them probably.

Vanderpool said definitely.

Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.

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Amid the growing concerns among environmentalists and scientists over the future of forests in India following the passage of the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act 2023, which makes it easier for the diversion of protected land, the Union Government has said that in the past 15 years, over three lakh hectares of forest land has been diverted for non-forestry purposes.

BCCL

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav told Lok Sabha on Monday that the forest land was diverted under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.

According to government data, mining has been the single-largest cause of the diversion of forest land during this period.

BCCL

A total of 58,282 hectares of forest land was diverted for mining, followed by road construction (45,326 hectares).

Other major reasons for forest land diversion are irrigation (36,620 hectares), transmission lines (26,124 hectares), defence (24,337 hectares), hydel projects (13,136 hectares), railways (9,307 hectares), thermal power (4,101 hectares) and wind power infrastructure (2,181 hectares).

2009-10 saw the highest diversion of forest land in the past 15 years - 76,743 hectares.

REUTERS

17,381 hectares of forest land was diverted in 2022-23, 16,785 hectares in 2021-22, 18,314 hectares in 2020-21, 17,392 hectares in 2019-20, 19,359 hectares in 2018-19 and 19,592 hectares in 2017-18.

7,467 hectares of forest land was diverted in 2016-17, 15,241 hectares in 2015-16, 13,045 hectares in 2014-15, 20,045 hectares in 2013-14, 13,978 hectares in 2012-13, 14,841 hectares in 2011-12, 23,117 hectares in 2010-11, and 12,701 hectares in 2008-09.

Among states, Punjab saw the maximum diversion of forest land in the past 15 years -- 61,318 hectares.

BCCL

Punjab was followed by Madhya Pradesh (40,627 hectares), Odisha (28,320 hectares), Telangana (19,419 hectares) and Gujarat (16,070 hectares)

Jharkhand (15,691 hectares), Chhattisgarh (15,082 hectares), Uttarakhand (14,141 hectares), Maharashtra (13,297 hectares), Rajasthan (12,877 hectares), Arunachal Pradesh (12,778 hectares) and Andhra Pradesh (11,093 hectares) also saw a significant amount of forest land being diverted.

Notably, the government also told the Parliament that 514 hectares of land were encroached on during this period.

BCCL/ FILE

For the over three lakh hectares of diverted forest land, compensatory afforestation was conducted on over 9,34,380 hectares of land in the country in 15 years.

According to government data, India's total forest cover stands at 7,13,789 square kilometres, which is 21.71 pc of the country's total geographic area.

While the diversion of the three lakh hectares of forest land for non-forestry purposes was done with prior approval from the central government as per the Forest (Conservation) Act (FCA) 1980, the recently passed Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act 2023 makes it much easier.

In 1996, theSupreme Court, in a landmark judgment, had interpreted the 'forest' as any land which is recorded as 'forest' in any government record will also require 'forest clearance'. SC had held that the FC Act must apply to all forests irrespective of the nature of ownership or classification thereof.

However, according to the Forest Conservation Amendment, 2023, only those forest lands that are notified as forests under the law and those recorded as forests in any government record as of or after 25 October 1980 will be regulated under the principal Act.

For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visitIndiatimes News.

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Over 3 Lakh Hectares Of Forest Diverted In 15 Years For Non-Forestry Purposes, 58,282 Hectares For Mining - Indiatimes.com

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Establishes Airobotics as a primary provider of drones and drone infrastructure across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Companies plan to establish an in-country office to localize Airobotics' autonomous drone systems for the KSA market and provide value by employing local staff

WALTHAM, MA and RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA / ACCESSWIRE / August 8, 2023 / Ondas Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:ONDS) ("Ondas" or the "Company"), a leading provider of private industrial wireless networks and commercial drone and automated data solutions, and Saudi Excellence Holding Company ("Saudi Excellence"), a holding company affiliated with the Al-Ramez International Group, announced today the signing of a Strategic Alliance Agreement between Saudi Excellence and Ondas' subsidiary Airobotics Ltd. Saudi Excellence and Airobotics plan to jointly establish a local office in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), to localize Airobotics autonomous drone systems and solutions and provide aerial data solutions to local governmental and commercial entities. The companies will work together to develop and foster an ecosystem of technology and service providers across the KSA by employing local staff and working closely with local partners.

Ondas Holdings Inc., Monday, August 7, 2023, Press release picture

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zaid Al-Meleihi, President of the Saudi Excellence Holding Company, said, "With this partnership, we plan to provide sophisticated autonomous drone platforms to government and commercial customers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. There are significant projects in the Saudi market and as the economy expands and diversifies, demand for next-generation technologies is growing. Together with Airobotics, we will provide high value technical solutions while also training Saudi cadres to work in this field. This initiative aims to support the vision of Saudi 2030, following the guidance and support of his Royal Highness, the Crown Prince."

"We are honored to expand our business in the region to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to be recognized and chosen by Saudi Excellence as the leading provider of drone infrastructure," said Meir Kliner CEO of Airobotics, "Saudi Vision 2030 and the economic transformation of the country is creating significant opportunities for Airobotics in defense and civil markets. Together with the Saudi Excellence company, we look forward to implementing our state-of-the-art autonomous drone technologies across the KSA and to localize these efforts for the mutual benefit of our companies and society."

Story continues

Saudi Excellence Holding Company is one of the leading companies in the Gulf region bringing next-generation security and defense technologies to Saudi government and enterprises across the KSA. Saudi Excellence has been an active corporate participant in national activities related to the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 and is engaged in National Transformation Program which aims to develop the necessary infrastructure and create an environment that enables the public, private and non-profit sectors to achieve Vision 2030. Saudi Excellence has invested and developed core expertise focused on AI, Cybersecurity, Data Mining, Data Analytics, intelligence, and more. The alliance with Airobotics was developed and advanced by Mr. Ion Braun, the general manager of DoverTower DMCC, a United Arab Emirates company that specializes in large-scale tech partnerships in the region and Mr. Bruce Gurfein an international business development executive for Saudi Excellence.

Saudi Vision 2030 is a significant government initiative launched by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Its primary objective is to achieve increased economic, social, and cultural diversification in alignment with the vision of the Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. The program was officially announced on April 25, 2016 by the Saudi government. The Council of Economic and Development Affairs (CEDA) has been entrusted by the Council of Ministers to identify and oversee the crucial mechanisms and measures necessary for the successful implementation of "Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030."

Airobotics is providing autonomous Unmanned Aircraft (UAs) deployed as mission-critical, strategic aerial drone infrastructures for government and commercial entities globally. Airobotics' systems enable end-users to operate drones in real-time, anywhere, for data capture and analysis, aerial delivery, and hostile drone interception. Together with customized data analysis platforms, the systems enable faster, more effective, and more efficient operations and better mission-critical decision making. Airobotics UAs are used for Smart City, Defense, Homeland Security, and Industrial Services, providing various automated aerial missions 24/7 without human intervention. Airobotics combines expertise in aerospace hardware design, robust electronic systems, cutting edge software engineering, and years of experience in commercial drone operations across a variety of environments.

About Ondas Holdings Inc

Ondas Holdings Inc. ("Ondas") is a leading provider of private wireless data solutions via Ondas Networks Inc. ("Ondas Networks") and commercial drone solutions through American Robotics, Inc. ("American Robotics" or "AR") and Airobotics LTD ("Airobotics"), which we operate as a separate business unit called Ondas Autonomous Systems.

Ondas Networks is a developer of proprietary, software-based wireless broadband technology for large established and emerging commercial and government markets. Ondas Networks' standards-based (802.16s), multi-patented, software-defined radio FullMAX platform enables Mission-Critical IoT (MC-IoT) applications by overcoming the bandwidth limitations of today's legacy private licensed wireless networks. Ondas Networks' customer end markets include railroads, utilities, oil and gas, transportation, aviation (including drone operators) and government entities whose demands span a wide range of mission critical applications.

Our Ondas Autonomous Systems business unit designs, develops, and markets commercial drone solutions via the Optimus System is a highly automated, AI-powered drone system capable of continuous, remote operation and are marketed as "drone-in-a-box" turnkey data solution services. They are deployed for critical industrial and government applications where data and information collection and processing are required. The Autonomous Drone Platforms are typically provided to customers under a Robot-as-a-Service (RAAS) business model. American Robotics and Airobotics have industry leading regulatory successes which include having the first drone system approved by the FAA for automated operation beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) without a human operator on-site.

Ondas Networks, American Robotics and Airobotics together provide users in oil & gas, rail, mining, agriculture, public safety and other critical infrastructure and government markets with improved connectivity and data collection and information processing capabilities.

For additional information on Ondas Holdings, visit http://www.ondas.com or follow Ondas Holdings on Twitter and LinkedIn. For additional information on Ondas Networks, visit http://www.ondasnetworks.com or follow Ondas Networks on Twitter and LinkedIn. For additional information on American Robotics, visit http://www.american-robotics.com or follow American Robotics on Twitter and LinkedIn. For additional information on Airobotics, visit http://www.airoboticsdrones.com or follow Airobotics on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Information on our websites and social media platforms is not incorporated by reference in this release or in any of our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements made in this release that are not statements of historical or current facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We caution readers that forward-looking statements are predictions based on our current expectations about future events. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Our actual results, performance, or achievements could differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including the risks discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" discussed under the caption "Item 1A. Risk Factors" in Part I of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K or any updates discussed under the caption "Item 1A. Risk Factors" in Part II of our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and in our other filings with the SEC. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise that occur after that date, except as required by law.

Contacts

IR Contact for Ondas Holdings Inc.888.350.9994 x1019ir@ondas.com

Media Contact for OndasPreston GrimesMarketing Manager, Ondas Holdings Inc.preston.grimes@ondas.com

SOURCE: Ondas Holdings Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/772733/Ondas-Holdings-Airobotics-Enters-Strategic-Alliance-with-Saudi-Excellence-to-Establish-Local-Drone-Infrastructure-Throughout-the-Kingdom-of-Saudi-Arabia

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Ondas Holdings' Airobotics Enters Strategic Alliance with Saudi Excellence to Establish Local Drone Infrastructure Throughout the Kingdom of Saudi...

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Image Credits: Abigail Bassett

The Station is a weekly newsletter dedicated to all things transportation.Sign up here just click The Station to receive the newsletter every weekend in your inbox. Subscribe for free.

Welcome back to The Station, your central hub for all past, present and future means of moving people and packages from Point A to Point B.

We might be in the dog days of summer, when news typically slows to a crawl, but this week was still busy thanks to earnings season, an autonomous vehicle scene that continues to heat up and even an EV reveal.

Before we jump into the news, let me direct your attention to a feature on the Volvo EX30. Contributor Patrick George explores why the diminutive EX30 is such a big deal. Its worth the read.

Want to reach out with a tip, comment or complaint? Email Kirsten at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com.

Reminder that you can drop us anote attips@techcrunch.com.If you prefer to remain anonymous,click here to contact us, which includes SecureDrop (instructions here) and various encrypted messaging apps.

Rebecca Bellan is out this week but wanted to share one micromobility story that weve all been following. Im talking about Van Moof and specifically what company might buy the bankrupt e-bike maker. There are already a few suiters out there, according to Bright.

One company we know that is exploring an acquisition of Van Moof because it issued a press release is Micromobility.com, which has had its own financial struggles. There is speculation that KKR, as well as bike companies Trek and Giant might have submitted a bid, but none are talking.

Wow, surely there were other deals that happened this week, right? It is scant and likely the result of the summer slow season. Lets see if it picks up soon.

Breakthrough Energy Ventures, the VC firm founded with backing fromBill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Vinod Khosla, Jack Ma, John Doerr and 15 other high-profile investors, is raising its third fund. (I mention this fund because there is overlap with transportation!)

Tesla officially acquired Wiferion, the Germany-based wireless charging startup.

TruckLabs, a Phoenix-based startup that developed hardware and software to improve fuel economy and battery range for fleets, raised an undisclosed amount in a Series B round led by Blue Bear Capital.The funding round also included an investment from Calibrate Ventures.

Zooz Power, an EV charging infrastructure company listed on the public exchange in Tel Aviv, has agreed to merge with special purposed acquisition company Keyarch Acquisition Corp.

Pony.ai and Toyota say theyre teaming up with the goal of one day cranking out a bunch of fully driverless robotaxis. The two companies intend to kick off their partnership sometime this year with around $139 million in capital from GAC Toyota Motor Co. a joint venture between Toyota China and GAC, a Chinese state-owned automaker.

The San Francisco Giants will wear big Cruise ads through 2025. No really, the badges are huge.

Waymo announced plans to launch a robotaxi service in Austin putting the company once again in direct competition with rival Cruise. Austin will be the companys fourth commercial market following Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The company will kick off the initial phase of its operations in the city this fall; the ride-hailing service will become open to the public at a later date.

BMW said it will pump more cash into its EV development program.

The Chevrolet Blazer EV, a battery electric SUV that is part of GMs bid to surpass Tesla in U.S. EV sales by 2025, is headed to dealerships. The upshot? Prices are higher than expected (as much as $10,000 higher).

Fisker showed off four EV prototypes at an event in California, including a sports car, a pickup and a low-cost vehicle that it intends to build with Foxconn. But, it turns out that deal with Foxconn still isnt finalized.

Ford said it will triple production capacity of its all-electric F-150 Lightning pickupsfollowing a six-week shutdown to expand and retool its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center.

Lucid slashed prices of its Air lineup in a bid to attract more buyers. The cheapest trim, the Air Pure, now starts at $82,400.

Nikola was able to get enough shareholders to vote on a proposal that will allow it to issue more shares after three attempts and a change in Delaware law. The passage opens the door for Nikola to raise much needed capital.

Subaru doubles its plans for new EVs, targeting eight models by 2028.

Tesla is being sued by several owners over allegations of consumer fraud a week after a Reuters investigation found the company had exaggerated the range estimates of its EVs for years.

The California Privacy Protection Agency announced plans this week to review the data privacy practices of automakers that make and sell connected vehicles embedded with all kinds of data-mining features, from cameras and location sharing to web-based entertainment and smartphone integration. Dont let the smattering of coverage fool you; its actually a big deal that has financial and operational consequences for automakers and tech companies.

Researchers said they have found a way to hack the hardware underpinning Teslas infotainment system, allowing them to get free in-car feature upgrades.

Eve Air Mobility appointed Johann Bordais, current president and CEO of Embraer Services & Support, as CEO effective September 1, 2023. Eves co-CEOs, Andr Stein and Jerry DeMuro, will remain at Eve with new roles, according to the company.

John Krafcik, who led autonomous vehicle company Waymo for five years, has joined Rivians board of directors.

Luminar hired two new executives. Emily Shanklin, who was most recently a senior marketing executive at SpaceX, is now senior VP of marketing at Luminar. Kevin Hinge, who was chief supply chain officer at GoPro, is executive vice president of manufacturing, supply chain and quality.

Nikola Corp. president/CEO Michael Lohscheller is leaving the top executive positions due to a family health issue. He will be replaced by board chairman Steve Girsky, a former GM board member and the CEO of the special purpose acquisition company that merged with Nikola to make it a public company.

Xinzhou Wu, vice president of autonomous driving at Chinese EV maker XPeng, has resigned over personal and family reasons, according to the company. However, rumors suggest he is taking a senior position at Nvidia.

Beep beep! TechCrunch Disrupt 2023, taking place in San Francisco on September 1921, is where youll get the inside scoop on the future of mobility. Come and hear from todays leading mobility entrepreneurs on what it takes to build and innovate for a more sustainable future. Save up to $600 when you buy your pass now through August 11, and save 15% on top of that with promo code STATION.Learn more.

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Connected car data is the next big privacy fight, Fisker lays out its future EV portfolio and Waymo ramps up in Austin - TechCrunch

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