Category: USA News
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Modi impressed with Obama welcome
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had a “wonderful meeting” with US President Barack Obama at the White House and both share a vision for partnership in which both countries would work together for the benefit of the entire humankind. In a Facebook post after his first meeting with Obama Monday night, the…
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‘Chalein saath saath’, US tells India
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Once shunned by America, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the guest of honour at a private dinner hosted by US President Barack Obama ahead of their formal summit Tuesday to reset stalled India-US relations. As Modi, fasting for the Hindu festival of Navratri, sat down with Obama in the Blue Room of the president’s…
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GALLERY: Obamas says Kem Chho
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Modi was greeted at the doorstep of the White House by Obama with “Kem Chho” – the Gujarati equivalent of “Hello, how are you”. At the private dinner that Obama held for Modi, the two sides discussed opportunities of working together. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was also greeted by Obama and other officials, including US…
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Obama acknowledges underestimation of ISIS
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US President Barack Obama has in a television interview acknowledged that intelligence agencies underestimated the rise of the Islamic State (IS) Sunni radical group in Iraq and Syria. “Our head of the intelligence community, Jim Clapper, has acknowledged that, I think, they underestimated what had been taking place in Syria,” Obama said Sunday on…
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Modi meets the Clinton’s
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi met former US president Bill Clinton and his wife and former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was also present during the meeting. Hillary Clinton and Sushma Swaraj shared a hug, according to pictures of their meeting tweeted by the external affairs ministry. Hillary Clinton,…
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Modi off to win Washington
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After wowing the Indian-American community and wooing the big business in the Big Apple, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is headed to Washington for his first summit with President Barack Obama to reset stalled India-US relations. When Modi fasting for the Hindu festival of Navratri sits down for a private dinner with President Barack Obama…
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US continue to strike ISIS targets in Syria
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The US-led anti-terror coalition targeted a position of the Islamic State (IS) militant group at a key gas production facility in Syria’s Deir al-Zour province Sunday night, the oppositional Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Observatory said the US strikes hit the entrance of the Konico factory, which is the biggest gas production facility…
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Modi rocks New York
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rock star like reception by a rapturous Indian-American community at Madison Square Garden made quite a splash in the US media too ahead of his summit Monday with President Barack Obama. Modi “sold himself on Sunday as a onetime tea vendor who wanted to lift India to glory by cleaning up…
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NAMASTE! Modi wows youth in Central Park
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Arul Louis reports that Modi wows 65,000 youth in Central Park, with message of sanitation, peace Who would have thought of Narenda Modi as a rock star? But Saturday evening, the Indian Prime Minister shared the stage with top music stars like JayZ, Beyonce, Carrie Underwood, Sting and Alicia Keys and himself received rockstar treatment…
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Turkey may support US-led forces
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Turkey would lend its support to international military operations against the Islamic State (IS) terrorists if the actions were aimed at bringing stability and long-term peace in the region, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said. “If a military operation, with the prospect of a lasting peace, aims to bring stability to the region, we will…
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US airstrikes continues against IS
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The US forces continued airstrikes in Iraq and Syria held by Islamic State (IS) militants, the US Central Command (USCENTCOM) has said. The forces conducted 10 new strikes. Fighter-bombers and drones were used in the raids unleashed between Thursday and Friday on facilities near Kirkuk and Baghdad and other locations in Syria and Iraq where…
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Modi gets a rock star welcome
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Wearing a smart burgundy bandgala and dark trousers, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi plunged into a large throng of madly cheering crowd of fans here Friday evening here, throwing his security detail into a tizzy, as he arrived at his New York hotel from the airport. Several hundred people had gathered outside the hotel to…
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SPECIAL REPORT: Modi-Obama summit
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Amidst crises galore, Modi, Obama to focus on defence, security…writes Arun Kumar Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s summit meeting with President Barack Obama will have a strong focus on defence and security issues taking place as it does in the midst of a number of international crises, US officials say. The Sep 29-30 summit comes at…
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Modi enjoys immunity from court summons: US
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Ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s landmark visit, the US Friday made clear that as head of government, he enjoys “immunity and personal inviolability” and no US court summons can be served on him. Senior administration officials previewing the visit told reporters that they were aware of a law suit filed against Modi by…
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Modi arrives in US
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in New York to a tumultuous welcome by the Indian American community as diaspora members chanted “Modi, Modi” and held placards in his welcome. Modi, who arrived on a five-day visit to the US, was attired nattily in a dark maroon bandh-gala suit. A large group of Indian diaspora…
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Madison Square Garden awaits Modi
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People are coming by chartered flights, buses and trains, besides driving down to New York from all over North America, as the Indian diaspora comes together on an unprecedented scale to honour Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a community reception at New York’s Madison Square Garden in downtown Manhattan Sunday. About 18,500 people will be…
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Modi to begin new chapter with US
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Shunned by the US for nearly a decade, a triumphant Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi flies into New York Friday to start what he himself has called “a new chapter in our strategic partnership.” Modi gets into Washington for his first meeting with President Barack Obama only on Monday after an address to the UN…
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India- US ties to be stronger: US experts
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Several US policy experts, including a former key Clinton administration official, see the upcoming US visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an opportunity to take India-US ties to the next level. The Obama administration sees the recent election of Modi-led majority government in India “as an opportunity to take the relationship to the…
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Obama calls for global support
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President Barack Obama called on all nations to join the fight against the Islamic State (IS) and other terrorists whose brutality “forces us to look into the heart of darkness”. He told the UN General Assembly, “Collectively, we must take concrete steps to address the danger posed by religiously motivated fanatics, and the trends that…
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NASA congratulate ISRO
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NASA sent a congratulatory message to its Indian counterpart ISRO for its successful maiden Mars mission, saying it’s a ” significant milestone” for India. “We congratulate the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for its successful arrival at Mars with the Mars Orbiter Mission ( MOM),” Xinhua quoted NASA Administrator Charles Bolden as saying in a…
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US on alert for ‘lone wolf’ attacks
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US security forces are on alert against the possibility of an attack by “lone wolves” in reaction to the US bombings on the Islamic State (IS) Sunni radical group in Syria, media reported. A circular from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security Tuesday warned that extremists living in the country could decide to…
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New India-US ties on the horizon
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As the US prepares to welcome Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a landmark visit this week, several commentators have suggested ways of what they call kick-starting the US-Indian strategic partnership. Modi’s visit to Washington will provide the two countries with “a golden opportunity to repair their faltering partnership,” wrote Ashley J. Tellis, senior associate…
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Obama admits US role in climate change
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President Barack Obama acknowledged the role of the United States in creating the climate change crisis and told developing nations Washington will provide science and technology to help them combat it. Addressing the United Nations Climate Change Summit, Obama announced two new policy initiatives for the US in working with developing countries. He said that…
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Bin Laden’s son-in-law gets life in prison
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A son-in-law of Osama bin Laden was Tuesday sentenced to life in prison after being convicted on terrorism charges. US district judge Lewis Kaplan sentenced Suleiman Abu Ghaith, a 48-year-old Kuwaiti imam, for conspiracy to murder Americans and conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist group. Abu Ghaith, who was extradited last year after…
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US-led airstrikes in Syria kills ISIS militants
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At least 70 Islamic State (IS) Sunni extremist militants were killed and 300 more were wounded in airstrikes on Syrian territory launched by warplanes of the US-led international coalition Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said. SOHR indicated that the militants were killed in bomb attacks that targeted their positions in the northern…
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Obama critic Dinesh D’Souza avoids prison
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Dinesh D’Souza, Indian-American conservative commentator, author and maker of a 2012 documentary highly critical of President Barack Obama, was spared prison time for violating federal campaign finance laws. Manhattan’s Indian-American prosecutor Preet Bharara had sought 16 months jail for D’Souza for making $20,000 in illegal campaign contributions in 2012. US district judge Richard M. Berman…
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US informed Syria in advance on strikes
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Washington had informed Syria of airstrikes against positions of the Islamic State (IS) in Syria before these strikes started, the Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement Tuesday. The statement said that Syria’s envoy to the UN was informed Monday about the commencement of the US-led airstrikes against IS positions in Syria’s northern province…
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Intruder gets past White House door
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Omar Gonzalez who intruded into the White House last Friday after climbing over the security fence, had 800 rounds of ammunition, two hatchets and a machete in his vehicle, a federal prosecutor announced. Assistant US Attorney David Mudd said Monday that Gonzalez, who was carrying a knife, had been arrested in mid-July in southwestern Virginia…
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Obama in a fix over a fasting guest
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Navratri fast, which he is known to steadfastly abide by has thrown Washington into a tizzy. What would they serve Modi for the Sep 29 and 30 repasts during his summit meeting with President Barack Obama? And what is even more troubling is how can the host eat when the guest…
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Syria condemns US coalition
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Syria has criticised the US-led coalition against the Islamic State (IS) militant group, accused it of lacking the “true will” necessary to confront terrorism in the region. “The US’ move to form an alliance outside the framework of the UN Security Council to fight the IS does not reflect a true will to confront terrorism,”…
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Kerry meets Iranian foreign minister
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US Secretary of State John Kerry met his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in New York over the current round of nuclear talks. Kerry Sunday said that the resumption of talks between Iran and the P5+1 group — Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US — is an opportunity to work towards a comprehensive…
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Obama supports new Afghan government
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US President Barack Obama has pledged to support the new Afghan government emerging from disagreements over the result of a presidential run-off. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai was declared president-elect by the Afghan Independent Election Commission Sunday, while his rival Abdullah Abdullah was named chief executive of a unity government they agreed upon earlier in the day,…
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Expectations high from Modi ‘s US visit
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There are great expectations all around from the corridors of power in Washington to business circles to the Indian-American community from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s landmark visit to the US beginning Friday. When putting the past behind, President Barack Obama greets Modi, who had been denied a US visa for nearly a decade, for…
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NASA spacecraft set to enter Mars orbit
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NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft is set to enter the Mars orbit Sunday night, two days before India’s first interplanetary spacecraft Mangalyaan is due to slip into the martian orbit Tuesday. MAVEN – the MARS Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission – that has completed a 10-month journey spanning 442 million miles or 704 million km, will study…
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US Senate pass US-India Partnership Day
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The US Senate has passed with a unanimous vote a resolution designating Sep 30, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the White House, as US-India Partnership Day. Introduced by Mark R. Warner and John Cornyn, Democratic and Republican co-chairs of the US Senate’s bipartisan India Caucus respectively, the resolution highlights the bilateral commitment to…
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Iran can help tackle IS: Kerry
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US Secretary of State John Kerry has said Iran can play a role in confronting and destroying the Islamic State (IS) militants. Addressing the UN Security Council on Iraq Friday, Kerry said there was a role for every country in the world to defeat what he described as a “militant cult masquerading as a religious…
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FIBA headgear decision irks Sikhs
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US lawmakers, Sikhs disappointed at basketball body’s headgear decision…reports Arun Kumar from Washington Two US lawmakers and Sikh community bodies have expressed disappointment over International Basketball Federation’s (FIBA) decision to allow athletes to wear religious headgear, such as patkas, only as part of a “trial period”. “We are deeply disappointed with FIBA. It shouldn’t take two years…
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10 million Americans on $2 a day
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Cristina Zabalaga says almost 10 mn people in the US live on less than $2 a day Almost ten million people in the US live on less than $2 a day and outside the money economy, surviving on food stamps, welfare and free meals provided by public schools and charities, Brookings Institution researcher Laurence Chandy…
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Obama names NRI Richard Verma as envoy to India
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Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, President Barack Obama has nominated Richard Rahul Verma as the new ambassador to India, the first Indian American to be named to the New Delhi post. Verma, a former key aide to then secretary of state Hillary Clinton, will be the second Indian American to be put in…
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Currency Corner – Vatsal Srivastava on US Fed Reserve
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Vatsal Srivastava says US Federal Reserve finally sounds hawkish; rate hike in March/June 2015 The path to US monetary policy normalization is becoming clearer. Comments by Fed reserve chief Janet Yellen Sep 17 were arguably the most hawkish in recent times. To begin with, a story written by Jon Hilsenrath of the Wall Street Journal…
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US pins hopes on Modi visit
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Arun Kumar talks to a US expert who says Modi regime offers opportunity to reenergise US-India ties The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) assumption of power offers an opportunity to reinvigorate US-India ties and work together for mutual benefit on areas such as defence, security, trade, and counterterrorism cooperation, according to a US expert. “Many argue…
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US looks for investments from India
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To address the imbalance of US investments in India being two-and-half times more in worth than the reverse flow, the US Department of Commerce Thursday announced it was making special efforts to encourage Indian businesses “set up shop in the US”. The announcement was made here by Ambassador Vinai Thummalapally, executive director of SelectUSA, an…
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US sees big stake in Xi’s India visit
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As the US reiterated that it wanted India to have friendly relations with China, the US media suggested that there was much at stake in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ongoing visit to India. Meeting in the new Indian Prime minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat, “the leaders of Asia’s two giants laid the…
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Obama rules out ground troops
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President Barack Obama Wednesday reiterated that the US will not use ground troops against Iraq to fight against the Islamic State (IS). “I will not commit you, and the rest of our Armed Forces, to fighting another ground war in Iraq,” Xinhua quoted Obama as saying during an appearance at MacDill Air Force Base in…
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US Strategy toward the Islamic State
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Jon B. Alterman says the new U.S. policy is more than merely a military strategy, it is much more military than it should be. Recalibrating the policy should be an immediate priority of the administration After trying hard to downplay policy in Syria and Iraq, the Obama White House has dived in. The recorded beheadings of…
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Obama calls for gun control
US President Barack Obama renewed his call for “common-sense” gun control measures, one year after a shootout in a US Navy facility in Washington left 12 people dead. “One year ago, our dedicated military and civilian personnel at the Washington Navy Yard were targeted in an unspeakable act of violence that took the lives of…
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Bobby Jindal to decide on presidential run
Louisiana’s Indian-American Republican Governor Bobby Jindal has acknowledged that he’s considering a 2016 run for president, and will make his decision after the November Congressional elections. His decision would not hinge on polls or fundraising, he told reporters at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast here Tuesday. Only 3 percent of Republican primary voters backed him…
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US air strikes target ISIS in Iraq
A US airstrike was carried out near Iraqi capital Baghdad which marked a new phase in the fight against Islamic State (IS). US Central Command said in a statement that it was the first strike as part of “expanded efforts” to help Iraqi forces on the offensive against IS, CNN reported Tuesday. Monday’s airstrike…
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Students seeks help of smartphones
Nearly 75 percent of the college students in the US are dependent on smartphones while one in five consider themselves to be “lost” without the device, says a study. While 86 percent said they sleep with their phone within an arm’s reach, 81 percent replied that they would panic if they lost their phone. “Smartphones…