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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The UN Security Council on Thursday backed a plan by UN leader Ban Ki-moon for a joint mission with the global chemical arms watchdog to destroy Syrias weapons, diplomats said.Ban has said up to 100 experts in a UN-Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) mission will be needed to carry out an operation to eliminate Syrias banned arms.After the first Security Council talks on Bans recommendations, Russias UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said that no objections were raised.The councils 15 envoys had agreed that the UN and the OPCW are doing a great job, said Frances UN ambassador Gerard Araud. Good cooperation by the Syrian government has been noted, Churkin told reporters.A chemical weapons attack in Damascus in August, which left hundreds dead, sparked an international crisis that led to threats of a US military strike against Syrian government targets.However the Security Council passed a resolution on September 27 backing a Russia-US plan to destroy President Bashar al-Assads chemical weapons by mid-2014.The first members of an OPCW-UN team have since started work supervising the destruction of Syrias chemical weapons production facilities.A Security Council letter will be sent to the OPCW formalising the accord for a joint mission, Churkin said. The letter was expected to be approved on Friday.Ban is expected to quickly name a leader of the joint mission which will have bases in Damascus and Cyprus.
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ATHENS (AFP) - NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Thursday that he does not anticipate any further role for the military alliance in Syria.There is no military solution to the conflict in Syria, Rasmussen told a press conference in Athens with Greek Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos, emphasising that a political solution is required to end the Syrian conflict, now well into its third year.The NATO chief voiced support for a long-mooted international conference hosted by the United States and Russia that would seek to negotiate a deal between the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad and opposition groups.I urge the government and opposition in Syria to participate in this conference that hopefully will pave the way for a sustainable solution, he said.The proposed peace conference -- dubbed Geneva 2 -- would decide how to implement a declaration agreed by the major powers in the Swiss city in June 2012 for a transitional government in Syria.UN-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi last week urged Syrias warring parties to hold talks without preconditions and said he hoped negotiations could take place in late November.Rasmussen had called for a firm international response to the chemical weapons attacks on the outskirts of Damascus on August 21 which killed hundreds, and did not rule out a military option before a Russian-brokered deal to destroy Assads chemical weapons cache was struck in late September.Experts have begun supervising the destruction, by Syrian authorities, of missile warheads, aerial bombs and chemical mixing equipment.
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BAGHDAD (AFP) - Violence in Iraq killed 21 people on Thursday, among them four anti-Al-Qaeda fighters and an AFP journalists brother, officials said.In Samarra, north of Baghdad, gunmen killed two Sahwa anti-Al-Qaeda fighters in an attack on a checkpoint, while two more died in a similar attack near Baquba, also north of the capital.The Sahwa, who joined forces with the United States from late 2006 and helped bring about a sharp reduction in violence in Iraq, are frequently targeted by Sunni militants, who consider them to be traitors.In Ramadi, a city west of Baghdad, gunmen killed Zuhair Shallal, the brother of AFP journalist Azhar Shallal.Northeast of Baquba, a roadside bomb killed two police and wounded a third when it exploded near their patrol in the town of Muqdadiyah, which has been hit by frequent bombings and shootings this year.And in Baghdad itself, bombings killed three people and wounded 11, while the owner of a tyre shop was gunned down.Police also found the corpse of a man with signs of torture and gunshot wounds. He was believed to have been killed on Thursday.In the northern province of Kirkuk, gunmen shot one person dead, while security forces killed eight militants in a multi-province operation that army Staff Lieutenant General Abdulamir al-Zaidi said resulted in the arrest of more than 60 people and the seizure of weapons.Iraqi security forces have carried out wide-ranging operations targeting militants for more than two months, but have yet to curb the surge in violence plaguing the country.This years spike in violence, which has included a number of sectarian attacks, has raised fears that Iraq will relapse into the kind of intense Sunni-Shiite bloodshed that peaked in 2006-2007 and killed tens of thousands of people.With the latest unrest, more than 250 people have been killed so far this month, and over 4,950 since the beginning of the year, according to AFP figures based on security and medical sources.
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LIMA (AFP) - At least 10 people were killed and 25 injured Thursday when a bus crashed into a hillside in southeastern Peru, the police said.The crash on a road linking the provinces of Arequipa and Puno came just four days after 19 people were killed when their bus went off a precipice in the southern Huancavelica province.The cause of the latest crash was not known.Arequipas chief of traffic police said many of the injured were in serious condition.Deadly crashes are commonplace in Peru, where poorly maintained roads zig-zag up and down the towering Andes.More than 4,000 people were killed in traffic accidents in 2012, according to official statistics.
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BRASILIA (AFP) - Nine inmates were killed in Brazil overnight in clashes following a failed prison escape, authorities said Thursday.The violence occurred at the Sao Luis Penitentiary, which houses some 6,000 inmates in the northeastern state of Maranhao.We have nine confirmed dead and 20 injured, a government spokesman told AFP.State security chief Aluisio Mendes told Brazilian media that the violence erupted when some 60 inmates from rival factions came to blows as they tried to tunnel their way out of the prison.Mendes said more violence broke out as inmates resisted efforts by authorities to restore order and return them to their prison cells.
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SHANGHAI (AP) - Roger Federers chances of qualifying for the ATP Tour Finals took a hit Thursday when he lost in three sets to Gael Monfils at the Shanghai Masters, the latest early-round loss for the 17-time Grand Slam champion.Monfils beat the former No. 1-ranked Federer 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3 in the third round, extending the Swiss stars recent slide.Defending champion Novak Djokovic and top-ranked Rafael Nadal, meanwhile, moved into the quarterfinals with straight-set wins.Djokovic beat Italys Fabio Fognini 6-3, 6-3, while Nadal rallied from 5-2 down in the second-set tiebreaker to down Argentinas Carlos Berlocq 6-1, 7-6 (5).Two of the tournaments other top seeded players were ousted: No. 3 David Ferrer lost to Florian Mayer 6-4, 6-3, and No. 4 Tomas Berdych was ousted by Nicolas Almagro 6-7 (6), 6-3, 7-6 (4).Federer, who has slipped to No. 7 in the rankings, was playing for the first time since losing in the fourth round of the U.S. Open. He was in need of a strong showing in Shanghai to secure a berth in the elite season-ending ATP Tour Finals in London a tournament he played every year since 2002.Federer is currently seventh in the standings, with only a slight lead over several other players vying to get into the eight-man field in London. He plans to play in Basel and Paris in hopes of making it into the Nov. 4-11 tournament.Federer fell to a player ranked outside the top 40 for the fourth time in his last six matches. He came into the match with a 6-1 record against Monfils, who returned to the tour recently after an injury layoff.Federer remained upbeat despite the loss and his subsequent defeat in doubles with Chinese partner Zhang Ze. He said the most important thing was not to worry about every setback.Its pretty simple: You just keep on working hard, make sure that you get back on winning ways, then you become confident again, sort of get there, Federer said.Monfils is a quality player, like some others, he said. I lost some other matches this year because I couldnt really perform at 100 percent. Probably shouldnt have played. But I dont really care having to explain some losses from time to time.As has been his problem in recent months, Federer struggled to find consistency, hitting 36 unforced errors, with many coming at critical points in the match. Still, he looked to have a chance to pull it out after fighting back from a break down in the second set.On Monfils serve in the next game, Federer hit an overhead smash to get a break point and then converted with a deeply angled crosscourt winner, pumping his fist as the decidedly pro-Federer crowd roared.But Federer was broken again early in the third set and couldnt muster another comeback. He had two more break chances in the seventh game, but couldnt convert either, even with Monfils looking spent, bending over to catch his breath after long rallies.Monfils, whos now ranked 42nd but has been as high as No. 7, said that even though Federer has not been as dominant as he used to be, with the likes of Djokovic, Nadal and Andy Murray contending for the majors, hes still no pushover.A lot of people say, like, its not the same Rog because he got two other great players with him, Novak and Rafa. A third one plays also very good, Andy, he said. But when hes on the court, hes still Roger. He can rip it from anywhere. He can do stuff that not many player can do.Monfils did notice, however, a slight dip in Federers game.I think he miss a little bit more than he used to, he said. I know he will try and go for his shot, but maybe he is a bit less confident.Djokovic, who plays Monfils next, said although Federers form has dropped this season, it would be a mistake to write him off.Hes 17-time Grand Slam winner, one of the best players in the history of the game. If he says hes going to play better, work better, its definitely worth listening if he says it that way, he said.Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Juan Martin del Potro and Stanislas Wawrinka also advanced to the quarterfinals, strengthening their bids to qualify for the ATP Finals.Tsonga, one of several players chasing Federer, defeated Japans Kei Nishikori, 7-6 (5), 6-0, and del Potro moved through when Tommy Haas withdrew before their match with a back injury.Wawrinka advanced with a 7-6 (2), 6-4 win over Canadian Milos Raonic, one of the hottest players coming into Shanghai, reaching back-to-back finals in Japan and Thailand and capturing one title.
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LINZ (AP) - Top-seeded Angelique Kerber and No. 2 Sloane Stephens reached the quarterfinals of the Generali Ladies in contrasting styles on Thursday.Kerber downed Alexandra Cadantu of Romania 6-1, 6-0 in just 50 minutes, while Stephens needed 2 ½ hours to defeat Andrea Petkovic of Germany 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-3.Kerber was broken while serving for the first set but was otherwise hardly challenged by the 72nd-ranked Cadantu, who scored just eight points in total on her own serve.I felt really well on court, the 10th-ranked German said. I was very relaxed and played well from the start.Kerber is one win short of securing the eighth and final spot at the season-ending WTA Championships in Istanbul. She takes on Patricia Mayr-Achleitner in the quarterfinals. The Austrian missed two match points at 5-3 in the second set before defeating Maryna Zanevska of Ukraine 6-1, 6-7 (1), 6-4.The 12th-ranked Stephens won just two of the first 14 points and later dropped 5-2 behind against Petkovic, but the American saved three set points before taking the opener in a tiebreaker.I let out some screams which I normally dont do, Stephens said about her slow start. I am just happy to get through.Stephens went 3-1 up in the second set before Petkovic reeled off 10 straight points to turn it around.Stephens managed an early break in the decider and the Australian Open semifinalist closed out the victory on her third match point.Stephens next plays Stefanie Voegele of Switzerland, who rallied to defeat Karin Knapp of Italy 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 to advance to her first quarterfinals since April.Earlier, Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia routed Katarzyna Piter of Poland 6-0, 6-1 in less than 53 minutes. Piter, playing in her first main draw of the year, broke the seventh-seeded Cibulkova in the second set for her only game.In her fourth quarterfinal of the season, Cibulkova will take on two-time former champion Ana Ivanovic.
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BRASILIA (AFP) - Two teenage grandchildren of Brazil football legend Pele are suing him for child support, the Diario de Sao Paulo reported Thursday.The two, aged 13 and 15, are the sons of Peles daughter Sandra Regina, who died in 2006.They are seeking support payment of $6,000 for each to cover health insurance and education as well compensation of an unspecified amount.The daily quoted their lawyer, Claudio Forssell, as saying that the teenagers were abandoned intellectually, morally and materially by their grandfather.Pele always rejected them, according to the lawyer who said the teenagers had not met with their grandfather since 2011.Pending a final ruling scheduled for next month, judges ordered Pele to pay each grandchild $760.Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento and nicknamed O Rei (the king), Pele, now 72, is widely considered the greatest player of all time having helped Brazil win World Cup titles in 1958, 1962 and 1970.
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SAO PAULO (AP) - Fans have applied for more than six million World Cup tickets, nearly double the total available in Brazil next year.Because of the high demand, FIFA will hold a random draw to allocate the tickets to those who applied in the first phase, which ended on Thursday.The second phase will be from Nov. 5-28, with tickets available on a first-come, first-serve basis.Fans will be allowed to make purchases again beginning on Dec. 8, after the World Cup draw determines where and when each of the 32 teams will play.Organizers expect a total of nearly 3.3 million tickets to be available for the first World Cup in Brazil since 1950, but only about one million were offered in the first phase. One million requests were made in the first seven hours after the sales opened in late August, and another one million requests were made in the past week.Brazilians made 70 percent of the requests, followed by Americans, Argentines and Germans.Each applicant could request for up to four tickets for a maximum of seven of the 64 matches.FIFA said in a statement that it received applications from 203 countries, with the most sought after matches being the opener in Sao Paulo on June 12 and the final at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on July 13. More than 720,000 tickets were requested for the opener and more than 750,000 were made for the final.Prices for the final range from $440-$990, although Brazilian fans will pay $165 in the cheaper category. Brazilians over the age of 60, local students and members of some social programs will be allowed to pay about $82 for a ticket. Prices for the opener go from $220-$495, with Brazilians paying $80 and discounted tickets costing $40.All of Brazils matches were also in high demand.The most popular host cities were Sao Paulo, Rio and Curitiba. FIFA said there was also great interest in the team-specific ticket series, with already qualified Argentina and the Netherlands being the most sought after in that category.Of the 6,124,682 ticket requests, Brazilians applied for 4,368,029, followed by Americans (374,065), Argentines (266,937), Germans (134,899), Chileans (102,288), English (96,780), Australians (88,082), Japanese (69,806), Colombians (55,379) and Canadians (49,968).American residents applying for tickets usually include several fans of Mexico and many other countries.FIFA said it has until Nov. 4 to inform applicants whether they will get the tickets they applied for in the first phase. In the second ticketing stage, applications will be processed in the order they are received.Nearly 800,000 fans attended the Confederations Cup in Brazil this year, with ticket sales easily surpassing those for the warm-up tournament in South Africa in 2009 and in Germany in 2005.
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VILAMOURA (AP) - Alviro Quiros knowhow of his home course was of little advantage as six others tied the 2008 champion for the lead after the first round of the Portugal Masters on Thursday.All seven scored 6-under 65, four of them finishing their rounds with birdies on their last holes at Oceanico Victoria Golf Course.Nine other players shot 66. In all, 68 players, more than half of the field, went under par in ideal conditions.Jamie Donaldson of Wales had the lead at 7 under until he bogeyed the 8th, his 17th hole.Quiros, 2 over after five holes, shot 29 on the front nine after making the turn, and the Spaniard birdied his last hole along with Simon Thornton of Ireland,Max Kieffer of Germany and Graeme Storm of England.Kieffers bogey-free round included an eagle on the par-5 12th, his third hole.Also sharing the lead were Felipe Aguilar of Chile, who had six birdies on the back nine, and David Lynn of England, who finished his round with two birdies.Defending champion Shane Lowry of Ireland was at 1 under.
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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Astronomers have autopsied a distant, broken apart planet and revealed signs of water and a rocky surface together for the first time, delighting scientists on the hunt for alien life.In a planetary system some 150 light years away, the right conditions for life appear to have once existed, and planets like Earth may have orbited a star known as GD 61, British astronomers reported in the journal Science.This planetary graveyard swirling around the embers of its parent star is a rich source of information about its former life, said co-author Boris Gansicke of the Department of Physics at the University of Warwick.Around 200 million years ago, GD 61 lost its power and began sucking in the nearest planets with its extreme gravitational pull, devouring them to pieces.Now that Sun is what is known as a white dwarf, or a dying star that is circled by planetary debris.Astronomers have typically studied living stars and the planets that circle them in the search for other worlds that are a reasonable distance from their stars and therefore not too cold or too hot for life.But a handful of promising far-away discoveries by the NASA Kepler mission have been limited to the size and density of planets in this so-called Goldilocks zone. Their compositions, whether rocky like Earth or gassy like Jupiter, have remained a mystery because astronomers couldn't get close enough to peer at their surfaces, or inside them.The latest analysis focused on a dead planet that has been broken to bits, allowing scientists to analyze the fragments and actually see inside the contents.Previous research has examined 12 destroyed exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system, orbiting white dwarves in this way, but never before has the signature of water been found.Using ultraviolet spectroscopy data, scientists have shown that the fragments contain about 26 percent water by mass, far greater than the Earth's 0.02 percent.The team detected magnesium, silicon, iron and oxygen in the white dwarf's atmosphere, making up the main components of rocks.The high proportion of oxygen indicates the presence of water.Those two ingredients -- a rocky surface and water -- are key in the hunt for habitable planets outside our solar system so it's very exciting to find them together for the first time outside our solar system, said Gansicke.The findings are based on data from the Hubble Space Telescope and the W.M. Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea on Hawaii on planets far beyond the solar system.Researchers believe the water came from a minor planet, at least 90 kilometers (56 miles) in diameter but probably much larger.The finding of water in a large asteroid means the building blocks of habitable planets existed -- and maybe still exist -- in the GD 61 system, and likely also around substantial number of similar parent stars, said lead author Jay Farihi, from Cambridge's Institute of Astronomy.A system cannot create things as big as asteroids and avoid building planets, and GD 61 had the ingredients to deliver lots of water to their surfaces, Farihi said.Our results demonstrate that there was definitely potential for habitable planets in this exoplanetary system.While the findings offer fresh hope of someday locating other planets where life exists, they also provides a sobering reminder of what lies ahead for Earth, perhaps six billion years from now, when alien astronomers may be studying the fragments of our solar system.
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NEW YORK (AP) - Oil prices jumped above $103 a barrel on Thursday on hopes that U.S. political leaders are near a deal to raise the debt ceiling.By midday, U.S. benchmark oil for November delivery was up $1.52, or 1.5 percent, to $103.13 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, reversing most of Wednesday's decline of $1.88 a barrel.House Republicans said they would advance legislation to temporarily extend the government's borrowing authority so it can continue to pay its bills on time.Though the Republicans' proposal could avert an unprecedented federal default that the Obama administration has warned could occur as early as Oct. 17, it would not necessarily bring a quick end to the 10-day partial federal shutdown. Obama has insisted that Congress reopen the government and extend the debt limit without condition.Meanwhile, investors were monitoring developments in Libya, where Prime Minister Ali Zidan was abducted by gunmen from the hotel where he resides. He was freed hours later, but the event reminded markets of the risk to supplies from key crude producers in the region.In the U.S., however, supplies remain high. The Energy Department said crude stocks rose by 6.8 million barrels last week, more than three times above analysts' expectations, at a time of year when consumption is seasonally weak.Demand is not expected to grow, either. In its latest monthly report, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries kept its main forecasts for oil consumption unchanged since last month. It estimates global crude demand at 89.7 million barrels a day in 2013.Demand for OPEC's own crude is seen at 29.9 million barrels a day this year that is 500,000 barrels a day less than in 2012 and is estimated to fall further to 29.6 million barrels a day in 2014.Brent, the benchmark for international crudes, rose $2.45, or 2.3 percent, to $110.72 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.
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NEW YORK CITY (AFP) - The dollar was mixed against other major currencies Thursday, as foreign exchange traders reacted cautiously to signs of progress in US budget talks.Near 2230 GMT, the euro bought $1.3526, up slightly from Wednesday's level of $1.3521.The dollar advanced against the Japanese yen, trading at 97.91 compared with 97.33.It traded slightly lower against the British pound and edged higher against the Swiss franc.The euro rose to 132.58 yen from 131.61 yen.US equity markets surged on Thursday's news that Republican leaders proposed a six-week extension of US borrowing authority, which would remove the near-term threat of a US debt default.The dollar has shown weakness in recent weeks amid concerns over the economic drag of the partial government shutdown and the threat of a default.Added to that are expectations that the budget impasse removes the chance for the US Federal Reserve to engage in a dollar-strengthening move to scale back a monetary stimulus program.But compared with equity traders, currency traders don't feel as enthusiastic because they believe the short-term reprieve does not reduce the risk of owning US assets, analyst Kathy Lien said of the latest proposal to end the impasse.The proposal floated Thursday means the government will be kicking the can down the road, leaving US debt troubles to cripple the markets a month forward, said Lien, of BK Asset Management.David Song, currency analyst at DailyFX, also cited the risks of a continued stalemate. The dollar remains at risk of facing further weakness over the near to medium-term as the Fed retains its wait-and-see approach, he saidAmong other currencies, the British pound traded at $1.5977, up from $1.5954 Wednesday.The dollar advanced to 0.9104 Swiss franc from 0.9100.
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FINDLAY (AP) - A man who disappeared decades ago is finding out there's no easy way to come back from the dead.Donald Miller Jr. went to court this week to ask a county judge to reverse a 1994 ruling that declared him legally dead after he had vanished from his home eight years earlier. But the judge turned down his request, citing a three-year time limit for changing a death ruling.Hancock County Probate Court Judge Allan Davis called it a strange, strange situation.We've got the obvious here. A man sitting in the courtroom, he appears to be in good health, said Davis, who told Miller the three-year limit was clear.I don't know where that leaves you, but you're still deceased as far as the law is concerned, the judge said.Miller resurfaced about eight years ago and went to court so that he could get a driver's license and reinstate his Social Security number.His ex-wife had opposed the move, saying she doesn't have the money to repay the Social Security benefits that were paid out to her and the couple's two children after Miller was declared dead.Robin Miller said her former husband vanished because he owed big child support payments and that the overdue payments had totaled $26,000 by 1994, The (Findlay) Courier reported.Miller, 61, told the judge that he disappeared in the 1980s because he had lost his job and he was an alcoholic. He lived in Florida and Georgia before returning to Ohio around 2005.His parents told him about his death when he came back to the state, he said.It kind of went further than I ever expected it to, Miller said. I just kind of took off, ended up in different places.
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SHARJAH (AFP) - Pakistani selectors Thursday included openers Ahmed Shehzad and Shan Masood, and middle-order batsman Asad Shafiq in their final 15-man squad for the two-Test series against South Africa starting next week.Shehzad and Masood scored attractive half-centuries in the drawn three-day side match for Pakistan 'A' against South Africa which ended in Sharjah on Thursday.The 21-year-old Shehzad is tipped as favourite to make his belated Test debut, having already played 27 one-day and 15 Twenty20 internationals since 2009.The first Test starts in Abu Dhabi from Monday while the second Test will be played in Dubai from October 23.Masood, a left-hander, was also part of the squad for the drawn 1-1 Test series against Zimbabwe last month. He made 50 in the Sharjah game.Shafiq managed 42 on Thursday and was included to support a struggling middle-order.But there was no place for Umar Akmal who was cleared as fit to play after suffering a seizure while playing in the Caribbean League in July.Squad: Misbah-ul Haq (captain), Khurram Manzoor, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Umar Amin, Adnan Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Zulfiqar Babar, Abdul Rehman, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Rahat Ali, Asad Shafiq, Ahmed Shehzad, Shan Masood.
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Friday 11 October 2013
Pakistan add three players for SA Test
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