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- Four Injured in Violent Clashes Outside Iran’s Embassy in London
- ‘Prison Officers Engaging in Sexual Relations with Inmates: A Difficult Epidemic’
- African Mercenaries Reportedly Equipped with Landmines in Russia | World News
- Crane collapse on train in Thailand leaves at least 32 dead and three missing
- Three-Year-Old Boy Leaves Grandma Exasperated with Playful Prank | News World
- Family of Iranian protester states his execution has been temporarily delayed
- Today’s UK News Updates: One story 4 angles
- New maps unveil the most detailed view of Antarctica’s hidden landscapes
LIVE German 2025 Election Results as they come in and analysi on who will be the next German Chancellor.
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Four Injured in Violent Clashes Outside Iran’s Embassy in London
9:00 am
TL:DR – Four Injured in Violent Clashes Outside Iran’s Embassy in London
- Protests outside Iran’s London embassy turned violent, leading to several arrests and injuries, including police officers.
- Four individuals were hospitalised following clashes at the South Kensington location.
- A protester removed the Iranian flag from the embassy roof, resulting in their arrest for criminal damage and trespass.
- The police imposed a Section 35 order due to ongoing disorder, as tensions escalate amid anti-regime protests in Iran linked to inflation and a cost-of-living crisis.
Four people injured after violent clashes outside Iran’s London embassy | News UK
Several people were arrested and injured after the protest at Iran’s embassy escalated (Picture: X)
Protests outside Iran’s London embassy turned violent, leading to several arrests and injuries, including hurt police officers.
Police and protesters clashed outside the diplomatic mission yesterday evening, with officers dodging missiles thrown at them.
Four people were taken to the hospital after the emergency services were alerted to the incident in South Kensington at 8.45pm, the London Ambulance Service said.
Footage on social media appears to show demonstrators being arrested and others with injuries, with several officers wrestling a person down on the grassy verge.
Officers wrestled a protester to the ground (Picture: X)
One protester had climbed the embassy building and removed the Iranian flag before being arrested. The flag was previously torn down a week ago in a similar incident.
The Met Police said: ‘During the ongoing protest at the Iranian Embassy this evening, a protester illegally accessed private property and climbed across multiple balconies onto the roof of the Embassy and removed a flag.
‘He has since been arrested by officers on suspicion of criminal damage, trespass on diplomatic property and assaulting police. A section 35 order has been imposed as a result of ongoing disorder, including missiles being thrown at officers. Several officers have suffered injuries.’
Protesters have continued outside the Iranian embassy in London for days (Picture: X)
The force said later that ‘a number of people have been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder.’
It comes after weeks of anti-regime protests across Iran sparked by rampant inflation and a deep cost of living crisis in the country.
Donald Trump threatened Iran with action as the death toll was mounting after the regime’s crackdown against the demonstrations.
He threatened Iran with possible military action before the tensions appeared to ease, with no protests reported in Tehran or other cities in the last couple of days.
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More than 3,000 people have been killed in the protests while thousands have been arrested, according to US-based human rights groups.
The Iranian regime moved quickly to block Internet access when the protests started, leaving only some connection through the Starlink satellite. Monitor groups said they’ve noticed a ‘very slight rise’ in connectivity today.
‘Prison Officers Engaging in Sexual Relations with Inmates: A Difficult Epidemic’
6:00 am
TL:DR – ‘Prison Officers Engaging in Sexual Relations with Inmates: A Difficult Epidemic’
- Former prison guards describe inappropriate relationships between officers and inmates as an ‘epidemic’.
- Two women recently sentenced for explicit relationships with inmates.
- Former officer Sam Samworth recounts witnessing intimate encounters and claims these issues are widespread.
- Budget cuts and reduced staff training reportedly exacerbate the problem, leading to increased prison corruption.
- Ex-officers highlight a decline in discipline and safety within prisons as prisoners are more frequently locked in cells.
Prison officers having sex with inmates ‘is an epidemic too awkward to deal with’ | News UK
Former prison guards have claimed inappropriate relationships between officers and inmates ‘happen all the time’ (Picture: Story Picture Agency/SWNS)
Officers having sex with inmates is an ‘epidemic’ which is ‘too awkward to address’, former prison officers have claimed.
Sam Samworth, a former guard at HMP Manchester, said he was aware of a number of ‘inappropriate relationships’ throughout his 11-year career.
It comes as two women were jailed for eight months today after entering into ‘explicit’ relationships with inmates.
Prison officer Rebecca Pinckard, 46, was caught performing a sex act on prisoner Erion Nakdi on her own body camera in a store cupboard at HMP Highpoint in Suffolk in July.
Melissa Murphy, 49, who was working as a tutor at HMP Chelmsford, Essex, and was engaged to someone else, was sending erotic letters to Gavon Smith.
But former guards are now coming forward claiming that this relationship is just one of many currently inside prisons.
Mr. Samworth said: ‘I caught one guard in a – let’s just say – compromising position, and she was walked out of the job.
Prison officer Rebecca Pinckard (left) and tutor Melissa Murphy (right) were both caught in intimate relationships with inmates (Picture: SWNS/Newsquest)
Former prison officer Sam Samworth described relationships between officers and inmates as an ‘epidemic’ (Picture: Story Picture Agency)
‘I saw another who had only been married for seven months being intimate with an inmate.
‘It’s an epidemic no one wants to address because it’s too awkward.’
Another guard, Alex South, said she was aware of relationships between officers and inmates while working across men’s prisons in London between 2012 and 2021.
Ms. South told UK News: ‘It is so embarrassing for the prison system. When I first started my career this never would have happened.’
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And this is far from the only case of inappropriate relationships coming to light over the past few years.
Linda De Sousa Abreu went viral for ‘that’ HMP Wandsworth video where she was filmed having sex with an inmate.
She ‘wilfully and without reasonable excuse or justification misconducted yourself in a way which amounted to an abuse of the public’s trust in the office holder by engaging in a sexual act with a prisoner in a prison cell’.
The fact De Sousa was filmed on a mobile phone ‘just makes a mockery of the system’
This is despite ‘very basic systems’ being in place to help stop relationships forming in the first place.
Ms. South said: ‘Guards should always know where one another is at all times, so clearly officers are not looking out for each other anymore.
‘Sometimes female officers are already vulnerable, and they get wooed by the excitement and glamor of it all.’
But the budget cuts prisons have faced under austerity measures also contributed to the lack of good behaviour and well-trained staff, the former officers have claimed.
Mr. Samworth said: ‘When I first started there was a regular regime and prisoners were out most of the day, but from 2015, it was an absolute car crash.’
The cuts meant experienced staff were retiring in droves, and younger officers were being recruited in their place.
Other conditions within the prisons also took a downturn, with inmates being kept in their cells ’23 hours a day’ – leading to an increase in violence when they were allowed out for association time.
Ms. South said: ‘I witnessed prisoner-on-prisoner murders, rats infesting the building and even drones flying up to windows.
‘You’ll always have corruption in prisons, but catastrophic cuts have allowed it to flourish. The things I saw towards the end of my career would never have happened at the start.’
Mr. Samworth added: ‘When I first started there was a regular regime and prisoners were out most of the day and staff were very well trained.
‘But prisoners are now running the jails, there is no discipline, and they are spending way too much time locked up in their cells.
‘It is just part of a pipeline which is leading to bigger problems.’
African Mercenaries Reportedly Equipped with Landmines in Russia | World News
10:00 pm
TL:DR – African Mercenaries Reportedly Equipped with Landmines in Russia | World News
- Reports indicate the Russian army is using African mercenaries as ‘disposable’ soldiers in suicide missions with explosives strapped to them.
- Video footage shows these soldiers coerced into dangerous roles to save Russian lives.
- Over 1,400 fighters from 36 African countries have been identified in the Russian army, with recruitment tactics under scrutiny.
- Foreign recruits are lured by financial incentives, citizenship pathways, and amnesty for criminals.
- Ukrainian officials urge action against Russian recruitment programmes exploiting African youth.
African mercenaries ‘being strapped with landmines’ in Russia | News World
Kenyan national Evans Kibet, captured while fighting for Russian forces on the Ukrainian front
(Picture: AFP or licensors)
The Russian army is using ‘disposable’ African soldiers to blow themselves up on Ukrainian defensive positions, it has been claimed.
Footage appears to show African mercenaries being held at gunpoint and goaded into wearing land mines and ordered into certain death missions to save Russian lives.
Julian Roepcke, a Bild journalist, posted a video of a man named Francis with an explosive strapped to his chest being prodded with an assault rifle.
He puts his hands in the air as he is forced through an underground position.
Roepcke said: ‘Russia’s army is now using African mercenaries as “открывашка,” which in German roughly means “can opener.”
‘Their task is to run into the enemy position with a TM-62 mine strapped to their body and blow themselves up there to open the bunker.
‘Subsequent units can then more easily fight the surviving Ukrainians there.
‘However, “Francis” does not seem to be doing his new job entirely voluntarily …’
Russian fighters are strapping huge mines to African mercenaries fighting for Putin.
(Picture: X)
Russlands Armee nutzt ab sofort afrikanische Söldner als „открывашка“, zu Deutsch etwa „Dosenöffner“.Ihre Aufgabe ist es, mit einer um den Körper geschnallten TM-62-Mine in die gegnerische Stellung zu rennen und sich dort in die Luft zu sprengen, um den Bunker zu „öffnen“.… pic.twitter.com/kxUwFwgCjq
— Julian Röpcke🇺🇦 (@JulianRoepcke) January 9, 2026
Another video shows an African unit singing and dancing in the snow to keep morale up.
But a soldier speaking in Russian so the African contingent can’t understand, says: ‘Look how many disposables we have here.’
He laughs before saying: ‘They sing joyfully but they will be singing differently when they get to the frontline.’
It came after it emerged Russia recruited 150 foreign nationals from 25 countries to fight in the war against Ukraine in December alone.
Foreign fighters captured while serving for Russian forces on the Ukrainian front
(Picture: AFP or licensors)
A further 200 foreigners are reportedly preparing to join the Russian army from countries in the post-Soviet space and the Global South, including Belarus, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Cuba, Kenya, and China.
The primary motivations for foreign recruits are financial compensation, simplified access to citizenship, and amnesty for criminals.
Oleh Ivashchenko, Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, said: ‘Moscow deliberately exploits economic instability in poorer countries and limited legal migration pathways, turning these factors into instruments of control and pressure.
‘The presence of citizens from China, Cuba, or African countries is actively used in propaganda narratives as supposed evidence of support from the non-Western world.’
South African father-of-three Dubandlela said his 20-year-old son signed up in July to receive elite training as a VIP bodyguard in Russia.
Five months later, Dubandlela is in despair.
His son had fallen for an alleged recruitment scam in which he and at least 16 other South African men say they were conscripted by an unspecified mercenary group and sent to join Russian forces in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry warned about illegal Russian programs to recruit young people in Africa to take part in the war.
Head of the ministry Heorhii Tykhyi, said: ‘We urge all African media and governments to take bold action to stop Russian programs that are luring youth throughout the continent into its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.’
Russian soldiers have been filmed mocking African recruits (Picture: Reuters)
He added Russia is dramatically increasing scholarships for African students for the upcoming academic year.
‘Surely no one should be so naive as to believe that this is about education,’ Tykhyi said.
In November, the daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma resigned as an MP following allegations she misled 17 men to fight for Russia.
Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, MP for main opposition party uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) last year, stressed that she thought the men were going to Russia for ‘lawful’ training.
MK says it was her decision to resign so she can concentrate on getting those trapped in Donbas back home.
Crane collapse on train in Thailand leaves at least 32 dead and three missing
8:00 pm
TL:DR – Crane collapse on train in Thailand leaves at least 32 dead and three missing
- A construction crane collapsed onto a moving train in Thailand, killing at least 32 and injuring around 64.
- The train was derailing while travelling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani when the crane fell.
- Witnesses described severe damage, with one carriage sliced in half.
- The incident occurred at a $5.4 billion high-speed rail project site, part of China’s Belt and Road initiative.
- Authorities plan to take legal action against the contractor after previous safety issues.
At least 32 dead and three missing after crane collapses onto train in Thailand | News World
A construction crane has collapsed onto a moving train in Thailand, killing at least 32 people and injuring around 64 others.
The train, carrying 171 passengers, derailed when the crane, used to build an elevated high-speed railway, fell onto the moving train as it was travelling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani province this morning.
Footage from the scene shows the crane’s broken structure resting on giant concrete pillars above the mangled wreckage of the overturned train.
Local police said there were more bodies that had yet to be retrieved. Three passengers are currently unaccounted for.
Mitr Intrpanya, 54, who was at the scene, described one of the carriages being torn in half by the impact.
He said: ‘At around 9am, I heard a loud noise, like something sliding down from above, followed by two explosions.
‘When I went to see what had happened, I found the crane sitting on a passenger train with three carriages.
‘The metal from the crane appeared to strike the middle of the second carriage, slicing it in half.’
Smoke billows from the wreckage of a passenger train after a construction crane collapsed onto it in Thailand (Picture: EPA)
The scene after a crane being used to build a high-speed rail bridge collapsed onto a passenger train (Picture: Anadolu via Getty Images)
The accident happened at a construction site that is part of a $5.4-billion project backed by Beijing to build a high-speed rail network in Thailand.
It aims to connect Bangkok to Kunming in China via Laos by 2028 as part of China’s vast ‘Belt and Road’ infrastructure initiative.
Thatchapon Chinnawong, the district police chief, said 22 people had been confirmed dead and 80 more were injured.
Injured people at the scene in Nakhon Ratchasima (Picture: Anadolu via Getty Images)
‘We are now asking the hospital to say how many people are in critical condition,’ Thatchapon said.
Thailand already has more than 3,000 miles of railway but the run-down network has long driven people to favour travel by road.
Upon completion of the 370-mile high-speed railway, Chinese-made trains will run from Bangkok to Nong Khai, on the Mekong River border with Laos, at up to 150mph.
Industrial and construction site accidents have long been common in Thailand, where lax enforcement of safety regulations often leads to deadly incidents.
Anan Phonimdaeng, acting governor of the State Railway of Thailand, said the project’s contractor is Italian-Thai Development, with a Chinese company responsible for design and construction supervision.
He said authorities will examine the responsibilities of both parties, and the Railway Department plans to take legal action against the contractor as a first step.
The new accident sparked outrage in Thailand because Italian-Thai Development was also directly responsible for construction on the stretch where the accident occurred.
The company, also known as Italthai, was also the co-lead contractor for the State Audit Building in Bangkok, which collapsed during the construction stage in March during an earthquake in neighbouring Myanmar.
About 100 people were killed in the collapse, which was the only major structure in Thailand to suffer such serious damage. Dozens of executives were indicted in connection with the disaster, but none have yet been tried.
The involvement of Chinese companies in both projects has also drawn attention, as has Italthai’s and Chinese companies’ involvement in the construction of several expressway extensions in and around Bangkok, where several accidents, some fatal, have occurred.
Three-Year-Old Boy Leaves Grandma Exasperated with Playful Prank | News World
6:00 pm
TL:DR – Three-Year-Old Boy Leaves Grandma Exasperated with Playful Prank | News World
- Maria Ivoneti fell asleep while babysitting her grandson, Gabriel, in a hammock.
- Upon waking, her face was covered in blue marker ink after Gabriel coloured on her.
- Concerned, his mother Carol checked on them, initially fearing Maria was unwell.
- Carol filmed the aftermath and shared it online, joking about ‘Avatar’ references.
- Gabriel was affectionately dubbed ‘Picasso’ by his grandmother; the ink was easily removed.
Boy, 3, leaves his grandma blue in the face with silly prank | News World
It’s every babysitter’s worst nightmare, isn’t it?
You’re looking after someone’s bundle of joy – perhaps it’s your own relative – you take a brief moment to rest your eyes during their nap time and well, you’re left blue in the face.
That’s what happened to Maria Ivoneti when she was looking after her grandson, Gabriel.
While at her daughter’s house in Criciuma, a city in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, she briefly climbed into a hammock for a nap, with her grandson joining her.
He first starts colouring in her legs with her apparent permission, but once she drifts off, he begins freely scribbling over her face, moving around on top of her as she remains asleep for almost an hour.
Maria Ivoneti is seen sleeping in the hammock in Criciuma, a city in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina (Picture: Newsflash)
Gabriel’s mum, Carol Daros, who works from home, said she became suspicious when the house went unusually quiet and went to check on them, only to get a shock when she saw her mother-in-law’s face completely blue.
She said she briefly feared Maria was unwell and turning purple, before realizing it was marker ink, grabbing her phone to film the result and sending it to her husband – then checking the security footage to see the ‘full artwork’.
Carol later posted the clips online on 10th January, joking: ‘And that’s how AVATAR was born,’ referencing the blue-skinned characters from James Cameron’s Avatar films.
Gabriel, left, was dubbed as ‘Picasso’ by his grandmother after his felt-tip piece.
By the end of the footage, Gabriel also colours himself in blue.
Carol said the ink came off easily with water and detergent, and that Maria took it in good humour, calling her grandson ‘my Picasso’.
Family of Iranian protester states his execution has been temporarily delayed
4:01 pm
TL:DR – Family of Iranian protester states his execution has been temporarily delayed
- Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old pro-democracy protester, was not executed today after being detained last week.
- Family fears he could still face execution imminently.
- Donald Trump announced the US received reports indicating killings in Iran have ceased and no executions are planned.
- The Iranian regime continues to crack down on protests, resulting in over 2,400 deaths and widespread arrests.
- International condemnation of Iran’s actions has intensified, with calls for human rights to be respected.
Iranian protester’s family say his execution has been postponed for now | News World
The family of pro-democracy protester, who was believed to be the first person to face execution in the current Iran protests, has said he was not executed today.
Relatives of 26-year-old shopkeeper Erfan Soltani, who was detained last week, have said, despite the postponement, he could still face execution at any time.
Donald Trump has just announced during a signing ceremony at the White House that the US has been told that the killing in Iran was stopping and there were no plans for executions.
He said: ‘We have been notified and pretty strongly – but we’ll find out what that all means – but we’ve been told that the killing in Iran is stopping and it’s stopped, and there’s no plan for executions.
‘I’ve been told that on good authority.
Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)” decoding=”sync”/>
Donald Trump has said that the US has been told there are ‘no plans for executions’ (Picture: AP)
‘A lot of people were talking about, for the last couple of days, today was going to be the day of the execution.
‘[However], if it happens, we’ll all be very upset.’
The US President previously vowed ‘very strong action’ if Iran does execute Erfan
‘If they hang them, you’re going to see some things,’ the US president told CBS News on Tuesday evening.
He added: ‘If they wanna have protests, that’s one thing. When they start killing thousands of people – now you’re telling me about hanging – we’ll see how that works out for them. It’s not gonna work out well.’
Erfan is feared to have become the first person executed over his participation in the protests, which have rocked Iran and left hundreds of innocent civilians dead.
Iranian officials have signalled that fast trials and executions lie ahead for suspects detained in nationwide protests while the Islamic Republic promised a ‘decisive response’ if the US or Israel intervene in the domestic unrest.
Mohammad Pakpour, commander of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, reiterated Iranian claims, without providing evidence, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
One doctor gave a harrowing update to RFE, saying that security forces stormed hospitals and began shooting wounded protesters at point-blank range to ‘finish them off’.
‘They killed many [demonstrators], arrested many, and many are on the run,’ the medic said, adding: ‘The situation is very bad.’
Soltani took to the streets with his fellow countrymen (Picture: X)
Executions in Tehran typically happen around the dawn call to prayer, which was scheduled for around 5.45am local time on Wednesday (2.15am in the UK).
His family have been allowed just one ten-minute meeting with Erfan, which authorities made clear was meant to be their ‘final farewell’, according to IranWire.
Relatives said he was issued a death sentence within two days after being arrested on Thursday last week.
Kurdish human rights organisation Hengaw told the BBC this morning that they were afraid ‘there are many more cases like Erfan’.
Lawyer Shekhi said the group does not have information about others sentenced to death due to the internet blackout.
Relatives search for their loved ones in body bags as more than 2,400 people are believed to be dead (Picture: AFP)
They added: ‘The previous protests we saw crackdowns, but not as severe as this time.
‘We have never witnessed this scale of mass killings in the big cities like Tehran.’
More pictures have emerged which appear to show dozens of dead bodies in body bags.
The bodies are shown lying on the ground at the Tehran Province Forensic Diagnostic and Laboratory Centre in Kahrizak, with relatives searching for their loved ones.
‘Remember the names of killers and abusers’
During a speech last night, Trump urged ‘Iranian patriots’ to ‘keep protesting’.
He told them to ‘take over institutions’ and to remember the names of ‘killers and abusers’, saying they’ll ‘pay a very big price’.
The US President, who ordered a raid on Venezuela that captured the country’s leader in January, later told CBS that ‘help [was] on the way’ to Iranian activists.
The Trump Administration has also been handed a ‘hit list’ of high-value military targets inside Iran, the Daily Mail reports.
United Against Nuclear Iran, a Washington-based nonprofit group, delivered a dossier of 50 targets to the White House on Monday, including the exact coordinates of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Tharallah Headquarters.
Security forces are seen during a pro-government rally on January 12, 2026 (Picture: Getty Images Europe)
Images of body bags lining the floor have emerged from Iran (Picture: AFP)
The threatening language comes after the number of people killed in the anti-regime protests rose to more than 2,400.
The American-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said a total of 2,403 protesters have died.
On top of that number, 147 government-affiliated individuals, twelve people aged under 18, and nine non-protester civilians have also been killed.
More than 10,000 individuals have also been arrested since protests began on December 28, HRANA added.
‘He refused to back down’
Among them is Erfan, who works in the clothing industry and has recently got a new job at a private firm.
Erfan Soltani is scheduled to be executed today (Picture: X)
Protesters have continued to take to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown against them by the regime (Picture: AP)
Soltani was first arrested five days ago while protesting in his town of Fardis, on the outskirts of Tehran.
A family source said: ‘Erfan had received threatening messages from security sources prior to his arrest, but he remained committed to the protests.
‘He told his family he was being watched, but he refused to back down.’
A source added: ‘They told him, “There is no file to review. We announced that anyone arrested in the protests would be executed. Erfan’s sentence is Moharebeh (Enmity against God); it is final and will be carried out.”‘
Arina Moradi, a member of the Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights who has spoken to Soltani’s family, told the Daily Mail they were ‘shocked’ at the decision.
She said: ‘Their son was never a political activist, just part of the younger generation who were protesting the current situation in Iran.’
Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani has accused the US President of inciting violence over his comments calling for Iranians to keep protesting.
Donald Trump has told protesters, ‘help is on the way’
‘The United States and the Israeli regime bear direct and undeniable legal responsibility for the resulting loss of innocent civilian lives, particularly among the youth,’ he wrote in a letter to the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper described the regime’s response to public protests as ‘abhorrent’.
She told MPs: ‘The United Kingdom condemns in the strongest of terms the horrendous and brutal killing of Iranian protesters, and we demand the Iranian authorities respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of its citizens.’
With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult.
The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.
One victim was Rubina Aminian, 23, a fashion student at Shariati College in Tehran, who was killed after leaving the college and joining protest gatherings on January 8.
Rubina Aminian, a 23-year-old student in Tehran shot in the back of the head
(Picture: IRAN HUMAN RIGHTS)
Sources close to her family told Iran Human Rights that the young Kurdish woman was shot from close range from behind in the head.
Rubina’s mother said: ‘It wasn’t just my daughter; I saw hundreds of bodies with my own eyes’.
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