The top US diplomat in Ukraine poured fuel on Donald Trump's impeachment probe Tuesday with a detailed account of how the president pushed Kiev to discredit one of his main political rivals, withholding US military aid to exert pressure.
Democrats
said the congressional testimony by William Taylor was a stunning confirmation
of their allegations that Trump abused his office by seeking foreign help to
hurt Democratic candidate Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
"It's
all there. What's there left for me to say when you have such a clear and
detailed statement?" said House Democrat Tom Malinowski, a former
diplomat.
Neither
the White House nor senior Republicans reacted immediately.
In a
15-page opening statement quickly leaked to US media, Taylor recounted in deep
detail how Ukraine's new president, Volodymyr Zelensky, came under sustained
pressure after taking office.
Taylor
said he was told Trump wanted Zelensky "to state publicly" that he
would investigate Biden and his son Hunter for what he said was corruption in
the ex-Soviet republic.
He said
that the US ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, told him that
"'everything' was dependent on such an announcement, including security
assistance."
Another
carrot being dangled, Taylor said, was a proposed summit between Zelensky and
Trump.
Emerging
from the testimony, Democratic congressman Adriano Espaillat tweeted that
"what I heard today from #BillTaylor was very troubling and
explosive."
"At
some point we're going to have to conclude our investigation and go forward
with what we have, and what we have is incredibly damning right now,"
another Democratic legislator, Ted Lieu, said.
A new
CNN/SSRS poll on Tuesday showed support for Trump's removal from office is now
50 percent to 43 against.
However,
reflecting the intensely partisan divide among voters, 87 percent of Democrats
are pro-impeachment, compared to just six percent of Republicans.
- Racism
storm -
Trump
admits to asking Ukraine's government to probe what he says is corruption
related to Biden.
However,
he denies Democrats' allegation that he tried to strong-arm the Ukrainians by
linking the delivery of US military aid to his request for an investigation.
Trump
has already branded the impeachment proceedings a "coup," a
"hoax," a "witch hunt," and a variety of swear words.
On
Tuesday, he prompted an uproar by claiming he was the victim of a lynching, a
word linked in the United States to the darkest days of slavery and its long
aftermath.
"All
Republicans must remember what they are witnessing here -- a lynching,"
Trump tweeted.
More
than 3,400 African Americans were lynched between 1882 and 1968, and
congressional Democrats reacted with collective anger.
"How
dare you?!" seethed congresswoman Barbara Lee on Twitter as she assailed
the "disgusting and ignorant message" from Trump.
The
White House fought back, with spokesman Hogan Gidley insisting that Trump did
not mean to compare "what's happened to him to one of the country's
darkest moments."
There
was rare criticism from the top Republican legislator, Senator Mitch McConnell,
who said Trump had made "an unfortunate choice of words."
He
added, however, that Trump does have a "legitimate complaint" over a
"totally unfair process."
Trump
will rely on McConnell to deliver an acquittal in the Senate if the lower house
does go ahead with an impeachment vote.
-
'Crazy' -
Trump
did urge Zelensky in July to investigate Biden and his son, according to a
summary of a phone call released by the White House.
Seeking
help from a foreign country in a domestic election is illegal in itself, but a
whistleblower complaint about the call made the more serious allegation that
Trump also sought to condition nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine
on Kiev launching a probe.
Taylor
is a military veteran and career diplomat who served as US ambassador to
Ukraine from 2006 to 2009, and is now charge d'affaires following the ouster of
ambassador Marie Yovanovich this year.
Yovanovich
testified to Congress two weeks ago, telling House investigators she was pushed
out on "false claims" that she had disparaged Trump.
According
to Taylor, much of the pressure he described was applied through
"weird" back channels, including Trump's personal lawyer Rudy
Giuliani.
Taylor
had already damaged Trump's defense with a paper trail that included text
messages in which he expresses alarm about having to pressure Zelensky's
government.
"Are
we now saying that security assistance and WH (White House) meeting are
conditioned on investigations?" Taylor asked Sondland in a September text
message.
Later,
Taylor expressed more explicit reservations to Sondland: "I think it's
crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign."
On
Tuesday, Taylor said in his opening statement that he stood by that
characterization of the quid pro quo being "crazy."
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08/03/2022| |
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08/02/2022| |
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09/05/2020| |
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08/05/2020| |
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29/04/2020| |
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16/03/2020| |
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12/03/2020| |
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10/03/2020| |
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06/03/2020| |
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05/03/2020| |
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02/03/2020| |
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24/02/2020| |
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22/02/2020| |
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18/02/2020| |
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08/02/2020| |
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08/02/2020| |
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29/01/2020| |
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21/01/2020| |
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30/12/2019| |
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28/12/2019| |
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16/12/2019| |
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14/12/2019| |
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25/11/2019| |
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24/11/2019| |
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10/11/2019| |
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18/10/2019| |
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14/10/2019| |
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29/09/2019| |
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29/08/2019| |
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12/08/2019| |
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10/08/2019| |
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01/08/2019| |
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25/07/2019| |
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22/11/2018| |
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05/11/2018| |
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18/10/2018| |
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17/10/2018| |
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10/10/2018| |
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15/09/2018| |
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11/03/2018| |
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20/02/2018| |
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20/02/2018| |
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28/12/2017| |
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25/08/2017| |
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15/08/2017| |
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04/07/2017| |
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10/05/2017| |
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04/05/2017| |
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17/04/2017| |
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10/03/2017| |
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16/02/2017| |
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30/12/2016| |
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07/12/2016| |
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27/11/2016| |
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21/08/2016| |
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09/07/2016| |
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19/05/2016| |
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18/04/2016| |
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08/04/2016| |
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07/04/2016| |
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05/04/2016| |
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05/04/2016| |
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02/04/2016| |
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01/04/2016| |
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25/12/2015| |
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12/12/2015| |
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19/11/2015| |
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08/10/2015| |
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04/10/2015| |
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08/07/2015| |
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15/06/2015| |
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07/06/2015| |
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17/03/2015| |
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08/10/2014| |
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07/10/2014| |
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06/10/2014| |
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27/08/2014| |
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25/08/2014| |
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25/08/2014| |
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20/06/2014| |
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29/04/2014| |
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28/04/2014| |
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28/04/2014| |
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24/03/2014| |
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29/12/2013| |
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29/12/2013| |
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20/11/2013| |
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20/11/2013| |
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08/11/2013| |
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31/10/2013| |
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27/10/2013| |
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26/10/2013| |
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26/10/2013| |
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15/10/2013| |
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15/10/2013| |
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04/09/2013| |
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24/08/2013| |
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22/08/2013| |
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17/08/2013| |
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15/08/2013| |
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09/08/2013| |
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27/07/2013| |
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26/07/2013| |
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20/07/2013| |
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20/07/2013| |
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20/07/2013| |
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03/07/2013| |
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27/06/2013| |
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14/06/2013| |
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14/06/2013| |
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29/05/2013| |
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15/05/2013| |
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14/05/2013| |
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07/05/2013| |
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27/04/2013| |
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11/03/2013| |
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25/02/2013| |
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24/02/2013| |
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24/01/2013| |
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30/12/2012| |
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15/12/2012| |
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03/12/2012| |
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29/11/2012| |
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17/11/2012| |
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14/11/2012| |
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11/09/2012| |
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27/08/2012| |
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25/08/2012| |
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21/08/2012| |
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17/08/2012| |
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08/08/2012| |
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06/08/2012| |
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01/08/2012| |
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01/08/2012| |
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31/07/2012| |
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31/07/2012| |
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29/07/2012| |
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29/07/2012| |
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29/07/2012| |
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29/07/2012| |
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29/07/2012| |
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29/07/2012| |
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29/07/2012| |
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29/07/2012| |
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29/07/2012| |
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29/07/2012| |
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28/07/2012| |
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28/07/2012| |
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28/07/2012| |
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28/07/2012| |
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27/07/2012| |
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27/07/2012| |
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27/07/2012| |
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27/07/2012| |
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24/07/2012| |
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19/07/2012| |
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18/07/2012| |
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18/07/2012| |
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16/07/2012| |
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16/07/2012| |
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16/07/2012| |
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16/07/2012| |
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16/07/2012| |
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16/07/2012| |
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16/07/2012| |
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16/07/2012| |
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16/07/2012| |
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13/07/2012| |
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12/07/2012| |
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12/07/2012| |
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10/07/2012| |
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06/07/2012| |
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04/07/2012| |
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04/07/2012| |
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03/07/2012| |
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29/06/2012| |
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18/06/2012| |
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17/06/2012| |
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28/05/2012| |
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22/05/2012| |
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16/05/2012| |
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11/05/2012| |
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10/05/2012| |
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06/05/2012| |
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06/05/2012| |
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05/05/2012| |
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02/05/2012| |
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01/05/2012| |
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30/04/2012| |
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22/04/2012| |
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21/04/2012| |
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20/04/2012| |
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28/03/2012| |
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26/03/2012| |
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19/03/2012| |
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19/03/2012| |
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07/03/2012| |
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07/03/2012| |
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07/03/2012| |
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07/03/2012| |
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06/03/2012| |
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06/03/2012| |
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04/03/2012| |
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04/03/2012| |
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02/03/2012| |
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02/03/2012| |
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02/03/2012| |
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01/03/2012| |
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01/03/2012| |
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01/03/2012| |
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01/03/2012| |
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01/03/2012| |
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01/03/2012| |
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25/02/2012| |
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25/02/2012| |
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25/02/2012| |
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20/02/2012| |
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20/02/2012| |
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20/02/2012| |
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05/11/2011| |
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03/11/2011| |
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25/10/2011| |
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25/10/2011| |
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16/10/2011| |
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15/10/2011| |
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05/10/2011| |
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02/10/2011| |
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01/10/2011| |
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29/09/2011| |
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29/09/2011| |
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29/09/2011| |
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28/09/2011| |
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27/09/2011| |
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26/09/2011| |
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22/09/2011| |
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15/09/2011| |
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08/09/2011| |
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08/09/2011| |
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08/09/2011| |
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08/09/2011| |
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07/09/2011| |
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07/09/2011| |
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01/09/2011| |
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01/09/2011| |
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31/08/2011| |
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31/08/2011| |
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19/08/2011| |
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17/08/2011| |
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12/08/2011| |
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20/07/2011| |
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20/07/2011| |
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18/07/2011| |
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18/07/2011| |
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15/07/2011| |
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15/07/2011| |
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12/07/2011| |
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12/07/2011| |
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03/07/2011| |
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03/07/2011| |
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30/06/2011| |
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30/06/2011| |
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20/06/2011| |
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20/06/2011| |
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16/06/2011| |
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16/06/2011| |
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12/06/2011| |
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12/06/2011| |
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12/06/2011| |
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12/06/2011| |
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11/06/2011| |
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11/06/2011| |
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10/06/2011| |
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10/06/2011| |
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05/06/2011| |
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05/06/2011| |
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26/05/2011| |
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26/05/2011| |
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25/05/2011| |
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25/05/2011| |
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24/05/2011| |
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24/05/2011| |
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21/05/2011| |
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21/05/2011| |
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20/05/2011| |
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20/05/2011| |
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19/05/2011| |
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19/05/2011| |
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18/05/2011| |
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18/05/2011| |
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17/05/2011| |
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17/05/2011| |
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16/05/2011| |
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16/05/2011| |
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16/05/2011| |
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16/05/2011| |
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14/05/2011| |
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14/05/2011| |
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11/05/2011| |
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11/05/2011| |
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09/05/2011| |
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09/05/2011| |
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09/05/2011| |
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09/05/2011| |
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05/05/2011| |
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05/05/2011| |
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29/04/2011| |
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29/04/2011| |
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23/04/2011| |
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23/04/2011| |
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22/04/2011| |
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22/04/2011| |
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21/04/2011| |
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21/04/2011| |
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21/04/2011| |
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21/04/2011| |
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21/04/2011| |
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21/04/2011| |
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20/04/2011| |
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20/04/2011| |
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19/04/2011| |
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19/04/2011| |
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18/04/2011| |
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18/04/2011| |
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18/04/2011| |
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18/04/2011| |
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16/04/2011| |
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16/04/2011| |
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13/04/2011| |
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09/04/2011| |
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07/04/2011| |
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06/04/2011| |
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04/04/2011| |
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04/04/2011| |
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31/03/2011| |
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30/03/2011| |
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29/03/2011| |
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29/03/2011| |
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26/03/2011| |
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24/03/2011| |
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22/03/2011| |
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19/03/2011| |
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13/03/2011| |
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09/03/2011| |
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07/03/2011| |
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04/03/2011| |
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03/03/2011| |
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26/02/2011| |
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25/02/2011| |
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24/02/2011| |
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24/02/2011| |
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22/02/2011| |
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17/02/2011| |
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15/02/2011| |
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23/01/2011| |
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23/01/2011| |
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22/01/2011| |
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21/01/2011| |
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20/01/2011| |
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17/01/2011| |
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13/01/2011| |
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13/01/2011| |
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11/01/2011| |
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07/01/2011| |
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05/01/2011| |
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26/12/2010| |
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26/12/2010| |
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24/12/2010| |
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14/12/2010| |
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30/11/2010| |
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20/11/2010| |
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17/11/2010| |
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11/11/2010| |
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04/11/2010| |
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03/11/2010| |
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01/11/2010| |
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22/10/2010| |
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19/10/2010| |
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03/10/2010| |
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03/10/2010| |
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30/09/2010| |
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15/09/2010| |
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24/08/2010| |
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24/08/2010| |
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16/08/2010| |
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16/08/2010| |
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08/08/2010| |
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06/08/2010| |
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02/08/2010| |
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19/07/2010| |
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12/07/2010| |
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09/06/2010| |
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08/06/2010| |
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02/06/2010| |
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27/05/2010| |
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26/05/2010| |
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11/05/2010| |
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07/05/2010| |
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07/05/2010| |
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05/05/2010| |
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04/05/2010| |
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13/04/2010| |
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06/04/2010| |
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02/04/2010| |
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08/03/2010| |
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16/02/2010| |
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11/02/2010| |
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06/02/2010| |
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01/02/2010| |
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31/01/2010| |
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12/01/2010| |
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31/12/2009| |
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28/12/2009| |
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26/12/2009| |
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02/12/2009| |
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02/12/2009| |
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01/12/2009| |
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01/12/2009| |
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28/11/2009| |
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28/11/2009| |
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27/11/2009| |
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27/11/2009| |
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16/11/2009| |
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16/11/2009| |
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15/10/2009| |
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08/10/2009| |
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07/10/2009| |
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05/10/2009| |
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02/10/2009| |
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29/09/2009| |
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18/09/2009| |
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17/09/2009| |
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14/09/2009| |
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11/09/2009| |
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02/09/2009| |
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01/09/2009| |
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30/08/2009| |
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27/08/2009| |
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27/08/2009| |
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18/08/2009| |
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18/08/2009| |
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09/08/2009| |
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09/08/2009| |
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07/08/2009| |
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02/08/2009| |
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02/08/2009| |
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02/08/2009| |
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02/08/2009| |
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02/04/2009| |
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30/03/2009| |
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28/03/2009| |
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28/03/2009| |
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28/03/2009| |
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27/03/2009| |
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26/03/2009| |
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14/03/2009| |
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14/03/2009| |
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04/03/2009| |
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04/03/2009| |
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02/03/2009| |
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02/03/2009| |
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08/02/2008| |
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21/10/2007| |
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26/09/2007| |
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28/06/2007| |
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20/12/2006| |
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20/12/2006| |
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10/12/2006| |
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10/12/2006| |
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01/11/2006| |
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02/06/2006| |
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23/02/2006| |
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29/01/2006| |
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12/01/2006| |
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12/01/2006| |
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04/11/2005| |
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04/06/2005| |
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30/11/1999| |
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