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This West German disco group, formed by producer Frank Farian in 1976, was hugely popular in the Soviet Union in the 1970s. Their song 'Rasputin' was banned by Soviet authorities from being played at their December 1978 concert in Moscow, and the group's final performance took place in Saint Petersburg. Which group is it?

Question

Ancient depictions of this stringed musical instrument have been found in Mesopotamia (now Iraq), Persia (modern Iran) and Egypt, and later in India and China. Popular in medieval and Renaissance Europe, it evolved into many variants. Which instrument, played by plucking strings, connects Iran and Egypt?

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This Ecuadorian modern painter (1913 to 1998), from Loja, lived as an expatriate in Venezuela, Peru, and Bolivia before studying at the San Francisco Art Institute from 1945 to 1946. Which artist connects Bolivia and Peru?

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This American diner chain, styled after 1950s malt shops with jukeboxes and paper hats, operates restaurants in more than 30 countries, including franchises in Saudi Arabia and Qatar as well as Kuwait, Oman and the UAE. Which chain connects them?

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In 2012, this Sylvester Stallone action sequel featuring an ensemble of aging action stars grossed roughly 54 million US dollars in its first 35 days in China, outperforming both The Dark Knight Rises and The Amazing Spider-Man. It also opened strongly in Italy, Russia and the UK. Which film is it?

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This American short-story writer is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx. His name became a byword for a Brooklyn or Midtown Manhattan social type, and his stories inspired the 1950 Broadway musical 'Guys and Dolls'. Which writer connects the two New York boroughs?

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Beyond the American Southeast, where NASCAR runs its famous version, this style of motor racing (using vehicles that superficially resemble ordinary production cars) also has regional forms in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Argentina. Which type of racing connects Chile and Argentina?

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This Cleveland-based craft brewery, founded in 1988 and known for beers like Edmund Fitzgerald Porter and Dortmunder Gold, distributes across the Midwest and East Coast. Its beers are now stocked from Minnesota and Wisconsin south to Kentucky, and east to New York, New Jersey and Washington DC. Which brewery is it?

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In March 2014, a new North American touring production of this Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical began in Cleveland, starring Diana DeGarmo as the Narrator. Starting in 1974, an Irish production produced by Noel Pearson ran off and on at venues including the Cork Opera House and Limerick. Which musical is it?

Question

In Tbilisi, Georgia, these private minibuses still supplement the main bus network, though their share is gradually shrinking after municipal reforms. In Melitopol, Ukraine, they run on 34 routes and are the main type of public transport. What is the shared Russian and Ukrainian name for these shared-taxi minibuses?