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ECB CSPP
Bank of England CBPS
The announcement in 2016 of the extension of the ECB's Asset Purchases Programme (APP) to include investment-grade euro-denominated bonds issued by non-bank corporations established in the euro area was to have significant implications for European corporate bond markets, both primary and secondary, impacting investors, dealers, and issuers. The Corporate Sector Purchase Programme (CSPP) ended in December 2018, with the ECB maintaining holdings of a book value close to €180bn. In September 2019, the ECB announced that it would be restarting its APP from November 2019, including the resumption of the CSPP. In March 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ECB announced further temporary measures, including additional bond purchases, as well as the Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme, targeting up to an additional €750bn of public and private bond purchases. In June 2020 the ECB announced that it would extend the PEPP by €600bn to a total of €1.35tn up to the end of 2021. Then in December 2020 the ECB announced that it would be further extend the size of the PEPP by €500bn to a total of €1.85tn, with purchases extended to at least March 2022. At its meeting on 16 December 2021, the ECB confirmed that it will discontinue purchases under the PEPP at the end of March 2022.
ECB cumulative corporate bond purchases as at end of November 2021 (book value)
Source: ICMA analysis using ECB and Bloomberg/Markit data
The pace of purchases under the CSPP held steady in October and November, at €5.5bn and €5.1bn respectively (the average monthly purchase for 2021 so far is €5.1bn). This takes total net cumulative purchases under the CSPP to €307bn (of which €70.6n, or 23%, are primary market purchases, and €236.5bn, or 77%, are secondary). Including the €39.9bn purchases of corporate bonds under the PEPP (of which €2.7bn were made during October-November 2021), this takes the total net cumulative purchases of corporate bonds under both programmes to €346.9bn.
Based on Bloomberg data, ICMA estimates a universe of CSPP eligible bonds at the end of November 2021 with a nominal value of €1,211bn. This suggests that 29% of all eligible bonds are being held under the purchase programmes. Based on the 70% upper limit for purchases of individual ISINs, this implies that purchases are at 41% of capacity, leaving an estimated available pool of around €501bn for further purchases. This further suggests that purchases continue to remain level with net eligible issuance.
ECB Publishes breakdown of PEPP purchases up until the end of November 2021
The ECB has published its tenth bi-monthly breakdown of holdings under its Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP), covering the period from October through November 2021. ICMA has consolidated the data along with that from the APP, into a short briefing note.
ECB Publishes breakdown of PEPP purchases up until the end of September 2021
The ECB has published its ninth bi-monthly breakdown of holdings under its Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP), covering the period from August through September 2021. ICMA has consolidated the data into a short briefing note.
ECB Publishes breakdown of PEPP purchases up until the end of July 2021
The ECB has published its eighth bi-monthly breakdown of holdings under its Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP), covering the period from June through July 2021. ICMA has consolidated the data into a short briefing note.
ECB Publishes breakdown of PEPP purchases up until the end of May 2021
The ECB has published its seventh bi-monthly breakdown of holdings under its Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP), covering the period from April through May 2021. ICMA has consolidated the data into a short briefing note.
ECB Publishes breakdown of PEPP purchases up until the end of March 2021
The ECB has published its sixth bi-monthly breakdown of holdings under its Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP), covering the period from February through March 2021. ICMA has consolidated the data into a short briefing note.
ECB Publishes breakdown of PEPP purchases up until the end of January 2021
The ECB has published its fifth bi-monthly breakdown of holdings under its Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP), covering the period from December 2020 through end-of-January 2021. ICMA has consolidated the data into a short briefing note.
ECB announces extension of the PEPP
Following its December meeting, the Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB) announced an extension of the Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP) by €500bn to a total of €1.85tn, with purchases continuing at least until March 2022.
The ECB has published its fourth bi-monthly breakdown of holdings under its Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP), covering the period from October through end-of-November 2020. ICMA has consolidated the data into a short briefing note.
The ECB has published its third bi-monthly breakdown of holdings under its Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP), covering the period from August through end-of-September 2020. ICMA has consolidated the data into a short briefing note.
The ECB has published its second bi-monthly breakdown of holdings under its Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP), covering the period from June through end-of-July 2020. ICMA has consolidated the data into a short briefing note.
Following its June meeting, the Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB) announced an extension of the Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP) by €600bn to a total of €1.35tn, with purchases continuing at least until the end of 2021.
The ECB has published its first bi-monthly breakdown of holdings under its Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP), covering the period from March through end-of-May 2020. ICMA has consolidated the data into a short briefing note.
ECB takes steps to mitigate impact of possible rating downgrades on collateral availability
The Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB) adopted temporary measures to mitigate the effect on collateral availability of possible rating downgrades resulting from the economic fallout from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The decision complements the broader collateral easing package that was announced on 7 April 2020.
While only around 3% of collateral committed in the various ECB repo facilities constitute corporate debt, this measure could be more meaningful if and when this is extended to CSPP purchase. ICMA estimates that of the current eligible pool of investment grade corporate assets (roughly €850bn nominal value), around €300bn carries a BBB+ or BBB rating. This amounts to €210bn of potential purchases (based on a 70% issue limit) that could be at risk of being downgraded in the near future, or 35% of the overall eligible stock. Furthermore, while the measure does not in itself provide direct stimulus to the European High Yield market (it only applies to bonds carrying an investment grade rating as on 7 April, so effectively subsequent 'fallen angels'), it nonetheless provides a degree of implicit support.
ECB publishes FAQ on CSPP and non-financial commercial paper
ECB publishes pandemic emergency purchases programme (PEPP) Questions & Answers
ECB announces €750 billion Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP)
The Governing Council has announced the launch of a new temporary asset purchase programme of private and public sector securities to counter the serious risks to the monetary policy transmission mechanism and the outlook for the euro area posed by the outbreak and escalating diffusion of the coronavirus, COVID-19. This new Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP) will have an overall envelope of €750 billion. Purchases will be conducted until the end of 2020 and will include all the asset categories eligible under the existing asset purchase programme (APP).
Furthermore, it will expand the range of eligible assets under the corporate sector purchase programme (CSPP) to non-financial commercial paper, making all commercial papers of sufficient credit quality eligible for purchase under CSPP.
ECB announces comprehensive package of monetary policy measures in response to Covid-19 risks
At its meeting on 12 March 2020, the ECB's Governing Council decided on a comprehensive package of monetary policy measures intended to anticipate potential downside risks resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. These included:
A temporary increase in the APP until the end of the year, adding additional net purchases of €120bn. The ECB emphasised a strong contribution from the private sector purchases programmes, suggesting a relative step-up in CSPP purchases.
Additional longer-term refinancing operations (LTROs). These will be carried out through a fixed rate tender procedure with full allotment, with an interest rate that is equal to the average rate on the deposit facility.
More favourable terms applied to all outstanding targeted longer-term refinancing operations (TLTROs) for the period of June 2020 to June 2021, intended to provide additional support through bank-lending to SMEs.
Furthermore, the ECB announced that banks will be allowed partially to use some of their non-Tier 1 capital buffers, as well as their liquidity coverage ratio, to provide capital relief for the banking sector to support the economy.
The ECB left interest rates unchanged.
European Parliament urges ECB to redesign CSPP to support sustainability objectives
On February 12 2020, MEPs passed a resolution asking the European Central Bank to step up its green credentials and address growing financial technology challenges. The Parliament calls on the ECB to better integrate environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles into its policies and redesign its corporate sector purchase programme (CSPP) to better support environmentally sustainable initiatives. MEPs deplored that green bond issuance still accounts for only 1 % of the overall supply of euro-denominated bonds, while a majority (62.1 %) of ECB corporate bond purchases remain in sectors that are responsible for 58.5 % of euro area greenhouse gas emissions.
How ECB purchases of corporate bonds helped reduce firms' borrowing costs
New article by the ECB which argues that the programme has been successful. In particular, by increasing prices and reducing yields in the targeted bond market segment, the programme encouraged investors to shift their investments towards similar but somewhat riskier bonds. This reduced borrowing costs for many firms, including those whose bonds were not eligible for direct purchase by the ECB.
Temporary pause in purchases into year-end
The Eurosystem will temporarily halt APP purchases (PSPP, CBPP3, CSPP and ABSPP) from 19 December to 31 December 2019, inclusive, in anticipation of significantly lower market liquidity towards the end of the year and in order to reduce possible market distortions. Purchases will resume on 2 January 2020.
Asset purchases to recommence November 2019
As widely expected, the Governing Council of the European Central Bank announced a new round of monetary stimulus at its meeting of 12 September 2019. The easing package included a cut in the central bank deposit facility rate from -0.40% to -0.50%, a two-tier system for reserve remuneration (with a portion of banks' excess reserves being subject to 0%), adjustments to modalities of the Targeted Long-Term Repo Operations (TLTRO III), and a restart of asset purchases. The changes to the deposit rate and tiering will apply from the start of the seventh reserve maintenance period on 30 October 2019. Asset purchases will resume on 1 November 2019.
The Asset Purchase Programme (APP) will target monthly net purchases of €20 billion and is expected to run "for as long as necessary". The ECB has not specified splits between the various APP programmes and is likely to include both public assets, under the Public Sector Purchase Programme (PSPP) and private assets, under the Covered Bond Purchase Programme (CBPP3), Asset-Backed Securities Purchases Programme (ABSPP), and Corporate Sector Purchase Programme (CSPP). It may be that the ECB wishes to keep its options open, but commentators broadly expect purchases to be mostly under the revived PSPP. The Governing Council also announced that in line with an earlier adjustment to the PSPP, it would be possible under the CBPP, ASBPP, and CSPP to purchase bonds with yields below the deposit facility rate, effective immediately.
With respect to the CSPP, while the ECB has not specified a target for corporate bond purchases, the current expectation is for net monthly purchases in the region of €2-€2.5 billion. Feedback from ICMA members suggest concern over the impact of a new round of corporate bond purchases on secondary market liquidity.
Applying the same criteria for the previous CSPP, the estimated universe of eligible bonds for purchases is in the region of €760 billion nominal value. Given the ECB's existing holdings of around €180 billion, and a cap on holdings of 70% of nominal outstanding of individual ISINs, this would suggest that a pool of just over €400 billion bonds is available. However, taking into account issues with low liquidity or concentrated holdings, the true investible pool is likely to be somewhat smaller.
In terms of reactions to the ECB's announcement, credit spreads had largely discounted the resumption of the CSPP. As illustrated by the iTraxx Main 5-year index (see above chart), investment grade corporate bond spreads had been tightening since the start of the summer, and by the time of the ECB's September meeting were nearing historic lows, and significantly tighter than at the cessation of the programme in December 2018.
ICMA will continue to monitor impacts of the CSPP2 on corporate bond market efficiency and liquidity, and through the SMPC will remain in close touch with both sell-side and buy-side members active the European corporate bond markets, as well as the ECB.
Asset purchases to end in December 2018
Following its meeting on June 14 2018, the ECB's Governing Council announced that its Asset Purchase Programme (APP) will reduce its purchases of €30bn per month to €15bn per month after September, and cease at the end of December, subject to future economic data. The ECB also updated its forward guidance on rates, stating that these would remain at their present levels at least through to summer of 2019, and potentially longer, depending on its inflation outlook. The ECB provided no update on APP reinvestments.
Bond markets have taken the announcement and subsequent press conference as relatively dovish. In response to the news 2yr German government bond yields fell 5bp and 10yr yields 6bp. Meanwhile, credit spreads tightened, with the 5yr iTraxx main moving 3bp lower and the 5yr iTraxx cross-over 8bp lower.
ECB article on the successful implementation of the CSPP
The ECB has published an article in its May 2018 Economic Bulletin that discusses The Impact of the Corporate Sector Purchase Programme on Corporate Bond Markets and the Financing of Euro Area Non-Financial Corporations.
Since the announcement of the CSPP in March 2016, financing conditions for euro area NFCs have improved considerably. Much of the tightening of corporate bond spreads and increased issuance of corporate bonds can be directly attributed to the effects of the programme.
Indirectly, the CSPP has also had positive knock-on effects on the wider financing environment for firms in the euro area. Financing conditions outside of corporate bond markets improved, and there are indications that the CSPP has freed up the balance sheet capacity of banks to lend to companies that are not eligible under the programme.
While the programme appears to have contributed to a shift from bank to bond funding among eligible NFCs, this has not resulted in a decline in bank lending to the NFC sector as a whole.
Evidence of adverse side effects on corporate financing and market functioning as a result of the CSPP is rather scarce. In particular, the smooth implementation of the programme, underpinned by the flexible pace of Eurosystem purchases and its adaptability to dynamics in the primary market, has safeguarded corporate bond market functioning and liquidity conditions.
Overall, the findings back up the assessment of a successful implementation of the programme under changing market conditions without having a distortive market impact.
ECB announcement on the Asset Purchase Programme
On 26 October 2017 the ECB's Governing Council announced changes to its Asset Purchase Programme (APP). This was largely in line with consensus expectations of an extension of purchases, at a reduced rate, and with a shift in emphasis towards forward guidance. However, this is likely to have implications with respect to European corporate bond secondary market efficiency and liquidity.
The key changes to the APP are:
The APP is to be extended by 9 months to September 2018.
Rate of purchases to be reduced from €60bn to €30bn per month.
Programme to remain 'open ended', giving the GC room to increase the rate of purchases or to extend beyond Sep 2018, if they feel it necessary
Any rate rises will come 'well after' the programme ends (pointing well into 2019).
If the APP continues as scheduled, the ECB will hold around €2.5tn of assets by its conclusion this time next year: around a third of the Euro areas public debt.
No details were given with respect to the composition of the purchases, however additional information on the ECB website states: The Eurosystem anticipates that the purchase volumes under the three private sector purchase programmes (the ABSPP, the CBPP3 and the CSPP) will remain sizeable. This would suggest a relative shift from public to private assets, and, most likely, the emphasis being on the Corporate Sector Purchase Programme.
The ECB will also begin publishing monthly redemption amounts for the 4 APP components in anticipation of an increase in redemptions in 2018 (providing more transparency around its reinvestment schedule).
The continuation of the APP will potentially provide an even more complicated background as MiFID II/R is implemented in the European bond markets from January 2018. Accordingly, the intersection of monetary policy and market regulation as it impacts the European fixed income markets, in particular the corporate bond markets, will remain a high priority of the ICMA Secondary Market Practices Committee (SMPC).
ECOFIN publishes 3 new papers assessing the CSPP
The ECB publishes an update on the CSPP implementation and impact in its Economic Bulletin
The ECB joined the regular meeting of the SMPC to discuss the ongoing implementation and impacts of its Corporate Sector Purchase Programme. A note of the meeting can be found here.
ECB publishes update on the implementation of the CSPP in its Economic Bulletin
Following yesterday's meeting of the ECB's Governing Council, further details of the CSPP have been made available (see press release here).
Of key note among the additional details are:
Purchases to start on June 8
A list of bonds purchased will be published weekly by the relevant NCBs (although only ISINs, not nominal holdings)
Purchases will be made available under the respective NCB securities lending/repo arrangements from June 18
Counterparties to CSPP purchases can communicate that the Eurosystem has been buying in the corporate space, the maturity bucket and the sector (e.g. utilities), but not the exact amounts, the issuers of the bonds purchased, the securities involved, or the Eurosystem member involved.
Further clarity is provided related to non-eligible financial issues: essentially purchases will exclude bonds issued by an entity, or its subsidiary, that is supervised under the Single Supervisory Mechanism, as well as issuers with a parent company that is subject to banking supervision outside of the euro area.
The updated Q&A is provided here.
ICMA publishes further thoughts on the ECB's CSPP following the announcement of details of the Programme on 21 April
ECB announces details of the corporate sector purchase programme (CSPP)
The announcement by the ECB on March 10 to extend its Asset Purchases Programme to include investment grade non-bank corporate bonds took the market by complete surprise. This briefing note is an attempt to outline the various considerations that the ECB may need to review as it puts together the final details of its soon to be launched Corporate Sector Purchase Programme, as well as the possible implications for market liquidity and investor and issuer behaviour.
To view the briefing note, click here.
ICMA has today published a briefing note on how ICMA intends to respond to the Corporate Sector Purchase Programme, and to work with its members, across committees and the regions, to help ensure that the CSPP achieves its objective without compromising resilient and well-functioning European corporate bond markets.
Andy Hill
Senior Director, Market Practice and Regulatory Policy; secretary to the Secondary Market Practices Committee and also responsible for overseeing repo policy.
Direct line: +44 20 7213 0335
Bank of England publishes Q2 2020 Quarterly Report for transactions under the Asset Purchase Facility (APF)
During 2020 Q2 the APF made £167.8 billion of gilt purchases and £6.1 billion of corporate bond purchases.
Bank of England publishes Market Notice on Additional Corporate Bond Purchases under the APF
Market Notice describes the operation of the Bank of England's Corporate Bond Purchase Scheme, consolidating existing provisions and replacing previous notices. The Notice outlines eligible securities, eligible counterparties, and operating parameters.
Bank of England publishes Market Notice on Asset Purchase Facility (APF): Additional Corporate Bond Purchases
At its special meeting on 19 March 2020 the MPC judged that a further package of measures was warranted to meet its statutory objectives. In line with the MPC's statement, the Bank intends to purchase at least £10 billion of eligible sterling non-financial corporate bonds in coming months, taking the stock of purchased corporate bonds to at least £20 billion. The Bank will keep the size of the Scheme and purchase pace under review in light of prevailing market conditions, market function and any future MPC decisions.
MPC announces additional purchases of UK government and non-financial corporate bonds.
At a special meeting on 19 March, the MPC judged that a further package of measures was warranted to meet its statutory objectives in response to the Covid-19 crisis. It therefore voted unanimously to increase the Bank of England's holdings of UK government bonds and sterling non-financial investment-grade corporate bonds by £200 billion to a total of £645 billion, financed by the issuance of central bank reserves.
The majority of additional asset purchases will comprise UK government bonds. The purchases will be completed as soon as is operationally possible, consistent with improved market functioning. The Bank will issue further guidance to the market in due course.
The MPC also voted unanimously to reduce the Bank Rate by a further 15 basis points to 0.10%.
The Bank of England has published a Staff Working Paper on the impact of the Bank of England's Corporate Bond Purchase Scheme on yield spreads.
The CBPS, announced in August 2016, targeted purchases of up to £10bn of investment grade, sterling corporate bonds issued by firms making a 'material' contribution to the UK economy.
The analysis finds that compared to sterling investment-grade corporate bonds that are non-CBPS eligible, CBPS eligible bonds tightened by about 2-5bp after the announcement of the scheme. However, this is likely to underestimate the effect of purchases since it does not account for portfolio rebalancing. Comparing yield spreads of eligible sterling bonds with EUR and USD bonds issued by the same firms, shows that sterling assets tightened by 13-14bp.
The paper suggests that the effect of the scheme on yield spreads may come from two channels. First, the presence of a large market participant increases market liquidity, i.e. reduces the illiquidity premium. Investors readjust their portfolio of sterling corporate bonds: selling eligible assets, and buying ineligible ones. Second, a lower level of yields in the secondary market reduce companies' funding costs when they decide to issue debt in the future, which can improve their profitability and thereby lower their credit risk premia. This effect reinforces the reduction in yield spreads.
The Bank of England joined an ad hoc meeting of the SMPC to discuss the ongoing implementation and impacts of its Corporate Bond Purchase Scheme. A note of the meeting can be found here.
Bank of England publishes Press Notice on the eligibility and sectors under the Corporate Bond Purchase Scheme
On 12 September 2016, the Bank of England published a press notice providing further details on the eligibility and sectors under the Corporate Bond Purchase Scheme. The notice can be downloaded here.
This expands on the Market Notice published on 4 August 2016, and available here.


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Issues & Trends>Food Safety
GMA Commends FDA Recall Site
WASHINGTON — The Grocery Manufacturers Association on Tuesday commended the Food and Drug Administration's new consumer-friendly website for food and other product recalls.
Michael Garry 1 | Apr 05, 2011
WASHINGTON — The Grocery Manufacturers Association on Tuesday commended the Food and Drug Administration's new consumer-friendly website for food and other product recalls.
The FDA introduced the site (http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm) Monday to make it easier and quicker for consumers to search for food and other product recalls, in response to the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, which called for a more consumer-friendly recall search engine.
To provide greater ease of use for consumers, the search results provide data from news releases and other recall announcements in the form of a table. That table organizes information from news releases on recalls since 2009 by date, product brand name, product description, reason for the recall and the recalling firm.
The table also provides a link to the news release on each recall for more detailed information. The news releases were chosen as the source of information for the table because they provide the most up-to-date and user friendly information about any recall.
"The agency should be commended for its work on this important project and for its ongoing commitment to enhancing the strength of our country's food safety system," said Pamela G. Bailey, GMA's president and chief executive officer, in a statement.
"Recalls, mandatory or otherwise, are serious and we must do everything possible to make it easier for people to know about these recalls so they can take all appropriate steps to protect themselves and their families," said Mike Taylor, FDA deputy commissioner for foods. "We encourage people to check out our new recalls search page for themselves, and use it whenever they have a question about a recall."
Per the requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act, for certain recalls the search results will also provide status information on whether the recall is completed or ongoing. The status information will be provided for those recalls for which FDA either ordered a mandatory recall or provided the opportunity for a voluntary recall under FDA's FSMA authority.
How retailers can bounce back from a produce recall
Peaches recalled in more than 20 states in Salmonella investigation
SN Top 10: More retailers report double-digit sales gains

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


SuperLottoPlus stair. Is SuperLottoPlus gcrannchur, a thagann ó California. Bunaíodh é i 1986. Tá sé an-tóir air. Níos luaithe SuperLottoPlus crannchur ar a dtugtar "6-49". I 1990 d'athraigh an t-ainm go "53 imeartha uimhriúla." Ansin isteach a tharraingt de 53 uimhreacha agus líon breise. Níos déanaí d'athraigh an t-ainm go "Imeartha 51 uimhriúla" mar gheall ar laghdú é an méid na n-uimhreacha randamacha go 51 uimhreacha. Ó 2000, athainmníodh "Cluiche Uimhriúil 51" "SuperLottoPlus."
Tá Líníochtaí SuperLottoPlus ar an gCéadaoin agus an Satharn ag 19:57 i California.
Ba chóir a imirt SuperLottoPlus a scriosadh 5 uimhreacha le huimhreacha 1-47, agus roinnt na n-uimhreacha 1-27 Ar ndóigh, más mian leat a bhuachan an Pota Óir i SuperLottoPlus, caithfidh tú a scriosadh na sé líon ceart. An méid is lú is féidir a bhuaigh, leis an ainmniú de na huimhreacha go bhfuil ceart an oiread agus is 7 000 000 $. Más rud é nach bhfuil duine éigin bhuaigh an duais is mó, an carnadh ag fás agus is féidir teacht ar níos mó ná 100 000 000 $.
16/02/2002 - an duais is mó: 193 000 000 $.
Má bhuaileann tú na huimhreacha go léir, is é an duais is mó (Pota Óir) a d'íoc ar feadh 26 bliain, gach bliain tráthchuid. Seo a tharlaíonn mura ndéanfaidh an duine a Bhuaigh an Pota Óir in iúl laistigh de 60 lá ón dáta a tharraingt gur theastaigh uaidh a bhuaigh an t-airgead a íoc ag aon am amháin.
SuperLottoPlus crannchur a tharraingt ar siúl i California i Sacramento dhá uair sa tseachtain - gach Céadaoin agus gach Satharn ag 19.57.
Ní gá duit a bheith i do shaoránach US le himirt i SuperLottoPlus. Anois is féidir leat a cheannach geall ar playhugelottos.com. Come agus féach cé chomh héasca is atá sé! Is féidir a bheith ach cúpla cad a tharlaíonn agus tú millionaire! Cláraigh anois a playhugelottos.com.


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Crim. Law Journal Winter 2020, Vol. 20, Issue 1
American Slave Branding: Insidious Identification and Depraved Punishment
Post-conviction Relief For Foreign Nationals Convicted In California
Incarcerated Veterans In Need of Representation When Filing Petitions For Resentencing
New Criminal Laws In 2020
Domestic Violence Laws and the Ina: How Domestic Violence Perpetrators Attain Immigration Benefits
Penal Code Section 1170.91 provides that a veteran, upon being convicted of a felony, may introduce evidence of a mental health malady arising from military service at sentencing, and that the court must take such evidence into account as a factor in mitigation when sentencing. This law took effect January 1, 2015.
Last year, the Legislature passed Assembly Bill 865, which adds retroactivity to PC 1170.91, so that a veteran convicted prior to January 1, 2015, can petition the court for resentencing provided that the veteran produces evidence of a listed service-related malady. Specifically, the circumstances of suffering from sexual trauma, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, or mental health problems as a result of the person's military service may be considered as evidence or factors in mitigation.
Veterans wanting to file petitions for resentencing will need representation and investigative services to ensure that their petitions are supported by documentation as much as possible. Public Defender Offices will be informed of AB 865 and supplied lists of veterans at CDCR who appear eligible for such resentencing. We encourage all Public Defenders to contact these veterans.
Unfortunately, history suggests that not all eligible veterans will be able to secure representation via Public Defender Offices. Therefore, I seek attorneys who might be willing to represent one or more veterans pro bono in this endeavor. My plan is this: (1) CalVet will supply me with a list of incarcerated veterans who report that they have been unable to find counsel; then (2) I will match them with an attorney from a list of pro bono volunteers. If you are interested in possibly representing a veteran, please contact me.
Join CLA to access this page


Our team offers over 100 years of combined experience, this allows us to provide you with the best scale model.
We pride ourselves on our high quality products and only use 100% U.S. procured materials and labor and guaranteed to meet customer specifications.
Scale Reproductions specializes in custom-crafted scale models and prototypes for all major industries.
Thank you for all the hard work on the FedEx Express model truck. It looks great and FedEx Express is blown away. When they finally get the model in the final location at the FedEx Express Customer Experience Center, I will get you guys a picture. You have been a great sport through all of this and your entire staff made this a very easy experience. I truly hope we will be working on another project very soon.


We've started our Winter Sale. Reductions will continue until end of January (while stocks last).
Features vocals from Edwyn Collins, Stephen Malkmus, Ryan Jarman, Ricky Wilson, Justin Hayward-Young, Gary Jarman, Stephen Holt & Clint Boon, Thabo and Jeffrey Lewis.
Recorded live at Unity Works as part of Long Division Festival 2014 by Greenmount Studios.
b/ Good For Me (feat. Stephen Holt & Clint Boon).
5 track Acapella EP. Very limited numbers left.
24 page comic book designed by George Garthwaite.
Includes lyric sheets and Bambinos photograph.
Black discosleeve copies only remaining.


Today, we will show you how to make some stand up paper-figure animals. This one is a standing wolf paper figure. You can choose a black and white version to color in, or you can choose the one that is already colorized. Either way … have fun.
Today we will show you how to make paper wolves that can stand up on their own. You can use them as models or to play with. Click on the image below to open up a new page with the wolf picture. You should then print that page out….cut it out…and then fold on the line. It is as easy as that.


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leaflet-searchmenu

Forked from https://github.com/naomap/leaflet-fusesearch

Usage

Create the control L.Control.SearchMenu and add it to the Map.

var searchCtrl = L.control.searchMenu({
    search: function(string, returnFunc) {
        returnFunc(["id1", "id2", "id3"]);
    },
    showResultFct: function() {
        var name = L.DomUtil.create('b', null, container);
        name.innerHTML = getName(result);
        container.appendChild(L.DomUtil.create('br', null, container));
        container.appendChild(document.createTextNode(getDesc(result)));
    },
    popup: function(result) {
        getMarker(result).fire("click");
    }
});
searchCtrl.addTo(map);

Options

The SearchMenu control can be created with the following options :

position : position of the control, the search pane shows on the matching side. Default 'topright'.

title : used for the control tooltip, default 'Search'

placeholder : used for the input placeholder, default 'Search'

maxResultLength : number of features displayed in the result list, default is null
    and all features found by Fuse are displayed

showInvisibleFeatures : display the matching features even if their layer is invisible, default true

Example

http://antology.me/vegan/.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Isa Milman is a poet and visual artist who lives in Victoria, BC. Born a displaced person in Germany in 1949, she grew up in the United States and came to Canada in 1975. She is the author of Between the Doorposts, Prairie Kaddish, and Something Small to Carry Home, and each of her books has won the Canadian Jewish Book Award for poetry.


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Q: How to extract the time using R from a MATLAB serial date number? I have some MATLAB serial date number that I need to use in R but I havt to convert them to a normal date.
    Matlab:
   datestr(733038.6)
    ans =
    27-Dec-2006 14:24:00

you can see it gives the date and time.
Now we try in R:
Matlab2Rdate <- function(val) as.Date(val - 1, origin = '0000-01-01')
> Matlab2Rdate(733038.6)
[1] "2006-12-27"

It gives only the date but I need also the time? Any idea

A: The trick is Matlab uses "January 01, 0000", a fictional reference date, to calculate its date number. The origin of time for the "POSIXct" class in R is, '1970-01-01 00:00.00 UTC'. You can read about how different systems handle dates here.
Before converting, you need to account for this difference in reference from one format to another. The POSIX manual contains such an example. Here's my output:
> val<-733038.6
> as.POSIXct((val - 719529)*86400, origin = "1970-01-01", tz = "UTC")
[1] "2006-12-27 14:23:59 UTC"

Where 719529 is '1970-01-01 00:00.00 UTC' in Matlab's datenum and 86400 the number of seconds in an standard UTC day.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


You can connect all works with Nest IP cameras to your works with Nest products in your home. Use the works with Nest app on your smartphone for a complete overview of all connected products. Apart from Nest IP cameras, there are also other brands that are compatible with Nest. You can recognize these products by the works with Nest logo on the package.


Sorry. That is a dark analogy. But, as I said…all things in this life come to an end. Everything. And as a game, TSTO may have reached a place in the cycle that is just more trouble than it is worth to keep alive.
They have given us a huge chunk of land. Enough land to allow us to get every single item available in the Year Book, which is almost everything that has ever been issued. They have not killed, altered, or slowed down Donut Farming…house farming…or any other sort of way to accelerate the ability to earn currency. So, it's like they want to make sure that we get everything.
And…they have given us a tool to archive our work. A tool that with a single screen grab can record years and years of building, planning, and creating, in order to keep us from going insane with anger if they turn off the server at some point.
And like it or not…that day will come.
My sense, is that they will give us fair warning. They aren't going to just keep us in suspended animation mode. Something will happen soon…good or bad…and we will be thankful just to know the outcome.
There is no doubt that being on the downward slope in the stockpiling of "Life Currency," (as in I'm getting old) that I see things with a different perspective. I have lost a great number of friends in the past couple of years. Most younger or near my age. Some have fought long battles with persistent illness, while others have just "croaked" with a sudden blast of circumstance from heart failure to brain hemorrhages. Every time, I ask the same question, "Do I want to go fast, or have time to say goodbye?" I always opt for the latter. I feel the same about TSTO.
This is an admittedly morose way to reflect on the possible death of a game. And it seems callous to compare the loss of a life to the loss of a game, even though many of us have dedicated almost 7 years to it…playing, blogging, and building a community.
But, thinking that somehow something you love is going to go on forever, is simply not realistic. And hoping to choose the way in which you say goodbye ends up being the only option you have.
I wish it was that easy in life.
Nothing in life is a "sure thing." The only "sure thing" is that it comes to an end, for everyone.
This week, after getting amazing news about my friend Terri's cancer prognosis a couple of weeks ago…the prognosis flipped.
I got a tearful call from her husband last weekend, that the cancer came back, with a vengeance…and has invaded her spine and is moving rapidly toward the rest of her system. Due to the pressure the tumors are putting on her spine, she has lost the use of most of her body…and the very best prognosis, is to extend her life by a few weeks and maybe months, with massive doses of radiation, and more chemotherapy.
He told me that when the doctor delivered the news, the doctor was clearly shaken up and emotional. Terri simply said, "I'm so sorry…this must be very hard for you…it's OK." She is that kind of person. Unflinchingly sweet. There are so many crud-buckets in the world who should go instead. But, that's not my decision either.
Writing those words is brutal. It makes it real. I'm praying like mad for a miracle. But, the fact is…I'm not sure what I am praying for. A few more weeks? A complete "God came down and healed her" kind of miracle that only happens at Lourdes, or when there is a face of the virgin on a tortilla involved? Or am I praying just because I feel helpless to do anything else.
I made up my mind to just keep hoping and praying.
But after a week of uncertainty, and speculation (about something that actually mattered), Deb and I got a call while we were driving to work this morning. It was Terri and her husband Kevin. Upbeat…and sounding very much like she isn't going anywhere soon. Radiation is helping. She is getting some feeling back in her legs…but her voice was chipper, happy, and had the power to wash the pain away in an instant.
It humbled me. And made me realize that you simply can't give up hope, or spend time speculating on things over which you have no control from the outside. We are but spectators in this…but, her cheerfulness and thanks for the love, support and prayers, was enough to make me start cutting deals with God again.
So yes…I have been a bit distracted from lamenting that there hasn't been an update in TSTO. The fact is, I got the kind of update I wanted this morning. And I'm not going to give up hope.
Keep the prayers coming. Keep the prayer throttle on full. She is convinced that it is working…and who am I to argue with someone like Terri?
Sorry for the "Bummer" post. But, choosing to place my attention on a struggle for real life …or the life of a virtual game…it's not even close. Be happy with the fact that TSTO is still up…and may surprise us all. Or, will become a snapshot of virtual lifetime spent.
For the rest of us living "normal lives," it's all just another reminder to make sure and not waste time on things that don't matter. Love one another. Tell people you love them. Don't let the silly stuff get in the way of enjoying the stuff that matters.
And, never give up hope.
This entry was posted in Friday Filler, Tapped Out and tagged Death of TSTO, Electronic Arts, Hope and Prayer, Tapped Out Tips and Tricks, The end of TSTO, The Simpsons, The Simpsons Tapped Out, TSTO, TSTO Addicts, TSTO Community, TSTO Tips & Tricks, TSTO Tips and Tricks. Bookmark the permalink.
Wow… a post too deep for a gamming blog, but it helps to get a real perspective. Things that really matter are beyond any screen.
Best whises for all in suffering.
Sorry…after 6 almost. 6 years of TSTO blogging, I get to go deep once in a while. But, glad you got it.
Thanks, Patric, and best wishes for Teri moving forward. I'm not religious whatsoever, but even I feel compelled to send prayers her way. You really put the game, and life, in perspective.
Personally, I feel like the game has already ended for me and all I'm waiting for is closure via some form of confirmation. If EA pulled the plug today, that'd be preferable to the current state of limbo. Sadly, I think I'd welcome it.
I feel like the game started to end for me when EA stopped having major events. I miss friend interactions and now miss crafting too. And, frankly, not only is the 4-hour grind actually still there, but I feel things are even more rushed now by a self-created need to complete the mini-major events "on time," meaning each portion within its one week period, although I know I could easily do that if I still played at my former pace.
Thanks to past temporary glitches that I fully utilized (like characters getting stuck at the Walking KEM to allow for unlimited collection) and some excessive donut purchasing when I first started playing just under 2 years ago, I now have to spend roughly $8M on RTT farming (50+ trucks) every day just to avoid the money cap, even when I'm now down to typically collecting just once a day even with most of my characters still going on visual 4-hr jobs instead of 24-hr ones like I would if money or donuts mattered to me anymore. In this regard, farming has gone from fun and useful to a daily chore. I have 21,000+ donuts and just shy of 1,800% and could easily significantly increase either if I cared enough. Since Halloween I've picked up every premium item available to me simply because I could, and I have become a plopper in a town that I used to love to design. My town just grew too much, too fast.
My last string of interest is quickly unraveling too. When I started playing, I was always on a quest to catch-up and to get all of the beloved characters I missed before. Prior to the Yearbook Mystery Box, I needed 24 characters and I'm now down to 16, not bad for a two-year player. But sadly, the ones I'm missing were all prize track characters. EA will either never re-release them or, perhaps more likely, make another giant box which includes all/almost all of the items excluded from the yearbook (which isn't all that many anyway). If that happens, my last remaining quest will be over and in a rather unsatisfactory way. It was fun when I was collecting a few missed characters per event. I didn't even mind snatching around 150 items from the yearbook, including 8 missed characters and numerous NPCs (which never drew my attention before, but now I even have most of those and will surely get them all quickly if/when everything becomes available), but that quickly ended and the writing is on the wall. This need to get every character used to be fun, and I thought it'd give me satisfaction once I finished. But what fun will be left if EA soon makes it all available all the time? Any "skill" or dedication will be replaced by an ability to simply get anything you want, at any pace, 30 donuts (or whatever that final box may cost) at a time. I fear the quest, and the fun, is over.
Well..it sounds like moderation…even if it's forced…is a good thing?
Life is an invisible river that draws us away, taking us on unpredictable paths. Sometimes, swimming against the current, we have the impression of being able to decide the trajectory of our path, but it is only an illusion. Hope is our lifesaver, which leads us to believe that an oasis of peace can also happen to us. In any case it is important not to miss a moment of this journey, however UNIQUE, taking the time that is given to us and the people that it brings on our way, selecting, and this we can really do it, what is important not to lose and what instead is! HOPE GOOD TO ALL!
Thanks for sharing Patric, your words put things in perspective.
Don't know if this will be of any comfort but I do believe there is some kind of continuation of consciousness after death. I am not religious or even sure about the existence of God at least not as portrayed by religion, but I do feel deeply that there is something greater within us beyond meagre flesh and bones.
Definitely. I had an NDE in the mid 90s…so I can tell you you're correct.
Sorry to hear about your friend Patric I can only imagine it's as emotionally painful for everyone close to her as it is physically painful for her. Similarly I had a small health scare myself earlier this week that meant I had to have a day off work whilst I was kept in hospital overnight (I work early morning shifts) when I messaged my colleagues to let them know they were all on tenterhooks waiting for me to update them with what was happening. But thankfully I was given the all clear and released the next morning.
If the servers are switched of would the game stop working on my device or would I still be able to play, design and complete tasks, just a thought.
I was wondering that also. I'm sure they could update in such a way that this could be possible. Presently the game seems to be tethered to the mothership!
As long as there is Hope …. whether it's a friend's health, or a Game App in it's final years (months) …. then it's not a bummer. It just means rethinking things from what Game App will replace TSTO when it's time, to when will we get more funding for cancer cures (vs. just early detection and/or type of radiation / chemotherapy).
Thanks for this post, Patric. I hope your friend will recover!
Personally I'm glad the game is taking a break, and wouldn't mind if it stayed this way. For me it's more of a compulsion than particularly enjoyable at this point. Springfield has gotten huge and unmanageable. I kind of want to get everything I want from the yearbook box, finally finish organizing my town, and be done with it. Too much tapping, too time consuming. I'm tapped out, but a tapped out addict. It would be nice to be free of this game if there were nothing left to get. Just take a look at my masterpiece and be done, and do something more productive with my time. I'm a freemium player anyways. Know many will say I could just stop playing, but what if I miss something really cool? I would have stopped playing after week 1 if the stonecutters event didn't pop up and excite me. No other event since has compared for me.
Patric, I am still praying for Terri and her family. Please send her my love. Everything constantly changes and right now Terri and so many other important things are happening. Our community and this fun little game has been great over the past 7 years. We can always hope, but the fact is that change is a part of life and sometimes change is good. Hugs to all.
First off, nothing but love and respect and prayers for Terri.
As for TSTO, I am a remainer as in I think will remain for some time yet.
I'm not sure if people have already said this, but I wonder if EA is trying to make us miss long events, stop the mini games, and then make us speculate it's the end so when the next event comes we all get excited and appreciate the game a bit more…and possibly make them a few more dollars. Just wondering….
If so, enough already EA, you've made your point. I miss you. I will be more appreciative. Time to come back now.
I find it interesting about the profit side of thing. If you take a bank for instance, they of course chase new streams of income from the latest fangled investment product all the time. But, the meat of a banks income still comes from basic services like custody and asset management. So, it maybe, that whoever now owns TSTO recognises that while it's not a massive instant profit maker. It does generate a regular income and comes with the brand recognition of 'The Simpsons' name.
I have slowly come to realize that TSTO is coming to an end….
I'm going to step out of my house, rub my eyes and play outside.
Not a bummer post in the least. A wonderful if you'll pardon the use, eulogy, for a game that united many of us for a time in a wonderful sense of belonging. If it is the end then I thank you, the other players, and the developers for bringing me such a meaningful part of my life for seven years. It was a blast.
I had a thought. You know how at fireworks displays they have a grand finale? There's usually a lull between the bulk of the show and the grand finale. Maybe we're in the lull. I'm now thinking that EA is going to give us one final grand finale event. Thoughts?
That is the way to live life! For sure. I hope Terri gets some more time to paint. She is an amazing artist…and it is her happy place!
Yeh, too much Brown Sugar, I guess. . .
…because you gotta have faith!
There are 4 day & 11 hours left on certain premium (donut spending) items in the store. So the next update should be next Tuesday or Wednesday. This fits in with prior updates, right?
I'm afraid this is just the usual countdown for the items that are in the vault. So I wouldn't let that get my hopes up.
I will pray for Terri as we all should continue to also hope for acceptance at what ever life has to offer us.
Thank You for sharing Patric, all the best.
Your post comes on a very interesting day. My mom would have turned 99 today, one week ago I received the news that a NYC friend passed away in his sleep and tonight for one last time, I get to babysit a Golden Retriever neighbor that is moving to New Jersey tomorrow (how the hell did I fall in love with a neighbors dog?) plus it's cold and dreary in San Diego today. All the trimmings for a pity party of one, but it ain't going to happen. Thanks to you and your work for Buyijja I say, Peace, Love AND Hope!!!
Fred, You are one of the good ones, that keeps me moving forward on days like this. I agree. Too much to live for.
TSTO is dead IMHO. key indicators- no major event in several months, sale of IP to outside concern, and the biggest tip off. The continuation of the last event mystery box, why else keep all the premium prizes around at a discount unless you have no intention of continuing the game and to allow newer players the opportunity to get some of the items before pulling the plug? I'm done with it.
Sure…all of those points have been made. However, EA would give us a notice as such. So, for me…it's 50/50 at best that there is another answer. Will it ever be as good as some of the best updates? Not likely. But, it still feels like there is gold to be mined.
It's still making them money, that's the key. I don't see them just ending this while it still generates a profit; just doesn't make good business sense. There are also things that were not made available in the Yearbook which could still be used to tease some more donuts from players.
I farmed donuts for almost 3 weeks before getting burnt out on it, and I kinda feel from that experience, that most players probably don't engage in that activity to a very large degree (or at all) especially those who have to work full time. Fortunately I run my own business from home, and there were no critical issues that needed to be addressed during that time, or it would have been a waste.
That was an apt analogy made with your friend's situation Patric, and it's just really hard to know even when the "professionals" make a prediction. I'm hoping that they're wrong about the timeline, and it sounds like she's an incredible human being with an awesome attitude towards life. Best of luck to her.
So…yes…it is creating income. But, by gaming standards, it's a pittance. You have to take staff and subcontractor wages out, as well as server costs, etc. And then there is their version of "support." So, $300K a month (which is the last figure I saw) gets eaten up pretty quickly. But, again…I don't think anything huge is going to change.
And yes…Terri humbles me. A lot to learn from her.
I agree with your comment about the business end of things. EA wants to make money. So why end this game and lose many thousands of potential customers? I can see them wanting to end this game if it's not making money. But if that's the case, then wouldn't EA want to provide us with a new alternative? If they were smart about this, they would give us one last, big event that would tie in with a new game from EA. Something we could all transfer to at the end of TSTO.
Indeed, if they can keep a game like Dungeon Keeper running at a measly 5K, then I think we're safe.
I think a lot of people would be OK with letting TSTO go bye bye if they thought there was another game like it we could all move onto as a replacement. You would think EA would want to introduce a new game with a similar (or identical) form of game play. They have a ready audience ready to buy into such a new game. There's got to be another universe of material to mine for content. Or perhaps EA could create a new, unique universe. It was nice to be able to play with the Simpsons and Springfield, but it might be fun to create something truly unique. In other words- EA could create a game that has nothing to do with a tv show, movie, etc. I'm rambling. Sorry.
Yeah! Like…say a game where you could build your city, and have your own characters, and design cool expansive buildings. They could call it, "SIM City!!" Oh. Wait. EA owns that too.
Anyway……there are other similar (there's that Sim again) games. Family Guy, etc. I think what I'm suggesting is another game in the genre that EA could create as a new alternative for TSTO to which we could all move. I thinks it's silly for EA to just let us all go. Don't they want to make more money off of us?
There are lots of forms of cancer. For sure.
Hopefully something will come, good or bad because after waiting 3 years for a decision still to be made on Brexit I can't go through it all again with TSTO!!
You guys have certainly earned your "patience points." At least with you, it is only ONE issue. Our "problems" are a constantly moving target.


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Public interest? Sanction for prosecution under J&KAFSPA: CIC rejects detailed information
By Venkatesh Nayak*
Readers may remember reading a previous despatch sent in April 2018, about an RTI intervention, regarding certain data tabled in Parliament that year, about cases involving allegations of custodial deaths and disappearances of civilians, alleged fake encounters, alleged instances of rape, and allegations of kidnapping, torture and extortion in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). The Government of J&K had sought sanction from the Central Government for prosecuting the accused in 50 such alleged cases that had occurred between 2001 and 2016. This is an essential requirement under the The Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act,1990 (J&K AFSPA) under which armed forces of the Union operate in J&K. The Government had informed the Rajya Sabha that request for sanctioning prosecution was refused in 47 cases due to lack of sufficient evidence, prima facie.
Subsequently, an application was submitted to the Union Ministry of Defence (MoD) under The Right to Information Act, 2005 (RTI Act) seeking copies of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), criteria and standards of measuring evidence used, designation of the final decision making authority and inspection of the 47 case files. MoD transferred the RTI application to the Indian Army. Both public authorities denied they held in their custody any of the information described in the RTI application. The matter was escalated to the Central Information Commission (CIC) in August 2018.
The CIC conducted a hearing in February 2020, issued an Interim Order and reserved the final order to allow for additional submissions to be made after the hearing.
Now in June 2020, the CIC has issued its final order permitting access to a copy of the orders issued by MoD refusing sanction to prosecute in each of the 47 cases. The CIC has rejected access to the concerned case files in the larger public interest.
The RTI Intervention and its Background
On 1st January, 2018, the Union Ministry of State for Defence informed the Rajya Sabha that it had received requests from the J&K Government for sanction to prosecute defence personnel in 50 cases that occurred between 2001-2016. While the requests were pending in three cases, the Government had denied sanction to prosecute the accused in 47 cases involving allegations of "murder or killing of civilians" (16 cases), "rape" (2 cases), "death in security operations" (10 cases), "custodial death" (3 cases), " beating or torture" (2 cases), "abduction and death (of the abducted person)" (3 cases), "disappearance" (7 cases), "illegal detention" (1 case) "fake encounter" (1 case) and "theft and molestation" (2 cases). Under Section 7 of J&K AFSPA "no prosecution, suit or other legal proceeding shall be instituted, except with the previous sanction of the Central Government, against any person in respect of anything done or purported to be done in exercise of the powers conferred…" by the Act.
In February 2018, an RTI application was submitted to the Union Ministry of Defence stating as follows:
"Apropos of the reply to Unstarred Question No. 1463 tabled in the Rajya Sabha on 01/01/2018 (copy along with Annexure is enclosed), by the Hon'ble Minister of State in your Ministry, I would like to obtain the following information under the RTI Act:
1) A clear photocopy of all official records containing details of the procedure that is required to be followed by your Ministry while deciding whether or not to grant sanction for prosecuting any member of the defence forces for actions committed under the Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers, 1990 (J&K AFSPA), including channel(s) of supervision over and accountability of such decision making procedure;
2) A clear photocopy of all official records/documents containing the norms, criteria and standards that are required to be applied for assessing the evidence submitted by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir in relation to its request for sanction for prosecuting any member of the defence forces for actions committed under J&K AFSPA;
3) The rank or designation of the officer who is competent to make a final decision on whether or not to grant sanction for prosecuting any member of the defence forces for actions committed under J&K AFSPA in any case (name of the officer is not required);
4) A clear photocopy of the communication sent by your Ministry to the Government of J&K denying sanction for prosecution of members of the defence forces in all cases listed in the Annexure to the reply to the said Unstarred Question; and
5) Inspection of every file including all papers, correspondence, file notings and emails, if any, relating to the denial of sanction for prosecution of members of the defence forces as per the list annexed to the reply to the said Unstarred Question and supply of clear photocopies of the relevant papers and electronic files identified by me during the inspection."
The CPIOs' replies
The Central Public Information Officers (CPIOs) of MoD eventually transferred the RTI application to the CPIO of the Indian Army. After a round of first appeals submitted to both public authorities, the bottom line that emerged was, both of them claimed, they did not have in their custody any information sought in the said RTI application. Click here for the CPIOs' replies and first appeals related documents.
The CIC directs disclosure of some information and rejects access to case files
A second appeal was filed with the CIC in August 2018. The Chairperson and International Director of CHRI and Commodore Lokesh Batra (retd.) assisted during the hearing scheduled on 18th February, 2020 (i.e., almost 18 months after the second appeal was filed). A week later the CIC issued an Interim Order allowing additional submissions to be filed by all parties to the case. In its Interim Order, the CIC recorded the factual status regarding the physical custody of the 47 case files as follows:
"At this point, Respondent No. 2" (i.e., CPIO, MoD) "clarified that the cases of prosecution sanction are processed by the Ministry in a single file system originating from Army Headquarters and all the files in which cases of prosecution were processed are in the custody of AHQ" (i.e., Army Headquarters)… "Respondent No.3″ (i.e., CPIO, Indian Army) did not refute the submissions of Respondent No.2 and agreed to abide by the order of the Commission."
Last week, on 5th June, 2020, the CIC has issued its final order (uploaded on the CIC's website on 9th June) in this case ruling inter alia as follows:
"Adverting to the aforesaid discussion, Commission is not in a position to order any relief on para 5" (i.e. inspection of 47 case files in which sanction for prosecution was denied). "Yet keeping in view the Appellant's contention in his written submission that Respondents have not claimed Section 8(1)(a) of RTI Act for denial of information on para 5… till date, Commission directs Respondent No. 3" (i.e., CPIO, Indian Army) "to provide a copy of their written submission (sent in compliance of Interim Decision) dated 17.03.2020 to the Appellant free of cost." (emphasis in the original)
"2. Now… for paras 1 & 2 of the RTI Application, Commission directs the Respondent No. 2" (i.e., CPIO, MoD) "to file an appropriate affidavit stating that there are no official records containing details of procedure or the norms, criteria and standard that is required to be followed by the Ministry while deciding the evidence submitted by Jammu and Kashmir Government in prosecution sanction cases. The said affidavit should be sent to the Commission with a copy duly endorsed to the Appellant." (emphasis in the original)
"3. Further, as regards para 3 of the RTI Application, although the submission of Respondent No. 2 has been recorded in the Interim Decision stating to the effect that the Defence Minister is the competent authority for taking decision, on sanction/denial to prosecute the accused army personnel, however, Appellant has expressed his objection that the same has not been recorded in writing. In view of this, Commission directs Respondent No. 2 to resend a copy of his written submission dated 11.02.2020 (sent prior to the hearing of 18.02.2020) free of cost to the Appellant wherein relevant inputs have been recorded." (emphasis in the original)
"4. Furthermore, Commission directs Respondent No. 2 to provide a copy of the communication sent by the Ministry to the Government of J&K denying sanction for prosecution as sought at para 4 of the RTI Application to the Appellant, free of cost. In doing so if the information needs to be accessed from any other record holder, Respondent No. 3 will procure the same and provide it directly to the Appellant." (emphasis in the original)
"5. The aforesaid directions should be complied by Respondent No. 2 & 3, respectively, within 15 days from the date of receipt of this order and a compliance report to this effect be duly sent to the Commission."
In support of its decision to reject the request for inspection of the 47 case files, the CIC has reasoned as follows:
"Commission has considered the detailed arguments of the Appellant and the stance of Respondent No. 3 as regards the denial of information on Para 5… under Section 8(1)(a) of RTI Act. While admittedly, Appellant has raised quite valid objections expounding larger public interest citing the Hon'ble Supreme Court judgement in the matter of Extrajudicial Victim Families Association Manipur (EEVFAM) & Anr Vs. Union of India & Anr., however we ought to appreciate the fact that the instant case hinges on an extremely sensitive aspect of the Kashmir conundrum. Given the limited jurisdiction of the Commission under RTI Act, the bench is neither adjudging the merits of the violation of human rights argument of the Appellant in relation to the alleged victims or their families nor the conjecture and surmises associated with the denial of prosecution sanction in the 47 cases referred to hereunder. Rather, the facts of the instant case require a dynamic attribution to the meaning of larger public interest within the framework of RTI Act by associating non-disclosure with larger public interest."…
"Commission is in complete agreement with Respondent No. 3 that disclosure of the elaborate aspects of the Army Operations will impact future operations. The disclosure of operational details will gravely impact the security and strategic preparedness of the Armed Forces, which by common knowledge is vital to the State's diaspora. The other aspect of sensitivity lies in the inevitable vulnerability of this subject matter to speculations cutting across national and international borders; perhaps even trial by media that will emanate from such disclosure. As a cumulative effect, these eventualities may further compound the situation of unrest and instigate festering emotions in the State in addition to the international ramifications…. Indisputably, the larger public interest of the State (vis-a-vis its susceptibility to unrest) prevails over that of the alleged victims." (emphasis in the original)
"As regards, the contention of the Appellant that Section 10 of RTI Act can be invoked to severe [sic] the operational details, Commission finds the argument far fetched given the nature and form of information sought. Identifying and severing such intricate details from the papers, correspondence, file notings, emails etc desired in the RTI Application will invariably cause disproportionate diversion of the resources of the public authority as per Section 7(9) of RTI Act."
In its final decision the CIC did not rule on the prayer included in the Appellant's additional submission that it may call for and examine the 47 case files before making a determination regarding the applicability of Section 8(1)(a) of the RTI Act and the public interest override contained in Section 8(2) of the Act.
Future developments in this two-years-and-four-months-old case will be posted as and when the Respondent Public Authorities comply with the CIC's directions or take any other action in this regard.
Programme Head, Access to Information Programme, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, New Delhi
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Last week Paris' iconic Palais De Tokyo hosted the third stop of Nike's European Series. Unlike the two previous comps for this one a custom built skatepark was set up and the least we can say is that it was rather "90s". Apart from the black and pink branding it looked like something that had been directly taken from an old 411: steep banks, long rails and the flat at the top of the obstacles was either short or inexistent. Not the easiest kind of course to skate, especially for people accustomed to the more modern BaySixty6 style of parks but that kind of made things interesting. You could tell they really had to rack their brains to come up with tricks to try, especially on the first day.
By day two the park no longer seemed to be a struggle for anyone but we were a little gutted that nobody got carried away and ended their runs with a trick down the hubba. We would have loved to see someone like Aurélien Giraud fly out of that kink… At least Hermann Stene took it upon himself to sneak past the Palais De Tokyo security to blast a cheeky back three down the 3 flat 4. And when I say "sneak" I mean a proper mission-impossible style infiltration of this closed-out section of the spot. With France's current social/political climate being what it is and the Euro kicking off the bouncers were a quite uptight (to say the least).
The Scandinavian delegation was also a pleasure to watch, particularly Sweden's smooth David Jakinda and Hermann Stene (who pretty much shut down every single obstacle during the best trick).
Next stop: the Berlin Open! For info about the final leg of Nike SB's European Series (7th/8th of July head HERE.


Nowadays, a blood transfusion is thought to be a standard and safe therapeutic methodology because of the headways in prescription that have happened inside the most recent century. However, it wasn't generally that way. Before the twentieth century, there were unusual, incredible, and appalling endeavors to comprehend the circulatory framework and the systems to spare one's life.
In the township of Delmas in Mpumalanga, South Africa, street pharmacists meander the roads with no attempt at being subtle while the quantity of addicts develops by the many thousands. Nowadays, nyaope is the locale's medication of decision because of the strength and extraordinarily shoddy cost of just $2 a hit.Although one can smoke the white fine substance—a blend of weed, second rate heroin, rodent toxin, and cleaning cleansers—as a general rule, it is blended with water and infused to accomplish longer-enduring effects.Those who can't manage the cost of nyaope, which is said to be a standout amongst the most deadly medications on the planet, discover comfort in kindred addicts willing to share. The liberal strategy for disseminating one's high includes "transfusion of blood from an officially high someone who is addicted to a kindred addict.If the quantity of passings due to overdose wasn't sufficiently high, the stunning number of HIV cases keeps on becoming because of such dismally inventive procedures.
Preceding the revelation of intravenous flow in 1628 by William Harvey, it was trusted that ingesting another person's blood would be helpful in both a wellbeing and otherworldly setting. Amid the times of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, observers would drink the blood of passing on fighters in the conviction that their boldness and quality would be exchanged to these spectators.Perhaps the most preposterous situation in view of this antiquated and mistaken conviction was said to have happened in 1492 when the principal recorded endeavor of a blood transfusion was chronicled by Stefano Infessura. After Pope Innocent VIII fell into a state of unconsciousness, Infessura noticed that three 10-year-old young men were each guaranteed a pipe (gold coin) in return for their blood.
As we have talked about, the main blood transfusion to a human was directed in 1667 by Dr. Denys utilizing sheep's blood. The decision of a sheep was not arbitrary. It additionally wasn't because of accommodation and accessibility in a snapshot of crisis.In truth, different creatures were utilized as blood sources in view of specific elements relating to both the creature's and the human's particular qualities. In the seventeenth century, it was trusted that accepting remote blood would adjust one's spirit, making the beneficiary embrace particular qualities that the contributor had displayed in life.
In the seventeenth century, a German doctor proposed that to open the wellspring of youth, one would need to be transfused with "the hot and spirituous blood of a young fellow." This idea was acknowledged and rehearsed by Soviet doctor Alexander Bogdanov in 1924 when he started infusing "youthful blood" into his own veins. Bogdanov, who is said to be the originator of the world's first organization dedicated altogether to the field of blood transfusion, inferred that he had found a successful strategy for expanding one's life. Truth be told, with each transfusion Bogdanov gave himself, he demanded that his wellbeing was unquestionably improving.In his gullible endeavor to end up plainly eternal, the Soviet specialist's fortunes in the long run ran out when the blood he had transfused into his body was corrupted with intestinal sickness and tuberculosis, causing his demise. Strangely enough, Bogdanov's hypothesis might not have been too a long way from reality as appeared by a recent report distributed in Nature Medicine.
When rising Tejano star Selena was shot by Yolanda Saldivar in March 1995, questions emerged with respect to whether her demise could have been averted. As indicated by court reports, as the 23-year-old seeped to death, her dad contended with doctors against a blood transfusion because of their Jehovah's Witness convictions. Regardless, specialists managed three liters of blood to spare the withering artist however without any result. Such lamentable yet preventable cases are typical among Jehovah's Witnesses who trust that tolerating someone else's blood is as quite a bit of a wrongdoing as having an extramarital illicit relationship. As per their understanding of the Book of Acts, one who doesn't conform to the Scripture can be cut off from their friends and family and denied revival.
In 1667, a 15-year-old kid in France was drained lavishly in an amusing endeavor to enhance his wellbeing. Lamentably for the adolescent, he was currently experiencing serious blood misfortune notwithstanding his different illnesses. This incited Dr. Jean-Baptiste Denys to play out the primary reported transfusion to a human utilizing sheep's blood. Incredibly, the kid survived. So did a moment subject whom Dr. Denys paid to probe. The third applicant, Antoine Mauroy, was not as blessed. Mauroy, a rationally sick Parisian who wandered the avenues naked while shouting obscenities, was forced by Dr. Denys to experience the transfusion.
By 1938, the flare-up of World War II seemed up and coming. That same year, Brigadier Lionel Whitby was designated chief of a self-ruling UK Army Blood Transfusion Service that gave entire blood to military faculty from concentrated depots.Three years after the fact, the United States confirmed that they were not able to transport US-gave blood via air to Europe or Africa, causing a deficiency for US Allied powers. Subsequently, Whitby was confronted with the challenging assignment of supplying blood for all military work force amid a period when blood stores were being exhausted.To guarantee that US fighters would not seep to death on the combat zone because of British troops having a need, President Franklin Roosevelt undermined Winston S. Churchill with bankrupting the British Empire. Roosevelt's shakedown did not fail to attract anyone's attention as Churchill gave the request to utilize Britain's blood supply to meet the requests of the West.
In 1984, HIV was distinguished as the reason for AIDS, three years after the principal case was accounted for. The next year, US blood donation centers started executing screening tests to distinguish the infection. The innovation, be that as it may, was not adequate to recognize specific viral antigens and antibodies. By 1993, the quantity of living individuals in the United States who had contracted AIDS through a blood transfusion was 1,098. This uncovered people in general's helplessness to an ailment few knew much about, pulverizing the recognition that HIV/AIDS was exclusively a gay sickness. What developed was a developing threatening vibe toward government and open organizations, testing each part of the nation's wellbeing foundation including biomedical and behavioral research.
In the seventeenth century, human blood was viewed as "the substance of life and valuable just for its asserted clairvoyant impacts." Because of this conviction, almost 200 years go until the point when entire blood was utilized as substitution treatment on a British lady who was experiencing baby blues drain. A long time of experimentation went before such therapeutic advances with different fluids replacing blood. The main intravenous infusion happened in London in 1657 when Christopher Wren infused beer and wine into the veins of a dog.The canine wound up plainly inebriated, and the examination was thought to be a win. After eight years, the principal creature to-creature transfusion happened when Richard Lower utilized two puppies as the subjects of his exploration. In the wake of draining a petite canine almost to the point of death, Lower opened the supply route of an expansive mastiff and transfused the exsanguinated creature back to life. In doing as such, Lower showed that transfusions were imperative for the reclamation of the circulatory framework. This prompted a progression of analyses all through Europe for the following three centuries.
As a general rule, blood transfusions prompted appalling results before the revelation of blood writing in 1901 by Austrian doctor Karl Landsteiner. This restorative achievement spared the lives of incalculable men battling in the trenches amid World War I.However, immediate and quick transfusions in the front line were fundamental for survival. All through the following two decades, researchers contemplated how to adequately store blood for later use instead of finding a prompt and coordinating source.By 1930, Soviet researchers Vladimir Shamov and Sergei Yudin found that blood from cadavers could be protected for a concise period. Be that as it may, the reasonability was still in question.On March 23, 1930, Yudin played out the main transfusion utilizing cadaveric blood into a live patient. The method turned out to be fruitful but questionable given the source. Regardless, refrigerated blood focuses were built up all through Russia, making ready for the advanced routine with regards to delayed capacity of canned blood.


The Trap Of The 90 Day Wonder - Bottom Line Underwriters, Inc.
I want to take a couple of minutes to discuss with you the phenomenon affectionately known as "The 90 Day Wonder." For those of us unfamiliar with this phenomenon, let me 'splain it to you.
The 90 day wonder is the sales associate, brand new to the business, who starts out like gang-busters. Who, for the first couple of months, leads the field. Then, after about 60 to 90 days, their production starts to dip until it plateaus somewhere around the average.
Now some owners, managers and even trainers believe that this occurs because the new associate becomes "too smart" (as if intelligence were a malady) and they start to take the short cuts the old-timers teach them.
Well, I suppose there's some truth to that theory. As a matter of fact, according to the National Auto Dealers Association, the average retail automotive sales manager spends only 18% of their time working directly with his or her sales force. So, it stands to reason that if our average performing staff members are doing most of the sales training, our new associates will develop only average skills and work habits.
So as a sales manager, I made a concerted effort to spend the majority of my time working directly with my sales associates. And you know what? …It worked!!…sort of…for a while…and then slowly their performance dipped also.
Then I asked myself what are they doing differently? They're getting a different result so they must be doing something different. And then it came to me…like a slap in the face or a konk on the head.
When we first start out in our careers, we don't know much about the product and we don't know many wiz-bang sales techniques. What we do know is that we're excited (you know, new job, fancy store, new car smell etc.), we really want to help our customers, and the only thing we really know about is ourselves. Consequently, we end up enthusiastically selling ourselves and our eagerness to serve. Then, with product knowledge, we stop selling ourselves and start trying to sell cars. And with sales knowledge, we stop enthusiastically trying to serve and start aggressively trying to sell.
This distinction is not one of semantics. It's a distinction readily perceived by our customers.
Now, obviously I'm not saying that product knowledge or sales technique is unnecessary, quite the contrary. But what I am saying is that we need to develop the mind set and skills that will enable us to always approach our jobs with the enthusiasm of a new hire. IT…IS…POSSIBLE, you know. With state management skills, rapport building skills (among others), and a continual thirst for improvement, we can become or go back to being, and stay: a 90 day wonder for the rest of our career!!


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Home > Achievements > Highlights > Learning Journey to MOE ESTL
Learning Journey to MOE ESTL
The Secondary 3 Computing ('O' Level) students were invited by Dr Ben Leong, who is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at the National University of Singapore (NUS) School of Computing (SoC), for a learning journey to the Ministry of Education's Experimental Systems and Technology Laboratory (MOE ESTL) on 24 January 2017.
The learning journey served as an excellent opportunity for the students to meet the team spearheading the subject they are learning. It was also an eye-opening experience for the students to observe and explore MOE ESTL's office off Ghim Moh Road. An introduction by various members of the team kick-started the journey, providing the students with a brief insight to the team's daily life such as what a back-end programmer faces.
The students were also able to converse with Dr Ben Leong, who is also the Director of MOE ESTL, to have an idea of what are expected and debunking misconceptions of what the students have of the subject and industry.
Below is a reflection written by one of the students.
"This learning journey to the MOE ESTL allowed us to get to know more about the diverse jobs available in the computing industry. It also shows us that certain jobs can be related to computing, such as those from the security and infrastructure sector. We learnt that making a Working Application requires a lot of hard work and determination. It also requires various skills from people working in different sectors. Therefore, everyone has a part to play to ensure that the programme works. We also had a great chance to meet the Professor from NUS School of Computing, Dr Ben Leong. He clarified the doubts that we had and we greatly enjoyed the time we had with him. All in all, it was an enjoyable experience and we learnt a lot more about the world of computing."
Lee Pei Xuan
Secondary 3E4 2017


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Home › Obituary - Dying of Everything
Obituary - Dying of Everything
12" - Orange Kush Vinyl
12" - Orange Kush Vinyl - £22.00 GBP
This is currently a pre-order as we are waiting for records to arrive they are on their way and we hope they shall be here before the 27th January. Any items ordered alongside this record will not ship until this pre-order is in stock.
"Propelled by the inhuman vocals of John Tardy, the obscenely brutal guitar tone of Trevor Peres and rhythmic brilliance of drummer Donald Tardy, Obituary redefined heaviness throughout the 1990s. From undisputed classics Slowly We Rot and Cause of Death, through an unexpected hiatus to their current creative renaissance, Obituary have pioneered, defined and expanded extreme metal, becoming one of the underground's most recognized and respected acts." - Decibel Magazine
The legendary Death Metal icons OBITUARY return with their highly anticipated new album, Dying of Everything.
Dying Of Everything destroys in the time-honored tradition of early OBITUARY classics Slowly We Rot and Cause of Death while maintaining the killer studio sound that the band has been perfecting in their own studio since 2007's monstrous Xecutioner's Return.
You can hear the results on lead single "The Wrong Time" which boasts a slamming mid-tempo groove. Meanwhile, the title track boasts punishing riffs and songwriting by Ken Andrews. The album's third single, "My Will To Live," is a total skull-crusher. Track after track, OBITUARY solidify their legacy as a Death Metal institution, churning out some of the heaviest riffs in their career.
Like just about every album in OBITUARY's vast catalog, Dying Of Everything is instantly memorable; it's a skill that OBITUARY have only improved upon over the years. It's unusual for a band that's been around since the '80s to be doing some of their best work in the 2020s, but that's exactly what OBITUARY have accomplished through their do-it-yourself attitude and relentless touring on a worldwide level. "I think it comes down to passion," vocalist John Tardy offers. "I say this all the time, but if something's not fun, I'm not gonna do it. And we're having more fun than ever."


AJNER - Does Quality of Life Improve in Women Following Hysterectomy?
Does Quality of Life Improve in Women Following Hysterectomy?
Objectives: To measure the change in quality of life of women before and after hysterectomy. Methods: This prospective observational cohort study consisted of a convenience sample of 100 women scheduled for elective hysterectomy. Women between the age group of 30-60 years, those living with partner, premenopausal/postmenopausal age, who undergo abdominal/vaginal hysterectomy with or without salphingo oophorectomy for nonmalignant reason, were included. Women were recruited preoperatively and followed for four months after surgery. World Health Organization-Quality of life (WHO-QOL) Questionnaire was completed preoperatively and at four months postoperatively. Analysis included univariate statistics, paired t test and Chi-square tests. Results: The mean age of women in the study cohort was 43.71 years; majorities had primary education (49.5%), performed coolie work(71.6%), had 2 children(40%) ,duration of complaints were less than 3 months.(29.5%).42.1%of them were diagnosed with Fibroid uterus and 58.9% have undergone Total abdominal Hysterectomy with Bilateral SalphingoOophorectomy.89.5% did not attain natural menopause before surgery. Overall, there was marked improvement in quality of life mainly in Physical health and psychological status at 4 months after surgery as compared to preoperative period. Paired t test showed significant difference( p?0.001) in quality of life scores among samples between preoperative period and at four months after surgery. There was significant association between social relationship in preoperative period with selected demographic variables (Age, preoperative diagnosis and type of surgery undergone). However, it was highly significant with age (p?0.001) as compared to preoperative diagnosis (p?0.05) and type of surgery undergone (p?0.01). Conclusion: Quality of life improved considerably from the preoperative period to four months postoperative in women who underwent hysterectomy.
K. Thilagavathi Krishnasamy, Rajeswari Vaidyanathan. Does Quality of Life Improve in Women Following Hysterectomy?. Asian J. Nur. Edu. and Research 5(1): Jan.-March 2015; Page108-112.


A tough robust and stylish messenger bag in light stone colour with a dark brown trim. Made of super strong canvas with genuine leather trim, the bag has an adjustable shoulder strap in canvas. The front flap has two buckled straps that close with magnetic buttons with a large easy access pocket under the flap. The main compartment closes with a full zip and the interior is deep and spacious, fully lined with water resistant monorammed lining. There is a large zip pocket at the back of the bag with a padded lining - ideal for carrying a tablet. There are two side pockets on the bag.


Experience the magic of Srinagar hospitality at The Lion House Boat. This budget houseboat accommodates leisure travellers in spacious rooms. Boating facility is offered by this houseboat, guests can take pleasure of this facility and enjoy with friends and family here.


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Love Island's Ollie Williams slams 'trophy hunter' claims after his house is targeted by activists
Love Island contestant Ollie, who quit the show on Tuesday, had been the subject of a petition to get him kicked out the villa
Simon Duke
Under fire Love Island contestant Ollie Williams has hit back at accusations that he is a 'trophy hunter' after a now deleted picture showed him proudly posing next to a dead animal.
Ollie quit Love Island on Tuesday and then in scenes that aired on the show on Wednesday night, he revealed to his fellow Islanders that his departure was down to the fact he was still in love with his ex.
Before the first episode of Love Island's new series had even aired, Ollie was made the subject of a petition to get him kicked off the show after photos of him emerged online proudly posing next to a dead animal.
It was claimed in the petition that Ollie ran a touring hunting business Cornish Sporting Agency and its his links with hunting that have prompted animal activists to target his family's Cornwall estate and threats being made.
And, having now seen the accusations aimed at him, Ollie has released a statement denying the claims.
Love Island's Ollie Williams' home under armed guard after death threats
Who are Love Island new boys Finley Tapp and Connagh Howard? Late arrivals to the enter villa
In it he says "Having left the Love Island house I have become aware of the press stories circulating in the UK. I would like to make a number of comments on the various claims and accusations.
"I had no knowledge of the stories until I had left the Love Island villa and all cast members are unaware of any news stories while they are on the programme.
"My reasons for leaving Love Island are as communicated on the show. I did not shoot any of the animals shown in the photographs nor have I ever shot as a trophy hunter.
"I did volunteer to take part in the conservation and anti-poaching programme in Mozambique, a part of which involves old or sick animals being culled. I was there as an observer."
The petition against Ollie on Change.org had attracted well in excess of 20,000 signatures and speaking of the company he was claimed to have set up, he added "The Cornish Sporting Agency was set up in 2017 and has never traded. I feel very passionately about conservation and will continue to support sustainable conservation causes around the globe.
"These benefit the natural world and the animals which live within it, even if certain elements appear controversial when viewed out of context. As I am no longer in Love Island, I will comment no further on this issue."