Guyana Post Newspaper

Keeping you updated on current events...

ONLINE DAILY NEWSPAPER

Wednesday, February 23, 2021

Laptop disappears from MP’s bag in National Assembly THE POLICE HAVE ARRESTED FOUR OVER THE RAPING OF A 98-YEAR-OLD, WOMAN

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POLICE ISSUE BULLETIN FOR SUSPECTED SHOOTER

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GOVERNMENT SELECTS TARGETS FOR DISCRIMINATION

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Guyana Post Thursday, February 25, 2021

GOVERNMENT SELECTS TARGETS FOR DISCRIMINATION

Lloyd Singh

TSelective persecution is nothing new. However, it has no place in a democratic society.

Robert Badal learnt this the hard way when he set out to buy Pegasus from the Meridien Group.

At the time there were some local investors close to the government of the day who had a vested interest. Badal prevailed against such large investors as Eddie Boyer. He could not get a loan from local sources

because the then Finance Minister Bharrat Jagdeo controlled the purse strings.

One victim was entrepreneur Lloyd Singh, proprietor if International Pharmaceutical Agency.

He was interested in the divested Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation New GPC).

His competitor for the acquisition of the property was Dr Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop.

Singh had put in all the

work, right up to the point of securing the necessary loan. At the time he was a member and supporter of the People’s Progressive Party. He was also close to Bharrat Jagdeo, the then Finance Minister.

At the time of the sale of the property, all Singh needed was approval to secure the loan from the National Insurance Scheme. Chairman of the NIS was Dr Roger Luncheon.

When the time came Singh failed to secure the loan from the NIS although the rate of return would have been better than any of the investments in which the NIS had ventured.

Dr Ramroop was said to be equally cash-strapped but Jagdeo refused to approve the NIS loan for Lloyd Singh, thus paving the way for Ramroop to acquire the property.

Jagdeo was not above taking land from people and transferring it to

friends and family. Lloyd Singh had 330,000 acres of land in Berbice. Jagdeo wanted it so he acquired it. There was no fight.

Not satisfied, a plot of land south of the North Ruimveldt Multilateral School owned by a private individual was also acquired.

The reason was that the government wanted to set up a Guyana Power and Light facility.

More recently, some of the friends of the party enjoyed even more preferential treatment. The government sole 103.4 acres of land at Liliendaal to Mr. Eddie Boyer for US$2.55million.

The land was owned by the Guyana Sugar Corporation.

Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) could have been in a better position if only it was allowed to go ahead with certain plans, said an official.

However, those plans were halted on the call

of Jagdeo while he was President. He had eyed GuySuCo lands for his friends.

A former GuySuCo Chairman said that back then lands were sold and some were gifted but in a very transparent manner. Those gifted were to religious bodies and sometimes charitable organizations.

The Chairman added that the lands used for the development of Diamond Housing Scheme were from GuySuCo. “We gifted wisely and we were able to contribute to the development of Guyana.”

The Chairman said that things started to change after the PPP Administration started to have a direct say as to what should be documented as lands “gifted.” NICIL was subsequently given responsibility to sell GuySuCo lands.

In just one instance GuySuCo was deprived

of making over US$20M just because, according to the former Chairman, “We were told the President had other plans for a plot of land.”

GuySuCo was getting ready to seal a lucrative deal through the sale of just over 100 acres of land at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara, to Housing Construction Limited but the process was halted by the Jagdeo government.

Housing Construction Limited is a Trinidadian Company.

A top GuySuCo official at the time, said, “The government was very much aware that we were getting ready to sell and it is because of that they decided to take the lands.”

A document titled Privatization in Tables Phase 11 (1993 to 2011) shows that those lands were basically gifted to Eddie Boyer. Boyer is the owner of National Hardware and a friend of

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POLICE ISSUE BULLETIN FOR COVID-19 DEATH TOLL NOW 193 SUSPECTED SHOOTER

42-year-old Osafo Seretse Grundall,

The Guyana Police Force has issued a wanted bulletin for former murder accused, 42-year-old Osafo Seretse Grundall, of Freeman Street, East La, Penitence, Georgetown.

The man is wanted for the murder of 27-yearold Christopher Dale, of Tiger Bay, Georgetown, info@guyanapostonline.com

who was murdered Tuesday morning at a J’Ouvert party.

The police are asking the public to share any information that may lead to the arrest of Grundall. People are asked to contact the police on telephone numbers 227-1270, 2256940, 226-7476, 266-

1389, 227-2128, 2258196, 226-6978, 911 or the nearest police station, as all information will be treated with the strictest confidence.

On Monday evening, Christopher left his Tiger Bay home for the J’Ouvert Party, at Hill Street, Lodge, Georgetown, with some of his friends.

With the party full in swing at about 06:00h on Tuesday, Christopher was shot once to the abdomen while the party.

Christopher was later placed in a taxi by three unknown men while he was bleeding, and taken to a hospital. At the hospital, Christopher was pronounced dead on arrival.

Three persons were later arrested as the

police now are on a manhunt to find the fourth suspect in the murder.

Grundall, called ‘Curlup’, has been in the past fingered in several charges including that of murder.

Back in September 2020, he had to stand trial in the High Court for manslaughter. In court, Grundall and his co-accused, James Fraser, called “Damo”, of Garnett Street, Campbellville, were initially indicted for the capital offence of murder.

The duo was jointly charged for murdering Marlon Rodney, known as “George” between April 25 and April 30, 2019, at Norton Street, Georgetown.

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Guyana recorded three COVID-19 deaths over the past two days taking the total number of deaths to 193.

The victims were two men, one of them a 48-year-old from Region Four (DemeraraMahaica); the other a 63-year-old from Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara) and a 65-year-old male from Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) who died while receiving care at our medical facility, today.

The MOH expresses sincerest condolences to

the family of the deceased and will make every effort to provide all the necessary support during this difficult time to render any assistance needed.

The Ministry is also appealing to the general public to respect the confidentiality of the deceased and their families and to allow them to mourn their tragic loss in peace.what he did to his brother.

Justice Ramlall ch felt that 18 years was sufficient for the crime committed in the circumstances.

Laptop disappears from MP’s bag in National Assembly

Member of Parliament Catherine Hughes

Police have been called as the laptop of Member of Parliament Catherine Hughes went missing.

The MP reportedly left the laptop along with some documents in her brief case in the dome of the Arthur

Chung Convention Centre where the National Assembly has been convened.

The former minister

discovered the laptop missing when she returned from lunch.

The documents remained intact but the laptop is missing.

This publication understands that the police have been called in and a search is expected to happen.

Hughes husband, Attorney at Law, Nigel Hughes in a social media post said “just when you thought things could not get worse in the National Assembly, a laptop is stolen from a MP’s bag in the Dome in the National Assembly during the budget debates.”

The MPs are currently debating the 2021 national budget.

Guyana Post Thursday, February 25, 2021

THE POLICE HAVE ARRESTED FOUR OVER THE RAPING OF A 98-YEAR-OLD, WOMAN

Four people are in police custody following the rape of a 98-year-old woman of Corentyne. Those arrested are a 38-year-old fisherman, a 53-year-old laborer, a 23-year-old laborer, and a 24-year-old laborer, all of Rose Hall Town, Corentyne.

On Tuesday morning the caretaker just around 07:30hrs went to the home of the victim to wake her and to take her out. She later observed that the door was opened, which is unusual.

According to the police statement, this caused the caretaker to call out for the victim who responded that “the boys come in and beat her up and push their hand down her throat and choke her”.

The caretaker observed that blood was on the victim’s clothing and bedspread.

Sometime later, the police were then called in and an investigation was launched where it was discovered that the woman was indeed violated.

Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan heads list of 48 promoted GDF Ranks from January 01, 2021.

Heading the list of promoted Officers is Acting Colonel and Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan who was made Substantive in her rank.

Eight Substantive Majors have also been promoted to the rank of Substantive Lieutenant Colonel. Those Majors are Mohinder Ramjag, Anson Weekes, Matthew Chichester, Andy Pompey, Dale De Mendonca, Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan Kennard Liverpool, Earl President of the Co- Chief Magistrate Ann Edghill, and Miguel operative Republic of McLennan were made Benjamin Guyana and Commander Substantive in her rank. in Chief, Mr Irfaan Ali in See the following The following 14 accordance with Part III statement below from the Substantive Captains are Section 16 of the Defense Guyana Defence Force newly promoted Majors: Act 15:01 of 1977 of In accordance with Substantive Captain the law has promoted 48 Part III Section 16 of Troy Cordis Guyana Police Defense the Defence Act 15:01 Substantive Captain Force Ranks, in the wake of 1977, the Chief of Kirk Marlock of Guyana’s 51st Republic Staff (ag)Brigadier Substantive Captain Anniversary Godfrey Bess is pleased Esan Reid The promotion is said to announce that His to be in effect from with Excellency the President Substantive Captain effect from January 1, and Commander-in- Bernard Cunjie 2021, and heading that Chief Dr. Irfaan Ali has list is said to be Officer approved the promotion Substantive Captain is Acting Colonel and of 48 Officers with effect Cleon Coppin info@guyanapostonline.com

Substantive Daryl Britton

Captain

Substantive Mirza Wahid

Captain

Substantive Dawn Singh

Captain

Substantive Denolle Sankar

Captain

Substantive Captain Jermaine Newton Substantive Sven Douglas

Captain

Substantive Oral Thom

Captain

Substantive Dwighton Bess

Captain

Substantive Paul Castello

Captain

Below is the list of the Substantive Lieutenants who have been promoted to the rank of Substantive Captain.

Substantive Lieutenant Samuel Klien

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Substantive Lieutenant Substantive Lieutenant Steffon Cameron Keevin Salaru Lieutenant Coast Substantive Lieutenant Guard, Wayne Richmond Teffurn James is leading Officers’ promotion at the Coast Substantive Lieutenant Guard. He was promoted to the rank of Substantive Pete Da Silva Lieutenant Commander.

Substantive Lieutenant Additionally, Sub Lieutenant Carlos Moore Trevon Poole has been promoted to Substantive Lieutenant the rank of Substantive Lieutenant.

Rohan Marshall Meanwhile, Substantive Substantive Lieutenant Majors Michael Charles, Obitre Hytmiah Sean Welcome, and Bhageshwar Murli, who Substantive Lieutenant serve in the Guyana Dishon Harris People’s Militia (GPM) have also been promoted Substantive Lieutenant to the rank of Substantive Lieutenant Colonel.

Steffhon Branche Substantive Captains Substantive Lieutenant Salim October, Lancelot Curtlan Melville Khan, Mahendra Carpen, and Marlon Daniels have Substantive Lieutenant been promoted to the rank of Substantive Major.

Shaheed Zaiboon Also in the GPM, Substantive Lieutenant Substantive Lieutenants Lakshman Persaud and Neil Asregadoo Patrice Jacobs have been Substantive Lieutenant promoted to the rank of Lawrence King Substantive Captain.

Guyana Post Thursday, February 25, 2021

ACME Manager found dead in her Office

54-year-old Sandra Dee-Barker of La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara was found dead in her office at ACME building this morning.

Reports are that

Barker was found motionless in her office on the third floor of the ACME General Store located at the corner of Regent and King Streets, Georgetown.

According to staff, the woman was last seen alive on Monday just around 17:30h.

The woman’s body was discovered by a 25-year-old colleague motionless.

It was examined by Emergency Medical Technicians, at the scene. No marks of violence were seen norr were there any signs of breakage found on the building The dead woman was later identified by her brother, Philip Barker, of Cane View Avenue, South Ruimveldt Gardens, Georgetown.

The body is currently at the Lyken Funeral home awaiting a post mortem.

MAN SHOT DEAD DURING J’OUVERT

A Tiger Bay man’s night out with friends turned tragic after he was shot and killed during J’ouvert Dance on Mandela Avenue.

Dead is a 24-year-old, Tiger Resident, Dale Christopher.

Initials reports sugget that it was just before midnight at the Mandela location, between Princess and Norton Street, Christopher was attending the dance with a group of friends.

Black Bush Polder man gets 18 years for killing brother

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A Black Bush Polder Man was today jailed for 18 years for stabbing his brother to death back in 2017.

The convict, 24-yearold Gopaul Sewsankar, previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter committed against his brother 19-year-old Vishal Sahora of Lot 85 Yakusari, Black Bush Polder before Justice Simone MorrisRamlall.

Reports are that Sahora, one of his brothers, Samuel Sewsankar, and a friend of Sahora

Jagdeo’s. The document was prepared by NICIL Director, Winston Brassington.

Page 38 of that document, item 61, showed that Boyer under the name of his company, National Hardware was sold 103.88 acres for $510M (US2.55M)— $4.9M per acre.

The document showed that other buyers of land in Liliendaal paid way more than Boyer paid.

Scady Business Corp. paid $115M for 4.7 acres — $23M per acre. Even though the circumstances surrounding that sale are questionable, Boyer was essentially handed the lands at a gift price.

The transactions were also flagged in the NICIL audit report done by Chartered Accountant and Former Auditor General, Anand Goolsarran.

Goolsarran, in his report, said that “By order No. 45 of 2008 dated 29 December 2008,

info@guyanapostonline.com

were imbibing under the friend’s house when the suspect approached Sahora requesting to borrow his motorcycle.

Sahora refused and Sewsankar became annoyed and dealt him a slap. A scuffle ensued between the two brothers.

Sewsankar then pulled out a knife he had in his possession and stabbed his brother to the chest.

Sahora later was rushed to the Mibicuri Hospital where he succumbed while receiving treatment.

Over three years later

and in court, attorney representing Sewsankar, said that his client is a first-time offender who is involved in a commonlaw relationship and has a four-year-old daughter.

It was also noted by his lawyer that while his actions are not excused, the incident arose between brothers that we drinking and the accused has expressed remorse of what he did to his brother.

Justice Ramlall ch felt that 18 years was sufficient for the crime committed in the circumstances.

It was sometime during the dance shots rang out and Christopher was seen laying on the floor with multiple gunshot wounds.

Christopher was picked up and rush to Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Police are still trying to ascertain whether the shooting was random or a target.

With limited details of the matter, the father

of the dead the man said unaware of the details of the shooting or why his son was shot.

“I just got the message this morning, one of them call and said he got shot…… I haven’t even seen the body. Another man rides up, and tell me that your son is dead, that’s all I know. He went to some party.”

The man is hopeful that details surrounding the shooting will come to light

GOVERNMENT SELECTS....

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209.344 acres of land at Block LPT lettered XXX were transferred from GuySuCo to the government of Guyana.

Of this amount, 103.88 acres were transferred to NICIL via order No. 4/2010 dated 12 March 2010.

Three months later, on 17 June 2010, NICIL sold the said land to National Hardware for $510M via order No. 43 of 2010. This works out to 4.9M per acre.

He noted too, “By order No. 47/2008 dated 30 December 2008 4.7 acres of land at RU Plantation Liliendaal was transferred from the Government of Guyana to NICIL. NICIL in turn sold the property on 2 January 2009, a mere two days later, for $115 M to Scady Business Corporation, an overseas company based in Tortola, British Virgin Islands . This is further evidence of the sale of

land without any form of competitive bidding.”

Boyer later denied that he was given a favourable deal. Presented with the information about the purchase deal, and asked to comment, Boyer’s first response was, “When?

What?

Boyer then said that the price was the “highest price ever paid for land in Guyana.”

Asked by a reporter how much he paid, Boyer replied, “Why must I tell you how much I paid for the land? It does not have to be public knowledge.

It was government land; GuySuCo or whoever sold the land can tell you.”

Boyer continued that he was the only bidder for the land. “I got it and that was the end of that.”

Today, Boyer is making a fortune on that piece of land. A house lot is now being sold for $40 million, the equivalent of $160 million per acre.

International News

Guyana Post Thursday, February 25, 2021

COVAX VACCIN E-SHAR ING SCHEM E DELIVE RS FIRST DOSES TO GHANA Coast later this week, the Covax alliance says.

Vaccinations are expected to start in Ghana next week, and, as well as health workers, those over 60, people with underlying health conditions, and senior officials are due to be prioritised.

The vaccines delivered to Accra

Ghana has become the first country to receive coronavirus vaccines through the Covax vaccine-sharing initiative.

A delivery of 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in Accra on Wednesday. The first recipients are due to

be healthcare workers.

The Covax scheme aims to reduce the divide between rich countries and poorer nations unable to buy doses.

The programme is planning to deliver about two billion vaccine doses globally by the end of the year.

were produced by the Serum Institute of India and developed

by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.

The vaccine has been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and its roll-out in Ghana is not part of a trial.

The doses being sent to lower-income countries such as

Ghana are funded by donations. As well as procuring and delivering the vaccines, Covax partners are supporting local authorities in areas such as training people to administer the jabs and helping provide an adequate cold-chain storage and delivery system.

Ghana, which has a population of over 30m, was chosen as the first recipient of the free vaccines after promising quick distribution and meeting the criteria set by Covax.

Further deliveries are expected to neighbouring Ivory

Johnson and Johnson vaccine: FDA finds the single-shot jab safe

A review by US regulators of the singleshot Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine has found it is safe and effective.

It paves the way for it to become the third Covid-19 vaccine to be authorised in the US, info@guyanapostonline.com

possibly within days.

The vaccine would be a cost-effective alternative to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, and can be stored in a refrigerator instead of a freezer.

Results from trials were released by

Johnson & Johnson last month.

The Belgian company Janssen, which is owned by the pharmaceutical giant, said its data showed the product was highly effective against severe disease.

It comes as Ghana

became the first country to receive coronavirus vaccines through the Covax vaccine-sharing initiative.

The briefing document published by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gives more detail on

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the data submitted by Janssen to the regulator.

The FDA concludes that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has “known benefits” in reducing both symptomatic and severe illness.

Results from vaccine trials conducted in the US, South Africa and Brazil found its efficacy against the worst outcomes of the virus was “similarly high” but overall protection was lower in South Africa and Brazil, where virus variants have become dominant.

Data showed it was more than 85% effective at preventing serious illness, but only 66% effective overall, when moderate cases were included, when considering cases at least 28 days after vaccination.

Notably, there were

no deaths among participants who had received the vaccine and no hospital admissions after 28 days post-vaccine.

An external committee of experts will meet on Friday to recommend whether the FDA should authorise the vaccine, possibly adding to a coming surge in vaccine availability in the US. AWhite House official said the administration anticipated distributing at least three million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine next week, should it receive emergency authorisation from the FDA. The company says it plans to deliver 20 million doses in total by late March, in line with an agreement to supply the US with 100m doses by the end of June.

International News

Guyana Post Thursday, February 25, 2021

ECUADO R INCREA SES DEATH TOLL IN PRISON RIOTS TO 79

The number of inmates killed in riots at three separate prisons in Ecuador this week has increased to 79, authorities said on Wednesday, after they regained control of the facilities.Hundreds of police officers and

military personnel were deployed after coordinated fights between rival gangs broke out in the prisons’ maximumsecurity wings on Monday night.

Authorities said the gangs began a

battle for leadership within the prison system in December when a leader of Los Choneros, considered the most powerful gang, was killed in a shopping centre several months after being released.

E c u a d o r i a n President Lenin Moreno said Tuesday was a “tragic day for the country” – as dozens of prisoners were first reported dead – and blamed overpopulation within the prison system, as well as a lack of personnel and resources, for the violence.

In earlier messages, he expressed his condolences to the families of those killed and pledged to hold those responsible accountable.

“What happened yesterday was no coincidence,” Moreno said in a video posted on Twitter. “It was organised from

outside the prison, orchestrated by those who are in dispute over leadership and drug trafficking across our national territory.”

The national agency responsible for the prisons (SNAI) said 37 inmates were killed in the Pacific coast city of Guayaquil. Thirtyfour others were killed in Cuenca, Ecuador’s third-largest city and eight were killed in the central city of Latacunga.

The detention facilities where the riots took place account for 70 percent of the country’s prison population.

On Tuesday, television footage showed some prisoners

jumping from high walls and others forcing open prison doors but police and the military stopped them.

SNAI said all those killed during the rioting were prisoners.

“Thanks to the actions carried out between this institution and the National Police, the situation … is under control,” the agency said in a statement.

Police said inmates in two prisons in Guayaquil tried to continue fighting on Wednesday, but at least 400 officers reinforced security there.

Moreno declared a state of emergency in Ecuador’s prison system in 2019 after at least 24 were killed in

Syria torture: German court convicts ex-intelligence officer

A German court has sentenced a former Syrian intelligence officer to four-and-ahalf years in jail for complicity in crimes against humanity.

Prosecutors in Koblenz successfully argued that Eyad alGharib, 44, had helped to arrest protesters in 2011 who were later tortured and murdered.

The case was unprecedented for its hours of witness testimony describing info@guyanapostonline.com

widespread torture in Syria.

Another Syrian Anwar Raslan, 58 remains on trial.

Both fled Syria’s civil war and got asylum in Germany - but were arrested in 2019.

German prosecutors invoked the principle of “universal jurisdiction” for serious crimes to bring the case.

The agency the men worked for played a crucial role in suppressing the peaceful

pro-democracy protests that erupted against President Assad’s regime in 2011.

Prosecutors argued that the two men were “cogs in the wheel” enabling a vast state torture machine to operate.

Eyad al-Gharib was charged with bringing at least 30 protesters to a notorious Damascus prison to be tortured in 2011, while working for Syria’s most powerful civilian intelligence

agency, the General Intelligence Directorate (GID).

His defence lawyers argued that he feared punishment for disobedience if he did not carry out orders, and highlighted his willing co-operation with German authorities and assistance in providing evidence against Anwar Raslan.

Al-Gharib says he defected from Mr Assad’s regime to help the opposition and then

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fled Syria in 2013, arriving in Germany in 2018.

Eyad al-Gharib was a relatively lowlevel operative among thousands of others in the Syrian regime’s highly developed network of coercion and repression.

The verdict is a legal landmark. The prosecution was intended as a test case, to build up a body of evidence about the actions of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad that could be used in other trials, not just in Germany.

Al-Gharib’s conviction starts to chip away at any sense of impunity felt by Syrians still working for the regime who might be involved with war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The German human rights lawyers behind the case have spent years using the

principle of universal jurisdiction to reach out across borders to pursue other allegations. Their targets have included the former US President George W Bush for crimes including violations of the UN Convention against Torture. line Anwar Raslan is suspected of being involved in the torture of at least 4,000 people in 2011-12. He is charged with 58 counts of murder as well as rape and sexual assault.

He is accused of being a high-ranking officer in charge of the GID’s al-Khatib prison in Damascus, known as “Hell On Earth”. If convicted, he faces life in prison.

Rare moment of justice For some Syrians the trial, which began in April 2020, was a rare chance for justice after countless atrocities.

International News

Guyana Post Thursday, February 25, 2021

APAN INCREASES PROTECTION FOR US MILITARY AMID ‘SEVERE SECURITY ENVIRONMENT’

Imran Ramsaywack

Hong Kong (CNN) Japan’s military performed 25 missions in 2020 in defense of US ships or planes, a sign of the growing integration of two of Asia’s most powerful armed forces.

The number of what Japan calls “asset protection” missions

was up from 14 in 2019 amid a “severe security environment,” according to an announcement from Japan’s Ministry of Defense.

The Japanese military said the 25 missions involved Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF)

protecting US Navy ships on four occasions while those ships were gathering information on ballistic missiles or other warning or surveillance activities.

In 21 instances, the missions involved protecting US aircraft that were in joint training with their

Japanese counterparts.

Japanese authorities would not say when or where the missions took place, only that they “contributed to the defense of Japan.”

American and Japanese forces participated in a wide range of exercises last year in and around

Japan and as far away as the Indian Ocean.

A US Air Force B-1 Lancer and US F-16 fighters from Misawa Air Base, Japan, conducted bilateral joint training with Japan Air SelfDefense Force F-2s off the coast of northern Japan, April 22, 2020.

Defense analysts said if a hostile power took on the United States military in any of the asset protection missions, Japanese forces could hit back at that foe. “If American assets were suddenly attacked then the SDF would be expected to counter attack to prevent follow-up attacks on US vessels or planes,” said Corey Wallace, an assistant professor at Kanagawa University in Japan.

However, Japanese security expert Narushige Michishita, vice president of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Tokyo, said it was unlikely the forces faced any real danger of hostilities.

“Certainly, some countries’ forces conduct dangerous maneuvers during USJapan exercises, so the Americans and the Japanese might have experienced a few unnerving events on some occasions,” he said.

But both experts said the SDF announcement indicates the growing importance of the US-Japan security relationship amid a time of increased threats in the region.

Deadly sea crossings’: 41 migrants drown in the Mediterranea

At least 41 people drowned when their boat capsized in the Central Mediterranean on Saturday, the latest shipwreck involving migrants and refugees fleeing conflict-stricken Libya and seeking a better life in Europe.

The United Nations migration and refugee agencies, IOM and UNHCR, said in a joint statement on Wednesday that the drowned people were among at least 120 migrants on a dinghy that left Libya on February 18.

According to info@guyanapostonline.com

testimonies gathered by the UNHCR, the dinghy started taking in water after about 15 hours at sea, and eight people died before a merchant vessel came to help.

“After about 15 hours the dinghy started to take in water, and the persons on board tried in every way possible to call for help,” a joint statement by the IOM and UNHCR said.

“In those hours, six persons died after falling into the water, while two others tried to swim to a boat spotted in the distance and drowned.

“After about three hours, the vessel Vos Triton approached the dinghy to carry out a rescue but in the difficult and delicate operation many persons lost their lives.”

The vessel rescued the survivors and took them to the Sicilian port town of Porto Empedocle in Italy. The missing included three children and four women, one of whom left behind a newborn baby currently in Lampedusa.

The shipwreck was the latest along the Central Mediterranean migration

route, where about 118 migrants have died this year.

Since 2014, more than 20,000 migrants and refugees have died at sea while trying to reach Europe from Africa.

More than 17,000 of those have been on the Central Mediterranean which is described by the UN as the most dangerous migration route in the world.

In the years since the 2011 uprising that removed and killed longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi, wartorn Libya has emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants.

Human smugglers based in Libya launch vessels, many of them flimsy rubber dinghies or rickety fishing boats, crowded with migrants who hope to reach European shores to seek asylum.

The journey – after years of suffering and

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torture in the country of origin, during travel and in Libya – starts with leaving in the middle of the night, often on overcrowded, unseaworthy boats without food and water.

Questionable life jackets for the treacherous conditions are only for those who can afford them.

In addition to the casualty figures are the ones forcibly returned to Libya, described as “hell” by those who survived the ordeal on their transit.

Since February 2017, at least 36,000 people have been intercepted by the Libyan coastguard and returned to the North African country, UN figures show.

The European Union has reportedly spent more than 90 million euros ($109m) in funding and training the Libyan coastguard to stop the crossings.

An Associated Press investigation revealed the EU sent more than 327.9 million euros ($397.9m) to Libya, largely channelled through UN agencies.

EU nations such as Italy and Malta have often refused docking permission to humanitarian rescue boats.

“The duty to rescue people at sea must always be respected, regardless of their nationality and legal status, in line with international obligations,” the UN statement added.

“That migrants and refugees should continue to try desperately to reach Europe via the Central Mediterranean is demonstration of the need for an immediate international effort to provide them with viable alternatives to these deadly sea crossings.

SPORTS

TIGER WOODS IS AWAKE AND RECOVERING FROM SURGERY AFTER SERIOUS ACCIDENT

Golf legend Tiger Woods

Los Angeles (CNN) Golf legend Tiger Woods is awake and recovering from surgery, according to a statement posted early Wednesday on his official Twitter account.

Woods, who was involved in a serious car accident on Tuesday near Los Angeles, is “responsive, and recovering in his hospital room,” the statement said.

Woods suffered serious leg injuries and was trapped but conscious when emergency responders reached the scene of his one-vehicle rollover crash on a stretch of California road known for speeding and accidents, authorities said Tuesday.

Woods, 45, was driving shortly after 7 a.m. PT in Rancho Palos Verdes, near Los Angeles, when the SUV he was using crossed a median and went across two lanes of road before hitting a curb, hitting a tree and landing on its side off the roadway in the brush.

A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who was the first to arrive said he found Woods still in the driver’s seat, wearing his seatbelt, and that the golfer was able to tell him his name was Tiger.

The 15-time major champion was lucid and calm, but potentially in shock, and didn’t seem to be concerned with his injuries at the time, Deputy Carlos Gonzalez said.

Los Angeles County

Fire Chief Daryl Osby told CNN’s John Berman that Woods was alert and oriented and was trying to “self-extricate” but he was stuck.

Firefighters used a pry bar and an ax to free the golfer, who this past weekend hosted a PGA Tour event in the area but didn’t play because of a recent back surgery.

They broke the windshield with the ax and used the bar to pry the seats and metal from around Woods’ legs, Osby said.

They put Woods in a neck collar, attached leg splints and used a backboard to get him through the giant hole in the windshield to an ambulance. He went to the hospital in serious but stable condition with injuries to both legs, Osby said.

Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, said the golfer was in surgery with multiple injuries, according to Golf Digest.

How the crash happened The crash, which destroyed the front of the Genesis SUV courtesy vehicle, could have been fatal, but the airbags and seatbelts helped Woods survive, Gonzalez and Sheriff Alex Villanueva said.

The sheriff said he thinks Woods was traveling at a high rate of speed down a hilly part of the road when the crash occurred.

There were no skid

marks or other indications of braking, Villanueva added.

Villanueva said that section of road is “downhill on a curve,” and he and Gonzalez said the area is known as a trouble spot for speeding and accidents.

Deputies responding to Woods saw no evidence of impairment, Villanueva said, and they didn’t ask hospital officials to take a blood draw, he said.

A Los Angeles law enforcement source told CNN that no field sobriety test was administered because of the seriousness of Woods’ injuries.

A tweet from the sheriff’s department earlier said rescuers used the Jaws of Life to get Woods out of the vehicle, but Osby said firefighters in fact used a tool for prying and an ax to remove the windshield and free Woods.

Woods was taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, a trauma center.

CNN has reached out to the hospital for his condition.

The sheriff’s department said Woods was the only occupant of the car.

Another car, not involved in the initial rollover incident, stopped after the crash and was rear-ended, according to Los Angeles County PIO Henry Narvaez.

The days leading up to the crash Woods likely was headed for the Rolling Hills Country Club in nearby Rolling HIlls Estates for a shoot with Golf Digest and Golf TV, according to Daniel Rapaport, the Tiger Woods correspondent for Golf Digest.

Woods had a 7:30 a.m. call time, with shooting supposed to begin around 8. It was the second day of shooting.

Rapaport told CNN’s “Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer” that Woods was not playing or

L.A. County sheriff’s deputies investigate an accident involving golfer Tiger Woods on Tuesday along Hawthorne Boulevard on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

hitting, but was giving oncourse playing lessons to celebrities.

“He was in good spirits on Monday when he did that,” Rapaport said of the shoot.

Woods had hosted the Genesis Invitational over the weekend, and was seen intermittently on Saturday and more often during Sunday’s final round.

Woods was at the course Monday with NBA legend Dwyane Wade, actress Jada Pinkett Smith and actor David Spade.

“The reason I picked up a golf club. Yesterday was a pretty cool day!

Thank you @tigerwoods @golfdigest for this dope opportunity!” Wade wrote on Instagram Tuesday.

“Guess who I had the most awesome golf day with yesterdayyyyyy???

Yes! The magnificent @ TigerWoods !!!! Yes ... dreams come true. I can’t wait for you to see my golf journey with Tiger. Stay tuned!” she wrote.

Spade joked about Woods’ ability as an instructor.

“Golf lesson with this guy today. And you know what? He’s not bad...

He picks things up very quickly. Good listener,” he tweeted with a photo of himself and a smiling Woods.

Recent injuries Woods, who has won a record-tying 82 PGA Tour events, announced earlier this year that he had a

8

recent back operation, the fifth of his professional career.

Woods told CBS sportscaster Jim Nantz in video posted Sunday on the PGA Tour’s Twitter feed that he was “feeling fine” but a “little bit stiff” after his most recent procedure. He said he was scheduled to get one more MRI. Woods previously had back surgery -- a spinal fusion -- in 2017 and made his return almost a year later. He went on to launch a remarkable comeback, winning the Masters in 2019.

Any progress last year was hampered by yet another back injury and the pandemic, which heavily disrupted the golf calendar.

“We have been made aware of Tiger Woods’ car accident today. We are awaiting further information when he comes out of surgery.

On behalf of the PGA TOUR and our players, Tiger is in our prayers and will have our full support as he recovers,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said Woods last played competitive golf at the rescheduled Masters in November. He also played golf in a father-son event called the PNC Challenge in December in Florida.

Woods was the host of this weekend’s PGA Tour event, the Genesis Invitational at Riviera

Country Club in Pacific Palisades, and some proceeds went to his foundation.

World No. 3 golfer and friend Justin Thomas got emotional while talking about Woods ahead of the Workday Championship at The Concession event in Bradenton, Florida.

“I’m sick to my stomach,” he told PGA Tour Entertainment. “You know, it hurts to see one of your -- now one of my closest friends get in an accident. Man, I just hope he’s all right. Just worry for his kids, you know. I’m sure they’re struggling.”

Jack Nicklaus, whose record of 18 major titles Woods has been chasing, tweeted his well wishes.

“Barbara and I just heard about Tiger’s accident, and like everyone else, we are deeply concerned,” he wrote. “We want to offer him our heartfelt support and prayers at this difficult time. Please join us in wishing Tiger a successful surgery and all the best for a full recovery.”

Corrections: This story has been updated with the correct status of Woods’ vehicle as well as the correct spelling of the Los Angeles County spokesperson’s last name.

Also, the LA County Sheriff’s Department initially said Woods was cut from his vehicle using the Jaws of Life. It has since said that is not the case. This story has been updated to reflect that.