Keeping you updated on current events... ONLINE DAILY NEWSPAPER
Saturday, February 27, 2021
Nandlall backtracks on threat to Cevon’s Waste Management Company ROYSDALE FORDE APPEALS CHIEF JUSTICE’S DECISION TO DISMISS ELECTIONS PETITION
Pg3
COALITION MP SAYS GOVT PLACES POLITICAL EXPEDIENCY AHEAD OF GOOD ECONOMICS
Pg2
MINISTER COLLIN CROAL JUSTIFIES LACK OF CONSULTATION
Pg2
Guyana Post Saturday, February 27, 2021
Nandlall backtracks on threat to Cevon’s Waste Management Company
Government had made a move to have Cevon’s Waste Management Company vacate the property at Mandela Avenue by way of court proceedings. The CEO of Cevon’s, Morse Archer, made an appeal to the Government to resolve the matter. He has had that request fulfilled. Attorney General Anil Nandlall had called on the company to remove from the property by March as the Government claimed that the acquiring of the land was not done legally. However, Mr. Archer maintained that his investment was genuine and the right process was followed. As he wrote to the president seeking
resolutions outside of the court. Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, has signalled the Government’s approach to the matter. He said that the Government will move to “regularise” the situation with the involvement of the National Sports Commission since the company had given a rundown of how much money was invested and how many jobs were created. “(Mr. Archer) has outlined how much money he has invested and the important partnership that he has entered into, which all seem genuine. The matter is being investigated and is being reviewed to see
how best the situation can be resolved. “The land does not fall under the Lands and Surveys Commission. So, the wrongs committed by Mr. Trevor Benn in abrogating under his supervisor authority over the land remains questionable. We will decide on the way forward; we will have to regularise the situation” Mr. Nandlall said Mr. Nandlall when asked what was meant by regularising the matter he responded that any such decision will have to rest in the hands of the National Sports Commission, the owner of the land. There will be guidance from the
Government on the way forward. “One of it will have to involve bringing on board the national sports commission. They own the land by law… They will have to address the matter and we have to look at what projects they may have had for the land and those kinds of confederation,” Nandlalll added He said that at this stage he is unable to say what may be the outcome but paying more, extracting the land from the commission, amounts to other options that remain on the table. Just weeks ago Nandlall wrote to the Cevons seeking this
removal off the property by March 1, or face the courts, some weeks after the new building was constructed. He was precipitate since he has since found out that the government has no control of the land and that he had no power to threaten Archer. Archer reached out to the Government explaining that his investment was genuine and that he would have a lot of folks unemployed in the event that the government acts outside its jurisdiction. Mr Archer added that it is his opinion that he has done nothing wrong in acquiring the land and that it remains strange
that in the process no one stopped him but waited until all was done then approached him. Mr Archer said that in the process of acquiring the land he approached the Mayor and City Council and was later referred back to the Minister of Housing, who did a validation and valued the space for $47 Million. During the later part of the deal, Mr Archer said he had paid $100 Million for the land and then it was later signed off by the Department of Lands and Surveys clearing the way for the head office to be built after more than five years of applying for the land.
Coalition MP says Govt places political expediency ahead of good economics
With the Government looking to pump more than $2B into the Sugar Industry, APNU-AFC Opposition Member, Coretta McDonald, is are calling on the PPP/C Government to be truthful to the sugar workers about the failing industry. Speaking on the allocation of monies in the Budget for the reopening of some sugar estates, MP. Mc Donald blasted the Government on its continued dishonesty about the industry, which it continues to fund while neglecting profitable ones. “The Sugar Workers info@guyanapostonline.com
APNU-AFC Opposition Member, Coretta McDonald
have been the backbone of this economy for decades and we appreciate their dedicated work. However, it is time, to tell the truth. “It is time to tell them
that they are producing a product at 0.41 Cents and selling at 0.13 cents, a loss of hard-earned taxpayers’ dollars and the transition is inevitable,” Ms Mc
Donald said. Ms. Mc Donald questioned why the Government continues to fund an industry, which over years has failed rather than fund a project like the bauxite industry that is more promising. She pointed to the fact that these questions might be answered since the Government will continue to fund the sugar industry in the interest of political gains rather than fund the bauxite industry which has been more profitable but the Government has shown no interest. “This Government
2
has zero interest in policymaking for each Guyanese. Its decisions are driven by political discrimination and political considerations. “Let me show the evidence…Guyana currently supplies 6.6% of refractory grade bauxite to the world market. We are considered a great natural supplier of this resource but despite this fact, the Government refuses to rescue the bauxite workers and has decided to put $2B into Guysuco in this budget.” In the past, the APNU-AFC while in
Government closed down several sugar estates claiming that they were unprofitable. This caused some level of outrage by the then PPP/C Opposition, who said the Government then had closed an industry on which thousands of families depended. Since then, the PPP/C campaigned on the promise to re-open the sugar industry. This year it re-opened some estates, and in the 2021 budget has allocated some $2 billion for the revitalization of the industry.
Guyana Post Saturday, February 27, 2021
Roysdale Forde appeals Chief Justice’s decision to dismiss elections petition
Following the dismissal by Chief Justice, Roxane George, of the case in the relation to the APNU-AFC Election Petition, the petitioners have formally signaled an intent to appeal the
decision. Chief Justice George, on January 18, last, dismissed Election Petition 99P for non-compliance with the law, in the manner in which Former President David Granger was served
while being an important party to the petition. Rule 9 (1) of the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Rules, states that the petitioners have the statutory obligation to effect service within five
Minister Collin Croal justifies lack of consultation
Minister of Housing and Collin Croal,
With nearly every speaker on Opposition Parliamentary end outspoken of the Government’s lack of consultation on the 2021 Budget, Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, has defended the Government’s decision to not consult with them. Minister Croal, in the presentation during the 2021 Budget Debate, pointed out that while the acknowledgment of consultation has been heard from the opposition, the info@guyanapostonline.com
Opposition cannot see it fit for the Government to consult them when they don’t recognize them as a legal Government. “Much has been said that they were claiming that they were not consulted but they have refused to recognize a People Progressive Party Civic government and a president, a duly elected president. “If you do not recognize, how can we recognize you as the leading opposition?” Minister Croal added that even if those claims were true, the Opposition would not be able to do so since they don’t have the knowledge to do so. Their track record has shown that they are incapable of having development. “They cannot discuss any budget in a sensible way because they don’t have the knowledge or
skill to do so and more importantly they cannot do so because they have failed… “The APNU-AFC failed to implement the lofty plans that they bragged about while in Government. They failed to come up with strategies to many problems that face our country even with the goodwill they enjoyed in 2015.” The Main Opposition APNU-AFC has been touting the fact that even then representing more than half of the voting populations, they were never consulated on the budget and other various projects. A P N U - A F C Opposition has claimed that the Government chose to consult with those they know will agree to the measures that will, in the long run, benefit them.
days after the presentation of the petition. According to the Chief Justice that was not complied with and as a result, the matter was dismissed. Withstanding that effect, just one month after, a notice of appeal was filed, yesterday by the APNU-AFC, Roysdale Forde, who represented petitioners, Monica Thomas and Brennan Joette Natasha Nurse. In the appeal, the petitioners expressed dismay at the decision of the Chief Justice. The petitioners are asking the Court of Appeal to set aside the decision since the judge would have erred in the manner in which the case was dismissed by misdirecting herself when
she applied the doctrine of strict compliance with service of the affidavit in a timely manner. The petitioners have noted also in the Judgement, the Judge failed to recognize the overall objective of the petition by mainly focusing on the service of the document rather than looking at the real matter at hand. It was during the case management period of the matter that Attorney General Anil Nandlall pointed out that the petition, having been filed on September 15, 2020, should have been served on the former President five days thereafter which would have been September 21, 2020, since the fifth day
September 20, 2020, was a Sunday. But according to an affidavit by Nurse, the petition along with the relevant documents was not served on the former President until September 25, 2020– four days outside of the statutorily prescribed period. Having regards to the circumstances, Nandlall urged the court that the petition ought to be dismissed. Chief Justice George agreed and dismissed the matter. Petition 88p, which challenged the manner in which the March 2, 2020 general and regional elections were done was left since that matter was filed in accordance with the law.
Foulis kills 72-year-old by pushing him into a fire
Marco Suedatt
A 22-year-old Foulis youth, Marco Suedatt, was this morning charged with brutally murdering a 72-year-old Pensioner, whom he reportedly shoved into a fire. Suedatt, who was not required to enter a plea to a charge of murder appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court and was remanded until May 18. It is alleged that Suedatt on February 22, at
3
Enmore, ECD, murdered 72-year-old Mathura Etwaru, a pensioner. Reports suggest that on the day in question, the elderly man and Suedatt were seen in a heated argument near a supermarket. That argument quickly escalated. Suedatt reportedly pushed Etwaru to a fence and as the argument continued Etwaru was later held and shoved into a nearby fire. Suedatt, while the
Elderly Man being burnt alive, picked up his bicycle and rode away. The burnt body of Etwaru was discovered by a 51-year-old man in the area who later alerted the police. The Guyana Police Force in its investigation reviewed the CCTV footage from the supermarket and saw what had transpired and later arrested Suedatt, who then admitted to the murder.
Guyana Post Friday, February 26 2021
Give public servants 10% hike–Ramjattan
allocation set aside for public servants, the Opposition APNUAFC is demanding that the government give a 10% wage increase across the board for all public servants. Opposition Member of Parliament and Former Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, With the during the 2021 Budget Government only Debate demanded the noting that there has Government give a been a $10B Budget
10% wage increase for 2020. “As a simple demand of them, I proposed that there be a wage increase of 10% across the board retroactive to January pending the negotiation at all stallholders in Government and at the GPSU…. “It is in recognition of the hardship faced by public servants today, in this COVID period.” Mr. Ramjattan
said. The Coalition since the announcement of the 2021 budget has criticized the People’s Progressive Party Government for failing to increase public servants’ salaries and the minimum wage. “Please if you have any heart ensure that it happens. We would like a lot more but 10% is what we seek at this time,” Mr. Ramjattan added.
The Government had so far denied the APNU+AFC claims and said that persons must not be misled by them in their false claims that there will be no wages and salary increases in 2021 for public servants. As such the G o v e r n m e n t maintained that over $10B has been budgeted in the estimates under the
head, ‘revision of wages and salaries and a huge part of that sum will go towards salary increases for the public sector workers. The Coalition has thus far rejected this move. The allocation will not favour all and as such in order for that to only happen there must be an increase in percentage across the board, the coalition added.
A second UN term for a champion of causes crucial to the Caribbean
By Sir Ronald Sanders (The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the U.S. and the OAS. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and at Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are entirely his own) United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has announced his availability to serve a second term when his current term ends on December 31. Arguably, Guterres is the UN SecretaryGeneral that has paid the greatest attention to the concerns and challenges of the countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Over the last four years, the policies and priorities he has vigorously pursued and tirelessly advocated have aligned with the interests of the people of the Region.
When three Caribbean countries experienced grave destruction in 2017 and 2019, Guterres made it his business to fly to them, not only to witness the devastation but to make the world aware of the catastrophes, and to formulate plans to help. Visiting Barbuda in 2017, weeks after the ravages of Hurricane Irma, he walked with the people who had suffered in the disaster that left no inhabitable house and no functional building. Guterres told the world, “I have been in areas torn by conflict. In my own country, I have seen earthquakes, I’ve seen storms […] I have never seen such a high-level of devastation like the one that I witnessed in Barbuda.” Moving from Barbuda to Dominica, which was worst affected because its population was much larger, the UN Chief declared, “the link between climate change and the devastation we are witnessing is clear, and there is a collective responsibility of the international community to stop this suicidal development.” He immediately launched an agenda on the theme of connecting climate change to natural disasters. Justification for his campaigning and advocacy was bolstered two years later, in 2019,
when Hurricane Dorian demolished islands of the Bahamas chain. Again, turning up to focus world attention on the catastrophe, Guterres told global audiences, “Hurricane Dorian has been classified as Category 5. I think it’s Category Hell.” The Secretary-General recognised the links between natural disasters caused by climate change, the accumulation of unsustainable debt by countries struggling to rebuild infrastructure and economies, and the crucial need for better debt forgiveness; debt rescheduling; and access to concessional financing from the International Financial Institutions. He has championed this stance relentlessly. As recently as January 25, he told a Climate Adaptation Summit meeting in The Netherlands, “We are facing a climate emergency. We are already witnessing unprecedented climate extremes and volatility, affecting lives and livelihoods on all continents. According to the World Meteorological Organization, there have been more than 11,000 disasters due to weather, climate and water-related hazards over the past 50 years at a cost of some US$3.6 trillion. Extreme weather and
climate-related hazards have also killed more than 410,000 people in the past decade, the vast majority in low and lower middleincome countries”. And, he added, “We must expand the provision of liquidity and debt relief instruments to developing and middle-income countries that lack the resources to relaunch their economies in a sustainable and inclusive way”. Guterres was commanding world attention to issues confronting the Caribbean region with the authority that Caribbean countries alone cannot muster. He has also stressed that “The share for Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States in total climate finance remains small, representing only 14 per cent and 2 per cent of flows respectively”. In that context, he has argued for “support for regional adaptation and resilience initiatives, that would allow, debt-for-adaptation swaps for the Caribbean or the Pacific Islands and provide much needed liquidity to vulnerable countries in dire need”. Similarly, since the middle of 2020, he has been warring for developing countries, particularly small states, over the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In his unflagging championship,
on January 25, he told the World Economic Forum in Davos, “Inclusive and sustainable recovery around the globe will depend on the availability and effectiveness of vaccines for all, immediate fiscal and monetary support in both developed and developing countries, and transformative longer-term stimulus measures”. Declaring that “Vaccines must be seen as global public goods — people’s vaccines”, Guterres told the world’s leading economic and financial leaders, “If developed countries think they will be safe if they vaccinate their own people while neglecting the developing world, they are wrong”. He argued that what is required is “full funding for the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator and its COVAX facility led by the World Health Organization (WHO)”. Countries in CARICOM, which now have no vaccines and little prospect of getting sufficient, under the existing COVAX programme of the WTO to inoculate their populations, strongly agree with Guterres’s position. It is significant that he attended CARICOM Heads of Government
Meetings in 2019 and 2020 to hear their concerns first-hand. On January 28, the SecretaryGeneral outlined his priorities. They reflect concerns expressed by CARICOM leaders, including promoting vaccine equity, providing access for the world’s poorest countries; combatting climate change and biodiversity loss; conquering the grave impacts of poverty and inequality; and strengthening multilateralism to ensure delivery of public health, peace and a healthy environment. Undoubtedly, there’s good reason for all CARICOM leaders to take leaves from the books of Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, who pledged his support by letter to Guterres on January 12, and British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, who on the same day, “warmly welcomed the secretary-general’s decision to run for a second term and congratulated him on a successful first term”. António Guterres, by just doing his job with fidelity to the countries he represents – including small states – has proven himself very worthy of the unequivocal support of CARICOM countries.
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
5
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
6
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
7
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.