GEORGETOWN, GUYANA, CMC:

The main opposition party in Guyana has moved to the courts to reverse the recent amendment to the Constitution which extended the life of Parliament by a month and gave the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) that extra time to prepare for the 2006 polls.

People's National Congress Reform (PNC/R) Executive member and legislator Joseph Hamilton has filed a 10-day writ challenging the legality of the constitutional amendment and to prevent GECOM Chairman Steve Surujballi, and Chief Election's Officer Gocool Boodoo from acting as in their positions on the election body.

The writ has been issued by Rex Mc Kay, S.C., Miles Fitzpatrick, S.C., Keith Massiah, S.C. and Basil Williams, on behalf of the Plaintiff.

"This Government is prepared to defend in the most forcible way whatever litigation is offered. I will certainly attend the Caribbean Court (of Justice) if any action is instituted against the Government," Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Doodnauth Singh said when the PNC/R first issued the legal threat during the recent parliamentary debate when the amendment was passed by the Government.

ST GEORGE'S, GRENADA, CMC:

The Grenada government is welcoming a ruling by the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Court Appeal allowing for the proceeding of infrastructural work near to the Queen's Park Stadium.

Plans to build a new bridge leading to the stadium were halted after Azam Rahaman, the owner of a business where the bridge was to be built took the government to court.

The Court of Appeal on Thursday overruled a previous High Court ruling that Rahaman could not be moved because he had an ongoing business.

The Government said it was concerned that the court battle would have impacted on Grenada's plans to host cricket matches in next year's Cricket World Cup.

KINGSTOWN, ST VINCENT, CMC:

St. Vincent and the Grenadines' Prime Minister said international agreements must involve security issues even as he noted that traditional partners in security "have been looking askance at what we are doing."

"The issue of security is a matter for multilateral cooperation," Dr. Ralph Gonsalves told journalists in Kingstown, even as he noted that the U.S. had cut off military aid to this country, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados, because they signed and ratified the International Criminal States Statute.

"The United States and Europe consume most of the drugs. We have to work together on it," he said.

"We didn't start any process to induce terrorism but we are part of the anti-terrorist fight and we have changed our laws and done many things and these things cost money.

PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD, CMC:

Government has appointed retired Justice Monica Barnes to investigate the alleged failures in the State's social support systems surrounding four-year-old Amy Emily Annamunthodo's brutal murder on Monday night.

Barnes' appointment was announced by Legal Affairs Minister Christine Kangaloo at Whitehall Thursday.

Barnes is a former Supreme Court judge and a serving member of the Integrity Commission.

Minister Kangaloo told the post Cabinet media briefing that Barnes will examine the question of whether, and if so, the extent to which the existing systems may have failed in this instance.

GENEVA, (REUTERS):

The United Nations top anti-torture body told the United States yesterday that any secret jails it ran for foreign terrorism suspects, along with the Guantanamo Bay facility, were illegal and should be closed.

In its first review of U.S. policy since Washington launched its war on terrorism, the Committee against Torture also urged President George W. Bush to ban interrogation
methods that could be regarded as torture or cruel treatment.

It cited use of dogs to terrify detainees, 'water-boarding' which is a form of mock drowning, and sexual humiliation, saying that some detainees had died during questioning.