Grenada opposition doubts impartiality in bribery probe

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada (AP) – Grenada’s opposition said yesterday the island’s governor-general could not be trusted to lead an impartial investigation into bribery allegations against the prime minister.

Prime Minister Keith Mitchell announced July 2 that a commission of inquiry would be formed by Governor-General Sir Daniel Williams. Business and church leaders had demanded the investigation.

Nazim Burke, a lawmaker with the opposition National Democratic Congress party, said Williams had political ties to Mitchell and couldn’t be trusted to be impartial in naming the commission.

Search called off for missing pilot of cargo plane

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, US Virgin Islands (AP) – The US Coast Guard has stopped searching for the pilot of a cargo plane that crashed in the Caribbean after a blaze engulfed one of the aircraft’s engines, officials said yesterday.

Co-pilot Charlie G Soto Garcia, 25, said the fire on Monday caused one of the engines to fall off near St Croix, said Coast Guard spokesman Eric Willis.

Spanish suspect gets second release from jail

MADRID, Spain (AP) – A Spaniard released earlier this year from the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay will soon be freed from Spanish jail where he has spent nearly five months, a judge ruled yesterday.

Hamed Abderrahman Ahmed returned to Madrid last February following his release from Guantanamo, but was jailed in Spain over his alleged ties to al-Qaeda after being questioned by Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon.

Garzon, the National Court magistrate investigating al-Qaeda activities in Spain, stated yesterday in a five-page legal decision that “it is reasonable… to ease the conditions of prison” because of what Ahmed suffered in US detention.