Staff Editor

(Jamaica Gleaner) Six months after labelling St James, the parish with the highest incidence of crime, Jamaica’s Minister of National Security, Peter Bunting, says there has been a dramatic reduction in murders in the western township.

JOHANNESBURG,  (Reuters) – South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn took six for eight as Pakistan collapsed to their lowest test total of 49 on the second day of the first test at the Wanderers today.

TIMBUKTU, Mali,  (Reuters) – French President Francois Hollande flew to Mali today to support French troops fighting Islamist rebels in the Sahel nation, and he visited the famed ancient city of Timbuktu that was recaptured from al Qaeda-allied fighters six days ago.

MADRID,  (Reuters) – Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy strongly denied today allegations in the media that he and other leaders of his centre-right People’s Party had for years received payments out of a secret slush fund.

(Barbados Nation) The female immigration officer at the centre of Jamaican Shanique Myrie’s lawsuit against Barbados will have to take the stand when the trial begins in the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) next month.

(Trinidad Express) The intervention of two clergymen was not enough to save the life of a 36-year-old woman who was stabbed to death in the washroom of a church in Chaguanas on Thursday evening.

Guyana Defence Force Chief of Staff, Commodore Gary Best today met with a group of miners at the Julian Ross Landing in the Cuyuni (Region Seven), where it was alleged, that soldiers menaced and robbed miners in the area.

The Guyana Defence Force’s  Women’s Army Corps today observed its 46th anniversary at which Chief of  Staff Commodore Gary Best urged female ranks to maintain high standards and avoid the pitfalls of immoral behaviour.

Pegasus Hotel, in association with PEP TV and Carib Feedback Productions, will be hosting the ‘One Love Reggae Night’ to commemorate Bob Marley’s 68th birth anniversary on Wednesday, February 6, 2013 from 7:00 pm at the Pegasus Poolside. 

BERNE,  (Reuters) – World soccer’s governing body cannot battle corruption in the game alone and national associations must also join in, according to FIFA president Sepp Blatter.

NEW YORK,  (Reuters) – U.S. stocks rose to five-year highs on Friday, with the Dow closing above 14,000 for the first time since October 2007, after jobs and manufacturing data showed the economy’s recovery remains on track.

LONDON,  (Reuters) – Cuban boxers could soon be fighting under professional rules for the first time in more than 50 years after high-level meetings between the Caribbean island’s authorities and the International Boxing Association (AIBA).

BOSTON,  (Reuters) – As many as 60 students have been forced to withdraw from Harvard University after cheating on a final exam last year in what has become the largest academic scandal to hit the Ivy League school in recent memory.

Chief of Staff Gary Best today announced that, in accordance with Part III Section 16 of the Defence Act Chapter 15:01 of 1977, the promotion of 267 Other Ranks was approved, effective from January 1, 2013.

APNU MP Volda Lawrence is to move a motion at Thursday’s sitting of the National Assembly calling on the government to embark on a massive effort to restore the capital to its long cherished title of the Garden City.

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad,  CMC-Trinidad and Tobago captain Denesh Ramdin is planning to use the regional cricket season to press his claim for a recall to the West Indies side after he was overlooked for the current tour of Australia.

ROSEAU, Dominica,  CMC-Former president of the Dominica Football Association (DFA), Patrick John, has sued the DFA over his suspension in the wake of FIFA’s infamous bribe for vote scandal.

Residents of Canal Number Two Polder, Region Three yesterday at a meeting at the Endeavour Primary School with Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture Alli Baksh.

ANKARA,  (Reuters) – A suicide bomber from a far-left group killed a Turkish security guard at the U.S.

JOHANNESBURG,  (Reuters) – Birthday boy Graeme Smith did not contribute much with the bat against Pakistan but it was still his day at the Wanderers today as he captained his 100th test and basked in the adulation of the crowd.