Staff Editor

(Reuters) – The Sacramento Kings have suspended leading scorer and rebounder DeMarcus Cousins indefinitely for “unprofessional behavior and conduct detrimental to the team”, the Kings said on Saturday.

CAIRO, (Reuters) – Egypt’s new constitution, which was drafted by an Islamist-dominated assembly, was approved by 64 percent of voters in a two-round referendum, an official in the Muslim Brotherhood said on today citing the group’s unofficial tally.

(Jamaica Gleaner) The head of the indigenous people in Dominica, Garnet Joseph, says he is disappointed that after two years, the government has not agreed to a proposal to change the name of the Carib Territory to Kaliango Territory.

(Barbados Nation) SOCA QUEEN Alison Hinds has been bestowed with an honour from New York City just in time for Christmas.

(Barbados Nation) Barbadians will now benefit directly from the successes of Grammy Award-winning singer Rihanna.

(de Ware Tijd) PARAMARIBO – Surinamese producers are being hit by hidden measures by Caricom countries to limit imports.

(BBC) Eoin Morgan hit a six off the final ball as England squared the two-match Twenty20 series against India with a dramatic six-wicket victory in Mumbai.

The police say they are investigating the murder of Roopram Jagdeo, 38 years, of Providence, EBD, who died at the GPHC at about 1200h yesterday.

VATICAN CITY,  (Reuters) – Pope Benedict made a surprise pre-Christmas visit to the jail holding his former butler today and pardoned him for stealing and leaking documents that alleged corruption in the Holy See.

JOHANNESBURG,  (Reuters) – Former South African president and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, who is 94, continues to respond to treatment two weeks after being taken to hospital, the government said today.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Police Commissioner Owen Ellington has said Jamaica is keeping pace on the road to slashing its murder rate to 12 per 100,000 by 2017.

(Barbados Nation) Another international agency has relegated Barbados’ credit rating to “junk” status but while Government says it was not surprised by the move, the Opposition contends that it was another sign the economy was not stable.

(Trinidad Express) Upgrades to the immigration system to assist with the detection of fraudulent passports and other travel documents is set to begin by January next year.

CARACAS,  (Reuters) – Venezuela’s opposition mocked President Hugo Chavez’s chosen successor Nicolas Maduro on Friday as a “poor copy” of his boss who should be promoting national unity rather than insulting opponents during a delicate time for the South American nation.

(Trinidad Express) AT LEAST 5,000 new Housing Development Corporation (HDC) houses are to be distributed next year by the Government.

KARACHI, (Reuters) – Bangladesh have agreed to tour Pakistan next month in the first visit by any country since armed militants attacked the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in 2009, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf said today.

MOSCOW, (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that neither side would win the civil war in Syria, and that China and Russia would be unable to persuade President Bashar al-Assad to quit if they tried.

(Trinidad Express) A blackout along the entire north-west of Trinidad forced dozens of businesses in downtown Port of Spain to halt Christmas shopping amid a rush of people yesterday afternoon.

MELBOURNE, Australia CMC – West Indies bowling star Sunil Narine was powerless to stop his Sydney Sixers from a 21-run defeat at the hands of Melbourne Stars in the Australian Big Bash here yesterday.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua,  CMC – Guyanese opener June Ogle has earned a recall in a strong 13-member West Indies Women’s squad announced for the first three One-Day Internationals of the five-match series against South Africa next month.