Staff Editor

Around 8.15 last night goldsmith Gopaul, 51 years of Richmond, Essequibo Coast, and his wife were attacked and robbed by four men, one of whom was armed with a handgun.

Several persons were today taken into custody after officials of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) swooped down on a St Vincent and the Grenadines-registered vessel and seized a quantity of undeclared alcoholic beverages.

A car stolen from a taxi driver at Bare Root, ECD yesterday was found at a Bel Air workshop and three men and a juvenile are now in custody.

MUMBAI, (Reuters) – A 13-year-old has smashed the  record for the highest individual score by an Indian schoolboy  with a marathon innings of 498.

(BBC) Angry Haitian mobs are reported to have killed at least 45 people in recent weeks, accusing them of spreading a cholera outbreak that has killed over 2,500 people across the country.

(BBC) The ratings agency, Standard and Poor’s, has said that the Jamaica government needs a strategy for debt reduction that takes the country beyond the next scheduled general elections.

In a statement today, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) says it has an adequate amount of staff on the customs wharves to deal with the increased traffic for the Christmas season.

President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday announced a one-month bonus for the Disciplined Services which will cost $400M.

SEOUL, (Reuters) – North Korea warned today   of a “holy war” against the South using its nuclear deterrent   as South Korean President Lee Myung-bak vowed a “merciless   counterattack” if its territory is attacked again.

MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – Allegations of pitch   doctoring to favour Australia’s attack for the fourth Ashes   test against England have been “funny to read”, the Melbourne   Cricket Ground’s head groundsman said yesterday.

(BBC) The cash-strapped Turks and Caicos Islands is threatening to name and shame businesses which are in arrears to the government.

The police are probing an armed robbery that occurred at about 3 pm yesterday at Orange Walk, Bourda, Georgetown , during which Shadeer Hussain of Canal No 1.

PNCR presidential candidate hopeful, Dr Faith Harding this morning arrived in Guyana and says she is confident of becoming the party’s nominee for next year’s election.

PPP censures Nagamootoo over GAWU comments The PPP has censured executive member and presidential hopeful Moses Nagamootoo for his recent public statements on GuySuCo’s threat to derecognise the sugar workers union GAWU with party General Secretary Donald Ramotar labeling his statement as grandstanding and in bad taste.

(BBC) The Jamaica government has disclosed that it is pushing for the country to have its own Court of Appeal.

(Go-Jamaica) The British-based Guardian newspaper has released a damning cable from the US Government obtained though Wikileaks which claims that the Mayor of Kingston Desmond McKenzie met with US Embassy officials to lobby against the extradition of alleged crime lord, Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke.

(Go-Jamaica) A leaked US cable has claimed that Lorna Golding, the wife of Prime Minister Bruce Golding, believed the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was under the “pernicious influence” of U.S.

PPP General Secretary Donald Ramotar has expressed surprise at the move of presidential hopeful Ralph Ramkarran to take his ambitions to the public with the appearance of a full page ad in the press.

Social activists Mark Benschop and Freddie Kissoon were up to 11 am today still in police custody and from their cells at the Brickdam Police Station lockups they shouted that they were being victimized and punished by the government.

Courts has unveiled shopping up to midnight today and tomorrow as the Christmas buying frenzy gets into top gear.