News 1st Look: Cranky croc steals Aussie zoo worker's lawn mower (AP)

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Cranky croc steals Aussie zoo worker's lawn mower (AP)

Cranky croc steals Aussie zoo worker's lawn mower (AP)
NKoreans salute, cry for late leader Kim Jong Il (AP)
Mudflow kills 4 near Indonesian volcano, more flee (AP)
China cuts 2012 rare earths export quota (AP)
China satellite navigation system starts service (AP)
31 injured in jet's crash-landing in Kyrgyzstan (AP)
Afghanistan, China sign first oil contract (AP)
China blames 54 officials for bullet train crash (AP)
Key dates in the life of North Korea's Kim Jong Il (AP)
Elephants race, play soccer in Nepal festival (AP)
Indian activist ends fast, still opposes graft law (AP)
World stocks down on mixed US, Japan economic news (AP)
3 NATO troops killed by bomb in east Afghanistan (AP)
Oil hovers above $101 amid rising Iran tensions (AP)
NKorea shows wailing mourners on Kim funeral day (AP)

Cranky croc steals Aussie zoo worker's lawn mower (AP)

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 09:24 AM PST

AP - A giant saltwater crocodile named Elvis with an apparent affinity for household machinery charged at an Australian reptile park worker Wednesday before stealing his lawn mower.

NKoreans salute, cry for late leader Kim Jong Il (AP)

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 08:59 AM PST

AP - North Korea's next leader escorted his father's hearse in an elaborate state funeral on a bitter, snowy day Wednesday, bowing and saluting in front of tens of thousands of citizens who wailed and stamped their feet in grief for Kim Jong Il.

Mudflow kills 4 near Indonesian volcano, more flee (AP)

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 07:53 AM PST

AP - Officials say mudflows streaming from a volcano in eastern Indonesia have killed four villagers and about 1,000 others have fled their homes.

China cuts 2012 rare earths export quota (AP)

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 07:41 AM PST

AP - China announced a cut Tuesday in its rare earths export quota as it tries to shore up sagging prices for the exotic metals used in mobile phones and other high-tech goods.

China satellite navigation system starts service (AP)

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 07:41 AM PST

AP - A Chinese rival to the U.S. global positioning system network has started providing services in China and the surrounding area.

31 injured in jet's crash-landing in Kyrgyzstan (AP)

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 07:26 AM PST

AP - A Soviet-built jet operated by a Kyrgyz carrier broke its wing, overturned and caught fire Wednesday as it tried to land in deep fog in southern Kyrgyzstan, leaving 31 people injured, officials said.

Afghanistan, China sign first oil contract (AP)

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 07:22 AM PST

AP - Afghanistan's government signed a deal Wednesday with China's state-owned National Petroleum Corporation, allowing it to become the first foreign company to exploit the country's oil and natural gas reserves.

China blames 54 officials for bullet train crash (AP)

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 06:37 AM PST

AP - A long-awaited government report said design flaws and sloppy management caused a bullet train crash in July that killed 40 people and triggered a public outcry over the dangers of China's showcase transportation system.

Key dates in the life of North Korea's Kim Jong Il (AP)

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 06:26 AM PST

AP - Key dates in the history of North Korea and its late leader Kim Jong Il:

Elephants race, play soccer in Nepal festival (AP)

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 06:14 AM PST

AP - Soccer-playing elephants used all four feet and even their trunks trying to score goals. Racing pachyderm thundered to the finish line to the cheers of the crowds. And in the elephant beauty pageant, contestants sported nail polish on their not-so-dainty toes.

Indian activist ends fast, still opposes graft law (AP)

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 05:47 AM PST

AP - A prominent Indian activist called off his hunger strike Wednesday but said that he would travel the country and campaign against the government after Parliament's lower house approved an anti-corruption legislation he called weak.

World stocks down on mixed US, Japan economic news (AP)

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 01:11 AM PST

AP - World stocks markets fell Wednesday, with trading thinned by year-end holidays and mixed economic news out of the U.S. and Japan.

3 NATO troops killed by bomb in east Afghanistan (AP)

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 12:11 AM PST

AP - Three NATO service members have been killed by a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan, the alliance said Wednesday. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the target was a U.S. military convoy.