The World

THURSDAY

USDA approved Monsanto’s genetically engineered, drought resistant corn after reviewing environmental and risk assessments, public comments and research data.

Italy’s Senate approved an emergency austerity budget aimed at addressing the nation’s massive debt in the 33 billion euro budget that was rushed through Parliament by Prime Minister Mario Monti.

A wave of bombings killed at least 72 people in Baghdad just days after U.S. troops left the country. The attacks were the first since Iraq’s Shi’ite-led government was engulfed in a crisis that risks fracturing the country along sectarian and ethnic lines.

Four former National Football League players, including two Pro Bowl players, sued the league over brain injuries that they say left them facing medical problems years after their careers ended.

FRIDAY

Police in several cities around the country were called to stores to manage unruly shoppers seeking Nike’s new Air Jordan athletic shoes. In Tukwila police had to use pepper spray to break up fights in a crowd of 1,000 to 2,000 people at South Center mall. Two entry doors were broken off. It took 25 police officers to subdue the crowd. One man punched a police officer. In Indianapolis, incidents were reported at three different malls around the city. One store saw a crowd of about 300, which broke a door down. A pair of the shoes sells for $180, according to the Nike website, but they were already being advertised on EBay with asking bids of as much as $605.

President Barack Obama signed into law a two-month payroll tax cut extension after the Senate and the House of Representatives, by voice votes in chambers nearly emptied for the holidays, passed the $33 billion bill to keep the payroll tax rate at 4.2 percent through February. It had been scheduled to increase on January 1 to 6.2 percent.

A series of strong earthquakes hit the New Zealand city of Christchurch, sending goods toppling from shelves, causing rockfalls and driving terrified residents from buildings 10 months after a quake killed almost 200 people in the city.

WEEKEND

A crazed gunman in a Santa suit gunned down six people and himself at a family Christmas celebration in Grapevine, Texas, Christmas morning. The dead — four women and three men ages 15 to 59 -- were found Sunday morning in an apartment living room and apparently were shot while opening presents.

Cheetah, a chimpanzee said to have performed in the “Tarzan” films of the 1930s, died Christmas Eve at the age of 80. The Florida chimpanzee loved finger-painting and watching football, and was soothed by Christian music. The average life span of a wild chimpanzee is around 45 years.

MONDAY

The New York Times and The Washington Post reported members of Congress average a net worth of $913,000, more than nine times the average American household average of $100,000. (Just who is the one percent?) The net worth of Congressional representatives rose 23.6 percent since 2008. Seattle Weekly figured Washington’s Congressional delegation is worth at least $10 million. Sen. Maria Cantwell ranks as the richest Washington rep, with a worth of as much as $7.5 million. Fifth District Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers ranks second, with a worth of as much as $2.2 million.

A series of fights broke out at the Mall of America, involving at least 50 juveniles and young adults and resulting in nine arrests for disorderly conduct. At one point 30 police officers were on the scene to respond.

TUESDAY

A rare Asian hooded crane, normally seen only in Southeast Asia, China and Japan, wound up wintering at the Hiwassee Refuge in southeast Tennessee after apparently taking a wrong turn in its migration route.

U.S. authorities added a sixth Predator-B surveillance drone to overfly the rugged Arizona borderlands to look for drug smugglers and illegal immigrants crossing from Mexico.

A Russian fishing vessel with a damaged hull trapped in Antarctica for nearly two weeks was patched up and freed from pack ice.

WEDNESDAY

Live footage carried on al Jazeera television showed gunfire and black smoke rising above Syria’s central city of Hama on as dozens of men marched through the streets chanting “Where are the Arab monitors?”

A giant saltwater 16-foot, 1,100-pound crocodile named Elvis charged at an Australian reptile park worker before stealing his lawn mower. After a morning-long standoff, the reptile keeper eventually lured Elvis to one end of his lagoon with kangaroo meat while the groundskeeper dived in for the mower. Before grabbing the mower, however, he had to search the bottom of the lagoon for two 3-inch teeth Elvis lost during the encounter, which, the groundskeeper said “clog up the filter system.”

Snow fell on the funeral of former North Korea leader Kim Jong-il, who bragged he could control the weather.