The World

Thursday

Stunned Qantas Airways passengers watched out their windows as a large python clung to a plane's wing during a two-hour flight from Australia's northeastern city of Cairns to Papua New Guinea. The 10-foot python fought to stay on the wing, pulling itself forward only to be pushed back by the frigid wind.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports when Alameda County deputies entered the home of Assif Mayr on Wednesday afternoon for a probation check, they found 15 kilograms of marijuana and 1.5-meter alligator in a tank in the bedroom. The alligator was taken to the zoo but died later.

A group of killer whales trapped under the ice of Hudson Bay and taking turns breathing from a small hole may have been freed by a shift in the winds, Canadian media reported. The 11 whales sometimes appeared to be panicking as they fought for air. They created a worldwide sensation as news and a video about their plight spread.

Friday

Central African Republic's government and rebels agreed on Friday to the formation of a national unity government under a ceasefire deal to end an insurgency that swept to within striking distance of the capital. The agreement, signed in Gabon's capital Libreville after three days of talks, averted the biggest threat to President Francois Bozize's decade in charge of the mineral-rich former French colony.

Hundreds of Tunisian protesters in Ben Guerdane are demanding jobs and the reopening of the Ras Jedir border crossing with Libya. They set fire to a police station and cars. Police used teargas and fired shots into the air to disperse them, a witness said.

Kenyan legislators have tripled their end-of-term bonuses to 9.3 million shillings ($107,300), sweetening the deal with extra perks like diplomatic passports and security for life as well as state funerals when they die. The Kenyan President has vetoed this bill.

Weekend

A passenger gave birth aboard a plane flying to Armenia and named her daughter after one of the flight attendants who helped with the delivery. The birth of the healthy baby occurred Saturday, two hours before the Armavia airline flight landed in Yerevan, Armenia's capital, after a long flight from Siberia.

A Somali official said three Syrian hostages held by Somali pirates have been released after more than two years in captivity. Mohamed Aden Ticey, an administrator based in Adado town in central Somalia, said Saturday no ransom was paid for their release.

A dog reportedly mutilated by Mexican drug traffickers is recovering at a sanctuary for abused and abandoned dogs. The Belgian shepherd mix was fitted with prosthetic front legs last year and now walks, jumps and runs.

Monday

A Russian official said it's time for the nation's soldiers to switch from foot wraps to socks. Since the late 17th century, Russian soldiers have been using wraps, rectangular strips of cloth that are carefully wrapped around their bare feet to prevent blisters from tall heavy boots with no laces.

In Australia, a 37-year-old man was approached at a 7-Eleven by a man dressed like Papa Smurf. The smurf asked the man for a cigarette before beating him. Meanwhile, three other men dressed as smurfs attempted to hotwire a vehicle.

Beijing schools kept children indoors and hospitals saw a spike in respiratory cases following a weekend of off-the charts pollution in China's smoggy capital, the worst since the government began being more open about air-quality data.

Tuesday

British supermarket chain Tesco said it had withdrawn a number of beef burgers from sale after samples were found to contain horse DNA in tests. The burgers that had tested positive were produced in two plants in Ireland and one in the UK and sold by several retailers.

Jamaica may be able to benefit from newly found deposits of rare-earth elements that are key ingredients for smartphones, computers and numerous other high-tech goods, the Caribbean island's top mining official said.

A 67-year-old woman from Belgium only wanted to go about 90 miles from her hometown of Hainault Erquelinnes, Belgium, to pick up a friend at the Brussels train station, but followed (faulty) directions from her GPS device. Her GPS device sent her about 900 miles to the south before (during the second day of driving) she realized that something was amiss.

Wednesday

Two people have died and 13 were injured after a helicopter crashed in central London when it hit a crane on top of a tower block by the River Thames. The stricken aircraft cartwheeled to the ground and exploded into flames before crashing into a street during the rush hour.

A cleaner allegedly stole a four-carriage train at a depot then drove it about a mile (1.6km) before it crashed. The woman was seriously injured when the train derailed at Saltsjobaden station, southeast of Stockholm, and collided with the building.

Robbers dug a 30-meter tunnel into the vault of a Berlin bank and escaped with the contents of safety deposit boxes, setting fire to the tunnel as they left to destroy any evidence. The tunnel was "very professional" and must have taken weeks or possibly months to complete.

Compiled by Gazette staff

from a variety of sources.