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6A – Daily News – Saturday, November 27, 2010 WORLD BRIEFING North Korea fires new artillery rounds YEONPYEONG ISLAND, South Korea (AP) — A defiant flash of North Korean artillery within sight of the island that it attacked this week sent a warning signal to Seoul and Washington: The North is not backing down. The apparent military drill Friday came as the top U.S. commander in South Korea toured Yeon- pyeong island to survey the wreckage from the rain of artillery three days earlier. As a U.S. nuclear- powered aircraft carrier headed toward the Yellow Sea for exercises next week with South Korea, the North warned that the joint maneuvers will push the Korean peninsula to the ‘‘brink of war.’’ South Korea’s govern- ment, meanwhile, strug- gled to recoup from the surprise attacks that killed four people, including two civilians, and forced its beleaguered defense minister to resign Thurs- day. President Lee Myung-bak on Friday named a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the post. Tensions have soared between the Koreas since the North’s strike Tuesday destroyed large parts of Yeonpyeong in a major escalation of their spo- radic skirmishes along the disputed sea border. The attack — eight months after a torpedo sank a South Korean war- ship, killing 46 sailors — has laid bare Seoul’s weaknesses in defense 60 years after the Korean War. Lee has ordered reinforcements for the 4,000 troops on Yeon- pyeong and four other Yellow Sea islands, as well as top-level weapon- ry and upgraded rules of engagement. Voracious shoppers meet eager retailers For one day at least, you could almost imagine the recession never hap- pened. Millions of the nation’s shoppers braved rain and cold to crowd stores while others grabbed online bargains on what could be the busiest Black Friday ever. Early signs pointed to bigger crowds at many stores including Best Buy, Sears, Macy’s and Toys R Us, some of which had earlier openings than past years or even round-the- clock hours. Minnesota’s Mall of America and mall operators Taubman Cen- ters Inc. and Macerich Co. also reported more customers than last year. But the most encourag- ing sign for retailing and for the economy was what Americans were throwing in their carts. Shoppers still clutched lists and the buying frenzy was focused on the deals on TVs and toys, but many were treating themselves while they bought gifts for others, adding items like boots, sumptuous sweaters, jewelry and even dresses for special occasions. Elayne Breton and her daughter Michelle got to Maryland’s Mall in Columbia around 7 a.m. A few hours later, Michelle had picked out several presents for her- self, including a pair of UGG boots, perfume and an iPod Touch. At Nord- strom, she scored a long- sleeved purple shirt that her mother let her wear out of the store. ‘‘Last year we were careful,’’ said Elayne, whose husband’s beer dis- tribution business has started to pick up again. ‘‘This year we’ll do more.’’ US briefs allies on expected WikiLeaks LONDON (AP) — U.S. allies around the world have been briefed by American diplomats about an expected release of classified U.S. files by the WikiLeaks website that is likely to cause international embarrass- ment and could damage some nations’ relations with the United States. The release of hun- dreds of thousands of State Department cables is expected this weekend, although WikiLeaks has not been specific about the timing. The cables are thought to include private, candid assessments of foreign leaders and gov- ernments and could erode trust in the U.S. as a diplomatic partner. In Britain, Prime Min- ister David Cameron’s spokesman, Steve Field, said Friday that the gov- ernment had been told of ‘‘the likely content of these leaks’’ by U.S. Ambassador Louis Sus- man. Field declined to say what Britain had been warned to expect. ‘‘I don’t want to specu- late about precisely what is going to be leaked before it is leaked,’’ Field said. In Washington, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said U.S. diplomats were continu- ing the process of warn- ing governments around the world about what might be in the docu- ments. Many fear the cables will embarrass the United States and its allies, and reveal sensitive details of how the U.S. conducts relations with other countries. Portuguese plan, Irish bailout fail to ease crisis LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Europe struggled mightily Friday to keep the debt crisis from engulfing country after country. Portugal passed austerity measures to fend off the speculative trades pushing it toward a bailout and Ireland rushed to negotiate its own imminent rescue. As Portugal and Spain insisted they will not seek outside help, creat- ing an eery sense of deja-vu for investors, Europe braced for what seems inevitable — more expensive bailouts. The Portuguese Par- liament approved an unpopular debt-reducing package, including tax hikes and cuts in pay and Coupon Happy Holidays our gift to you Watch Battery Free Must have coupon Exp 12-24-10 Gold Exchange 530 528-8000 423 Walnut St. Red Bluff Run for the 530-528-8120 10 Gilmore Rd. Red Bluff Corner of Antelope & Gilmore 3RD ANNUAL welfare benefits. But while that helped to avoid a sharper deterio- ration in bond markets, the sense among analysts was that the move had only bought a little time. Adding to the pres- sure, Ireland’s major banks were hit with credit downgrades — one to junk bond status — as speculation mount- ed that the EU-IMF bailout of Ireland, to be revealed within days, would require investors to take losses, a possibil- ity earlier denied by offi- cials. ‘‘This confusing ‘pea-soup’ of indeci- sion, vacillation and dis- unity by the EU is beginning to create unnecessarily seismic waves of fear in interna- tional bond and money markets,’’ said David Buik, markets analyst at BGC Partners. Rio police surround drug gang RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Police searched homes and secured the perimeter of a Rio de Janeiro shantytown Fri- day that has long been a stronghold for drug gangs and a symbol of their abil- ity to rule vast areas of the seaside city with impuni- ty. About 80 federal police officers joined state police in door-to-door searches in the Vila Cruzeiro slum as 800 mil- itary troops, trained in surrounding and isolating conflict areas, stood ready in their headquarters, 12 miles (20 kilometers) away, to back them up. The area had been Needy 10K - 5K - 1 Mile Fun Walk/Run All profits from this event will be used to help needy individuals and families in Tehama County. When: Saturday, December 11, 2010 Limited time offer expires November 30, 2010. Other condi- tions and restrictions may apply. See store for full details. Offer valid only at NorCal AT&T Authorized Retailer stores. Rebate debit card offer. Price before mail- in rebate is $149.99. Must pur- chase BlackBerry Unlimited Plan and sign new 2 year service agree- ment ot qualify for discounted pricing and rebate. Retail price Blackberry Pearl 8110 is $399.99. Where: Sacramento River Diversion Dam Red Bluff Pre-registration is recommended!! 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After bulletproof vehi- cles had their tires blown out by gangs or were stymied by burning tires, police relied on armored personnel carriers equipped with caterpillar treads to roll over or push aside barriers and enter the fortified shantytown. Officials trumpeted their victory Friday, hail- ing it as a sign of a new Rio. After probe prosecutors turn it in new direction NEW YORK (AP) — An insider trading case last year that federal authorities said was the biggest ever is providing a recipe for another case that may be even bigger. The current case is large- ly an extension of work that led to the arrest of Galleon Group founder Raj Rajarat- nam in October 2009. The Galleon investigation marked the first time that federal authorities used wiretaps in an insider trad- ing probe. Similarly, wiretaps led to the first arrest in the latest case. Don Ching Trang Chu, a consulting firm exec- utive, was arrested Wednes- day for allegedly providing private information about a company’s corporate earn- ings to a hedge fund. The FBI this week searched the offices of three hedge funds and subpoe- naed some of Wall Street’s most influential firms, including Janus Capital Group and SAC Capital. The Galleon case has resulted in 23 arrests and 14 guilty pleas. Many of those arrested are cooperating in the latest investigation. Obama receives 12 stitches in upper lip WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama needed 12 stitches in his upper lip after taking an errant elbow during a pick- up basketball game Friday morning with family and friends visiting for the Thanksgiving holiday, the White House said. First word of the injury came in a statement from press secretary Robert Gibbs nearly three hours after the incident. The White House did not initially name the per- son who caused the injury, but identified him later Fri- day as Rey Decerega, direc- tor of programs for the Con- gressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. Obama received the stitches under local anesthe- sia in the doctor’s office on the ground floor of the White House after returning home. Doctors used a smaller filament than typi- cally used, which increases the number of stitches but makes a tighter stitch and leaves a smaller scar.