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8A Daily News – Wednesday, January 4, 2012 WORLD BRIEFING Gingrich plots aggressive assault on Romney BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — Newt Gingrich and his allies are planning to hit back hard at Mitt Romney as the Republi- can presidential campaign moves east. The first salvo is a full- page ad set to appear in Wednesday's editions of the New Hampshire Union Leader that com- pares the two candidates' records. Campaigning in Burlington, Iowa, a few hours before the first-in the nation caucuses get under way, Gingrich says his campaign will soon launch ads in South Car- olina and Florida as well as New Hampshire. They will take aim at Romney's record. And at least one pro- Gingrich super PAC says it will be getting into the fray. Gingrich blames attack ads from a super PAC backing Romney with destroying the lead he once held in Iowa polls. Obama counters GOP message WASHINGTON (AP) — Inserting his voice into a big night for Republi- cans, President Barack Obama was appealing to Iowa Democrats during the first balloting in the GOP presidential cam- paign, seeking to counter months of withering criti- cism in the state that launched his presidential ambitions four years ago. Obama was hosting a live video teleconference for Democrats attending precinct caucuses across Iowa, outlining his progress during the first term and asking for their help in the upcoming campaign. Beyond the lead-off caucuses, Iowa is expected to be hotly con- tested in the fall election. The president's re- election campaign emailed supporters a video of Obama's Iowa victory speech in January 2008, arguing he has kept the promises he made that night: making health care more affordable, cutting taxes for the middle class, ending the war in Iraq and reducing the nation's dependence on foreign oil. ''A new chapter in the story of 2012 starts with what happens in Iowa tonight,'' Mitch Stewart, a top Obama campaign aide, said in a separate email to supporters. ''Most of us will watch what happens on TV — but as you do, remember that the end of this story is up to you and what you decide to do in the days and weeks ahead.'' White House press sec- retary Jay Carney said Obama would thank sup- porters for their help and discuss his efforts to keep the promises he made in Iowa four years ago. But Carney said the president ''has a lot of work to do before he engages aggres- sively in the general elec- tion. That will come in due time.'' Iran ends naval maneuvers DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran closed out naval war games in the Gulf on Tuesday much the way they began last month: striking a tone of military defiance while Western powers rallied behind tougher oil and financial sanctions as a crippling tool against Tehran's nuclear program. The standoff atmos- phere — less than a week after Iran warned it could block one of the world's key oil tanker sea lanes in response to economic pressures — appeared to deepen further with an Iranian general suggest- ing a U.S. aircraft carrier is not welcome to return to the Gulf. In Paris, meanwhile, France's foreign minister said there is ''no doubt'' that Iran is moving toward a nuclear weapon and urged Europe to match America's tighter sanc- tions set in motion last week. Alain Juppe said the measures could include targeting Iran's Central Bank and impos- ing an Iranian oil embar- go. A Western snub of one of OPEC's heavyweight exporters would still leave Iran with many oil-hun- gry markets such as China and India — and give Tehran crucial economic lifelines to resist the U.S. and its allies. But worries that Gulf tensions could disrupt supplies sent oil above $101 a barrel and piled more pressure on Iran's currency, the rial, which hit record lows against the dollar earlier this week. ''It's clear the econo- my is in dire straits and the sanctions are having an impact no matter what Iranian officials say,'' said Salman Shaikh, director of The Brookings Doha Center in Qatar. ''Hitting the oil sectors may push the economy down even further, but that doesn't mean Iran will bend to the West.'' LA arson suspect cursed America LOS ANGELES (AP) — Harry Burkhart watched as his mother was arrested last week on fraud charges from their native Germany, and a day later he exploded in an expletive-laced rant against the U.S. at her court hearing. The next day, police say, the 24-year-old began a nighttime rampage of arson attacks that terror- Woman who was unhappy with her gas mileage sues ized Los Angeles. Authorities have yet to disclose why they believe that the pony-tailed, 24- year-old Hollywood resi- dent set the fires, but his mother's legal trouble provides one glimpse into the turmoil in his life. Court documents unsealed Tuesday said Dorothee Burkhart, who is in her 50s, was charged with 19 counts of fraud in Frankfurt, including fail- ing to pay for a 2004 breast-augmentation surgery and pilfering security deposits from renters. In a brief court appear- ance, she appeared per- plexed, wondering aloud if her son was dead. Suspect admits firebomb A reminder to Daily News readers … The D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY Will no longer publish Print or e-editions on Mondays beginning Monday, January 9, 2012 Effective next week, print editions will be published 5 days per week, Tuesday through Saturday. On Mondays, fresh stories from over the weekend will be published exclusively on the newspaper's website at www.redbluffdailynews.com These, plus columnists and key feature pages previously published weekly in the Monday print edition, will now appear in print on Tuesday. New! Effective this week, Daily News home delivery print edition subscribers will receive FREE full 24/7 access to www.redbluffdailynews.com ! • Simple online registration required. • Print subscribers who previously registered and paid for Daily News website subscription will have their website subscription expense refunded by Digital Plus (details to follow.) •Website access does not include subscription to The Daily News' digital online e-edition. D NEWSAILY www.redbluffdailynews.com RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY attacks NEW YORK (AP) — A man confessed Tuesday to hurling crude Molotov cocktails at an Islamic cultural center and four other New York-area sites on New Year's Day because of personal griev- ances with all of the tar- gets, police said. The man was taken into custody Tuesday after he was tracked through a car with Vir- ginia license plates that was believed to be at the scene of at least two of the attacks Sunday evening on a convenience store, two homes and the cultur- al center, authorities said. His name wasn't immediately released. He made statements implicat- ing himself in the attacks and had personal prob- lems with each location. Two homes in Queens, one in neighboring Nas- sau County, the center and the store, said Paul Browne, spokesman for the New York Police Department. He is facing arson- related charges, and it was unclear Tuesday after- noon whether the attacks were considered hate crimes, which could bring extra penalties. The suspect is believed to be the same person kicked out of the conve- nience store on Dec. 27 for trying to steal a glass Starbucks bottle and milk, authorities believe. Four of the five crude fire- bombs thrown at the vari- ous locations were made from glass Starbucks bot- tles, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said earli- er Tuesday. Man dies at Alaska center for chronic alcoholics SEATTLE (AP) — A man who was slurring his speech and appeared intoxicated was found dead on New Year's Day at a controversial center in Anchorage where chronic street alcoholics are allowed to keep drinking. The center has been under fire for its uncon- ventional approach to dealing with alcoholism in Anchorage, where advocates have been looking for new ways to help homeless alcoholics after more than 20 peo- ple — most of them severely intoxicated — died outdoors over a 12- month period in 2009 and 2010. Employees checked on 54-year-old John Kort several times Sunday after a visitor noticed that he appeared drunk and was having trouble walking. Kort was escorted to his room where a manor employee lay him down on the bed and rolled him onto his side. When he was checked 40 minutes later, Kort was sitting on the floor with his head against the bed. He again was placed on his bed and on his side. When an employee checked on him a third time, Kort was face- down on his bed, not breathing and his hands were cold, said Anchor- age police spokesman Dave Parker. Police and paramedics could not revive him. Parker said there was no suicide note. Alcohol and perhaps pills are believed to be factors in his death. An empty pre- scription pill bottle was found in his room. Honda TORRANCE, Calif. (AP) — A woman who expected her Civic Hybrid to be her dream car wants Honda to pay for not delivering the 50 mpg it promised. But rather than joining other owners in a class- action lawsuit, Heather Peters is going solo against the automaker in small-claims court, an unusual move that could offer a bigger payout. And if successful, it could open the door to a flood of similar lawsuits. A trial is set for Tues- day in Torrance, where American Honda Motor Co. has its West Coast headquarters. Peters, a former lawyer, says that as her vehicle's battery deterio- rated, it got only 30 mpg. When Honda ignored her complaints, she filed legal papers seeking reim- bursement for her trouble and the extra money she spent on gas. The suit could cost the company up to $10,000. Cat survives euthanasia attempts at gas chamber WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (AP) — A stray cat has survived two trips to a Utah animal shelter's gas chamber, leading shelter volunteers to seek a switch of its euthanasia method to lethal injection, which they called more humane. Volunteers with the West Valley City's animal shelter were expected to appear at a city council meeting Tuesday evening to argue for the switch from carbon monoxide poisoning to injections of sodium pentobarbital. No one adopted Andrea, a longhaired black cat with white paws and green eyes, in 30 days, so shelter officials tried to put her to death in October. She survived, so they gassed her again. Shelter officials detect- ed no vital signs and pre- sumed she was dead after the second try, so they put her in a plastic bag in a cooler. But when they checked the bag, they saw she had vomited on her- self and had hypothermia, but was alive. Officials decided to stop trying to kill her.