WORLD BRIEFS

THE KOREAS: 2 sides continue threats

Two weeks after the North shelled a South Korean island, the rivals are still trading threats. Tensions remain at their highest in more than a decade, but all-out war is seen unlikely. Spooked by the assault that killed four people, South Korea threatened airstrikes if hit again and ordered more troops on front-line islands. And Wednesday, the top U.S. military officer stood by his South Korean counterpart's side in Seoul pledging "unquestioned" support. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, pointedly warned Pyongyang to stop its "belligerent, reckless behavior."

MIDDLE EAST: New U.S. tack on talks

The United States will send envoy George Mitchell to the Middle East next week for talks toward a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, ending a push to convince Israel that it should halt settlement building in the West Bank. "We're looking for ways to create momentum," State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley told reporters Wednesday in Washington. After weeks of diplomacy aimed at persuading Israel to renew a freeze on settlement-building, Crowley said the United States has "determined that a moratorium extension will not at this time form the best basis for negotiations." The U.S. had offered Israel 20 additional F-35 fighter jets if the government agreed to a 90-day moratorium of construction on the West Bank. With that proposal off the table, Israel will no longer get the planes, according to an administration official.

ARGENTINA: Battered cruise ship safe

A large wave slammed into an Antarctic cruise ship with 88 American passengers and 77 crew members aboard, but the crew overcame minor damage and was heading safely back to its scheduled port Wednesday. The Clelia II declared an emergency Tuesday, reporting it had suffered engine damage amid heavy seas and 55-mph winds when it was northeast of the South Shetland Islands.

EUROPE: Snow befuddles Paris

A 4-inch snowfall Wednesday shut down the main airport in Paris, its bus system and the Eiffel Tower. Elsewhere in Europe, bad weather caused travel chaos in Scotland, and a child's body was found after a flash flood in Spain.