Canada: Train quarantined
TORONTO — Authorities quarantined a train in Ontario Friday after a woman died and several others reported being ill. But a doctor later ruled out a serious infectious disease and said the train would likely soon resume its journey.
Dr. David Williams, Ontario's chief medical officer, said that an elderly woman who died on the train did not have an infectious disease and the illnesses were unrelated.
A passenger who was airlifted to a hospital and five others who reported being sick had unrelated minor illnesses, Williams said. He called it a confluence of three different events.
England: Queen's kin selected
Zara Phillips, a granddaughter of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, has been selected for the country's Olympic equestrian team and will compete in eventing at the Beijing Olympics.
The 26-year-old Phillips, 23rd in line to the throne, is the daughter of Princess Anne, who took part in the eventing competition at the 1976 Montreal Games. Zara's father, Mark Phillips, won a gold medal at the 1972 Munich Games in the same event and is the coach of the U.S. eventing team.
Guam: 6.7 quake jolts island
HAGATNA — The U.S. Geological Survey said an undersea earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 has shaken Guam.
There were no immediate reports of damage in the U.S. territory this morning. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu said the quake failed to generate a destructive, widespread tsunami. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck at 7:51 a.m. at a depth of 54.4 miles. It was located 125 miles west-southwest of Hagatna, Guam, and 250 miles southwest of Saipan in the neighboring Northern Mariana Islands.
Iraq: Rocket hits BBC bureau
BAGHDAD — Shiite militants launched rockets toward the fortified Green Zone on Friday, taking advantage of a sandstorm that gave cover from attacks by U.S. aircraft. Some rockets fell short, including one that damaged the British Broadcasting Corp. bureau.
At least seven other rocket explosions were heard. But U.S. authorities did not confirm any strikes inside the Green Zone, which includes the U.S. Embassy and much of the Iraqi government.
The U.S. military, meanwhile, said Iraqi authorities mistakenly announced Thursday that the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, had been captured in the northern city of Mosul. American officials said a man who was arrested had a name similar to al-Masri's.
Mexico: Calderon decries gangs
MEXICO CITY — President Felipe Calderon said Friday the killing of an acting federal police chief was an attempt by weakened gangs to counter his fight against drug trafficking.
The Mexican leader attended the memorial service of Edgar Millan Gomez and two other federal officers killed this week as cartels unleash a wave of violence across Mexico. A defiant Calderon vowed to redouble his government's efforts in going after gangs.
Sri Lanka: Election-day violence
BATTICALOA — Separatist rebels destroyed a navy cargo ship today just hours after a bombing blamed on the group killed 11 people in eastern Sri Lanka — violence that cast a cloud over pivotal provincial elections scheduled for later in the day.
The government hailed the elections as a key step in restoring normalcy to the Eastern Province, which it freed from 13 years of Tamil Tiger rule last July.