Colombia: Foreign journalists released after 11 days

Leftist guerrillas freed an American photographer and a British reporter on Saturday after kidnapping them 11 days earlier in one of the most violent regions of Colombia.

Scott Dalton of Conroe, Tex., and Ruth Morris, a British citizen raised in southern California, were the first foreign journalists to be kidnapped in Colombia’s four-decade-long war. Both live in Bogota and had been in Arauca on assignment for the Los Angeles Times.

The National Liberation Army, known as the ELN, released the journalists to an International Red Cross delegate in eastern Colombia, not far from where they were abducted, Red Cross spokesman Carlos Rios said.

Zimbabwe: At least 40 killed in head-on train wreck

A crowded passenger train and a freight train collided head on and burst into flames Saturday in northwestern Zimbabwe, killing 40 people and injuring about 60.

Transport Minister Witness Mangwende blamed the crash on human error, saying a signal mistake sent the trains hurtling toward each other on the same track.

The signals on the remote stretch of rail line had been reported faulty since November, according to state television.

The southbound freight train was carrying flammable liquid, and the passenger train was headed to the northwestern resort town of Victoria Falls. They crashed near the coal mining center of Hwange, about 190 miles from the western city of Bulawayo.

It was believed some passengers were carrying cans of gasoline on the train, state television reported.

Canada: Avalanche kills 7 skiers

Another avalanche in a region of eastern British Columbia killed seven skiers, including some high school students, provincial authorities said Saturday.

Ten survivors were airlifted to Glacier Park Lodge by helicopter, said Bob Pearce of the British Columbia Ambulance Service. Several suffered minor injuries, he said.

Pearce said the group included 14 high-school students and three counselors from Alberta. Further details about the victims were not available.

The slide occurred just before noon in the Rogers Pass area of Glacier National Park in western Canada.

It was the second major avalanche in the Revelstoke area in 12 days. A Jan. 20 avalanche in the same region killed seven people — four Canadians and three Americans, including snowboard pioneer Craig Kelly.

Atlanta: Red Cross investigating mystery blood specks

Health officials on Saturday tested white particles found in donated blood to determine what they are and where they came from, although they weren’t considered to be dangerous.

Testing was being handled by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Mary Malarkey, director of case management for the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

Hospitals in Georgia and north Florida were exercising caution with the blood they had Saturday.

At Northside Hospital in Atlanta, all surgeries with a major risk of blood loss were canceled, said spokeswoman Katherine Watson. Patients undergoing minor surgeries were asked to sign a consent form to make sure they were aware of the problem.

Discovery of the particles set off an American Red Cross alert and canceled elective surgeries through the weekend. Hospitals were asked to suspend use of some of its blood, but the Red Cross reported that the particles are not infectious agents and that no harmful effects in patients have been reported.

Boston: Archdiocese gives files on 24 more priests

Archdiocese officials turned over to lawyers newly discovered files showing 24 more priests were accused of abusing children.

The archdiocese turned over the files Friday after attorneys found allegations of child sex abuse among files on 41 priests the archdiocese had originally said were accused only of sexual misconduct with adults.

“That was apparently not the case,” attorney Jeffrey Newman said Saturday. Twenty-four of the 41 were found to have child abuse allegations against them, and in two other cases the record was disputed over whether the allegation had involved child abuse.

Attorneys for alleged sex abuse victims scoured the files this weekend as they prepared to continue taking sworn testimony from Cardinal Bernard Law on Monday.

The new files bring to 135 the number of priests accused of sex abuse in the Boston archdiocese.

Venezuela: Opposition eases strike

Opponents of President Hugo Chavez began focusing on a petition driver to cut his term in power Saturday, after agreeing to ease a two-month strike that has crippled Venezuela’s economy.

Opposition leaders plan to hold what they call the “Great Sign-up” today, inviting citizens to sign various initiatives rejecting Chavez’s government and seeking his ouster.

The opposition hopes one petition in particular — a constitutional amendment to reduce Chavez’s term from six to four years — will succeed, paving the way for general elections later this year.

Under the constitution, organizers need signatures from 15 percent, or about 1.8 million, of the country’s 12 million registered voters — a number they expect to easily surpass.