Virginia college dorm lacked CO2 detectors

SALEM, Va. -- The danger went unnoticed. There was no carbon monoxide detector in the Roanoke College dormitory where one person died and dozens of teenagers and adults were sickened after a leak of the odorless gas. The school is considering installing them, a spokeswoman said Saturday. After waking up with headaches, nausea, dizziness and shakiness, 114 people were taken to two hospitals Friday. A 91-year-old man was found dead in the dorm, but medical examiners had not determined the cause of death.

Murder-suicide ruled out in hiking trail deaths

EVERETT, Wash. -- Two women killed on a hiking trail near Mount Pilchuck died of gunshot wounds, and investigators have ruled out murder-suicide, the Snohomish County sheriff's office said Friday. Deputy Rich Niebusch has said the women possibly died in a random attack and urged anyone hiking on nearby trails to be extra cautious. The victims were identified as Mary Cooper, 56, and her daughter, Susanna Stodden, 27, both of Seattle. A passer-by found their bodies Tuesday toward the end of a nearly 2-mile trail to Pinnacle Lake, about 50 miles northeast of Seattle, in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Niebusch said.

Mount St. Helens reopening for climbing

MOUNT ST. HELENS, Wash. -- A group of rangers, scientists and journalists made a five-hour ascent of 8,363-foot Mount St. Helens on Thursday, about a week before the crater rim is scheduled to be opened to climbers for the first time since the mountain began quietly erupting in 2004. The entire south side of the mountain is being reopened to climbers, as are trails through the blast zone on the north side. The crater itself remains off-limits.

Afghanistan clashes kill more than 40 militants

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- More than 40 insurgents were killed Saturday as hundreds of coalition troops, many dropped by helicopter, wrested a desert town from the Taliban and U.S. forces battled militants across southern Afghanistan, officials said. The U.S. military, meanwhile, agreed to assist an Afghan government probe into reports that a coalition air raid killed civilians Monday in southern Uruzgan province. The military said the operation killed 40 extremists, but residents said at least four civilians died.

N. Korea rejects U.N. resolution for sanctions

UNITED NATIONS -- North Korea said Saturday that it "totally rejects" a U.N. resolution imposing sanctions for its recent missile tests, and vowed to continue the launches to bolster its self-defense. The Korean People's Army "will go on with missile launch exercises as part of its efforts to bolster deterrent for self-defense in the future, too," North Korea's U.N. Ambassador Pak Gil Yon said. U.S. ambassador John Bolton said North Korea set "a world record" for a rejection -- 45 minutes -- and warned that Pyongyang's failure to comply could lead to further council action.

-- From wire reports

India wants strong response from G-8 on Bombay blasts

BOMBAY, India -- India warned Saturday that attacks like the deadly Bombay train bombings are jeopardizing its peace process with nuclear rival Pakistan, and demanded an "unambiguous" response from the Group of Eight summit. Investigators rounded up more than 300 people for questioning in connection with the attack on Bombay's commuter train network, but freed most of them later. The eight explosions during Thursday's evening rush hour killed at least 200 people, provoking a groundswell of public anger -- and accusations that the perpetrators were Islamic militants aided by Muslim-majority Pakistan, the neighbor and archrival of predominantly Hindu India.

-- From wire reports