World datelines

Canada: Terrorism plea

BRAMPTON, Ontario — A member of a homegrown terrorist group pleaded guilty Friday to participating in a plot to set off truck bombs in front of Canada's main stock exchange and two government buildings.

Jahmaal James entered the plea Friday in an Ontario courtroom. James and 17 others were arrested and charged with terrorism offenses in 2006. The group came to be known as the Toronto 18.

China: Blast kills 19

BEIJING — An explosion triggered by residents setting off fireworks to celebrate the Lunar New Year tore through a village in southern China, killing 19 people and wounding more than 30 as the country neared the end of its biggest holiday.

The blast late Friday in the southern province of Guangdong was the deadliest of the 15-day Lunar New Year, which ends Sunday. China's public security ministry has said fireworks-related accidents killed 11 people and injured more than 1,800 throughout the country during the first week of the holiday.

Colombia: Election barred

BOGOTA — Colombia's Constitutional Court shut the door Friday on President Alvaro Uribe's aspirations for a third straight term, ruling unconstitutional a law that would have let voters decide in a referendum whether he could run again.

The high court's 7-2 decision is not subject to appeal. The court ruled on a law passed by Congress that would have set up a referendum asking voters whether Colombia's conservative president, a U.S. ally, could run again.

El Salvador: New homes

SAN SALVADOR — Brazil's president says he plans to provide funding for the construction of an additional 1 million homes that will be owned by the poor in Latin America's largest nation.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's program that helps the poor buy apartments initially envisioned construction of 1 million homes. But Silva told business executives Friday in El Salvador that he will expand it to eventually build twice that many.

Iraq: Army reinstated

BAGHDAD — Iraq on Friday reinstated 20,000 former army officers dismissed after the U.S.-led invasion, a landmark gesture at reconciliation ahead of the March 7 elections.