Andy Griffith died of heart attack

Andy Griffith died of heart attack

RALEIGH, N.C.

The death certificate for Andy Griffith says the actor’s death earlier this week was caused by a heart attack.

The certificate says the 86-year-old had suffered the attack 24 hours before he died at 7 a.m. Tuesday. It also says he had suffered for years from other illnesses, including coronary artery disease, hypertension and hyperlipidemia, which can be a form of high cholesterol or high triglycerides.

Griffith’s death certificate was filed Thursday with the vital records office in Dare County. It says he’s buried in the Griffith Family Cemetery in Manteo. Dr. Johnny Farrow of Manteo signed the certificate.

Griffith was best known for playing Sheriff Andy Taylor in “The Andy Griffith Show,” which aired from 1960 to 1968. He was born in Mount Airy and lived in Manteo.

NATO trucks cross into Afghanistan

CHAMAN, Pakistan

Trucks carrying NATO supplies rolled into Afghanistan for the first time in more than seven months Thursday, ending a painful chapter in U.S.-Pakistan relations that saw the border closed until Washington apologized for an airstrike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.

Thousands of trucks have been waiting at ports in Karachi for the transit ban to be lifted as the diplomatic wrangling dragged on. Drivers are eager to get behind the wheel and start earning a lucrative salary again in what can be a deadly journey because of attacks from the Taliban.

Owner on board capsized yacht

OYSTER BAY, N.Y.

The owner of a yacht that capsized with 27 friends and family members aboard for an Independence Day fireworks outing was on it when it tipped over off New York’s Long Island.

Three children died when they became trapped underwater Wednesday night.

Attorney James Mercante says owner Kevin Treanor was on the 34-foot Candi 1 when it capsized but wasn’t the operator. The lawyer says an insurance company hired him to represent Treanor.

Telephone calls to Treanor’s home and work telephones have gone unanswered.

Authorities say the cause of the accident is under investigation. Safety experts say the yacht was overcrowded.

Clinton starts trip to eight countries

WASHINGTON

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has escaped sweltering Washington but she won’t be getting much of a respite from the heat as she crisscrosses Europe, Asia and the Mideast to deal with some of the world’s most inflamed crises.

Clinton embarked Thursday on an eight-country trip that will take her first to France for an international conference on Syria and talks with Palestinian leaders. She then heads to Asia for a meeting of Afghan donor countries in Japan and a regional security gathering in Cambodia. She ends the trip in the Middle East, where she will see Egypt’s new president and visit Israel.

It will be the globe-trotting secretary of state’s longest overseas journey this year and comes as the situation in Syria continues to deteriorate.

Associated Press

AssocPresident Bashar Assad’s regime shows no sign of easing its brutal 16-month crackdown on the opposition despite international pressure and a plan for political transition proposed by former U.N. chief Kofi Annan.