Officials in Washington are warning motorists ahead of the U.S. holiday weekend to avoid the area where a bridge collapsed on Interstate 5 north of Mount Vernon last night.

Qatar has withdrawn its bid to bring the International Civil Aviation Organization's headquarters to Doha from Montreal, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announces on Twitter.

Lawyers for victims of abuse at the notorious Mount Cashel Orphanage in St. John's say Thursday's settlement with the Christian Brothers doesn't end long-running legal battles.

Canada ranks third last among economically advanced counties in the amount of paid vacation time it guarantees its workers, a new U.S. study indicates.

Canadian forecasters are warning warmer-than-average ocean waters and the lack of an El Nino warming of the central Pacific Ocean will contribute to an "active" hurricane season this year.

UK jets divert passenger plane flying from Pakistan to Stansted after threat call to air traffic control.

Federal Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver is accusing Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau of trying to be on both sides of the west-east pipeline proposal.

Members of Rob Ford's executive committee say they are prepared to take over the day-to-day running of the city if the Toronto mayor is no longer able to perform his duties, amid a scandal involving allegations he was caught on video smoking crack cocaine.

The Supreme Court of Canada reinstates a $4-million award to a Vancouver family in a medical lawsuit that was overturned because the judge plagiarized most of his decision.

The 5.7-magnitude quake broke dishes and shook mirrors but authorities say no major injuries or damage was reported

An earthquake in far north-eastern California was felt by thousands of people as far away as San Francisco and in two other states, but there have been no reports of injury or serious damage.

The magnitude-5.7 quake broke dishes and shook mirrors when it struck at 8.47pm Thursday, officials said.

It was centered near Greenville, about 25 miles south-west of Susanville in far north-eastern California, said Rafael Abreu, a geophysicist with the US Geological Survey's National Earthquake Center in Golden, Colorado.

There have been several aftershocks, including a magnitude 4.9 that struck early Friday morning.

Slight damage has been reported including objects falling from shelves and dishes rattled or broken, according to a report from the National Weather Service.

Susan Shephard and her husband Alan Shephard, who run the Quail Lodge at Lake Almanor near Greenville very close to the epicenter, said they were watching The Hunger Games on TV when the whole building started shaking.

"All of a sudden things started falling off the shelves, mirrors fell off the wall, vases fell down to the floor, everything started crashing," Shephard told the Redding Record-Searchlight. "It felt like the end of our world."

The Susanville fire department said it had received no reports of damage, and a Plumas County sheriff's office dispatcher said calls were flooding into its office but no reports of damage.

Thousands of people reported feeling the quake, as far away as the San Francisco Bay area and across the borders into Oregon and Nevada, according to the USGS website.

KCRA-TV in Sacramento reported that the Plumas County temblor was felt in downtown Sacramento, about 145 miles south of the epicenter.

People in Yuba and Sutter Counties, south of Plumas, said they felt a rolling quake, according to the Marysville Appeal-Democrat.

"People in the area felt a strong jolt, but it was not enough to generate serious damage, based on early field reports," Abreu said.

• California
• Earthquakes
• United States

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Anton Rodgers, Lewis Dunk, George Barker and Steve Cook also found not guilty of voyeurism

Four footballers have been cleared of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman in a hotel room.

In a retrial at the Old Bailey, jurors also found them not guilty of voyeurism. The Brighton and Hove Albion players Anton Rodgers, 20, Lewis Dunk, and George Barker, both 21, and former teammate Steve Cook, 22, who now plays for Bournemouth, had maintained their innocence.

They were given bail throughout the trial and their families, including Rodgers' father, Brendan, the Liverpool manager, had been watching the proceedings.

The prosecution said the players were celebrating victory in a local cup competition in July 2011 when they came across the drunken woman at a club. She woke up at the Jury's Inn hotel to find her strapless dress pulled down, and said she saw explicit pictures on Rodgers' mobile phone.

Richard Barton, prosecuting, said these had been taken as a "permanent record of their conquest". But despite forensic tests on all the players' phones, only one photograph was found, on Barker's phone.

It showed the sleeping woman with shaving foam spelling out GB on her thigh. Barker was next to her making a thumbs-up sign and smiling. Another player, Leon Redwood, said he went into the room at night and sprayed the foam.

Barker and Rodgers said the woman had joined in the "boy's banter". She climbed into bed with them and started kissing them. Dunk and Cook said they were sleeping on the floor and did not get involved with the woman.

The woman was said to have "told a pack of lies" following the incident. She agreed she lied to police and her employers but said she had been humiliated by the sportsmen.

She complained to police about the players six months later after getting into a volatile relationship with another player, Kazenga LuaLua, saying he teased her about her photographs being shown around the club and kidded her that a video would be put on YouTube. Police were unable to find anyone at the club who had seen pictures of the woman.

The woman admitted an assortment of lies, including missing work earlier that day and ringing in to say her father had been involved in a traffic accident; missing work the next day and saying she had been assaulted in the street by three men named Jack, Ben and Sam; producing a black dress instead of the pink dress that she had been wearing; missing work a month later because she was at gay pride celebrations; and telling her bosses she had been drugged.

She had hoped she would be taken out by Redwood on 16 July, but started kissing and dancing with another player, Roland Bergkamp, after seeing him with another woman. She said she was not drunk and could remember nothing after taking a drink in the club. But her friend said they had each drunk between 10 and 15 shots of alcohol and shared a bottle of wine.

Jurors at a trial in February could not agree verdicts but found Dunk not guilty of voyeurism.

This week Brighton released Rodgers and his team-mate Ben Sampayo, who was a reluctant prosecution witness in the case.

• Brighton & Hove Albion

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Gunmen reportedly targeted American intelligence personnel who were training Afghan officers.

Stepfather says murdered soldier loved his job and adored his family, and reads out last text he sent to his mother

The family of Lee Rigby have spoken of their pride in him, their grief at losing a man who "believed life was for living", and their shock that a British soldier who had served in Afghanistan should meet his death on the streets of London.

"You don't expect it to happen when he's in the UK," said his wife, Rebecca. "You think they're safe."

Mrs Rigby, who described the Royal Fusiliers drummer as a devoted father to their two-year-old son, Jack, added: "His proudest moments were serving in London on the ceremonials with the drum corps."

The fusilier's stepfather, Ian, said: "When in Afghanistan, you come to terms with it, you know it's dangerous. You don't expect something like that on your doorstep. It's very difficult."

Rigby, from Langley, in Middleton, Greater Manchester, served with 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, and was attached to the regimental recruiting team when he was hacked to death in broad daylight on Wednesday afternoon in Woolwich, south-east London.

"I love Lee and always will," Mrs Rigby told a press conference at the regimental HQ of his unit in Bury on Friday. "I am proud to be his wife and he was due to come up this weekend so we could continue our future together as a family."

Ian Rigby read out a statement on behalf of the family, which painted a portrait of a young man who had fulfilled his ambition of joining the army and who also drew immense satisfaction and pleasure from his family.

"What can we say about Lee, our hero?" it began. "When Lee was born the family adored him, he was a precious gift given to us."

That said, the family recalled, he was not always the easiest of teenagers. "Lee had a fiery temper when he was younger: I used to sit on him to calm him down till he got too big at 15, then he used to sit on me," his stepfather said.

"Lee's dream growing up was always to join the army which he succeeded in doing, he was dedicated and loved his job. Lee adored and cared a lot for his family; he was very much a family man, looking out for his wife, young son, Jack, younger sisters – who in turn they looked up to him. He always had a banter with them but would never ever let any harm come to them."

The stepfather, who struggled at times to contain his emotions, said Rigby was a man who loved people and who believed life was for living.

He added: "Courtney and Amy, his younger sisters, wrote this for Lee: 'Rest in peace Lee, we loved you so much, you didn't deserve this. You fought for your country and did it well. You will always be our hero we are just upset you left us so early. Love you Lee. Goodnight.'"

The last text Rigby had sent to his mother, he said, read: "Goodnight mum, I hope you had a fantastic day today because you are the most fantastic and one-in-a million mum that anyone could ever wish for. Thank you for supporting me all these years, you're not just my mum you're my best friend. So goodnight, love you loads."

It was now the family's turn to say goodbye, he said. "We would like to say goodnight, Lee. Rest in peace, our fallen soldier, we love you loads and words cannot describe how loved and sadly missed you will be.

"We would like to thank everybody, the police and army for the amazing support we have received and for all the goodwill wishes we are receiving from all over the country in memory of Lee. Our hearts have been ripped apart from us, everyone is struggling to cope with this tragedy, so we would ask the press to respect our privacy to grieve our son's parting as we try to come to terms with this."

He then read out a poem, a tribute to Lee from an unknown poster on a Facebook page. It read:

You fought bravely and with honour died,
You leave your family so full of pride,
Sleep well young soldier, your job is done,
Your war is over, your battle won.
Our family chain is broken and nothing is the same,
But as God takes us one by one,
Our chain will link again.

• Woolwich attack
• Crime
• London

Sam Jones
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Foreign ministry says Assad government has agreed "in principle" to attend US-Russia brokered proposed peace conference.

Bishops' proposals, backed by archbishops, offer a nearly complete victory for female clergy and their supporters

The bishops of the Church of England have published a plan to consecrate female bishops by 2015, after the defeat of legislation last autumn. It would end 20 years of bitter struggle with a clear decision in favour of progress.

The proposals, published on Friday and backed by both archbishops, offer a nearly complete victory for the female clergy and their supporters outraged by the failure of the earlier legislation.

The "flying bishops" appointed specially to serve opponents of female bishops are to be abolished, although there is a vague guarantee that in future there will be appointments of some bishops who are both male and opposed to the existence of female priests and bishops.

The Rev Miranda Threlfall Holmes, a noted campaigner for female bishops, said: "We're not trying to squeeze them out."

But these opponents will have to accept that women can become, the bishops say, "the true and lawful holders of their office" and that "the Church of England has reached a clear decision on the matter".

Parishes where a majority are opposed to the ordination of women would still be able to reject both female priests and bishops, but their rights would no longer be protected in law and, since they are a tiny and dwindling minority in most of the country, are unlikely often to be exercised.

Reflecting the frustration felt throughout the church with the 20 years of niggling bureaucratic struggle since female priests were created in 1993, the report says: "There is a determination among the majority to prevent any reappearance of the tendency shown in the past by some traditionalists to use the provisions of the 1993 Measure and the Act of Synod to create as much distance as possible from the rest of the Church of England."

• Ordination of women
• Anglicanism
• Religion
• Christianity

Andrew Brown
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The widening Senate scandal that the prime minister flippantly tried to dismiss as a 'distraction' just days ago has instead become arguably Stephen Harper's worst hour.

Afghan police reportedly engaged in gun battle in central district after second major bomb attack in just over a week

A suicide bomber has struck in the heart of the Afghan capital, sending a plume of smoke billowing over Kabul in the second major attack in the city in little over a week.

There were no immediate reports of casualties and details were sketchy. The explosion was followed by a gun battle that raged an hour after the blast in the central district.

Police officer Latif Khan, director of the city's District 4, said the explosion was a suicide attack but could give no further information on the gunfight.

The exact target of the attack was unclear. The explosion took place near a hospital that serves the National Security Directorate, the state intelligence agency.

The blast collapsed a building wall, but it was not clear if there were any casualties. Police quickly cordoned off the area, which also houses buildings used by several international aid agencies.

Last Thursday, a suicide car bomber killed six Americans, including two soldiers, and nine Afghan bystanders in an attack on a US convoy.

• Afghanistan

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Afghan police reportedly engaged in gun battle in central district after second major bomb attack in just over a week

A suicide bomber has struck in the heart of the Afghan capital, sending a plume of smoke billowing over Kabul in the second major attack in the city in little over a week.

There were no immediate reports of casualties and details were sketchy. The explosion was followed by a gun battle that raged an hour after the blast in the central district.

Police officer Latif Khan, director of the city's District 4, said the explosion was a suicide attack but could give no further information on the gunfight.

The exact target of the attack was unclear. The explosion took place near a hospital that serves the National Security Directorate, the state intelligence agency.

The blast collapsed a building wall, but it was not clear if there were any casualties. Police quickly cordoned off the area, which also houses buildings used by several international aid agencies.

Last Thursday, a suicide car bomber killed six Americans, including two soldiers, and nine Afghan bystanders in an attack on a US convoy.

• Afghanistan

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Typhoon jet escorts flight diverted from Manchester to Stansted after concerns about disruptive passenger

A Pakistan International Airlines plane at the centre of a security alert has landed at Stansted airport after being escorted by RAF fighter jets.

The plane, flight number PK709, took off from Lahore with 297 people aboard and had been due to land at Manchester airport at 2pm.

However, the Guardian understands that the pilot, concerned about a disruptive passenger who had started shouting, asked to divert to Stansted, London's third airport, as a precaution.

The pilot was then satisfied the incident had been resolved. However, the passenger is likely to be escorted off the plane at Stansted.

A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman confirmed that Typhoon fighters from RAF Coningsby had been launched "to investigate an incident involving a civilian aircraft".

A spokeswoman for Essex police said: "An incident has occurred on the aircraft and police and partners are responding."

It is understood the incident is not being treated as a terrorist incident and that Essex police are not liaising with counter-terrorism officers.

• Air transport
• Royal Air Force

Nick HopkinsSam Jones
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Typhoon jet escorts flight diverted from Manchester to Stansted following concerns about disruptive passenger

A Pakistan International Airlines plane at the centre of a security alert has landed at Stansted airport after being escorted by RAF fighter jets.

The plane, flight number PK709, took off from Lahore with 297 people aboard and had been due to land at Manchester airport at 2pm.

However, the Guardian understands that the pilot, concerned about a disruptive passenger who had started shouting, asked to divert to Stansted as a precaution.

It is understood the pilot was then satisfied the incident had been resolved. However, the passenger is likely to be escorted off the plane at Stansted.

A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman confirmed that Typhoon fighters from RAF Coningsby had been launched "to investigate an incident involving a civilian aircraft".

A spokeswoman for Essex police said: "An incident has occurred on the aircraft and police and partners are responding."

It is understood the incident is not being treated as a terrorist incident and that Essex police are not liaising with counter-terrorism officers.

• Air transport
• Royal Air Force

Nick HopkinsSam Jones
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