Accidents and disasters
Three injured in Wash. bridge collapse
Washington state bridge disappeared in a pile of dust, says survivor
MOUNT VERNON, Wash. - A section of the Interstate 5 bridge over a river collapsed north of Seattle Thursday evening, dumping two vehicles into the water and sparking a rescue effort by boats and divers as three injured people were pulled from the chilly waterway.
Authorities said it appeared nobody was killed in the bridge failure that raised the question about the safety of aging spans and cut off the main route between Seattle and Canada.
Earthquake hits Russia's Far East
Earthquake hits Russia's Far East, tremors felt as far away as Moscow
MOSCOW - A powerful earthquake on Friday hit Russia's Far East with tremors felt as far away as Moscow, about 7,000 kilometres (4,400 miles) west of the epicenter.
Marina Kolomiyets, spokeswoman for Obninsk's seismic station of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told The Associated Press the epicenter was in the Sea of Okhotsk, east of the Russian coast and north of Japan. She said the quake registered 8.0 on the Richter scale.
Earthquake shakes Northern California
5.7-magnitude quake shakes Northern California; no reports of injuries
GREENVILLE, Calif. - A magnitude 5.7 earthquake was widely felt as it rattled Northern California on Thursday night, breaking dishes and shaking mirrors off walls. But authorities said there were no immediate reports of injury or serious damage.
The temblor struck at 8:47 p.m. and was centred near Greenville, about 40 kilometres southwest of Susanville in far northeastern California, said Rafael Abreu, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Center in Golden, Colo.
Kids, teachers from devastated school reunite
Students, teachers reunite for first time after school was destroyed by Oklahoma tornado
MOORE, Okla. - Students from a suburban Oklahoma City elementary school destroyed by this week's tornado reunited with their teachers Thursday and collected whatever could be salvaged from the ruins.
Some children carried thank-you cards. A first-grader was eager to see her favourite gym teacher and for a chance to say goodbye for the school year.
Bangladesh: Owners' many failings led to collapse
Bangladesh probe faults swampy land, poor building materials, heavy equipment for collapse
DHAKA, Bangladesh - The defects and errors that led to the world's deadliest garment-industry accident extend from the swampy ground the doomed Rana Plaza was built on, to "extremely poor quality" construction materials, to the massive, vibrating equipment operating when the eight-story building collapsed, a committee appointed by Bangladesh's government concluded.
Trial for captain in Costa Concordia wreck
Judge in Italy orders trial for captain in shipwreck of Costa Concordia
ROME - An Italian judge has ordered the captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship to stand trial for manslaughter in the vessel's shipwreck off the coast of Tuscany, which killed 32 people.
Judge Pietro Molino, at a closed-door hearing Wednesday in the town of Grosseto, agreed to prosecutors' request that Capt. Francesco Schettino of Italy be tried on charges of manslaughter, causing the shipwreck and abandoning the vessel while many of its 4,200 passengers and crew were still aboard.
Blake Shelton plans Oklahoma benefit show
Blake Shelton says he's putting together benefit show for Oklahoma tornado victims with NBC
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Blake Shelton and NBC are putting together a benefit for Oklahoma tornado victims.
Shelton told reporters about the fundraising effort after Tuesday night's episode of "The Voice." Shelton, an Oklahoma native, paid tribute to the thousands affected by Sunday and Monday's tornadoes by performing an acoustic version of the hit "Over You" with wife Miranda Lambert.
He said the benefit would be held soon in nearby Oklahoma City.
Up to 30 hurt in crash in northwest Ohio
Highway Patrol: Up to 30 hurt in collision in northwest Ohio; injuries non-life threatening
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Highway Patrol says up to 30 people have suffered injuries in the collision of a commercial bus and a car on Interstate 75 in northwest Ohio.
A state police spokeswoman told The Associated Press early Wednesday that 1-75 south of Bowling Green has been closed following the crash. Initial reports are that the passengers of the two vehicles have been taken to local hospitals but are not badly hurt.
Oklahoma twister a top-of-the-scale EF-5
Weather service confirms deadly tornado that hit Moore, Okla., was a top-of-the-scale EF-5
MOORE, Okla. - The National Weather Service says the tornado that hit Moore, Okla., was a top-of-the-scale EF-5 twister with winds of at least 322 kilometres per hour.
Spokeswoman Keli Pirtle says the agency upgraded the tornado from an EF-4 on the enhanced Fujita scale to an EF-5 based on what a damage assessment team saw on the ground.
The weather service uses the word "incredible" to describe the power of EF-5 storms.
Authorities say 24 people, including nine children, were killed when the tornado flatted homes and demolished an elementary school on Monday.
Oklahoma twister a top-of-the-scale EF-5
Weather service confirms deadly tornado that hit Oklahoma was a top-of-the-scale EF-5
MOORE, Okla. - The National Weather Service says the tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma was a top-of-the-scale EF-5 twister with winds of at least 200 mph (322 kph).
Spokeswoman Keli Pirtle said Tuesday the agency upgraded the tornado from an EF-4 on the enhanced Fujita scale to an EF-5 based on what a damage assessment team saw on the ground. The weather service uses the word "incredible" to describe the power of EF-5 storms.
