16 Missing in Deadly China Subway Collapse

Public anger erupts over second train crash since July

(NEWSER) - More than 260 people were injured today when two subway trains collided in central Shanghai, a government official says. Most of the wounds were bruises and bone fractures, and none were critical, Reuters reports, but one passenger says that “blood was everywhere." More»

(NEWSER) - An unexpected hiccup means the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge will remain closed through tomorrow—and a potential nightmare commute for the 260,000 who use the span daily, the Contra Costa Times reports. The bridge was closed Thursday night so workers could replace a 300-foot section, but during the project they found a crack in a steel link, and needed to make the repair immediately. The bridge was scheduled to reopen at 5am tomorrow. More»

Construction worker killed trying to retrieve tools

(NEWSER) - A 13-story building under construction in Shanghai collapsed almost completely intact today, Reuters reports, killing a construction worker who entered the block of apartments to fetch his tools. The Chinese construction industry has been accused of dangerously shoddy work as the country rushes to build out its cities and infrastructure to keep up with economic growth. More»

Construction in China boosts US business, from steel to fried chicken

(NEWSER) - While Americans await the fruits of their $787 billion bailout, China is moving ahead with public-works projects at a staggering pace, pumping up its own economy as well as America’s, the Wall Street Journal reports. US industrial-equipment makers, struggling with effectively zero domestic growth, are back near record levels in China, where, for example a $930 million bridge project began just 11 days after approval. More»

City finally digging, in defiance of all geomancy

(NEWSER) - The days of endless traffic jams are over in Beijing, thanks to an ambitious and suddenly popular new subway network, the Wall Street Journal reports. For decades Beijing’s subway has languished, ineffective and, because digging underground violates the mystic rules of feng shui, controversial. “The city’s surface was never breached,” said one sociologist. Then the Olympics changed everything. More»