Free Republic

A newly constructed bridge in northern Ontario has heaved apart, indefinitely closing the Trans-Canada highway — the only road connecting Eastern and Western Canada. The Nipigon River Bridge has been closed for "an indefinite time due to mechanical issues," according to the Ontario Provincial Police. The bridge remains open to pedestrian traffic. The west side of the bridge has pulled away from the abutment connecting it to the river bank's edge, lifting up about 60 centimetres. As a result, police have shut down Highways 11 and 17 at the bridge, which is located about 100 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay,...

Shanghai down over 50% from peak By Andrew Wood in Hong Kong Published: April 22 2008 03:09 | Last updated: April 22 2008 05:55 Asia-Pacific stock markets on Tuesday retreated from seven-week highs hit the previous session, with Shanghai falling below the level marking a halving in value from its peak in October last year. The Shanghai Composite Index fell by more than 3 per cent in early trading to as low as 3,007.866 – below the 3,062 level which marks a 50 per cent decline from the peak of 6,124.044 hit during trading on October 16, 2007, and less...

HELSINKI (Reuters) - A Finnish man killed his wife on Saturday and cut the corpse in half so it would fit into a single plastic bag. He turned up for work on Monday but left early to confess to police. Police spokesman Jorma Jantunen told Reuters the man, in his mid-30s, arrived at the police station and said his wife's body was in the trunk of their car at home. Jantunen said there was no clear motive for the crime, which the man committed after the couple had been drinking at home in Vaasa, 400 km (250 miles) northwest of...