Deadly collapse of a balcony in Angers: the construction trial opens on Wednesday
Poor workmanship, poor quality concrete... Five people responsible for the construction of a building in Angers will have to explain themselves to the courts from Wednesday for the collapse of a balcony which had caused the death of four students on October 15, 2016. That evening, a housewarming party organized by two sisters and bringing together around thirty college and tennis friends turns into a nightmare. The evening was taking place calmly on the 4th floor of the "Le Surcouf" residence, in the center of Angers, when around 11:00 p.m., the balcony fell off and tipped into the void, dragging 18 young people in its fall of more than 8 meters. Antoine, 21, Benjamin, 23, Lou, 18 and Baptiste, 25, died there, while fourteen others were rushed to hospital. Five defendants are referred to the Angers Criminal Court for homicides and involuntary injuries: the architect Frédéric Rolland, 66, project manager of the site, whose firm is located in Angers, the builder Patrick Bonnel, 72 years old , manager of the eponymous structural work company, as well as two of his employees, Eric Morand, works supervisor, 53, and Jean-Marcel Moreau, 63, site manager. The last defendant, André de Douvan, 84, was in charge of monitoring the site for the Apave group. They face up to 3 years in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros. The conclusions of the investigators were final. Dismissing any responsibility of the guests who were on the balcony, and the hypothesis of a lack of maintenance, they incriminate, on the other hand, the builders of this residence delivered in 1998.
Ukrainian crisis: France, Germany and Poland united to avoid a war in Europe
"Avoid a war in Europe": France, Germany and Poland have displayed their common objective and their unity after a diplomatic marathon by Emmanuel Macron who claims to see "concrete solutions" to the Russian-Western crisis linked to the 'Ukraine. The three countries are "united" to preserve peace in Europe "through diplomacy and through clear messages, as well as the common will to act together", assured German Chancellor Olaf Scholz who received the French and Polish Presidents, Emmanuel Macron and Andrzej Duda. This working dinner in Berlin was the last stage of Emmanuel Macron's diplomatic tour, which involved a long face-to-face with Vladimir Putin on Monday, then with Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, on Tuesday, in search of a diplomatic solution. in a context of tensions on a level rarely reached since the end of the Cold War. Andrzej Duda said he believed it was possible "to avoid war", while Emmanuel Macron pleaded in favor of "a demanding dialogue with Russia" because it is "the only path that will make peace possible in Ukraine", during short statements before their meeting. The presence of tens of thousands of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border has Westerners fearing an invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which already annexed Crimea in 2014 and has supported separatists at war with Ukrainian forces since the same year. a conflict that has killed more than 13,000 people and that has never ended despite the Minsk peace agreements.
IN SHORT
About thirty jihadists were killed at the beginning of February in the Malian Liptako, on the borders of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, by the European special forces of the Takuba group and the Malian armed forces which they accompany in combat, which allowed to seize numerous equipment and components for the manufacture of improvised explosive devices.
EDF will shut down three additional nuclear reactors to check for possible corrosion problems, bad news in a context of tight electricity supply this winter and as President Macron prepares to make ardently hoped-for announcements on the atom by the sector.
Senegalese President Macky Sall rewarded the players of the national football team, winners for the first time of the African Cup of Nations, with the sum of around 75,000 euros each and two pitches in Dakar and Diamniadio.