Collapsed Italy bridge poorly maintained
GENOA • A technical report showed that some parts of a bridge that collapsed last year in northern Italy had lacked maintenance for 25 years, a local prosecutor said yesterday.
On Aug 14 last year, a large section of the 1.2km-long bridge in Genoa collapsed in heavy rain, killing 43 people. The cause of the collapse is still under investigation, but the ruling 5-Star Movement has blamed Italy's biggest toll-road operator, infrastructure group Atlantia, for neglecting maintenance on the bridge. Atlantia has denied any wrongdoing.
"The investigation will tell whether (the lack of maintenance) was instrumental in causing the collapse," Genoa's top prosecutor Francesco Cozzi told reporters at a news conference yesterday, following a memorial ceremony for the victims earlier in the day.
REUTERS
US rapper convicted of assault in Sweden
STOCKHOLM • A Stockholm court yesterday convicted US rapper A$AP Rocky of assault and handed him a suspended prison sentence over a street brawl in June, a case that outraged fans and sparked a diplomatic spat with US President Donald Trump.
The rapper, 30, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, and two members of his entourage were found guilty of assaulting a 19-year-old in a fight in central Stockholm on June 30. In its verdict, the court said that Mayers and two members' actions were not severe enough to warrant more time in prison.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Nepal proposes rules for Everest climbers
KATHMANDU • Climbers wanting to take on Mount Everest will first have to tackle another Nepal mountain of at least 6,500m under new proposals by a committee seeking to improve safety on the world's highest peak.
The requirement is being proposed after a deadly traffic-clogged season saw 11 climbers die on Everest, which some experts blamed on inexperience.
The committee also proposed a fee of at least US$35,000 (S$48,600) for Everest and US$20,000 for other mountains over 8,000m tall, amid criticism that cost-cutting by expedition organisers was jeopardising climbers' safety.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
