RUSSIAN PLANE CRASH KILLS 71
A Russian airliner that had just taken off from the country’s secondbusiest airport crashed Sunday, killing all 71 people aboard and scattering jagged chunks of wreckage across a snowy field outside Moscow.
The pilots of the An-148 regional jet did not report any problems before the twin-engine aircraft plunged into the field about 25 miles from Domodedovo Airport, authorities said.
Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov confirmed that there were no survivors.
N.Y. AG files lawsuit against Weinstein.
New York’s attorney general has filed a lawsuit against Hollywood movie producer Harvey Weinstein and the Weinstein Co. following an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.
In court papers filed in Manhattan on Sunday, state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says the Weinstein Co. “repeatedly broke New York law by failing to protect its employees from pervasive sexual harassment, intimidation and discrimination.”
Schneiderman says any sale of the company “must ensure that victims will be compensated” and employees will be protected.
Dems take another run at Russia memo.
WASHINGTON»
Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee are prepared to black out parts of their memo about the FBI’s Russia investigation to ensure there’s no harmful spilling of secrets, then try again to get President Donald Trump to let it come out. A White House aide said Sunday he’s confident it will be released once Democrats “clean it up.”
Blackout hits Puerto Rico following fire, explosion.
A blackout hit northern Puerto Rico late Sunday after an explosion set off a big fire at a main power substation in the U.S. territory.
Officials with the island’s Electric Power Authority said several municipalities were without power, including parts of the capital of San Juan.
It was not immediately known what caused the fire, although officials said the explosion knocked two other substations offline.
The blackout comes as more than 400,000 power customers remain in the dark more than five months after Hurricane Maria.
Catholic teacher fired days after same-sex wedding.
Jocelyn Morfii used a wedding website to share key details about her marriage to Natasha Hass.
Morffi’s messages were more somber a few days later. On Instagram, she shared news of her termination with family, friends and anyone else who wondered why she hadn’t showed up at Miami’s Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School, where she had been a first-grade teacher for seven years.
In April 2014, after a judge in Florida lifted the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, Archbishop Thomas Wenski, who oversees Miami’s Catholic archdiocese, sent a message to all employees, according to the Religion News Service.
It said every person employed by the church — regardless of whether that person is a practicing Catholic — is expected to abide by Catholic teaching, including the church’s opposition to same-sex marriage. The letter said employees who didn’t obey could be punished, even terminated, for such activities.
Queen Elizabeth makes push to eliminate plastic waste.
Queen Elizabeth II also is pushing for environment-friendly changes in her own back yard. The Telegraph reports that she’s behind Buckingham Palace’s new waste-reduction plans, which will ban straws and bottles at all royal estates. Straws will be phased out of public cafes at royal residences and banned from staff dining rooms. Royal caterers will be required to use china plates and glasses.
Buckingham Palace is also undergoing a decadelong refurbishment to make it more green. Solar panels are being installed and electricity systems updated with an eye toward improving energy efficiency by 40 percent. The updated palace will also have a composting system for organic waste.
Planes can still vanish.
The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 prompted a slew of safety proposals meant to prevent another jetliner from inexplicably vanishing. Yet four years later, that possibility remains.
That’s because international requirements for new planes to broadcast their locations every minute when they’re in trouble don’t take effect until January 2021.
In an era when people can track their iPhones and Samsung Galaxy devices in real time, the world’s mostadvanced transportation industry still isn’t obligated to do the same for craft carrying about 4 billion passengers a year.
And that one-minute rule doesn’t apply to the current fleet of 23,500 passenger planes and the thousands more joining them in the next three years — mostly in Asia.
Takata settles with injured drivers.
Takata Corp’s U.S. unit has reached a settlement with representatives of those injured by lethally defective air bags, paving the way for the company to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy and move forward with a reorganization plan, according to court documents.
The agreement between the Japanese auto parts suppliers, injured drivers and creditors, was outlined in documents filed in a Delaware bankruptcy court. Two groups representing people suing over the air bags have dropped their opposition to the restructuring plan, according to the documents filed on Saturday. Under the settlement, lawsuits will be resolved through a trust fund.
Missouri lawmakers consider official sliced bread day.
JEFFERSON CITY,
Missouri lawmakers are considering whether to mark an official day to celebrate sliced bread.
A bill pending in the state House would designate July 7 as Missouri Sliced Bread Day. Supporters say the day is needed to promote tourism in the northern Missouri city of Chillicothe, where the first commercially sliced bread was sold on July 7, 1928. The city of 9,500 people touts its carbfilled history and holds a Sliced Bread Jam Bluegrass Festival every year.
“Fifty Shades” tops charts.
“Fifty Shades Freed” topped the North American box office in its first weekend in theaters.
Universal Pictures estimates Sunday the final chapter in saga earned $38.8 million, which is down significantly from the first film’s $85.2 million debut and the sequel’s $46.6 million opening.
The steamy romance outdid other new competitors like Sony’s CG and live-action update of “Peter Rabbit” and Clint Eastwood’s “The 15:17 to Paris.”