Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend
Ethiopian Airlines flight crashes after takeoff, killing 157
Eight Americans were among 157 people killed when an Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa on Sunday. The 4-month-old Boeing 737-8 MAX plane crashed six minutes after departing on its way to Nairobi, Kenya. The cause of the crash was not immediately known, though the pilot sent out a distress call and was given clearance to return. The plane had routine maintenance on Feb. 4 and had flown just 1,200 hours, the airline's CEO said. The pilot had nine years of seniority with the airline. Overall, the airline's safety record had been on par with other major world airlines. The plane was carrying 149 passengers and eight crew members.
Founder of spa linked to Robert Kraft prostitution case sold clients access to Trump
Florida entrepreneur Cindy (Li) Yang founded the spa where New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was arrested for allegedly soliciting prostitution. She also runs a business that offered to sell access to President Donald Trump and his family at Mar-a-Lago, according to the company's website. Yang, 45, watched the Super Bowl with Trump this year at a party hosted by the president, even snapping a selfie with Trump at his West Palm Beach country club, the Miami Herald reported. Mother Jones, which broke the access story Saturday, said Yang could not be reached for comment. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
R. Kelly released from jail as alleged third sex tape surfaces
R&B singer R. Kelly was released from a Chicago jail Saturday after someone fronted $161,000 for back child support payments to his ex-wife, though a sheriff’s spokeswoman said she didn't know who made the payment. Kelly's release came three days after a judge ordered him jailed until he paid the total owed. Then, during a Sunday news conference in New York City, attorney Gloria Allred said a client discovered another video appearing to show Kelly sexually abusing underage girls. It would mark the third tape turned over to authorities in the past month. Kelly made headlines earlier this week for an explosive interview with CBS' Gayle King, which was lampooned in an opening sketch of "Saturday Night Live."
Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez: They're engaged
Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez announced Saturday on social media that they plan to tie the knot. The couple had recently celebrated two years together. The former baseball star, 43, popped the question to Lopez, 49, during a romantic beach getaway. "She said yes," Rodriguez captioned a sunset picture of a giant engagement ring on his fiancee's finger. Lopez has been married three times. Rodriguez has been married once. In December, Lopez told USA TODAY the couple wasn't planning to get married anytime soon.
At least five more tornadoes strike the South
A new round of severe weather ripped through the southern United States over the weekend, but with fewer reports of injuries after fatal tornadoes killed 23 people a week ago. At least five tornadoes were confirmed: three in northwest Louisiana, one in central Arkansas and one in northern Mississippi. The tornadoes and high winds destroyed mobile homes, crushed cars and wiped away farm buildings. Two people were reported injured in Arkansas.
116-year-old Japanese woman crowned world's oldest person
Kane Tanaka was named the new oldest living person in the world Saturday by the Guinness Book of World Records. Tanaka, the youngest of seven children, was born prematurely on Jan. 2, 1903. Theodore Roosevelt was president of the United States and World War I was still a full decade away from changing geopolitics forever. She wakes up at 6 a.m. each day, likes to study math for fun and competes fiercely in the board game Othello.
A princess tried to flee Dubai. She left a video as proof.
It's not what you expect a modern-day princess to say. "My father is the leader of Dubai," Latifa bint al-Maktoum says, and "I am making this video because it could be the last one I make." Less than a minute later in the video, Latifa, 33, known for her love of skydiving above Dubai, a glitzy modern state in the United Arab Emirates federation, gives a further warning: "If you are watching this ... I'm dead or I'm in a very, very, very bad situation." The YouTube video was intended to be an insurance policy for Latifa, who hoped to obtain political asylum in the United States. Latifa's friends heard nothing from her for nine months, and now they say she may be being drugged and held against her will.
United Airlines fires 35 employees for selling travel perks
More than 35 United Airlines employees were fired after the company discovered they were abusing employee travel perks by selling travel passes, which are intended for employees and their friends and family. Following an investigation, the airline "uncovered a brokering scheme where employees were soliciting pass travel privileges from their colleagues to put up for sale." United discovered some employees gave fake documentation in order to name travelers as their stepparents or domestic partners.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend
