No evidence of fire before bus crash
RED BLUFF, calif. — Federal investigators said Sunday that they haven’t found physical evidence confirming a witness’ claim that a FedEx truck was on fire before it slammed into a bus carrying high school students, killing 10 people in Northern California.
National Transportation Safety Board member Mark Rosekind said that investigators are not ruling out a pre-impact fire, but a fire specialist did not find evidence of flames as the truck crossed a median, sideswiped a Nissan Altima and crashed into the bus.
The driver of the Altima, who survived with minor injuries, told investigators and reporters Saturday that she had seen flames emerging from the lower rear of the truck’s cab as it approached her car.
Libya’s interim prime minister to step down •TRIPOLI, libya — Libya’s government said Sunday that the interim prime minister had declined a parliamentary mandate to form a new government and will instead step down, in a move likely to compound difficulties facing a government already divided and facing widespread unrest and militia violence.
Interim Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani announced on the interim government’s website that he was leaving his post, but would stay on as head of the Cabinet until a replacement could be found.
“Captain America” holds off “Rio 2” •NEW YORK — “Captain America” continued to flex its Marvel muscle at the global box office, as “The Winter Soldier” took in $41.4 million domestically and $60.6 million overseas.
The animated Amazon jungle tale “Rio 2” debuted with $39 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The low-budget supernatural horror film “Oculus” took in $12 million for Relativity Media. The football drama “Draft Day,” starring Kevin Costner and directed by Ivan Reitman, debuted with $9.8 million.
U.S. investigating toxic gas report •DAMASCUS, syria — The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Sunday that reports of a poison gas attack in a rural village north of Damascus were so far “unsubstantiated,” adding that the United States was trying to establish what happened before it considers a response. Both sides in Syria’s civil war blamed each other for the alleged attack that reportedly injured scores of people Friday.
Sebelius: Health care timeline was “flat out wrong” •WASHINGTON — The Obama administration’s timeline for having ready the health care law’s online sign-up system “was just flat out wrong,” said outgoing Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in an interview that aired Sunday on “Meet the Press.”
The departing health chief also said the two months when was plagued with technical problems were “a pretty dismal time” and the low point of her five-year tenure. But she defended the law’s impact and said millions of Americans now have access to health care because of it.
Israeli negotiator offers optimism •JERUSALEM — Israel’s chief peace negotiator, Tzipi Livni, on Sunday accused a hard-line faction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s increasingly unwieldy coalition government of undermining her efforts, while Jewish settlers moved into a sensitive West Bank building that has been a flashpoint of violence in the past.
Livni said in an interview that she was optimistic the sides would get through a crisis that has left the talks on the brink of collapse.
NASA goes ahead with launch •CAPE CANAVERAL, fla. — NASA is pressing ahead with Monday’s launch of a supply ship despite a critical computer outage at the International Space Station, promising the situation is safe.
36 killed in Mexico bus crash •VERACRUZ, mexico — A passenger bus slammed into a broken-down truck and burst into flames, killing at least 36 people Sunday in Mexico, the Veracruz state government reported. Both state and federal officials said that four people survived the crash, which occurred after midnight in the southeastern state of Veracruz. Denver Post wire services
