Defense lawyers for a Russian charged with involvement in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014 cast doubt Monday on prosecutors' assertions that the passenger jet was shot down by a Buk surface-to-air missile. The comments came as Dutch defense lawyers for Oleg Pulatov began listing their requests for further investigations in the international probe into the July 17, 2014, downing of MH17. Defense lawyer Boudewijn van Eijck pointed out to judges that prosecutors were unable to seal off or carry out forensic investigations at the crash scene, which was in a region controlled by pro-Russia rebels fighting against Ukraine’s government. “For that reason it can’t be ruled out that evidence went missing, was manipulated or even was augmented,” Van Eijck said. Defense lawyers for a Russian charged with involvement in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014 cast doubt Monday on prosecutors' assertions that the passenger jet was shot down by a Buk surface-to-air missile. The comments came as Dutch defense lawyers for Oleg Pulatov began listing their requests for further investigations in the international probe into the July 17, 2014, downing of MH17. Defense lawyer Boudewijn van Eijck pointed out to judges that prosecutors were unable to seal off or carry out forensic investigations at the crash scene, which was in a region controlled by pro-Russia rebels fighting against Ukraine’s government.<br/>
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A group of passengers is suing American Airlines, alleging two instances of racial discrimination before and aboard a recent American Airlines flight –– though the airline is pushing back on these claims. Plaintiffs Elgin Banks and Aubrey Kelly, both Black men, claim the airline discriminated against them on a departing flight from Los Angeles on May 31. "Discrimination of any kind is not acceptable and does not align with our values, which is why we launched an investigation when were made aware of the allegations," said Ross Feinstein, a spokesman for American Airlines. "We are continuing to review this incident, but we believe that the allegations are not a full or accurate portrayal of the incident." While Banks and Kelly are suing for discrimination, all five plaintiffs are suing for failure to prevent discrimination, among other accusations. One of the American Airlines incidents resulted in airport security and police being called onto the plane. The civil lawsuit was filed in US District Court, the Central District of California, on Friday. Story has details.<br/>
American Airlines Group is tapping all corners of the capital markets to raise at least $3.5b of cash in the latest test of investor willingness to finance travel companies still under strain from the coronavirus pandemic. The company is marketing a $1.5b secured junk bond maturing in 2025 with early pricing discussions for a yield of about 12%, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The company was sounding out some investors last week for a similar structure at a yield of 11%. As the most debt-laden of the largest US airlines, American is having to pay up. The yield on the bond is more akin to that of riskier CCC debt currently trading around 11.65%, even though the offering is expected to have at least two ratings in the double B ratings tier, the highest in the junk market. American is also marketing a $500m four-year loan at a spread of 9.5 percentage points over the London interbank offered rate and at a discounted price between 95 cents to 96 cents on the dollar, said the people, who asked not to be named discussing a private transaction. That comes to an all-in yield around 11%, based on Bloomberg calculations. The debt will be secured by slots, gates and routes across the world in the United States, Latin America, Asia, and Europe. Story has more financial details.<br/>