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HONOLULU (AP) — Authorities say a small cargo plane on a training flight crashed into a vacant building shortly after taking off from Honolulu’s airport and burst into flames, killing the two people on board. The Federal Aviation Administration says Kamaka Air Flight 689 crashed into the building near the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport

Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Syria’s nearly 14-year-old civil war fragmented the country, crumbled the economy and created fertile ground for the production of the highly addictive drug Captagon. Militias, warlords and the government of Bashar Assad transformed Captagon from a small-scale operation run by small criminal groups into a billion-dollar industrial revenue stream. The

AP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) — No one was expecting it. In late 2023, André 3000 released his debut solo album, “New Blue Sun.” It was 18 years after his legendary rap group Outkast’s last studio album, “Idlewild.” “New Blue Sun” is a six-track instrumental album of ambient alt-jazz. There are “no bars,” he

Associated Press BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — In Nigeria, roughly 85 million people do not have access to electricity. Yet large solar projects that could improve this situation have faltered. Developers struggle to get financing for new projects and connect them with a woefully inadequate electrical grid. Sales of solar lights and chargers have grown quickly

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has passed a defense bill that authorizes significant pay raises for junior enlisted service members and boosts overall military spending to $895 billion. It also strips coverage of transgender medical treatments for children of military members. The annual defense authorization bill usually gains strong bipartisan support and hasn’t

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency has granted two requests from California to enforce strict standards for vehicle emissions, including a rule aimed at banning sales of new gasoline-powered cars in the state by 2035. The incoming Trump administration is likely to try to reverse the approval. The California rule is stricter

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A Pentagon report says China is expanding its nuclear force, has increased military pressure against Taiwan and has strengthened its ties with Russia over the past year. Those actions are accelerating key areas of conflict with the United States. The report also notes that the recent rash of corruption allegations

AP Science Writer The last meteor shower of the year — the Ursids — peaks Sunday, a few days before Christmas. While usually not as bright as the Geminids, the Ursid meteor shower can yield surprises. “The Ursids are generally a sparse meteor shower,” producing about 5 to 10 visible meteors per hour under ideal

The killing of a senior Russian general in a bombing outside his apartment building in Moscow was the boldest assassination yet of a top military officer and again brought the war in Ukraine to the streets of the capital. Some things to know about the attack and who is suspected of being behind it: What

Associated Press KIRYAT GAT, Israel (AP) — Ilana Gritzewsky is fighting a battle against time to save her boyfriend from Hamas captivity. While there appears to be progress toward a deal to free the remaining captives in phases, Matan Zangauker would likely not be released in the first stage since he is a young man.

NEW DELHI (AP) — An Indian navy speedboat has crashed into a ferry carrying over 100 people to a popular tourist destination off Mumbai, killing at least 13 people. A navy statement says 99 ferry passengers were rescued. They were on their way to Elephanta Island when the speedboat circled and collided with the ferry

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has transferred two Malaysian detainees at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. military prison to their home country. That’s after they pleaded guilty to charges stemming from deadly 2002 bombings in Bali and agreed to testify against the alleged ringleader of that and other attacks. The move leaves just 27

Associated Press Writers ST. LOUIS (AP) — Capybaras are having a big moment. The world’s largest rodent is the latest in a long line of “it” animals to get star treatment during the holiday season. Shoppers can find plush capybaras, capybara slippers, capybara bath bombs and capybara phone cases. Tiny versions of the semi-aquatic South