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Partly cloudy. High 32F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..
Overcast. Low around 25F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
Updated: February 13, 2026 @ 10:28 am
FILE – Mark Munyua, CP solar’s technician, examines solar panels on the roof of a company in Nairobi, Kenya, Sept. 1, 2023.
FILE – Solar panels are seen on the roof of a company in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sept. 1, 2023.
FILE – Mark Munyua, CP solar’s technician, examines solar panels on the roof of a company in Nairobi, Kenya, Sept. 1, 2023.
FILE – Mark Munyua, CP solar’s technician, examines solar panels on the roof of a company in Nairobi, Kenya, Sept. 1, 2023.
FILE – Solar panels are seen on the roof of a company in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sept. 1, 2023.
FILE – Mark Munyua, CP solar’s technician, examines solar panels on the roof of a company in Nairobi, Kenya, Sept. 1, 2023.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Africa was the world’s fastest-growing solar market in 2025, defying a global slowdown and reshaping where the momentum in renewable energy is concentrated, according to an industry report released in late last month.
The report by the Africa Solar Industry Association says the continent’s solar installed capacity expanded 17% in 2025, boosted by imports of Chinese-made solar panels. Global solar power capacity rose 23% in 2025 to 618 GW, slowing from a 44% increase in 2024.
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Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
A judge has sentenced a mass shooter to life in prison without parole for killing five people in 2022 when he was 15. Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway declined Friday to issue a sentence that could have given him the chance for parole one day. Thompson pleaded guilty last month to five counts of first-degree murder and other charges. Authorities say he killed his 16-year-old brother at home, then shot others in his neighborhood and on a greenway. Prosecutors released a note suggesting he committed the violence in part because of anger over concerns about the environment. But his lawyers blamed an altered mental state prompted by acne medicine.
MIAMI — Florida mobile home owners struggling with affordability might soon get some short-term help.
Charli xcx’s first release post-“Brat” summer is a brooding soundtrack for Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of “Wuthering Heights,” and it aims to stand on its own. In her review, The Associated Press’ music writer Maria Sherman says the 12-track album made with producers Finn Keane and Justin Raisen is enjoyable if not revelatory. The biggest shift comes from new string arrangements, even as Charli’s usual auto-tuned vocals and sharp hooks stay. The standout is “House,” which features John Cale. He delivers spoken word over cello and metallic noise. The album earns three out of five stars.
Rodney Ingram plays the title role of “Aladdin” on Broadway, and he shares the stage with his new wife, Sonia. On Saturday, they’ll spend Valentine’s Day at work on the same show. They met in Mexico City during rehearsals in 2021. Sonia joined the Broadway cast in 2024, and they married in December. Ingram steps into the lead role permanently this winter. Ingram’s path includes early rejections, intense training and years of understudy work. The Ingrams aren’t the only couple working together on Broadway. Two performers in “The Lion King” also work together.
Today in Sports, February 14 – Snowboarder Shaun White wins America’s 100th Winter Olympic gold medal
Alexander Skarsgård plays a biker who begins a dom-sub relationship with a younger, more inexperienced man in “Pillion.” The film co-starring Harry Melling and directed by Harry Lighton premiered last year at the Cannes Film Festival and is now playing in North American theaters. While it is explicit in its depiction, it’s also surprisingly sweet and comedic too. Lighton says he refused to sanitize the sex scenes between Skarsgård and Melling’s characters. The filmmaker says the story lands as “sex net positive” because the lead grows into his sexuality. Both the BDSM community and their moms have responded positively to the movie.
TESERO, Italy (AP) — Norway’s cross-country skiing star Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won an eighth gold medal at the Milan Cortina Olympics Friday, tying an all‑time Winter Games record. The 29‑year‑old claimed victory in the men’s 10 kilometer interval‑start race, for his third gold at the 2026 Games.
Allison Holker, the widow of Stephen “Twitch” Boss, is celebrating her engagement to boyfriend Adam Edmunds.
Model and actress Bijou Phillips is racing against the clock to find a new kidney — with little success so far.
Cocoa prices have fallen nearly 70% since last Valentine’s Day, but that won’t make heart-shaped boxes of chocolate or even chocolate Easter bunnies more affordable this year. Market research company Datasembly says chocolate prices at U.S. retail stores rose 14% between Jan. 1 and the first week of February compared to the same period last year. That’s on top of a 7.8% increase for the same period in 2025. Europe has seen even steeper price increases. Chocolate makers have long-term contracts that may still require them to pay more for cocoa even as supplies from West Africa increase. If shoppers are still willing to pay higher prices, candy companies aren’t inclined to lower them.
In a new court filing, teachers around the country describe how President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown is emptying classrooms and frightening families. In testimonials, educators describe parents pulling kids from school and authorities detaining students near bus stops. The accounts support a lawsuit in federal court in Oregon that challenges a policy allowing immigration enforcement at schools, churches, and medical sites. For decades, the government treated these as protected areas. Trump’s administration rescinds that limit and tells agents to use “common sense.” Teachers in several cities report disrupted learning, higher absenteeism, and students switching to virtual classes.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Without warning, public debate or coordination with the Senate, the Florida House late Thursday released an austere $113.6 billion spending plan for next year that does not fund key priorities of Gov. Ron DeSantis.
When the U.S. briefly stopped sharing battlefield intelligence with Ukraine in March 2025, the results were immediate. Kyiv’s forces suffered decisive setbacks on the battlefield as its European allies watched in horror.
The unhinged sci-fi time travel doomsday comedy wake-up call “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” already feels like a movie people will circle back to years from now and call ahead of its time.
NASA has let Axiom Space make four visits to the International Space Station and last month awarded it the right for the fifth visit next year, but on Thursday the agency announced a new company would be allowed a private mission as well.
The U.S. military has moved thousands of Islamic State detainees from Syria to Iraq, where Iraqi authorities expect to try them. On Friday, U.S. Central Command says the transfer started on Jan. 21 and includes more than 5,700 adult male suspects. CENTCOM says Iraq requested the move. In recent weeks U.S. forces have escorted detainees of 60 nationalities from prisons in northeastern Syria run by the Syrian Democratic Forces. The transfer eases fears that fighting in Syria could trigger prison breaks. U.S. commanders say the operation reduces the risk of an IS resurgence.
Drone cameras are changing how boradcasters show Olympic winter sports by chasing athletes down the course for fast and close-up shots. Martin Bochatay is the pilot who flies a drone cam tight behind downhill skiers through the narrow Tofana schuss at the Milan Cortina Games. Athletes say the drones do not distract them once they start moving. Modern drones are tiny and can top 100 miles per hour. TV crews control the main broadcast camera while pilots steer using goggles and hand controls. Pit crews batteries between runs. Some officials say the footage can feel nauseating.
Strula Holm Laegreid of Norway won a bronze medal at the Milan Cortina Olympics in the men’s sprint biathlon race — three days after making an unexpected confession during a post-race interview. Laegreid also won bronze in the 20-kilometer individual race on Tuesday, but revealed in a live broadcast that he had been unfaithful to his girlfriend and hoped to win her back. His tearful confession was criticized by some who said it took the focus away from teammate Johan-Olav Botn, who won the gold medal in that event. Quentin Fillon Maillet of France won Friday’s sprint race and Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen of Norway took silver.
Russia and Ukraine said a new round of U.S.-led peace talks will take place in Geneva next week.
Norwegian biathlete wins another Olympic bronze medal 4 days after making global headlines for confessing his infidelity.
Chadian authorities say they have found the body of a French tourist after he went missing during a Sahara Desert festival visit. The Tourism Ministry said Friday that search teams found the body in the remote Ennedi region. The man is identified as Paul Ferreri. Officials said that he disappeared after leaving a tourist camp near Bachikele on Monday. He was visiting the International Festival of Saharan Cultures. Authorities said another tourist left the camp with him but later turned back. The French Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that it’s monitoring the case closely. Officials haven’t disclosed a cause of death.
Another shutdown for parts of the federal government is expected this weekend. Funding for the Department of Homeland Security is set to expire Saturday as lawmakers debate new restrictions on President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda. The White House has been negotiating with the Democrats, but the two sides failed to reach a deal by the deadline. Unlike the record 43-day shutdown last fall, the closures will be narrowly confined, as only agencies that are part of Homeland Security will be affected. Still some federal workers could begin to miss paychecks and services like airport screening could be affected if the shutdown drags on for weeks.
Chloe Kim never said a word about it. The new halfpipe silver medalist sounded genuinely happy for the woman who beat her. But even in snowboarding — billed as the most chill of the judged sports that populate the Winter Olympic program — everything is a matter of opinion. The small debate bubbling up after Gaon Choi’s razor-thin victory over Kim in the halfpipe Thursday night was whether the judges got it right. At the heart of that debate was that Kim landed the hardest trick in the sport — a double-cork 1080 — and Choi did not.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz calls for the US and Europe to ‘repair and revive trans-Atlantic trust together.’
Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo has won an eighth gold medal in cross-country skiing at the Milan Cortina Olympics, tying an all‑time Winter Games record. The 29‑year‑old claimed victory Friday in the men’s 10 kilometer interval‑start race, for his third gold at the 2026 games. He ties the record shared by three other Norwegian athletes, all retired: Marit Bjoergen and Bjoern Daehlie in cross-country skiing and Ole Einar Bjoerndalen in the biathlon.
The world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, has been ordered to sail from the Caribbean Sea to the Middle East. That’s according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity. It comes as U.S. President Donald Trump considers whether to take possible military action against Iran. The move, first reported by The New York Times, will put two carriers and their accompanying warships in the region as Trump increases pressure on Iran to make a deal over its nuclear program.
The first solar eclipse of the year is almost here, but very few people will see it. Tuesday’s annular solar eclipse, known as a “ring of fire,” will only be visible in Antarctica. More people will see a partial eclipse with small bites taken out of the sun from the tip of Chile and bits of southeastern Africa including Madagascar, Lesotho and South Africa. Solar eclipses happen when the sun, moon and Earth align just so. During an annular eclipse, the moon is farther from Earth in its orbit and casts a shadow that partially blocks the sun, leaving an orange ring behind.
New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs is scheduled to be arraigned in Massachusetts on a felony strangulation charge and a misdemeanor assault and battery charge stemming from an alleged dispute with his former private chef. According to a police report, the woman told officers Diggs struck her and attempted to choke her during an argument about unpaid wages in early December. Diggs’ attorney has denied the allegations, calling them unsubstantiated and tied to a financial dispute. The Patriots have said they support Diggs. Friday’s arraignment comes days after the team’s 29-13 loss to Seattle in Super Bowl LX.
Envoys from Russia and Ukraine are to meet for a new round of U.S.-brokered talks in Geneva next week as both sides keep fighting and trading long-range strikes. On Friday, officials in Moscow and Kyiv said the talks will take place in Geneva on Tuesday and Wednesday. The talks come against the backdrop of more Russian attacks that keep hitting Ukrainian cities and the power grid. Ukraine keeps sending drones at targets inside Russia. Earlier, U.S.-led peace efforts in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, failed to settle major issues like the future of occupied parts of eastern Ukraine.
Finnish ski racer Elian Lehto reached the Winter Olympics by training with Switzerland’s powerhouse team and paying his way. He called the deal as a lifeline for athletes from small nations. He trains and travels with stars like Marco Odermatt and Franjo von Allmen. Other racers follow similar paths through organizations like Global Racing and the Untitled Ski Team.
Fears are rising of the outbreak of another war that could spread into a regional conflict in the Middle East as U.S. President Donald Trump raises the pressure on on Iran to give up its nuclear program. Israel and Iran already fought a 12-day war in June. The U.S. then hit three nuclear sites with B-2 bombers and Israel was able to carry out numerous airstrikes on Iranian targets. Analysts say Israeli and U.S. planes still face little air resistance. The bigger risk comes from Iranian retaliation. Experts say Iran can target U.S. bases, oil sites and the Strait of Hormuz.
Thailand uses a birth control vaccine to curb its elephant population near expanding farms
Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych is challenging his Olympic disqualification, but he says he still cannot race in Milan Cortina. On Friday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport hears his appeal for about two and a half hours. Heraskevych leaves smiling and says he expects to win. He has already left the Olympic Village. IOC president Kirsty Coventry says officials disqualify him because he insists on racing with a tribute helmet. The helmet shows images of Ukrainians killed since Russia’s 2022 invasion. The IOC says he can honor them off the track instead.
Dubai has named a new chairman for DP World, one of the world’s largest logistics companies, replacing a chairman named in the Jeffrey Epstein files. The announcement by the government’s Dubai Media Office did not specifically name Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem. However, it said that Essa Kazim was named DP World’s chairman and Yuvraj Narayan was named group CEO. Those were positions held by Sulayem. DP World has long been a pillar of the economy of the Middle Eastern city. Newly released emails showed a yearslong friendship between Sulayem, and Epstein. Some emails referenced porn, sexual massages and escorts.
Thailand’s Bhumjaithai Party has moved closer to forming a new government after the Pheu Thai Party agreed to join it in a proposed coalition. The parties said on Friday they want to put past conflicts aside and work together. Unofficial results from Sunday’s election show Bhumjaithai with 193 seats and Pheu Thai with 74, representing a majority in the 500-member parliament. Bhumjaithai says smaller parties have also pledged support. The progressive People’s Party, the election runner-up, rejects joining the coalition. There are meanwhile allegations of irregularities in the polls. Protesters in several areas have called for recounts and a monitoring group said it received thousands of complaints.
Reports fourth quarter revenue of $0.7 billion, GAAP net loss of $(0.8) billion and GAAP EPS of $(2.11)
China is getting ready to celebrate the Lunar New Year, and the festivities will include robots. Ahead of the celebration next week, some venues in Beijing have been setting the stages — such as those for robot shows in some malls. In one mall in the western part of the Chinese capital, there will be a fair devoted to technology, and robots will be the central character. They will be dancing, stacking blocks on top of others to make a little tower, putting hawthorns on a stick, or playing soccer. China has been scaling up its efforts to develop better robots that can perform different activities, powered by artificial intelligence and with less human intervention.
New chairman for logistics giant DP World replaces outgoing head named in Jeffrey Epstein documents.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State coach Jerome Tang ripped into his team after a 29-point home loss to Cincinnati and called the performance embarrassing. On Wednesday night, many fans showed up with paper bags on their heads as the Wildcats fell 91-62. Kansas State dropped to 10-14, with …
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota has revised coach P.J. Fleck’s contract to include an annual raise and additional incentives as approved by the university’s board of regents Thursday. Fleck is entering his 10th season with the Gophers. He will get a $700,000 management bonus on top of his exist…
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Appearing in today’s newspaper
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