Washington, Aug 22 (AP/UNB)  — The Pentagon is pulling the plug on a billion-dollar, technically troubled project to build a better weapon that would destroy incoming missiles. The move is aimed in part at considering new approaches to missile defense at a time of rapid technological change.

The announced reason for canceling the Boeing contract, effective Thursday, was that the project's design problems were so significant as to be either insurmountable or too costly to correct.

Beyond those immediate concerns, the Pentagon is considering whether it needs to start over with designing a defense against intercontinental-range ballistic missiles, such as those North Korea aspires to build, as well as newly emerging types of missiles.

One indication of that broader concern is the Pentagon's statement that it will now invite industry competition to develop a "new, next-generation interceptor" — potentially a weapon that could take on hypersonic missiles being developed by China and Russia.

The Pentagon currently has 44 missile interceptors based mostly in Alaska. Each is designed to be launched from an underground silo, soar beyond the Earth's atmosphere and release a "kill vehicle" — a device that steers into its target and destroys it by force of collision.

These weapons have been tested but never used in actual combat.

It is that "kill vehicle" device that the Pentagon had asked Boeing to redesign so that it could be more reliable against the kind of long-range missiles that North Korea has said it is building to target the U.S.

The Pentagon had spent nearly $1.2 billion on the project when Michael Griffin, the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, decided last week to end it. In May he had ordered Boeing to stop its work, pending a decision on a way forward.

"Ending the program was the responsible thing to do," Griffin said in a statement Wednesday. "Development programs sometimes encounter problems. After exercising due diligence, we decided the path we're going down wouldn't be fruitful, so we're not going down that path anymore."

Mark Wright, a spokesman for the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency, said details about the technical problems that led to the project's termination would not be released "due to the classified nature of the program."

Boeing said in a statement that it accepts the decision and supports the competition for a new missile interceptor. Michael Doble, a spokesman for Raytheon Co., which is a subcontractor, said the Pentagon is "updating its requirements in the face of an increasingly complex threat environment." He said Raytheon backs the decision to end the contract.

By saying it will now pursue a "next-generation interceptor," the Pentagon revealed that it sees a requirement not only for a better "kill vehicle" but also an improved booster rocket. In other words, it may be aiming for a weapon that can defend against a wider array of missile threats.

The cancellation raises questions about the Pentagon's continued reliance on the existing "kill vehicle" on its interceptor fleet in Alaska.

The Pentagon has been authorized by Congress to increase the current fleet of 44 interceptors to 64. The additional 20 were to be equipped by 2023 with the redesigned "kill vehicle" under the Boeing contract. Now that the contract is being canceled, it seems likely that those additional 20 interceptors will not be fielded on time.

Officials said the contract is being canceled "for convenience, not for cause," meaning it was at the Pentagon's discretion and not because Boeing was unable to fulfill the contract.

"We will take lessons learned from the terminated program and apply them during the new competition," Griffin said.

Oroville, Aug 22 (AP/UNB) — All 10 people aboard a small jet escaped injury Wednesday after the aircraft aborted its takeoff at a small Northern California airport, went off the runway and burst into flames, officials said.

The pilot of the twin-engine Cessna Citation jet aborted its takeoff at Oroville Municipal Airport for unknown reasons shortly before noon, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.

The plane was carrying two pilots and eight passengers, and "all were accounted for, no injuries," said Joe Deal, Oroville's fire and police chief.

The jet had complications during takeoff that resulted in its catching fire, he said.

It slid off the end of the runway, sparking a fire in dry grass. Photos and video from witnesses shows the jet's door open and its landing gear apparently retracted. Officials briefly closed nearby Highway 162 before controlling the grass fire at less than two acres.

"They were out of the plane quickly," said Rick Carhart, a spokesman the CalFire/Butte County Fire Department that assisted at the scene. By the time the first fire engine arrived, "the people had already gotten off and vacated the area very quickly."

Carhart said he didn't know if the jet caught fire before or after it left the runway.

The plane was flying from Oroville to Portland International Airport in Oregon, Gregor said.

An FAA website says the model 560XL jet was manufactured in 2003 and is registered to Jotts LLC, with an address that tracks to a firm based in Wilmington, Delaware, that provides registered agent services to multiple companies.

Deal said it was a personally chartered jet, and its corporate passengers had stayed overnight in Oroville.

"It was attempting to take off, but early reports show that it never made it off the ground," Deal said. The jet slid off the northern end of the runway onto a grassy area, but it never left the airport property. It was fully engulfed by the time firefighters arrived.

Firefighters were able to quickly control the grass fire, but it took more than an hour to extinguish the jet, partly because it had just taken on 400 gallons of jet fuel, he said. A crash truck from nearby Chico sprayed the jet with foam to help extinguish the blaze.

The airport, which does not have commercial flights, remained open.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. It typically takes the NTSB a year or more to determine a probable cause of an accident, Gregor said.

Anchorage, Aug 20 (AP/UNB) — Alaska's wildfire season usually ends well before mid-August but persistent hot, dry weather has contributed to the start of new fires and the spread of old ones.

High winds Saturday damaged power lines or knocked trees into lines, sparking multiple fires, including one that temporarily shut down the highway between Anchorage and Denali National Park and burned more than 50 structures, said Tim Mowry, spokesman for the Alaska Division of Forestry.

Heavy rain has dampened fires north of the Alaska Range but has not reached areas north and south of Anchorage.

"Usually our folks are in the Lower 48 helping out and we're drowning in rainfall in August in most of Alaska," he said.

Fire crews are working with the state fire marshal to confirm the numbers of structures lost, which includes homes, businesses and outbuildings.

"We're thinking it's more than 50," Mowry said.

No injuries have been reported but not everyone followed a recommendation to evacuate.

"We're trying to account for any folks who didn't evacuate when they were advised to do so, that's an ongoing process," Mowry said.

July was the warmest month ever recorded in Alaska. On Saturday, a weather system with winds gusting to 40 mph moved into southcentral Alaska.

The fire along the Parks Highway began with a tree falling on a power line. On Sunday night, with strong winds whipping flames, the fire jumped the highway and wildfire crews had to temporarily abandon firefighting to help evacuate threatened residents.

A single lane of the highway reopened Monday but fire officials reported zero visibility. Pilot cars guided motorists through smoke.

The Alaska Railroad shut down passenger service between Anchorage and Denali Park. Burned trees fell across track and crews worked Monday to remove them, said spokesman Tim Sullivan in a release. Rail passengers were transported by bus.

South of Anchorage on the Kenai Peninsula, high winds invigorated a fire that began June 5 in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. The fire jumped the Sterling Highway and entered the Skilak Wildlife Recreation Area, stranding residents trying to return from weekend fishing trips.

The highway connects drivers traveling between Anchorage and the cities of Kenai, Soldotna and Homer. All three are fishing destinations for residents and tourists seeking salmon.

Through Sunday the fire had burned 200 square miles (518 sq. kilometers). The highway reopened at noon Monday.,

Alaska fire officials have recorded 659 wildfires this year that have burned more than 3,901 square miles (10,104 sq. kilometers).

Islamabad, Aug 20 (AP/UNB)  — The White House says President Donald Trump has spoken by telephone with Pakistan's prime minister, Imran Khan, on the need to reduce tensions and moderate rhetoric with India.

Earlier in the day, the White House said Trump had a similar call with India's prime minister over the situation in Kashmir.

White House spokesman Judd Deere says the president "reaffirmed the need to avoid escalation of the situation, and urged restraint on both sides."

Pakistan and India have fought two wars over control of Kashmir since they won independence from British colonialists in 1947.

Tensions have increased since Aug. 5, when New Delhi downgraded the autonomy of Muslim-majority Kashmir.

The White House says Trump and Khan also agreed to work together to strengthen cooperation on trade.

President Donald Trump has spoken with India's prime minister about the importance of reducing tensions between India and Pakistan amid growing tensions in the region.

Pakistan said Monday that Indian troops have fired across the Line of Control in the disputed Kashmir region, killing two civilians and wounding another.

White House spokesman Hogan Gidley says Trump spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the importance of maintaining peace in the region.

Pakistan and India have fought two wars over control of Kashmir since they won independence from British colonialists in 1947.

Pakistan and Indian often exchange fire in the Himalayan region, but tensions have increased since Aug. 5, when New Delhi downgraded the autonomy of Muslim-majority Kashmir. Authorities in Indian-administered Kashmir lifted some security restrictions Monday in the main city of Srinagar after a nearly two-week security crackdown and news blackout.

Pakistan says Indian troops have fired across the Line of Control in the disputed Kashmir region, killing two civilians and wounding another.

Pakistan and Indian often exchange fire in the Himalayan region, but tensions have increased since Aug. 5 when New Delhi changed the status of Indian-administered Kashmir, which is split between them and claimed by both.

Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement Monday that civilian casualties occurred Sunday because of "unprovoked ceasefire violations" by India in the border villages of Hot Spring and Chirikot.

It said Pakistan summoned an Indian diplomat and lodged a protest over continued ceasefire violations, which "are a threat to regional peace."

Pakistan and India have fought two wars over control of Kashmir since they won independence from British colonialists in 1947.

St. Paul, Aug 20 (AP/UNB) — Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib sharply criticized Israel on Monday for denying them entry to the Jewish state and called on fellow members of Congress to visit while they cannot.

Omar, of Minnesota, suggested President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were suppressing the lawmakers' ability to carry out their oversight role.

"I would encourage my colleagues to visit, meet with the people we were going to meet with, see the things we were going to see, hear the stories we were going to hear," Omar said at a news conference. "We cannot let Trump and Netanyahu succeed in hiding the cruel reality of the occupation from us."

At Trump's urging, Israel denied entry to the first two Muslim women elected to Congress over their support for a Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions global movement. Tlaib and Omar, who had planned to visit Jerusalem and the Israeli-occupied West Bank on a tour organized by a Palestinian group, are outspoken critics of Israel's treatment of the Palestinians.

Tlaib, a U.S.-born Palestinian-American from Michigan, had also planned to visit her aging grandmother in the West Bank. Israeli officials later relented and said she could visit her grandmother after all.

But Tlaib got emotional as she told how her "Sitty" —  an Arabic term of endearment for one's grandmother that's spelled different ways in English — urged her during a tearful late-night family phone call not to come under what they considered such humiliating circumstances.

"She said I'm her dream manifested. I'm her free bird," Tlaib recalled. "So why would I come back and be caged and bow down when my election rose her head up high, gave her dignity for the first time?"

Tlaib and Omar were joined Monday by Minnesota residents who said they had been directly affected by travel restrictions in the past. They included Lana Barkawi, a Palestinian-American, who lamented that she has never been able to visit her parents' homeland.

Barkawi said she had a chance to visit her father's village in the West Bank near Nablus during a family visit to Jordan about 25 years ago, but her parents decided not to risk crossing the border.

"My father could not put himself to be in a position where an Israeli soldier is the person with control over his entry into his homeland," Barkawi said. "This is an enduring trauma that he and my mother live."

Before Israel's decision, Trump tweeted it would be a "show of weakness" to allow the two representatives in. Israel controls entry and exit to the West Bank, which it seized in the 1967 Mideast war along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, territories the Palestinians want for a future state.

White House spokesman Hogan Gidley kept up the administration's criticism of the two lawmakers.

"Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar have a well-documented history of anti-Semitic comments, anti-Semitic social media posts and anti-Semitic relationships," he said in a statement. "Israel has the right to prevent people who want to destroy it from entering the country — and Democrats' pointless Congressional inquiries here in America cannot change the laws Israel has passed to protect itself."

Supporters say the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement is a nonviolent way of protesting Israel's military rule over Palestinians, but Israel says it aims to delegitimize the state and eventually wipe it off the map.

The two congresswomen are part of the "squad" of four liberal House newcomers — all women of color — whom Trump has labeled as the face of the Democratic Party as he runs for reelection. The Republican president subjected them to a series of racist tweets last month in which he called on them to "go back" to their "broken" countries. They are U.S. citizens — Tlaib was born in the U.S. and Omar became a citizen after moving to the U.S. as a refugee from war-torn Somalia.

"There is no way that we are ever, ever going to allow people to tear us down, to see us cry out of pain, to ever make us feel like our (citizenship) certificate is less than theirs," Omar said. "So we are going to hold our head up high. And we are going to fight this administration and the oppressive Netanyahu administration until we take our last breath."