In the Nation

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - A small plane crashed into a parking lot near a South Florida airport Friday afternoon, killing all three people onboard and burning about a dozen cars. No one on the ground was hurt.

Fire-Rescue Division Chief John San Angelo said the Piper Navajo, a twin-engine turboprop, began experiencing engine trouble shortly after taking off from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport at about 4:30 p.m.

The plane tried to turn around and make an emergency landing, but it didn't get back to the airport, he said. The plane hit a tree and a fence as it crashed into a parking lot, part of a busy industrial area. - AP

DENVER - A landmark expansion of background checks on firearm purchases was approved Friday by lawmakers in Colorado, a politically moderate state that was the site of last year's mass shooting at a movie theater.

The bill had already passed the state Senate and now heads to Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper, who is expected to sign it within two weeks.

Earlier this week, Colorado lawmakers approved a 15-round limit on ammunition magazines. It is also awaiting the expected approval of the governor.

The bill passed Friday would expand cases when a criminal background check would be required to transfer a gun. Republicans have opposed the bill, calling it an undue burden on law-abiding gun owners. - AP

SAN FRANCISCO - Reuters news agency has suspended with pay a deputy social media editor after he was indicted on federal charges of conspiring with the hacking group Anonymous to deface an online Los Angeles Times article.

Reuters spokesman David Girardin told the Associated Press in an e-mail Friday that Matthew Keys, 26, was suspended Thursday.

Federal authorities allege that in December 2010, Keys provided hackers with login information to access the computer system of the Tribune Co., the parent company of the Times that also owns a Sacramento television station Keys was fired from months before.

Keys is charged with conspiracy to transmit information to damage a protected computer, and transmitting and attempting to transmit that information. - AP

Carnival Cruise Lines says for the second time this week, one of its ships has had trouble during a cruise. Carnival Corp. said Friday that a problem with a ship thruster is affecting the sailing speed of the Legend. The ship is expected in Tampa as scheduled Sunday.

Crews have recovered the body of a 16-year-old girl who drowned after a fast-moving, icy river in South Dakota dragged her and a man away as they tried to save her 6-year-old brother, authorities said Friday. The boy survived, but the man is still being sought.