AP National News

AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The most popular nasal decongestant on U.S. pharmacy shelves may not be there much longer. The Food and Drug Administration recently announced plans to phase out phenylephrine, the key ingredient some cold and allergy pills. It’s a win for skeptical researchers, who have long questioned the drug’s effectiveness. For

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — A snowstorm on Monday has brought traffic chaos across Croatia and Bosnia. The bad weather in Slovenia hampered efforts to reach two Hungarian hikers stranded high in the Alps. The pair became lost and one of them broke a leg Sunday in poor conditions north of the capital, Ljubljana. Rescuers have

AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani is keeping elite company. The Japanese superstar caps 2024 by winning The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for the third time, tying him with basketball great Michael Jordan. He trails only four-time winners Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods and LeBron James. “I’m very honored,” Ohtani

AP Business Writer Century-old department store Nordstrom has agreed to be acquired and taken private by Nordstrom family members and a Mexican retail group in a $6.25 billion deal. Nordstrom shareholders will receive $24.25 in cash for each share of Nordstrom common stock, representing a 42% premium on the company’s stock as of March 18.

Associated Press DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh has sent a formal request to India to extradite ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. She fled in August amid the student-led protests that ended her 15 years in power. Bangladesh’s foreign affairs adviser told reporters Monday that the country has sent a diplomatic note to India’s Foreign Ministry,

Associated Press WAILUKU, Hawaii (AP) — As many as one-third of people displaced by the August 2023 Maui fires wound up in the homes of friends and family in the weeks after the disaster. It was a natural solution on an island already struggling with a housing crisis and where values like generosity and family

AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The Container Store has filed for bankruptcy protection, as the storage and organizational goods retailer with roots dating back to 1978 grapples with mounting losses and cash flow shortages. The Texas company has faced increasing competition from retailers like Target and Walmart at the same time that demand

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The immigration officers sat in their vehicles before dawn near a two-story building. A New York subway line rumbled overhead, then an officer’s voice crackled over the radio. After watching for about two hours, he said, “I think that’s Tango,” using a term for target. “Gray hoodie. Backpack. Walking

Associated Press PARIS (AP) — France marked a day of mourning Monday for victims of Cyclone Chido, which devastated its poorest territory, Mayotte, over a week ago. The cyclone was the most destructive to hit Mayotte in 90 years and caused extensive damage to the island off Africa’s east coast. At least 35 deaths have

AP Business Writer Researchers and watchdog groups say the emergence of generative artificial intelligence tools that allow people to efficiently produce detailed and novel online reviews has put merchants, service providers and consumers in uncharted territory. Phony reviews have long plagued many popular consumer websites, such as Amazon and Yelp. But AI-infused text generation tools

AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan will attempt to merge and create the world’s third-largest automaker by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels. The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan alliance member

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The opposition party of Pakistan’s imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan has held a first round of talks with the government to secure the release of its leader and other activists, officials said. Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, had not had talks with the government since February when parliamentary elections saw their

AP Basketball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — There’s a Christmas Day basketball game at Walt Disney World, featuring Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Wemby. An animated game, anyway. The real game takes place at Madison Square Garden, where Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs face the New York Knicks in a game televised on ABC

Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — A Chinese court issued a suspended death sentence to a man for driving his car into a crowd of elementary school students and parents in southern Hunan province last month. Huang Wen was arrested on site after wounding about 30, 18 of them children, according to the court’s statement on

Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — China says a plan by the Philippines to deploy midrange missiles would be a provocative move that stokes regional tensions. A senior Philippines army official told reporters that the military plans to acquire a midrange system to defend the country’s territory amid tensions with China in the South China Sea.

MAGDEBURG, Germany (AP) — Mourners laid flowers near the scene of the deadly Christmas market attack on Monday as investigators puzzled over the motive of the suspect and his previous encounters with authorities were scrutinized, while fears swirled that the rampage could deepen divisions in German society. The Johanniskirche, a church a short walk from

Associated Press BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian lawmakers have voted narrowly in favor of a new pro-European coalition government led by incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. The move on Monday could usher in an end to a protracted political crisis in the European Union country following the annulment of a presidential election. Parliament approved the new