AP National News

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.

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

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

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,

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

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 the 1970s 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

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 WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday announced that he is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office. The move spares the lives of people

LONDON (AP) — The British economy flatlined in the third quarter of the year, according to downwardly revised official figures in another blow to the new Labour government that has made growth its number one mission. In its latest revision of the July to September period, the Office for National Statistics said Monday the economy

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

HONG KONG (AP) — A pair of five-year-old pandas, named An An and Ke Ke, celebrated their first Christmas early in a Hong Kong park Monday, munching on special treats and looking cute for the cameras. An An, the male panda, was presented with an ice slab that had “Merry Christmas” written on it with

Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan have announced plans to work toward a merger that would form 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

Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s beloved former Emperor Akihito marked his 91st birthday on Monday, as he continues to pursue his lifetime research into goby fish, care for his wife and pray for peace. Akihito, who abdicated in 2019 and handed over the Chrysanthemum throne to his son, Emperor Naruhito, now holds the title

Associated Press DARDGHAYA, Lebanon (AP) — A Christmas tree stands among the fallen stones in the ruins of a Catholic church in southern Lebanon that was hit by an Israeli airstrike during the war with Hezbollah. It’s a small and modest tree. There are no lights because the war destroyed power lines. The ground is

Associated Press KANGPOKPI, India (AP) — Phalneivah Khonsai ran for her life when violence struck her neighborhood in India’s restive northeast, carrying just the bare essentials in the hope that she and her family could return soon. Khonsai, her husband and three children left behind their house, which was torched by a mob, and made