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LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s government has banned the export of raw shea nuts, an essential raw material in many cosmetic products, in a bid to grow the country into a global supplier of refined shea butter and other skincare ingredients.The immediate ban on the crop will be in place for six months and then reviewed, Vice President Kashim Shettima said.Nigeria follows a growing list of other West African countries, including Burkina Faso, Mali, Togo, Ivory Coast and Ghana, that have banned or restricted export of the crop in the past two years.“The ban will transform Nigeria from an exporter…

I didn’t notice the scarlet tanager until the alert appeared on my phone: “Merlin heard a new bird!”Despite its brilliant plumage — jet-black wings on a crimson body — the songbird can be a hard one to spot in a forest because it prefers to stay high in the canopy. It sounds a little like a robin to an untrained ear.But the free Merlin Bird ID app detected a scarlet tanager was likely nearby by using artificial intelligence to analyze my phone’s live sound recording. I paused my hike, quietly scanned the treetops, saw the bird as it kept singing…

KIRUNA, Sweden (AP) — Forget Philadelphia: In the far north of Sweden, locals and tourists alike chow down on Arctic cheesesteaks, their hoagie rolls piled high with moose and reindeer meat.At Stejk Street Food in Kiruna, some 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of the Arctic Circle, owners Zebastian Bohman and Cecilia Abrahamsson modeled their specialty after the famous Philly cheesesteak. Last week, thousands of visitors descended upon Kiruna to watch as the historic Kiruna Church moved 5 kilometers (3 miles) east as part of the town’s relocation. The journey was necessary because the world’s largest underground iron-ore mine is threatening…

Organizers of a Target boycott that began in January are pointing to their tactics as a hopeful sign that actions against corporate retailers can still make a deep impact. When Target announced its current chief executive officer will be stepping down in February 2026 and an insider was taking the helm, those organizers saw it as a move in the right direction and stress more than ever that boycotts will continue as long as previous promises made to the public go unfulfilled.“It’s been now nearly 200 days and what all the statistics and economics are showing that since that boycott…

Several years into her sobriety, Logan Denzer decided to try nonalcoholic beer and mocktails while others around her drank real booze.“A lot of people feel out of place” when everyone else is imbibing, said the 27-year-old from Los Angeles, who considers these beverages “an excellent solution.”Millions of Americans agree — including others recovering from addiction, people trying to cut down on their drinking and the rising number of young adults forgoing alcohol altogether.They’ve fueled a booming industry. Recent research shows that drinking less, or nothing at all, is a much healthier way to go. Alcohol has been linked to cancers,…

AI is transforming the dental professiongetty Artificial Intelligence is transforming the world of dentistry, from diagnosing problems in their early stages, to making treatment planning and administrative tasks less tedious. The result is considerable savings in time for dentists, more streamlined practice processes, and improved outcomes for patients. Compared to other areas of medicine dentistry has been relatively slow to fully adopt AI, due largely to legitimate constraints, including costs, regulatory hurdles, and integration issues. And in spite of the rapid growth of Dental Service Organizations (DSOs) in the U.S. – DSOs own more than 8,000 dental clinics, accounting for…

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Fort Lauderdale city leaders will host an emergency meeting Wednesday to discuss how to respond to the state’s order to remove rainbow-colored crosswalks and other street art throughout Florida or risk losing millions of dollars in funding. The Department of Transportation under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered communities to remove the crosswalks and other street art by early next month. Most of the painted crossings celebrate marginalized groups, such as the LGBTQ+ and Black communities. A motorist passes over a street mural outside the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025,…

BUÑOL, Spain (AP) — Thousands of people from around the world seeking a uniquely messy thrill spent one wild hour flinging bushels of overripe tomatoes at each other during Spain’s “Tomatina” celebration Wednesday.The mother of all food fights painted a packed central street in the eastern town of Buñol deep red as revelers squished, smashed and hurled 120 tons of the overripe fruit. Tarps covered building fronts as an estimated 20,000 people let loose amid screams and laughter. Revelers throw tomatoes at each other during the annual “Tomatina” tomato fight fiesta, in the village of Bunol near Valencia, Spain, Wednesday,…

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A 52-year-old woman who was adopted to a French family in 1984 without her biological parents’ consent has filed for compensation from South Korea’s government, citing how authorities at the time fraudulently documented her as an orphan although she had a family.The rare petition filed by Yooree Kim came months after South Korea’s truth commission recognized her and 55 other adoptees as victims of human rights violations, including falsified child origins, lost records and child protection failures. Her case was highlighted last year in an Associated Press investigation in collaboration with FRONTLINE (PBS). The investigation…

Buying a new car has never been more financially daunting. A 2025 analysis from Edmunds found that a record 19.3% of consumers who financed a new vehicle in the second quarter of 2025 committed to a monthly payment of $1,000 or more. That’s nearly one in five buyers taking on what was once considered an extreme car payment — driven by high interest rates and rising vehicle prices.While it might be tempting to stretch your budget for the car you want, locking yourself into a high-cost loan can be a painful mistake. Before you sign, here are five common car-buying…