ICE releases some immigrants arrested in Mississippi

About 300 of the 680 immigrant workers arrested by federal authorities at seven poultry processing plants in Mississippi were released on Thursday as church groups, schools and other volunteers prepared to take care of children whose parents remained in custody following the raids.

IN BRIEF (Page 8)

Esper in first visit to Asia as Pentagon chief

Although the Pentagon has highlighted intermediate-range missile deployment in Asia and the United States-led Indo-Pacific Strategy as key agenda items of its new chief's first Asia trip, media reports show that some die-hard military allies of the US responded to the proposals with a cold shoulder.

'Fast fashion' has huge impact

Concerns that the fashion industry in the United Kingdom is becoming increasingly dominated by throwaway "fast fashion" have again been highlighted by an investigation that shows that Britons now buy five times as much clothing per year as they did in 1980s.

Sea gulls: Parisians' new noisy neighbors

PARIS - Parisians need no longer go to the beach, in time-honored August tradition, to hear the plaintive cries of sea gulls. But the birds' growing cacophony is ruffling many feathers in the French capital.

Disney to reboot Home Alone for TV streaming

LOS ANGELES - Disney is rebooting Home Alone and Night at the Museum for its new TV streaming service, which launches in the United States in November and is intended to rival Netflix.

Japan lets out first S. Korean export since July curbs

Japan has granted material exports to the South Korea for the first time since imposing restrictions on them in July but threatened further action.

Pakistan downgrades Indian ties

ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI - The political crisis over the disputed territory of Kashmir escalated on Wednesday when Pakistan said it would downgrade its diplomatic ties with India, expel the Indian ambassador and suspend bilateral trade with its regional rival.

Car bomb attack by Taliban renews fears among Afghans

KABUL, Afghanistan - A Taliban car bomb aimed at Afghan security forces ripped through a busy Kabul neighborhood on Wednesday, killing 14 people and wounding 145 - most of them women, children and other civilians - shortly after the extremist group and the United States reported progress on negotiating an end to Afghanistan's nearly 18-year war.

Warning issued as searing temperatures claim dozens of lives in Tokyo in 6 days

TOKYO - At least 39 deaths in the Tokyo metropolitan area in the first six days of August were attributable to heat-related illnesses, as a heatwave continued to scorch wide swaths of Japan, local media reported on Wednesday.

New study unearths the magic of mushrooms

For Sylvie Rapior, mushrooms belong to the most magical of the five kingdoms of biological life.

Ankara, Washington agree on 'joint operation center' for north Syria

ISTANBUL - Turkish and US officials reached an agreement on Wednesday to establish a "joint operations center" for northern Syria aimed at creating a safe zone to manage tensions between Turkey and a US-backed Kurdish militia.