HOUSTON (AP) -- Officials released more water from Houston-area reservoirs overwhelmed by Harvey early Monday in a move aimed at protecting the city's downtown from devastating floods but that could still endanger thousands of homes, even as the nation's fourth-largest city braced for more rain. Harvey, which made landfall late Friday as a Category 4 hurricane and has lingered dropping heavy rain as a tropical storm, sent devastating floods pouring into Houston on Sunday. The rising water chased

An odd thing has happened in wheat country _ a lot of farmers aren't planting wheat.Thanks to a global grain glut that has caused prices and profits to plunge, this year farmers planted the fewest acres of wheat since the US Department of Agriculture began keeping records nearly a century ago.Instead of planting the crop that gave the wheat belt its identity, many farmers are opting this year for crops that might be less iconic but are suddenly in demand, such as chickpeas and lentils, used in h

Tropical Storm Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into the nation's fourth-largest city Sunday as rising water chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground and overwhelmed rescuers who could not keep up with the constant calls for help.The incessant rain covered much of Houston in turbid, gray-green water and turned streets into rivers navigable only by boat. In a rescue effort that recalled the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, helicopters landed near flooded freeways, airboats buz

WOODBURY, Minn. -- A woman accused of beating and starving a woman she brought from China to work as a nanny in Minnesota will be deported after she spends a year in jail.Lili Huang, 36, pleaded guilty to charges of forced labor and third-degree assault. She was sentenced Thursday to a year and a day in jail. U.S. District Judge David S. Doty also ordered her to forfeit her home and pay nearly $100,000 in restitution. Huang lived in Woodbury, a suburb of St. Paul.Authorities said the 58-year-old

JACKSON HOLE, Wyoming -- Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen on Friday emphatically defended the web of regulations the Fed helped enact after the 2008 financial crisis, saying it helped restore the banking system's health and disputing criticism that the rules have hurt lending.Yellen said the Fed is prepared to adjust the regulations as needed to help financial institutions. But in a speech to an annual conference of central bankers in Jackson Hole, she implicitly rejected efforts by Republican

Japan's top government spokesman says there is no direct threat to Japan following North Korea's latest test-launch of three short-range missiles.  Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga is followed by reporters upon his arrival at the prime ministers official residence following a report of North Korea's missile launch, in Tokyo Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017. Three North Korea short-range ballistic missiles failed on Saturday, a temporary blow to Pyongyang's rapid nuclear and missile expansio

South Korea's presidential office says the US and South Korean militaries will proceed with their ongoing war games "even more thoroughly" in response to North Korea's latest short-range missile launches. US Army soldiers prepare for their military exercise in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017. Three North Korea short-range ballistic missiles failed on Saturday, U.S. military officials said, which, if true, would be a temporary setback to Pyongyang's ra

SEOUL -- Three North Korea short-range ballistic missiles failed on Saturday, US military officials said, which, if true, would be a temporary setback to Pyongyang's rapid nuclear and missile expansion.The US Pacific Command said in a statement that two of the North's missiles failed in flight after an unspecified distance, and another appeared to have blown up immediately. It added that the missile posed no threat to the US territory of Guam, which the North had previously warned it would fire

COPENHAGEN (AP) - Danish police said Thursday that the headless torso of Swedish reporter Kim Wall, who is believed to have died on a submarine that sank, was found naked and they are now also searching for her clothes.The 30-year-old Wall was last seen alive Aug. 10 aboard the submarine of Danish aerospace and submarine enthusiast Peter Madsen. Police have arrested him on suspicion of manslaughter.Copenhagen police spokesman Steen Hansen said investigators found a "clothes-less'' torso. He said

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Romania Thursday, the second leg of his trip to Central Europe where he will raise concerns over so-called "posted workers'' -- cheap labor from Eastern Europe posted temporarily to more prosperous European countries.Amid tight security, Macron headed for talks with President Klaus Iohannis at the Cotroceni presidential palace and he will later have lunch with Premier Mihai Tudose and other officials. French President Emmanuel

BEIJING, (AP) - China on Wednesday urged US to withdraw new sanctions it imposed on Chinese companies that Washington says are supporting North Korea as it carries out increasingly ambitious missile tests.On Tuesday, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on 16 mainly Chinese and Russian companies and people for assisting North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs and helping it to make money to support those programs.(Yonhap)Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told r

MARSEILLE, France (AP) _ A van rammed into two bus stops about 5 kilometers (3 miles) apart in the French port city of Marseille on Monday, killing one person and injuring another, police officials said.The driver of the van, arrested in a third location, was a 35-year-old from the Grenoble region in eastern France who was being treated for psychological problems, an official at police headquarters said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with French law enforcement practice

TOKYO (AP) -- The lieutenant governor of Guam has reassured Japanese that the U.S. territory is calm amid the recent tension between the U.S. and North Korea. Lt. Gov. Ray Tenorio said in Tokyo on Monday that Guam remains in a "state of normalcy.'' Japan is a major source of tourists for the Pacific island.North Korea threatened recently to launch ballistic missiles into waters near Guam.A beach in Guam (Yonhap)Tenorio said at a news conference that the White House has told Guam Gov. Eddie Calvo

LONDON (AP) -- Global stock markets traded in narrow ranges Monday as investors awaited a key meeting of central bankers later this week and continued to monitor developments on the Korean peninsula.In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was steady at 7,326 while Germany's DAX fell 0.3 percent to 12,132. France's CAC 40 was 0.3 percent lower at 5,100. U.S. stocks were poised for a similarly tepid opening with Dow futures and the broader S&P 500 futures unchanged.On Mond

BEIJING  - Scholars are petitioning Cambridge University Press to restore more than 300 politically sensitive articles removed from its website in China after a request from authorities, underscoring concerns about freedom of speech and the Chinese government‘s increasing leverage over academic organizations. Cambridge University Press said Friday that it had complied with a request to block certain articles from "The China Quarterly" within China. They touch on politically sensitive subjects in