Hurricane Ike batters Caribbean islands
In the Florida Keys, the authorities ordered residents and tourists to leave as the outer reaches of the storm could be felt and on Monday a tropical storm warning was issued.

London jury convicts 3 of 8 defendants in p***-bombing plot
A lengthy trial centering on what Scotland Yard called a plot to blow up trans-Atlantic airliners ended Monday with the jury convicting three of eight defendants of conspiracy to commit murder.

Medvedev says Russians will leave Georgian territory
After meeting with President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, President Dmitri Medvedev of Russia said Monday that he would withdraw Russian troops from all positions in Georgia outside the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
- U.S. pulls out of civilian nuclear pact with Russia
- Georgia seeks protection from UN court
- A postwar cultural reckoning for Georgia

Sources: Bush to keep troop levels in Iraq for '08
The Associated Press has learned that President Bush plans to keep the number of U.S. troops in Iraq near the current level through the end of the year, then bring home up to 8,000 troops by mid-January.

U.S. takeover of mortgage giants lifts global markets
Stocks in Asia and Europe rallied on Monday, even as the takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac reinforced concerns about the U.S. economy and its reliance on foreign investors.
- London exchange trading glitch damages reputation
- Asian markets cheer U.S. bailout
- Asian central banks among winners in Fannie and Freddie shift
- Former Fannie and Freddie heads stand to collect big paychecks
- U.S. takes control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
- A financial veteran brings Wall Street and Washington to job at Fannie Mae

Evidence of air strike in Afghanistan seems to rebut U.S. account
The Afghan government, human rights and intelligence officials, independent witnesses and a UN investigation back up Afghan accounts of more than 90 dead in an airstrike.
- U.S. missile attack hits Pakistan compound
- Suicide bombers kill 2 at Afghan police station

To defeat Merkel, Steinmeier must learn to campaign
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German foreign minister since November 2005, has never held elected office.

Atom-smasher promises closer look at makeup of matter
The Large Hadron Collider at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, and coming online Wednesday, will explore the tiniest particles and come closer to re-enacting the Big Bang.

Deep in debt, European companies may be living on borrowed time
Companies in the 15-nation euro area have thinner cushions of cash to fall back on than their U.S. and Japanese counterparts.
- Central bankers see inflation falling in Central and Eastern Europe

Electronic newspaper reader has look of the real thing
A new lightweight screen from Plastic Logic mimics the look - but not the feel - of a printed newspaper.

Michelle Williams: Finding shelter and acclaim in small films
It has been a difficult year, to say the least, and Williams acknowledged in a recent interview - her first in eight months, since the death of her former fiancé Heath Ledger - that she has coped to some extent by throwing herself into her work.

In America, a dedicated hunt for a legendary devil
The Pine Barrens is a largely undeveloped area in southern New Jersey that has produced scores of legends and stories, though none as famous as that of the Jersey Devil.

Riding the Asian wave
It wasn't quite a historic moment to equal the nomination of a black candidate for the U.S. presidency. But when Barack Obama's wife, Michelle, appeared at the Democratic convention in an abstract patterned dress, it was a groundbreaking moment for Asian designers.
- Women pioneered East meets West