Ike lashes Cuba, weakens to Category 2 hurricane CAMAGUEY, Cuba (AP) — Hurricane Ike's winds and massive storm surge ripped apart houses and toppled trees Monday as the deadly storm roared across Cuba toward Havana and its historic but decaying old buildings. Forecasters said it could enter the Gulf of Mexico next, with Louisiana...

TOKYO (AP) _ Green polar bears are drawing questions from puzzled visitors at a Japanese zoo. Three normally white polar bears at Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in central Japan changed their color in July after swimming in a pond with an overgrowth of algae. The sight of green polar bears has prompted many questions from...

NEW YORK (AP) _ U.S. stock futures pointed to a huge rally Monday as investors rushed to lay bets on a broad economic recovery following the weekend announcement that the U.S. government plans to bail out mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. U.S. stock futures jumped more than 2 percent. Meanwhile, bond prices fell sharply...

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) _ Georgia accused Russia on Monday of a "campaign of harassment and persecution" in its two separatist regions and called on the International Court of Justice to impose emergency measures to halt killings and forced expulsions. Also on Monday, in a blunt demonstration of who is in charge in the tense...

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) _ The death toll from a devastating rock slide that buried a shanty town rose to 47 on Monday, a security official said as recovery efforts switched to high gear after days of delay. The death toll was expected to climb sharply as recovery efforts hastened, officials said. A total of 47 bodies had...