AP - Several explosions, reportedly caused by missile strikes, rocked the Miran Shah area in Pakistan's troubled northwest Monday, injuring at least 12 people, officials said.

Reuters - Missiles fired by U.S. drones killed at least three people on Monday in a Pakistani village near the Afghan border where a religious school founded by an old friend of Osama bin Laden is located, witnesses said.

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.

AP - When reports circulated over the weekend of a last-minute deal to keep Coney Island's historic Astroland amusement park open for another year, owner Carol Hill Albert was not amused.

Reuters - Shares in Asian banks soared on Monday after the U.S. government took over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac , reassuring investors worried about exposure to the mortgage giants' bonds and the value of other risky debt assets.