Hurricane Ike brings driving winds and rain to the Caribbean islands of Turks and Caicos, as the storm steams towards the Bahamas.

US officials will outline plans for mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, which are expected to be put under federal control.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper calls an early election in a bid to strengthen his minority government.

Two suicide bomb blasts kill at least two people and injure 29 in a police station in the Afghan city of Kandahar, officials say.

People should consider eating less meat as a way to tackle global warming, says the UN's top climate scientist.