USA
The three major stock indices were regaining virtually all of the losses sustained after the terrorist attacks. As the Monitor went to press, the Dow Jones Industrial Averages had won back more than 1,000 of the 1,369-point slide after Sept. 11. The Nasdaq had climbed to 1,678.90, standing only 1 percent below its Sept. 10 close.
Planes from the 19-nation NATO alliance were to begin patrolling US skies for the first time. NATO was sending at least four AWACS radar surveillance aircraft to monitor skies in the East, replacing US planes that were being redeployed closer to the Afghanistan war zone. The NATO aircraft left from Germany for Oklahoma, where 200 officers from 12 NATO members were to join the AWACS teams. NATO also dispatched warships to the eastern Mediterranean to replace US ships moved to the Arabian Sea. Separately, President Bush said Australia, Canada, France, and Germany had pledged forces to the war on terrorism.
Federal officials opened a criminal investigation after a third person at a tabloid newspaper chain in Boca Raton, Fla., tested positive for anthrax. But Attorney General John Ashcroft said there's no evidence so far that the cases are tied to terrorism. A photo editor died last week from anthrax. The third person, who is being treated, is one of 1,000 employees who've been tested by health officials.
Bush, congressional leaders, and victims' relatives marked the one-month anniversary of the terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, in which more than 5,500 people died. Bush attended a ceremony at the Pentagon. In New York, cleanup workers paused for a moment of silence. Similar ceremonies were held throughout the US. Above, Dave and Lori Hogan wait for a ceremony to begin at Nashua (N.H.) High School.
The White House urged media networks to use caution in broadcasting prerecorded communications from Osama bin Laden or his associates in case they contain coded instructions for new strikes against the US. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice won agreement with major TV networks that they wouldn't broadcast further transmissions from bin Laden's Al Qaeda group without first screening them for possible encoding. In another sign of tighter security, Washington D.C. police announced a ban on most trucks around the Capitol. Delivery trucks will have to undergo screening in which they're inspected, sealed, and tracked electronically.
New claims for unemployment benefits dipped sharply last week by a seasonally adjusted 67,000 to 468,000, the Labor Department reported. The decline followed a surge of 79,000 claims in the week prior, reflecting fallout from the sagging economy and terrorist attacks. The more stable four-week average rose last week to 463,000, the highest level since December 1991, when the US was mired in recession. Meanwhile, major retailers reported their weakest September sales in 20 years, according to Lehman Brothers' index.
