News digest: Oct. 4, 2001

The day's events | Losses

THE DAY'S EVENTS

• Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson confirmed that a 63-year-old man has been hospitalized in Florida with pulmonary anthrax. He said it was an "isolated case" and does not appear to be related to bioterrorism.

• Pakistan's foreign ministry said today the evidence against Osama bin Laden in the September 11 terrorist attacks is enough to warrant an indictment. Pakistan's statement of support for the United States was the first of its kind from a Muslim nation.

• A passenger plane travelling from Tel Aviv to Siberia exploded and crashed into the Black Sea this morning with at least 77 people on board. Israeli authorities suspended all flights from Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the crash could be the result of a terrorist act. There were also reports that the airliner may have been hit accidentally by a missile during a Ukrainian military training exercise.

• During a speech to State Department employees, President Bush announced a $320 million humanitarian aid package for the Afghan people and neighboring states that have been taking in refugees.

• The Labor Department reported today that new jobless claims jumped to 528,000 last week, the highest level in nine years, due in part to job cuts announced after the terrorist attacks.

• Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., reopened this morning under tightened security and a limited flight schedule. The first flight was a U.S. Airways shuttle to New York.