News digest: Sept. 25, 2001

The day's events | Losses

THE DAY'S EVENTS

• Interpol, the international police organization, has issued an arrest warrant for Ayman al-Zawahri, 50, an Egyptian surgeon believed to be Osama bin Laden's deputy and the mastermind behind several terrorist attacks.

• Markets moved higher for the second consecutive day. The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 56 points and Nasdaq was up 2 points. However, the Consumer Confidence Index fell 16 points to 125 in September, the largest monthly drop since 1990, the Conference Board announced.

• Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited the White House today and voiced Japan's support for the U.S. fight against terrorism. Koizumi told President Bush that Japan would share intelligence and supply funds to help Afghan refugees. The president also told reporters the United States does not plan to replace the Taliban with a new regime.

• New Yorkers voted today in the primary election originally scheduled for September 11. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani remains in office until the end of the year.

• Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C. remains closed. Several airlines have canceled flights through the rest of the month and redirected traffic to two other airports in the region.

• The ban on crop-dusting flights was lifted today. The planes were grounded due to fears that terrorists could use them for chemical or biological attacks.

• Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld today announced a new name for the war against terrorism: "Operation Enduring Freedom." It replaces "Operation Infinite Justice," which some Muslims considered offensive. Rumsfeld also said the anti-terrorist campaign could take many years.

• Saudi Arabia cut all ties with Afghanistan's Taliban government today, noting that Afghan leaders were defaming Islam by harboring and supporting terrorists.

• The Federal Aviation Administration is considering numerous safety improvements, including equipping pilots with handguns, banning early seat selection, and carry-on baggage. In a policy turnaround, the Air Line Pilots Association asked Congress to let pilots have guns in the cockpit.

• Responding to Attorney General John Ashcroft's proposals to expand law enforcement powers to combat terrorism, members of Congress from both parties expressed concern that the proposals could greatly expand police powers at the expense of privacy and other civil liberties.

• Ashcroft added that 352 people have been arrested or detained and that an additional 392 people are being sought for questioning.