Military Action:
• With U.S. warplanes now free to roam over Afghanistan, the stage is set for powerful satellites and reconnaissance aircraft to pursue Usama bin Laden in a high-tech manhunt from the skies.
• Day four of the air campaign over Afghanistan has been met with more anti-aircraft fire. Taliban gunners have opened fire from at least three positions in Kabul but most of it appears to come from western areas where Usama bin Laden is believed to have training camps.
• Senior defense officials said U.S. war planners are moving toward a new set of weaponry, including 5,000-pound laser-guided bombs to penetrate underground bunkers used by Taliban leaders.
• The Afghan envoy to Pakistan is disputing U.S. claims that the airstrikes have destroyed the Taliban's defense capability. He said the U.S. planes are flying very high and are simply not in the range of the Afghan defense system.
• The United States is preparing to use troop-carrying and army attack helicopters in Afghanistan to hunt down guerrillas allied with Saudi-born militant Usama bin Laden, U.S. defense officials said.
• Pakistani officials said their soldiers fought a two-hour gun battle with about 30 Taliban fighters who tried to flee into Pakistan to escape U.S. bombing. The officials said it was the second time Taliban forces have tried to move into Pakistan since the bombing began Sunday.
• Two American C-17 cargo jets returned to the Ramstein Air Base in Germany after dropping food aid in the north of Afghanistan, varying their destination in a third straight night of airdrops, an Air Force spokesman said.
International:
• Afghan opposition leader Burhanuddin Rabbani, whose exiled government is recognized by the United Nations, said that all tribes should be represented in any post-Taliban government, as long as they have no blood on their hands.
• Taliban rulers said they were still capable of defending the country despite attacks on their home city of Kandahar and U.S. claims of air supremacy.
• Palestinian schools reopened in the Gaza Strip and foreign journalists were allowed back in as Palestinian police eased security measures two days after a violent protest against U.S. airstrikes.
• Taliban leaders said they have lifted restrictions on Usama bid Laden. Now that the United States has begun air strikes on Afghanistan, he's free to wage holy war on America.
• Germany has ruled out the possibility of shooting down hijacked passenger planes even if they appeared to threaten buildings with suicide attacks, the interior minister said on Wednesday.
• Pakistan said any Afghan refugees in the country becoming involved in political agitation would be sent back home.
• In a rare meeting, American envoys told Iraqi President Saddam Hussein not to conduct military campaigns in the region while air strikes against Afghanistan were under way or there would be a "heavy price to pay."
Investigation:
• President Bush has unveiled a "most-wanted" list of 22 terrorists that includes Usama bin Laden, his top two deputies, and several members of his network. The White House is also working with the TV show "America's Most Wanted" to put together a special broadcast on the list.
• Attorney General John Ashcroft created a "9/11 Task Force" within the Justice Department that will handle terrorism case prosecutions and focus on preventing further attacks.
• Preliminary testing at federal labs on the anthrax that killed worker Bob Stevens has found a possible match to a strain connected to an Iowa lab.
• The only U.S. manufacturer of an anthrax vaccine is struggling to clear government hurdles so it can be shipped to the military.
• Brazilian police said they are investigating whether an anonymous telephone warning of new airplane attacks on U.S. targets in Brazil was a hoax.
Markets/Economy:
• Wall Street showed it can tolerate bad earnings news, rallying sharply despite Motorola's announcement of more losses and job cuts. The Dow Jones industrial average, which surged 188 points, has now won back more than 1,000 of the 1,369 points it lost after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
• Congress and the Bush administration are hoping to work out an economic stimulus in time for it to have an effect before the holiday season.
The Home Front:
• Concerns about terrorism have spread to the keepers of the nation's drinking water. The country's water system operators are asking Congress to set aside $5 billion to protect drinking water and wastewater plants.
• The Bush administration is asking television networks to "exercise judgment" in airing videotaped messages by Usama bin Laden. Officials said members of bin Laden's network may be using the messages to secretly coordinate with each other.
• Computer experts are telling Congress a terrorist assault such as the one on Sept. 11 combined with a cyber attack would have terrifying results. They want a crash research effort to protect computers.
• Bush and congressional leaders declared a cease-fire over leaks of top-secret information with Bush allowing key committees to continue receiving classified material.
• Secretary of State Colin Powell said that despite anti-American protests in some countries, Arab nations have been very supportive, citing positive statements from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
• New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani predicted the city could lose 100,000 jobs and $1 billion in revenue by the end of the fiscal year. He ordered a 15 percent cut in spending by most city departments and is seeking $54 billion in federal aid after the attacks
Victims:
• Authorities counted 4,815 people missing at the World Trade Center and 422 confirmed dead.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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