Eye on a crisis: President's travel agenda returning to normal

In our roundup of newspaper coverage of the crisis, the Los Angeles Times reports that the FBI has briefed President George W. Bush on its progress and that he will visit Chicago on Friday to meet airline workers. The trip will be his first outside Washington or New York since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

The Miami Herald said immigrant advocates believed dozens of newcomers who lived alone and worked illegally or under aliases, may have died in the disaster.

A New York Times reporter who visited Southern Pines near Fort Bragg, thought to be the base of the special operations unit Delta Force, said more than a few of the area's soldiers had disappeared and neighbours thought that some of them belonged to Delta Force and had gone to Afghanistan.

The Washington Post reported that 20 people had been charged with fraudulently obtaining licenses to haul hazardous materials, including some who might have links to the terrorists.

British newspapers focused on Prime Minister Tony Blair's "ultimatum" to the Taleban - hand over Osama bin Laden or become an enemy in the battle against terrorism.

The Daily Telegraph headline said "War will begin within days", the Guardian said "Blair delivers the final warning" and the Independent "Blair: Do not stand in our way".

In Russia, Izvestia said the goal of any anti-terrorism coalition should be to overthrow the Taleban regime.

It also reported that the military seemed to be ready to undertake tough measures against guerrillas in Chechnya after a 72 hour deadline to enter disarmament talks.

In Indonesia Kompas reported that at least three military battalions were protecting the Exxon Mobil gas fields in Aceh. A local commander denied the action was linked to the World Trade Center tragedy. The Jakarta Post reported that Indonesia's top Islamic authority had condemned the attacks but also strongly denounced what it termed the arrogance of America for its planned aggression on Afghanistan.

Map: Opposing forces in the war against terror

Afghanistan facts and links