Northern Alliance captures Taliban capital Kabul

Northern Alliance troops captured the Afghan capital, Kabul, yesterday after Taliban forces unexpectedly fled the city. The Opposition Forces, which controlled only 15 percent of Afghanistan last Friday, now control nearly 50 percent. Despite diplomatic pressure, Northern Alliance Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah said alliance forces had to enter Kabul in order to police armed "irresponsible people" who were causing problems. Abdullah invited United Nations envoys to Kabul to help establish an interim government and called on representatives of all Afghan groups (except the Taliban) to participate in the process. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the Taliban and al Qaeda have limited options. "They can flee and reorganize in the south, they can flee and melt into the countryside, or they can defect. If they reorganize in the South we are going to go get them, if they go to ground, we will root them out. If they decide to flee, I doubt they will find peace wherever they select," Rumsfeld said. U.S. Special Forces were working with Northern Alliance troops on the ground and are operating in southern Afghanistan, according to Rumsfeld.

Queens, N.Y.

Plane crashes into Queens neighborhood, 262 dead

American Airlines Flight 587 to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport crashed shortly after takeoff in a residential neighborhood of Rockaway, Queens-a borough of New York City-on Monday at 9:17 a.m. The cause of the crash is still unknown and, while a terrorist attack or foul play on board the Santo Domingo bound flight has not been ruled out, investigators said preliminary evidence from the cockpit voice recorder revealed no unusual activity, according to The New York Times. The plane broke apart after takeoff, raining flames and debris on a neighborhood that lost 60 residents in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. The crash damaged at least 11 houses, destroying four and causing serious damage to four others. The plane carried 251 passengers and a crew of nine. At least five people were reported missing on the ground after the crash. New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani told CNN on Tuesday that 262 bodies had been recovered from the crash site.

Amherst, Mass.

Fire at MassPIRG offices causes at least 10K in damages

There is no known cause for a fire which broke out at the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group (MassPIRG) offices in the Carriage Shops on North Pleasant St. on Sunday. Although there were no injuries, several computers and records dating back to the beginning of the nonprofit organization were destroyed, with initial damage estimates topping $10,000. The fire was reported at 6:47 p.m. on Sunday by someone who saw smoke coming from the roof, according to The Daily Hampshire Gazette. Robin Sidel of the Revolve clothing store and Cynthia Szarlan of the Jungle Red salon both said they had been working in their shops on the bottom floor of the same building at the time. They only learned of the fire above when someone knocked on their doors and told them to leave. The office has occupied the second floor of the Carriage Shops for more than 25 years. Only one of the shops directly below it was affected by Sunday's fire. Water from the fire hoses leaked down a wall onto a storeroom wall and an adjacent carpet at Amherst Wines & Spirits and soaked some cardboard boxes. No merchandise was damaged.