Click here to view this media As Americans were remembering the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) Sunday was criticizing President Barack Obama for withdrawing troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, but at the same time, he acknowledged that public opinion would not stand for an escalation of military force. “Whether we should have gone to Iraq or Afghanistan, I believe we should have,” McCain told Fox News’ Chris Wallace. “I don’t think we should ever forget that those attacks originated in Afghanistan. And I think we did the right thing there. But I also think we have learned a lot of lessons and frankly I don’t think you are going to see the United States of America in another war in that part of the world.” “You have criticized president Obama for his decision to pull all of the U.S. surge troops, 30,000 troops out of Afghanistan by a year from now, by next September,” Wallace noted. “That will leave 70,000 on the ground, but all the surge troops will be gone. What about the argument that we have seriously degraded the Taliban, we have eviscerateed al Qaeda, that Karzai, the president of Afghanistan, will never be a reliable partner? And the argument that you hear from both Republicans and Democrats, it’s time to focus on home?” “I understand why people would want to focus on home,” the senator replied. “On the issue of the troop withdrawals, I try to support the president as much as I can… But there is no military person anywhere that recommended that these withdrawals would take place before the second fighting season. There is no military person that doesn’t believe we need a residual force in Iraq far in excess of the size that apparently is being planned. In Libya, that conflict could have been over a long, long time ago if we had used the full weight of American air power. “You have can’t lead from behind in this country. And the fact is there is a perception in the world, rightly or wrongly, that the United States is in the decline and that we are in many ways withdrawing to Fortress America. We can’t afford to do that.” Wallace went on to ask how McCain could be sure the U.S. would never again be at war in the Middle East. “I don’t think american public opinion would stand for it,” McCain said, but added that the U.S. would be at war in the area for a long time. “I am confident that the things we stand for and believe in overtime will prevail over the forces of evil, but it is going to be a long hard struggle.”
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• Row expected over timing of ringfencing plans • Lib Dems hope to get legislation into financial services bill • Report expected to include estimated cost of proposals A row over the timing of reforms to prevent another taxpayer bailout of the banking system is set to erupt on Monday after Sir John Vickers outlines his proposals to force banks to “ringfence” their high street operations from riskier “casino” investment banking arms. In a long-awaited review by his independent commission on banking (ICB), Vickers (pictured below) is expected to support calls for early implementation of the plans which are being announced almost four years to the day after the run on Northern Rock and three years after the collapse of Lehman Brothers that eventually sparked the 2008 banking crisis. Accused of bottling the most radical options when he announced his interim report in April , Vickers will want to spell out that he is proposing solutions for the banking sector that can be implemented practically and without causing too much disruption to the economy. Senior Liberal Democrats are keen to ensure that the legislation is included in the financial services bill currently being used to break up the Financial Services Authority, as is the shadow chancellor, Ed Balls. It is not clear that the Conservatives believe the bill is the right way to push through the law changes. Since April, shares in the big four banks – Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Banking Group, HSBC and Barclays – have plunged on anticipation of the impact of ringfencing on their costs amid the crisis in the eurozone. Lloyds is expected to receive concessions from the ICB, which in April had called for it to sell off more branches on top of the 632 it must dispose off to meet EU rules on state aid. Such a proposal is now thought to have been dropped . Vickers is expected to publish an estimate of the cost of the ringfencing proposals – which analysts have put at between £2bn and £10bn a year, largely because of a rise in the cost of banks’ funding their operations. Bankers are now seeking clarity on how the ringfence should be constructed and the deadline for implementing the changes. There is mounting expectation that they may be given until 2015, or even 2019 when new international capital standards must be in place, to implement some of the proposals. The banks will be hoping they will able to move capital across the ringfence provided they achieve the minimum capital requirements set out. Vince Cable, the Lib Dem business secretary and an early advocate of full-scale separation of high street banks and investment banking, kept up the pressure this weekend. “Banks must be left under no illusions that reform is coming,” Cable said in the Mail on Sunday. “The recession is not an excuse for postponing banking reform. Indeed, our economic recovery depends on it.” He argued that the banks should bear the costs of the reforms themselves. “Instead of passing [the costs] on to customers, banks should pay by reducing their lavish remuneration packages and payments to shareholders.” It is understood that putting the necessary law changes into the financial services bill has not yet been ruled out and the chancellor, George Osborne, who spent Sunday ploughing through the 300-odd page report, has already given a warmer than expected response to the proposals. He is expected to address the Commons on Tuesday and pledge to set out a timetable for a full response – and the publication of a white paper – by the end of the year. But advocates of reform are sceptical that the Vickers proposals will go far enough. Gavin Hayes, general secretary of the thinktank Compass, said: “We will be calling on the government to go for a full breakup. There can be no delay. We need reform as soon as possible. “We have concerns that the firewall Vickers is going to propose won’t go far enough in preventing another crisis.” What is expected from Vickers • Banks should be required to ringfence their high street operations – including private savers and bigger businesses – from their “casino” investment banking arms. • The ringfenced operation should have a capital buffer of at least 10%. • The capital cushion should comprise financial instruments that are capable of absorbing losses, not just traditional equity, such as debt known as contingent capital and so-called “bail in” bonds. Savers should have a claim over the assets of a collapsing bank before bondholders. • There should be increased competition among high street banks – for example, it should be easier to switch current account providers. • The new Financial Conduct Authority being spun out of the Financial Services Authority should have a clear mandate to promote competition. Banking reform Banking Financial sector Vince Cable George Osborne Jill Treanor guardian.co.uk
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Men detained in connection with death of Michael Dye, who was found with head injuries before Euro 2012 qualifier Three more men have been arrested over the death of a Wales football fan who was found with head injuries outside Wembley stadium on Tuesday evening. The trio remain in custody after they were detained by Scotland Yard officers on Sunday morning in connection with the death of Michael Dye. Ian Mytton, 41, from Redditch, Worcestershire, has already been charged with the manslaughter of Dye and will appear at Redditch magistrates court on Monday. Dye, 44, was found with severe injuries before Wales played England in a Euro 2012 qualifier. He was taken to Northwick Park hospital but later died. A postmortem showed the cause of death to be blunt trauma to the back of the head. Thousands of tributes have been paid to the Cardiff fan on a dedicated Facebook page, with several messages referring to his wife, Nathalie, and children. There was applause for Dye before Cardiff’s Championship match against Doncaster on Saturday, while both teams wore black armbands. The Cardiff chief executive, Gethin Jenkins, said Dye was “clearly a committed and passionate supporter” and that his death was “extremely sad”. Crime London Wales Cherry Wilson guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Kenya shooting leaves British man dead and wife missing, presumed kidnapped
September 11, 2011 No Comment
UK government calls for woman’s release after attack on couple staying at remote beach resort close to Somali border The UK government has called for the release of a kidnapped British woman whose husband was murdered during an attack at the Kenyan beach resort where they were on holiday. The couple, who have not been named, were staying at the remote Kiwayu Safari Village close to the border with Somalia when gunmen burst into their beach hut just after midnight on Sunday. The husband is believed to have been shot dead after trying to resist the assailants, who ordered the Britons to hand over their valuables. His wife was dragged to the speedboat on which the gunmen had arrived and has not been seen since. Kenyan police are refusing to speculate on who the attackers might be, but the Guardian has been told that officers fear the raid may have been carried out by members of the Somali Islamist insurgent group al-Shabaab rather than pirates. The Kenyan government has sent anti-terror and special crimes officers to the area as part of an enormous search and rescue mission, but Ndegwa Muhoro, director of the country’s criminal investigation department, said no word had yet been received from the woman’s abductors. “We believe it is a kidnap but we are yet to receive any communication from the alleged kidnappers, over 11 hours after they took her with them,” he said. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is not releasing the names of the couple for fear of further endangering the woman, but says it is doing all it can to effect her release. “We have deployed a consular team from our high commission in Nairobi and are offering all possible support to the family of those involved,” said a spokesman. “Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time. “We are working to secure the safe and swift release of the British national who has been kidnapped and ask those involved to show compassion and release the individual immediately.” The FCO also repeated its warning against venturing within 18 miles (30km) of the Kenya-Somalia border, reminding travellers that there had been earlier attacks in Kenya carried out by Somali militia. Two western nuns were kidnapped in November 2008 and three aid workers were abducted in July the following year. Police said the couple were attacked on the first night of their stay and were the resort’s only guests. Attacks on tourists are unusual in Kenya, which is popular for its safari vacations and pristine beaches. According to its website, the secluded Kiwayu Safari Village takes “security and safety very seriously”. It says: “Our relationship with the local community, its fishermen and the local authorities is positive and mutually beneficial. “We regularly review our security and safety to ensure it is both comprehensive and current.” Kenya Somalia Africa Sam Jones guardian.co.uk
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Turkey will offer aid to secure alliance with Egypt, while Binyamin Netanyahu speaks of ‘very near disaster’ averted Turkey’s prime minister arrives in Cairo on Monday amid speculation that he will attempt to stoke anti-Israeli sentiment following an assault on the Israeli embassy in the Egyptian capital on Friday night. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is embroiled in a separate diplomatic war with Israel over its refusal to apologise for killing of Turkish activists on a Gaza-bound ship 15 months ago, is seeking to strengthen Turkey’s alliance with Egypt to cement and extend its influence in the region. In the first such visit in 15 years, Erdogan is expected to offer the tinterim post-Mubarak government aid and trade deals. Rattled by diplomatic crises on three fronts, Israel fears it is becoming increasingly isolated in the region. The sense of embattlement is heightened by the Palestinians’ bid to have their state recognised at the United Nations in the coming weeks, a move supported by a majority of states. The defence minister, Ehud Barak, said that Israel must face up to its growing isolation. “There is a wide picture forming around us that includes what happened with Turkey, what is happening with Egypt, and what is happening with the Palestinians,” Barak told cabinet colleagues. “These events are not in our control but we can certainly affect the way we face them.” The prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, said the attack was a challenge to 32 years of peace between Israel and Egypt, and a “very near disaster” was averted. He told cabinet colleagues that the embassy “symbolises the peace between us and Egypt. This peace is being challenged, and those who are challenging it are challenging not only the policy but also the state known as Israel.” Israel airlifted 86 diplomats and family members from the Egyptian capital after thousands of protesters used sledgehammers to demolish a security wall built around the embassy, allowing a small group to breach the building. Six Israeli embassy staff were under siege for some hours until Egyptian commandos freed them after the White House intervened. Israel has shown restraint in its response to the attack, and is anxious to re-establish a full diplomatic presence to shore up delicate relations between the two countries. Officials were working with the Egyptian government to allow the ambassador, Yitxhak Levanon, to return to Cairo if guarantees regarding the safety of its diplomats were forthcoming. The Egyptian authorities said they had raised security around the embassy. At least 19 people were arrested over the clashes, in which three people died and more than 1,000 were injured. Egypt said those behind the violence would be be tried swiftly in emergency courts. Security was also increased around the Israeli embassy in the Jordanian capital, Amman. The clashes in Cairo followed the killing of five Egyptian soldiers by Israeli forces in the aftermath of a militant attack near the Egypt-Israel border last month. Israel issued a statement of regret and agreed to an investigation, but the incident led to a heightened anti-Israel mood. Further details of Friday night’s drama were disclosed. The Israeli prime minister had been closeted with the defence and foreign ministers, military chief-of-staff and heads of the security agencies in an operations room for most of the night and said that President Obama had become ” involved at a critical time in order to use America’s influence on the issue”. In a TV address on Saturday night, Netanyahu said: “I asked for [Obama's] help. This was a decisive and fateful moment. He said ‘I will do everything I can’. And so he did. He used every considerable means and influence of the United States to help us.” An Israeli security officer inside the embassy, identified only as Yonatan, spoke to the Jerusalem operations room by phone as protesters tried to break into the secure area of the building. He requested that if anything happened to him, his parents be told in person, not by phone. “I got on the phone and I said to him, ‘Yonatan, be strong. I promise you the state of Israel will do everything in its power and will use all possible resources in the world to rescue you’,” Netanyahu said. The security guards built barricades and fired warning shots to deter the protesters. They were eventually rescued by Egyptian commandos who instructed them to put on Arab headdress and clothing. However, an unnamed Israeli security source quoted by the Ynet news website said reports of a near-lynching were exaggerated: “I have spoken to [Yonatan] and the reports do not exactly reflect reality.” Egypt Israel Turkey Jordan Recep Tayyip Erdogan Binyamin Netanyahu Middle East Arab and Middle East unrest Barack Obama Harriet Sherwood guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Brit Hume Doesn’t Think Most Americans Should be Worried About Being Spied on Because He’s Not
September 11, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media While discussing whether our so-called national security apparatus has grown too large and unwieldy in the aftermath of 9-11 on Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace asks Brit Hume if he thinks Americans’ civil liberties are in jeopardy. Naturally, Hume says he’s not concerned and actually goes so far as to say that we’ve responded really reasonably to the attacks on 9-11 because hey, at least we’re not locking people up in Japanese internment camps like we did during World War II. I think Hume might feel a bit differently if he were say, a member of a Muslim mosque, an ACLU lawyer representing a terrorism suspect, someone who found themselves placed on the no-fly list for no good reason, or perhaps one of the people who were unfortunate enough to find themselves swooped up without a trial and thrown into Gitmo and tortured. But Hume is no Maher Arar As a resident hack at Fox “News”, he doesn’t feel he’s got anything to worry about, so it’s all good, people. Just go about your business and don’t worry about that pesky data mining they’re doing or how much of your personal information they’re collecting. Nothing to see here. Move along. WALLACE: Brit, in the wake of 9-11 with some of the legal structure, the counter-terrorism architecture that was created with warrantless wiretaps and Patriot Act, there were critics who said that our civil liberties were in jeopardy. Do you see any sign of that’s happened? HUME: Well, I think there’s always… you have to be vigilant about that, but what I think is striking about it is how… you know, I don’t think any, very many Americans to speak of have any worry about their civil liberties. I mean we’re… speech is as free as it’s ever been, except for political correctness and that’s not a function of the war on terror. Debates are as robust as ever. I have no worries about my multitudeness (sic) communications on the Internet or anywhere else being supervised by some government official somewhere. I just don’t worry about that very much and I don’t think most Americans do. I think vigilance is reasonable about such things, but what’s striking about this is how little we’ve done. When you think about World War II and we were, you know, we locked up Japanese in prison camps. Nothing like that has happened. Nothing on that scale, nothing of that kind.
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enlarge On September 11th, 2001, on what was a perfect morning — right up until the very moment a Boeing 767-223-ER slammed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center — I stood on the corner of Delancey and Ridge Streets in downtown Manhattan. I was working on an election campaign – it was primary day in New York – and little did I realize that politics, culture and our entire trajectory as a nation was about to change forever. I had been alerted to the first crash by a friend calling my cell phone, but it was as I was staring at the gaping hole in this New York City landmark, in horror, shock set in as I saw a second plane approaching. I can see it all in slow motion these days – the airplane seemed to glide in almost effortlessly, and as I and others around stood unable to move, a loud explosion echoed through the canyons of lower Manhattan as a fireball erupted that almost seemed to reach where I was standing. It was, for lack of a better term, surreal. For me, the journey forward from that day would be a difficult one. I was born and raised in Manhattan and was young enough that I couldn’t remember the city without those two awe-inspiring landmarks. It is what I would use to figure out where I was going whenever I came up from the subway system. I had to process the knowledge that I had been in the North Tower only 16 hours before the attack. Because I had been delivering campaign literature to a volunteer who lived in the neighborhood and thought to myself, “I haven’t been in the Twin Towers for a while.” What sticks with me most, though, is that after seeing the second plane hit, a lanky, salt-and-pepper-bearded man standing next to me who was holding his bike at his side, saying, “this is terrible; we’re going to be at war tomorrow.” He wasn’t far off the mark. He only underestimated the wars. The result for me was that for a few years after the tragedy, any images or even talking about 9/11 gave me a deep feeling of dread in the pit of stomach. The result for my country, however, was worse. And we’re still living with it every day. Perhaps that is why it is fitting that this past week former Vice President Dick Cheney has been on his media tour to promote his memoir, openly bragging about the use of torture, warrantless wiretapping and other illegal actions that he approved while in office. It is therefore interesting that in interviews, one-time friends of the former VP turned antagonists, such as President George H W Bush’s National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft and Secretary of State Colin Powell’s Chief of Staff Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, have said that they don’t recognize Dick Cheney anymore. Cheney, as much or more than anyone else in the post-9/11 period, used the loopholes in our system, the lack of nerve in Washington and fear created by that day to transform this nation slowly into something we would not have recognized as recently as the late 90s or dawn of the 2000s. We became a harder people. Less forgiving. More on edge. No longer our brother’s keeper. More fanciful. Along with President Bush, Cheney made it mundane to operate prisons overseas, beyond the reach of due process. House GOP Majority Leader Eric Cantor thought nothing of demanding budget cuts to offset the costs of helping those whose lives were destroyed by Hurricane Irene. The response of Texas Governor Rick Perry to a drought in his state is to pray for it to go away. Meanwhile, President Obama, whose campaign of hope and change was exactly the antidote to the cultural angst that became the norm in post-9/11 America, has not only continued many of the Bush Administration’s civil liberties violations, he has actually added a few gems of his own that even Bush didn’t try, such as condoning the assassinations of American citizens without due process. Like many Americans, I find myself having followed a long and winding road over the last decade, ending up in places I truly never expected, only in recent years coming to terms with what I saw that day. Of course, for many people, the economic crash was like a second attack. But it is where my country has gone over this past decade that is truly unfathomable. It’s important to remember as the 10-year anniversary approaches that we may have lost our way – but buried beneath many wrong turns is a national character that has been redeemed in the past. In the beginning of the movie Gladiator, Marcus Aurelius, before being assassinated by his son in a coup, says to the man he wishes were his son, General Maximus, “There was once a dream that was Rome. You could only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper and it would vanish … it was so fragile.” Such is the nature of American democracy – really, any democracy. To truly honor the sacrifices made that terrible day by almost 3,000 people living in America, it is a dream we need to get back. Follow me on Twitter @cliffschecter A version of this piece first appeared as my weekly column on Al Jazeera English
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Foriegn Office confirms British couple were attacked in luxury resort on border with Somalia A British man has been murdered and his wife kidnapped after armed men attacked the luxury Kenyan beach resort where they were on holiday. The Foreign Office said the two Britons were targeted on Sunday at a resort north of Lamu, near the border between Kenya and Somalia . “One was killed and another kidnapped,” said an FCO spokeswoman, adding that consular assistance was being provided. Kenyan police declined to give details but said they had launched a search-and-rescue operation to find the missing woman. Although the FCO would not name the resort, reports suggest it is the Kiwayu Safari Village , which consists of 18 luxury cottages spread along a private beach some 30 miles from Lamu. No one from the resort answered phone calls on Sunday afternoon and its website seemed to be having techinical difficulties. On its website, the resort says it takes guests’ safety very seriously. “We have a number of systems and measures in place which are designed to give you maximum security and safety without detracting from the special ambiance [sic] of this site or the area,” it says. “We have our own organic security protocols as well as a professional security structure which provides us with overarching security and safety 24 hours a day … We regularly review our security and safety to ensure it is both comprehensive and current.” Attacks on tourists are unusual in Kenya, which is popular for its safaris and pristine beaches. It is unclear if the attackers came from neighbouring Somalia – where pirates often prey on foreigners – or if they were Kenyans. Advice posted on the FCO website advises travellers against going within 30 miles of the Kenya-Somalia border. It says: “There have been previous attacks by Somali militia into Kenya. “Three aid workers were kidnapped in July 2009, and two western nuns in November 2008.” In 2008, British missionary Brian Thorp , 77, was murdered during a robbery on the island of Lamu. Originally from Derbyshire, he had worked extensively across Africa as a Mill Hill missionary and may have been targeted as he was carrying cash due to be paid to labourers renovating a church. Kiwayu is a favourite of celebrities and backpackers. Artist Tracey Emin has visited the resort and talked of her love of the area, telling the Times in 2008: “There’s a tiny little spot in Kenya called Kiwayu, near the Somalian border, which has to be one of my favourite places on earth. “It’s so tranquil. You just lie on the beach and thousands of pink crabs cover the whole shoreline – you have the combination of the aquamarine sea and the pink crest of the crabs.” The actor Imelda Staunton wrote in the Daily Telegraph two years ago : “It was very nice lying there on the beach, but it all seemed a bit tame – and then suddenly about 50 monkeys came over the dunes, and wandered over to have a look at us, before heading down to the sea to get crabs for their tea.” Sir Mick Jagger is also reported to have stayed at the lodge, which was opened in 1973 by an Italian couple. The resort website says: “There are few places in the world which can boast such seclusion. “We are visited only by fishermen, the dhows that still come to collect water and the occasional sports fisherman in search of the magnificent marlin, which are then tagged and released back into the sea.” It currently charges $445 (around £278) per adult per night to stay in its beach bungalows. Kenya Africa guardian.co.uk
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Services are being held at Ground Zero, the Flight 93 memorial and at the Pentagon, as America pays tribute to those who lost their lives. Almost 3,000 people died when al-Qaida terrorists hijacked four planes, changing the landscape of the 21st century 8.15am EST: Paul Harris – @paulxharris – will be visiting some of New York’s landmarks this morning to discover what the means for ordinary city dwellers. Here’s his first dispatch: On the streets of New York, away from the main ceremonies downtown, the heavy security presence of recent days is very much in evidence. Even in the residential neighbourhood of the East Village there were police cars visibly patrolling the streets, or parked on street corners. At Astor Place, police waited outside the subway station. In Times Square – itself the recent target of a failed car bomb attempt – the police presence is huge. Long lines of police cars snake down 42nd Strett, and there are mounted police on patrol. Bag searches are being carried out at the subway station. However, the streets are also full of joggers, people taking their dogs for a walk and others out buying the morning newspapers (naturally full of 9/11 coverage). In Times Square the heavy police presence provided even more opportunities for tourists to pose with cops wearing their New York uniforms. Some people who had clearly spent the night clubbing around Times Square and were only now heading home also took advantage. I saw one man wearing only a leopard skin coat and spandex shorts asking to pose with a police horse. The officer politely declined. 8.10am EST: Karen McVeigh is out and about at a ceremony for some of the firefighters killed on 9/11: I’ll be at the corner of 48th and 8th, home to the firefighters of 54 Engine, 4 Ladder, where a memorial service is being held this morning for those who were killed on September 11. Every firefighter who reported for duty that day died, 15 in all. This is the firehouse known as the ‘Pride of Midtown’, which President Barack Obama chose to visit a few days after Osama Bin Laden was killed by US forces in Pakistan in May. The president called it a “symbolic site of the extraordinary sacrifice” made that day. Today’s service is private for the families of those who died and the firefighters, but I am hoping to talk to some of them afterwards about what today means to them. Karen has posted this picture from the ceremony . You can follow her coverage on Twitter . 8am EST: Good morning, and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the 10th anniversary of 9/11. A series of events is taking place across New York to remember those who died in the terrorist attacks. A service for victims’ families will be held at the site of the Twin Towers, where the 9/11 memorial will be dedicated to the 2,983 people who died in the US 10 years ago today. The memorial will open to the public on Monday , and features two pools, set in the locations of the towers. The names of those who died in the attack are inscribed into bronze parapets which surround the pools. On Saturday a service was held in Shanksville, Pennsyvania, where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed as passengers and crew struggled with hijackers, while events have also been held at the Pentagon memorial, in Arlington, Virginia, where American Airlines Flight 77 crashed, killing 59 passengers and crew and 125 on the ground. The 10-year hunt for Osama bin Laden came to an end in May, when US forces stormed his hideout in north-west Pakistan, although a CBS news poll this week showed that 67% of Americans feel no safer as a result of his death. President Barack Obama will be at the New York ceremony, which begins at 8.35am. The president warned on Saturday that al-Qaida was likely to strike the US again, providing a stark reminder of the challenges the country continues to face, but for today the focus is firmly on the events of 10 years ago, as the US remembers the 9/11 victims and their families. We’ll have the latest coverage from the tributes and services, with updates from our correspondents around New York. September 11 2001 United States New York US national security Global terrorism Barack Obama Adam Gabbatt guardian.co.uk
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Relatives of British victims of World Trade Centre attacks attend service at Grosvenor chapel, near US embassy in London Church services and ceremonies, including services at St Paul’s cathedral and Westminster Abbey, are being held across Britain to commemorate the 67 Britons among the 2,977 who died in the 9/11 attacks on the US in 2001. Relatives of the victims attended a service at the Grosvenor chapel, near the US embassy in London, where the deputy US ambassador, Barbara Stephenson, lit a memorial candle. Prayers were read for hundreds of members of the emergency services who died 10 years ago. Canon Jim Rosenthal said: “Remembering such horrific scenes is not easy. But remembrance is not static – it’s a constantly growing and evolving action, which gives us the opportunity to take hold of the past and transform it to reach out with grace, understanding and healing.” On Sunday afternoon, the families will attend a ceremony in the September 11 memorial garden in Grosvenor Square, opposite the embassy, with a minute’s silence taking place and 67 white roses being laid. At St Paul’s, 2,000 people attended a “remembering with hope” service, which also marked the 20th anniversary of the Firefighter’s Memorial Trust. UK firefighters laid a wreath at the memorial outside Westminster Abbey in memory of the 243 members of the New York fire department who were killed. The day will end with a service of remembrance and reconciliation at Westminster Abbey. The service also marks Awareness Sunday, part of a campaign by the Awareness Foundation, an international charity founded in 2003 in response to the rise in religious conflict and violence across the world. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, a patron of the foundation, was two blocks away from the Twin Towers at the time of the attack. He recalled on the BBC Radio 2 Sunday programme : “The first thing we wanted to do, of course, was to sit and pray, and that’s what we did … we did that as we heard the unforgettable noise of the first tower coming down.” In Cornwall, there was a minute’s silence at the memorial stone in Hayle, the birthplace of Rick Rescorla, a director of security at Morgan Stanley, who led thousands of workers to safety, singing Cornish songs to keep their spirits up. Rescorla was last seen climbing the stairs of a burning tower to help evacuate more people. In Devon, bell-ringers played John Lennon’s Imagine on the bells of Exeter cathedral. There were also ceremonies and services in Birmingham, Plymouth, Truro and in Northern Ireland. In Scotland, faith leaders and politicians will join a peace walk in Edinburgh, the deputy first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, is attending an inter-faith service at Cathcart Old Parish church in Glasgow, and the first minister Alex Salmond is attending a service at St Nicholas Kirk in Aberdeen. September 11 2001 Global terrorism Maev Kennedy guardian.co.uk
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