this is bbc news — these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. as dawn breakes across new york, the world remembers the 2,977 people who lost their lives 20 years ago in the 9/11 terror attacks. president biden has now arrived in new york to visit ground zero. he calls for the country to come together. at our most vulnerable, in the push and pull of what makes us human, in the battle for the soul of america, unity is our greatest strength. memorial events for the british victims are taking place in london,

with the uk prime minister boris johnson insisting people refuse to live "in permanent fear" of the terrorists. we can now say with the perspective of 20 years that they failed to shake our belief in freedom and democracy. they failed to drive our nations apart. the attacks led to the invasion of afghanistan — now back under taliban control — and many, there, fear for the future. we'll have the latest, and hear from the bbc�*s world affairs editor, john simpson, on 20 years of the war on terror. i think you can only possibly say in 2021 that it was an absolute disaster and an absolute failure. and we'll hear from people across the globe — reflecting on how the nine — 11 attacks changed their lives. in other news, lawyers for the woman who's accused

prince andrew of sexual abuse, claim they've successfully served him with legal papers. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. president biden has appealed for national unity as he leads memorial events today to mark 20 years since the 9/11 attacks. the president and first lady will visit new york, washington and pennsylvania, where the four hijacked planes were crashed — killing nearly 3000 people. 0ur north america correspondent nomia iqbal reports. twin beams of light shoot up into the new york sky. as is tradition, they will

shine from dusk till dawn to remember those who died on 9/11. and in a speech ahead of his arrival in the city, president biden reminded america of a time when it was united. the days that followed september 11th 2001, we saw heroism everywhere, in places expected and unexpected. we also saw something all too rare — a true sense of national unity. unity and resilience. the capacity to recover and repair in the face of trauma. unity in service. in new york, he willjoin the families who lost loved ones. former presidents bush and 0bama will be here, too. the ceremony will pause six times to acknowledge the exact moments america was under attack that day. the 20th anniversary of 9/11 has taken on a greater significance since us troops left afghanistan for good. but here, people are remembering where they were that day,

what they lost and where they now stand as a country. charles wolf will be at the commemorations. the last time he saw his swansea—born wife katherine was when she left for work. a0 minutes later, the first plane would hit the north tower. we fell in love without even knowing each other. wejust met, and in a minute or two it was, like, all over. and there's something in our souls, it's like... it's like we knew each other in past lives or something. she'd say, "let's have a meal with a nice bottle of wine." he has campaigned forfairer compensation forfamilies of the nearly 3,000 victims. the impact of that day will never diminish for the families, but today, 20 years to the day, president biden hopes to get america past the 9/11 era, moving it from memory to history. nomia iqbal, bbc news, new york. let's get more on this from our north america

correspondent, nada tawfik what is the mood in new york at the moment? ~ , ., ~ ., what is the mood in new york at the moment? ~ ,, ~ ., , moment? well, you know, the son is now shining — moment? well, you know, the son is now shining and _ moment? well, you know, the son is now shining and the _ moment? well, you know, the son is now shining and the day _ moment? well, you know, the son is now shining and the day is _ moment? well, you know, the son is now shining and the day is very - now shining and the day is very reminiscent of that day, 911, september 11 2001 when the skies were blue and i was so much promise ahead during that day and there is a real sullenness at the moment and it is a feeling that new york has, of course, for every anniversary when people are a bit gentler with each other, a bit kinder, and that is no different now 20 years later and i think will never be just because of how momentous and how horrific this event was on the impact it had. you can hear the bagpipes now rehearsing behind me. they will be leading a procession with president biden and dignitaries later. of course, as

families now gathering at the world trade center memorial plaza it is just forfamilies trade center memorial plaza it is just for families together today as, again, we mark those moments of silence and they get to read the names of those loved ones who passed away that day. nada tawfik, live from new york, thank you. in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the lives of new yorkers were turned upside down — and many were drawn to public service for the first time. there was a surge in people enlisting for the us military, wanting to defend america. and for young adults, who grew up with parents suffering trauma from that day, there's still a desire to serve and to heal. the bbc�*s laura trevelyan has been talking to the daughter of a first responder, and the mayor ofjersey city, about how 9/11 changed their lives. across the water from where the twin towers once stood, a fragment of the world trade center is a memorial to those from jersey city who died in the 9/11 attacks. stephen fulop was working

in manhattan then. he's now the local mayor, reflecting on how one day changed everything for him. i was working at goldman sachs, about a block—and—a—half from the world trade center. you could actually feel the building shake. and, you know, in the days after, ijust kind of reassessed what i was doing with my life, and decided to enlist in the military, the marine corps, and then was subsequently deployed. so, kind of, a career change as a result of 9/11. would you ever have thought of doing that, were it not for 9/11? was it on your mind? no, it wasn't on my mind. i come from a family of immigrants, holocaust survivors, and ijust, kind of, viewed it as a partial payment for citizenship at that point. like, some sort of service, and ifelt like military service was the best way to, kind of, give back that point. giving back is also on brittany mercado's mind. she was only three on 9/11, yet grew up in the shadow of the attacks.

her fatherjorge, a first responder, was on the scene immediately, trying to help people, and suffered post—traumatic stress disorder as a result, which was undiagnosed for years. dealing with someone with ptsd is not easy at all. like, they have a lot of symptoms, like being irrational, or the nightmares that he's had — he just screams at night, it would wake me up. that affected us a lot in the home. now brittany is at college studying psychology, with the help of a charity which supports the children of first responders. herfather�*s trauma is shaping herfuture. i want to take my experience and help future first responders

maybe at goldman, maybe at somewhere else, probably making a little more money, but probably not doing work that is as fulfilling as what i'm doing today. the tragedy and the horror of a single day 20 years ago reshaped the city and so many lives. out of that darkness came some light — a chance for people to serve a greater good. laura trevelyan, bbc news, newjersey. we can speak now to dan holdridge, who was injured in the terrorist attack on the pentagon. dan, thank you so much had been with us today. first of all, ijust dan, thank you so much had been with us today. first of all, i just want to ask, you know, how do you feel when this anniversary date comes

round every year? how do you feel and how do you handle the emotions that must invariably come with it? thanks for having me this morning. it is very difficult every year. the anniversary brings back the events of that day just like anniversary brings back the events of that dayjust like it anniversary brings back the events of that day just like it was yesterday and the fact that it is 20 years later doesn't seem to change that feeling, that it still seems like yesterday when we lost so many people in the tragedy and the ptsd that comes with it stays with you forever. , ., . , forever. first of all, if we 'ust take it back, iffi forever. first of all, if we 'ust take it back, if you i forever. first of all, if we 'ust take it back, if you are i forever. first of all, if we just take it back, if you are ok - forever. first of all, if we just take it back, if you are ok to| forever. first of all, if we just - take it back, if you are ok to talk to us about this, you were a matter of feet away from the attack at the pentagon. what do you have a member of the moments before and after? right before, i had just gotten off the phone with a work colleague he was telling me about the new york

attacks that had happened and so it was very surreal how i had just finished hanging up the phone with that lady and then telling my colleague, my work colleague next to me, hey, this is horrible, never going to be a lot of people hurt in new york, what is next, the pentagon? and then three, two, one, boom, the glass went up and picked me and my colleague and the holding went down on top of us. all of the debris and the like just fell right on top of us and we thought we were going to die. it was a horrible situation. when i woke and came to, i saw my colleague bobby next to me who was badly injured but both alive and we ended up being able to crawl ourselves out of the rubble and get ourselves out of the rubble and get ourselves out of the rubble and get ourselves out and then at that point in time we were carried out to a

triage area where they started giving us medical treatment and that's really when i really saw the impact of that day is the lives that were lost next to me, those that were lost next to me, those that were fighting for their lives next to me and those like me that we are alljust so to me and those like me that we are all just so grateful to to me and those like me that we are alljust so grateful to be alive and so this day will never go away and as far as the memories and the pain from that but also i think it is really important for all of us to be grateful for all that we have. after surviving the situation, i get a second shot at life and i think your audience members can learn a lot from this tragedy that we should never take anything for granted, never take anything for granted, never feel entitled to anything and that we appreciate every day, every moment that we have and make sure the people that i have around us know about how much we care. {sinew know about how much we care. given what ou

know about how much we care. given what you went _ know about how much we care. given what you went through _ know about how much we care. given what you went through that _ know about how much we care. given what you went through that day, how easy has it been to develop this optimistic outlook which you certainly seem to have got a really positive way of looking at life since. how easy is that, though, when you have been through what you went through that day? i when you have been through what you went through that day?— went through that day? i think the eas thin went through that day? i think the easy thing for _ went through that day? i think the easy thing for me _ went through that day? i think the easy thing for me would _ went through that day? i think the easy thing for me would have - went through that day? i think the | easy thing for me would have been went through that day? i think the i easy thing for me would have been to be angry and to act on my anger and i think that's how 9/11 happened. the hard thing for me to do was to search hard and deep and figure out how i can turn this into a positive, how i can turn this into a positive, how we can take the horrible tragedy and can somehow honour those that served, on the folks that were first responders and in some way shape or form look at this event and give people hope. you know, there was hope that day, it's just it wasn't well known. it was people who were running asking where they donate blood and people who asked how can i

help and they ran back into the burning building. there is hope in everything. it isjust, i believe it is what we focus on, who we become, and i didn't want to be that anger. i didn't want to answer to that, you know, the negativity, because that is how 9/11 happened in the first place, when people don't talk to each other, when we don't communicate, we don't understand, we don't walk in each other�*s shoes and feel what each other a feeling in their daily lives and if we can somehow all, all of those around the world, just hit the emergency button on life and just figure out all the things that we feel entitled to an changer into an appreciation for we have and i think that's how we can avoid future 9/11s have and i think that's how we can avoid future 9m— have and i think that's how we can avoid future 9/11 avoid future 9/i1s now, i must ask, dan, what — avoid future 9/i1s now, i must ask, dan. what is _ avoid future 9/i1s now, i must ask, dan, what is remarkable _ avoid future 9/i1s now, i must ask, dan, what is remarkable is - avoid future 9/i1s now, i must ask, dan, what is remarkable is that - dan, what is remarkable is that something as trivial as a clipboard played a part in saving your life.

you know, where others around you lost theirs. how easy has it been coming to terms with that? of is that something that you will never be able to process, really, that that delay saved our life and that that delay saved our life and that day i was also carrying a clipboard and so i don't usually carry a clipboard but that day i had one and i was able to flip it up and protect mice face and so the fact that i survived, the survivors guilt is there with me all the time. they're's not a day that i don't feel sadness or, you know, feel like it shouldn't, i shouldn't have survived when everyone else didn't and that, you know, when all those

folks were lost next to me, the 184 that died in the pentagon, it is always very, very difficult to process but once i was able to turn this message into a positive, that's when great things really happen. that's when i was able to not focus on the hatred, you know, it was able to turn that negativity into something that i hope will make a better world and hope we can prevent another 9/11 from happening. dan, thank you so much for talking to us and bringing a really inspiring outlooks of this. thank you for your time. dan holden there. the man believed to be the architect behind 9/11 is khalid sheikh mohammed, who's held at guantanamo in cuba. the us military is still in the pre—trial phase of his prosecution, and that of five others. the bbc�*s north america correspondent aleem maqbool is there and joins me now. aleem, what can you tell us?

well, yes, this grim anniversary has renewed the focus on the five men held here on charges associated with the 9/11 attacks, notjust this man but five others who were accused of providing various degrees of training, financial and logistical support to the attackers on 9/11 and itjust means that the support to the attackers on 9/11 and it just means that the first time support to the attackers on 9/11 and itjust means that the first time in more than 18 months those five men have appeared in pre—trial hearings. alongside us in the gallery, watching proceedings, seeing these men in court have been some family members are victims of 9/11, including doctor elizabeth berry who i spoke to who we will get a chance a little bit later on at a commemoration here in guantanamo to talk about her brother billy burke was a fireman who died in the north tower on the day of the 9/11 attacks and she said there was no place you would rather be than here watching the process ofjustice.

it doesn't get any better than being in guantanamo bay on the 20th anniversary, being part of the first group of people back into the courtroom to start, to see the proceedings start overagain, see a newjudge, post—pandemic, and get to talk to your brother, to a whole naval station, you know, of military heroes. it's pretty cool. and it doesn't get better because you're optimistic about where things are going and the fact that things have restarted ? i feel, yeah, i'm very honoured to the people that are interested in listening to my brother's story. i'm very proud of him. and... and i'm optimistic because we are starting again. for a while there, i thought i might die of old age before we ever came to the conclusion of this trial. now i'm beginning to think i have a chance. i might actually see the end of it. but now doctor elizabeth berry and some of the other family members of

victims of 9/11 and also talk about their frustration and the fact that this legal process has been taken so long. we are still at the pre—trial phase, no date has been set for the start of this trial and a lot of that has been wrangling over where this k should take place and still have the defence team to the five men are saying they shouldn't be tried in military conditions and should just be tried in civilian courts on the us mainland and the other big thing this argument is centred around is the issue of torture and what evidence can and can't be admissible given that the five men suffered torture at the hands of the us authorities so far from the resolution that doctor berry was talking about coming soon, at least the process has restarted again but it does still a long way off. . ~' , ., again but it does still a long way off. ., off. thank you. our correspondent there.

our world affairs editorjohn simpson has this assessment of the long—term impact of 9/11 and the war on terror which followed. the brutal fact is there's one country that has benefited from the long—term fallout of the tragedy of 9/11 and that is china. all the other countries which had been involved with afghanistan have more or less dropped away. pakistan, which used to be the taliban's main supporter, hasn't been very supportive of it in recent years under their new prime minister, imran khan. that means that the taliban won't reciprocate, won't be so fond of pakistan as they were. india, which put a lot of money and effort into afghanistan, all gone now. the taliban hate india. as for, of course america, britain, germany, france, all the countries that helped over 20 years to build afghanistan up, they're absolutely finished. that just leaves china. china, which is prepared to pump large amounts of money into afghanistan, which doesn't

care what the taliban do, and in return, of course, the taliban don't care what china does with its muslim minority. so, one way or another — the chinese government detests it if you even mention the idea — but the fact is that the long—term beneficiary of what's happened is china. the us national anthem was played during the changing of the guard at windsor castle to mark the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks today. the queen has sent a message to president biden,

in which she praised the "resilience and determination of the communities" to rebuild following the attacks. the names of the 67 britons killed will be read at a private ceremony in london. borisjohnson and sir keir starmer have also marked the twentieth anniversary of 9/11 today, leaving tributes at the september 11th memorial garden in grosvenor square in london. the prime minister said the international community coming together today �*demonstrates the failure of terrorism and the strength of the bonds between us'. the un has warned afghanistan faces economic collapse and a looming humanitarian disaster. 0ur south asia correspondent yogita limaye sent the latest. the un secretary general antonio guterres has said that an economic collapse in afghanistan is in no—one's interest. he says it'll be catastrophic for the people of the country but would also be a gift to terrorist organisations. this is now the second day that we've heard from top un leaders warning of a humanitarian catastrophe in afghanistan. a large portion of international aid going into the country has been frozen because there are concerns

of it falling into taliban hands, but what we've heard the un secretary general say is that the international community needs to find a way to still somehow get that aid across to people in the country, even if it's not through taliban government sources. you know, he spoke about yemen as an example, saying we found ways there and we need to find ways in afghanistan. we know that more than 18 million people need life—saving support in afghanistan. the un's also said one in three people don't know where their next meal is coming from. when i was there, i visited areas with thousands of people displaced because of the fighting, and i remember scenes when someone would come in with a little bit of bread to distribute or a little bit of milk and there would be

dozens of people surrounding whoever was distributing the food just to grab one piece of bread. and these were not destitute people to start with — they were people who had homes and jobs and led dignified lives but because of the fighting they'd been displaced. many of them have gone back to their homes now that the violence has abated, but they're going back to cities that are bombed out, homes that have been completely destroyed. because of the situation that we've had since the 15th of august and the uncertainty that has been prevailing, many people haven't been able to get back to work. the prices of basic commodities, basic food items, has risen sharply and it's in the context of that and the background of that that we're hearing warnings from the un. yogita limaye reporting. lawyers acting for virginia giuffre, who claims she was sexually assaulted by prince andrew,

say he's been served with legal papers. a judge in new york must now decide whether the documents were in fact served before any case can move forward. court proceedings are due to take place on monday. sarah campbell reports. virginia giuffre, then known as virginia roberts. she alleges that, when she was 17, she was sexually assaulted by prince andrew. he categorically denies the claims. miss giuffre launched her civil case against him last month and, as part of the initial process, papers must be served on the defendant. her lawyers believe that has now been done. a court document describes how papers were apparently left with a police officer at the prince's home, royal lodge in windsor, on the 27th of august. what isn't yet clear is whether the prince's legal team agree the papers have been served in the correct way to allow the case to proceed. during a bbc interview in 2019 with the bbc�*s emily maitlis, prince andrew denied the allegations levelled at him by miss giuffre

and said he had no recollection of meeting her. i have no recollection of ever meeting this lady. none whatsoever. you don't remember meeting her? no. he's now in balmoral, scotland. on monday afternoon in new york, a telephone conference is scheduled to take place between the judge in this case and legal teams, which should provide further detail as to whether and how this case will proceed. sarah campbell, bbc news. watching bbc news. when the twin towers were attacked on september the 11th, people in the city were left stranded as nearly all modes of transport in lower manhatten came to a halt. but there was still one way to leave the island — by boat. all kinds of vessels rescued half a million people from the chaos and took them to safety, this is the story of those

who captained america's largest maritime evacuation. i was a ferry captain on september 11 2001. we were loading passengers in highlands, newjersey for pier 11, wall street. after we discharged our passengers, the deckhand came up and said, "a plane just hit the tower." i said, "are you sure? are you sure it's not a movie?" he said, "no, a plane just hit the tower." a co—worker called to let me know that the first tower had been hit. i walked over to battery park city, and we were standing almost at the base of the world trade center when the second plane flew over our head and hit the building. it was total chaos and mayhem within a few minutes. there were thousands of people on the pier, and theyjust rushed the ferry. i was there when the north tower fell. - picked up people right after.

i rememberthe sounds, more than visual. - you know, it's something i'll never forget. - as the tower did come down, we were maybe 1500 feet - from the base of the tower. and, of course, a large - plume of pulverised concrete and, you know... it came towards us, just about to where we were| and we backed up into there, i and we took a boatload of 50, 60 people onto the chelsea screamer. we were jockeying for position. any boat, a tug boat, a pleasure boat, a ferry, anybody and everybody who can get in there and take someone off the island. it was sort of chaotic. everything, all the public transportation had been shutdown, so there was no other way for me to get north of the towers. it was like a trafficjam,

but full of boats on the water. they were just coming from every direction. and we were taken by tug boat across to jersey city. i was nervous, i was scared, but part of what we do as captains is that we lead — we don't follow. wejust make it happen. we have to — that's what we do. that is what makes us captains. we can now bring you a live image of grind servo as people prepare for a memorial on 9/11, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. —— anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. —— a live image of ground zero. those images there are live images we are bringing you from new york on ground zero. now it's time for a look at the weather.

to many of you for a cloudy saturday the weather will gradually brighten up the weather will gradually brighten up with some sunny spells. the exceptions that is northern scotland where it will be cloudy with rain in the north island area and also some mist and fog patches. top temperature of about 23 celsius. 0vernight tonight, rain starts moving back southwards of scotland. it is going to be light and patchy, mostly affecting eastern areas but eventually we will reach the north—east england too. they are a bit of drizzle and if you mix and fog patches overnight