NPR 2010-09-12

Ceremonies today to mark the anniversary of September 11th, 2001 began at the spot where the attacks began that day. New York City, where the twin towers fell, is now called Ground Zero. NPR's Margot Adler reports.

The ceremony on this ninth anniversary of the September 11th attacks was like many before. Bells were rung and there were four moments of silence to commemorate 1 the moment the planes hit the North and South towers and the time that each of the towers fell. Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke 2 at the beginning.

"We have learnt inch by inch that the best ways through the dark nights of our personal sorrow is to link our hands with those who can lead us towards the daybreak of a new day."

Ground Zero is now a busy construction site, with a skyscraper 3 that is already 40 stories tall and a memorial set to be finished next year. Various other commemorations rallies poetry meetings and walks are planned for today. Margot Adler, NPR News, New York.

President Obama spoke at the Pentagon, the site of a second attack. He said the perpetrators didn't simply attack America, they attacked the very idea of America itself.

"We define the character of our country, and we will not let the acts of some small band of murderers who slaughter 4 the innocent and cower 5 in caves distort who we are."

First Lady Michelle Obama spoke at a service held at the third site near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. She was joined by Laura Bush, who was first lady nine years ago.

"When I was first here on September 17, 2001, this quiet field was scarred by a smoldering 6 crater 7. Our grief was raw and our heartache was heavy. We were just learning the names of those aboard Flight 93 and the story of their sacrifice."

She praised the courage of the passengers who alerted the authorities and then resisted the hijackers.

A Florida pastor 8 who threatened to burn a Koran in Gainesville, Florida today instead went to New York and appeared in television. He told NBC he feels God is telling him not to do it.

Iran had announced it would free American Sarah Shourd today as an act of mercy following the end of the holy month of Ramada. She's among three Americans held on espionage 9 charges after being picked up along the border with the Iraq last July, but the BBC's Jon Leyne reports officials changed their plans just hours before her scheduled release.

The presidency 10 has said it's a postponement 11 and she will eventually be released. The word seems to be from the judiciary that they want to wait until she's been tried and presumably they expect convicted and then be given an amnesty.

The BBC's Jon Leyne.

Family members say the three Americans who were hiking in northern Iraq may have wandered into Iran by mistake.

This is NPR News.

About 1,000 people are still out of their homes because of a wildfire just west of Boulder 12, Colorado. About 2,000 others were allowed to return home last night. Firefighters have contained about 50 percent of the blaze.

Officials say as many as 100,000 people are in desperate need after heavy flooding in the West African country of Burkina Faso. Lisa Schlein reports from Geneva the United Nation is seeking more than $14 million in aid.

The floods have caused serious damage in five regions of Burkina Faso. UN spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs says the floods have damaged or destroyed homes, bridges, roads, schools, health centers and other infrastructure 13.

"So, it's now thousands of people are in need of our assistance and also aid distribution has been, in some parts, slowed and delayed by difficulties in access because of this destruction of infrastructure."

The United Nations reports some villages are isolated 14 and cut off from aid and UN agencies fear there may be still worse to come. They note the country is weeks away from the end of the rainy season and much work is needed to repair the damage already done.

For NPR News, I'm Lisa Schlein in Geneva.

In men's tennis, top-seeded Rafael Nadal beat No.12 Mikhail Youzhny at the US Open today, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4. He's advancing to the tournament final for the first time his career. He'll face either Roger Federal or Novak Djokovic. That match is under way.

The women's championship match is being played this evening. It features second grand Kim Clijsters against No.7 Vera Zvonareva.