The first of several moments of silence at New York’s annual September 11 ceremony was rife with emotion Monday – as Americans mark 22 years since the attacks took thousands of lives in New York City, Pennsylvania, and Arlington, Virginia.

Moments before, in a taste of the ceremonies set to take place nationwide, officials in Virginia unfurled US flag on the west side of the Pentagon – the same site where one of the hijacked planes struck.

The attacks happened quickly – claiming nearly 3,000 lives and counting as illnesses to this day continue to affect first responders. The North Tower was hit at 8:46 am, then 17 minutes later the South. A third hijacked plane ripped a hole into the western side of the Pentagon at 9:37 am – leaving another 184 lives lost.

A flag has been unfurled at the site each year since – celebrating the bravery that was on display from first responders as well as countless Good Samaritans who jumped into action that day. There, Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were among those participated in a moment of silence at Monday morning’s ceremony.

Other commemorations currently being held stretch from the other attack sites, and to Alaska and beyond. Joe Biden is due at a ceremony on a military base in Anchorage, and Kamala Harris – in a rare public appearance – is currently at the procession at Ground Zero. 

Others in attendance included Ron DeSantis and Michael Bloomberg – the successor to the mayor at the time of the tragedy, Rudy Giuliani. Despite recent legal woes, the man known as America’s Mayor made the time to attend, as did Mayor Eric Adams.

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Also spotted in the crowd was New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who joined Harris in the crowd for the traditional name reading and the tolling of the bells. 

In total, six moments of silence will be observed – commemorating when each of the towers was struck and collapsed, as well as the times corresponding to the attack on the Pentagon and the crash of United Flight 93. 

The first was held after the tolling of the bells at 8:46am, which marks the beginning of the attacks – when hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into floors 93 through 99 of the North Tower. The impact killed all 92 on board.

At 9:03am, a second moment of silence was held – marking when hijackers deliberately crashed United Airlines Flight 175 into floors 77 through 85 of the South Tower – leaving no doubt in any New Yorkers’ mind at the time that the attacks were planned and malicious in nature.

The next was at 9:37am, when another group of terrorists deliberately crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon, just outside the nation’s capital.

A fourth was then held at 9:59am to mark the moment the South Tower, the second structure to be hit, collapsed, with another slated for four minutes later – to mark the moment passengers on United 93 heroically stormed the cockpit in a bid to retake the plane from their attackers.

In response, the hijackers crashed the plane into an empty field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania – likely saving many lives, as many theorized the plane’s target was either the White House or the Capitol. 

The final moment of silent mourning, meanwhile, is slated for 10:28 am – the time that The North Tower collapsed, leaving the 16-acre World Trade Center site in ruins and the collective US consciousness in tatters. 

However, across the country, the rescue effort commenced immediately – a taste of the resilience present in the heart of countless Americans in the centuries before, and after, the senseless tragedy.

The president’s visit, en route to Washington, D.C., from a politically driven trip to India and Vietnam, is a reminder that the impact of 9/11 was felt in every corner of the nation, however remote it may be. 

On that day, ‘we were one country, one nation, one people, just like it should be. That was the feeling – that everyone came together and did what we could, where we were at, to try to help,’ said Eddie Ferguson, the fire-rescue chief in Virginia’s Goochland County.

More than 100 miles from the Pentagon and more than three times as far from New York, the site – like dozens of others across the US – share a sense of connection is enshrined in a local memorial incorporating steel from the World Trade Center´s destroyed twin towers.

The predominantly rural county of 25,000 people holds not just one but two anniversary commemorations: a morning service focused on first responders and an evening ceremony honoring all the victims.

Other communities across the country pay tribute with moments of silence, tolling bells, candlelight vigils and other activities. 

In Shanksville, volunteers at the Flight 93 National Memorial were seen placing a wreath at the entrance of the memorial plaza early Monday, to honor the passengers who heroically stormed the cockpit forcing hijackers to crash in a field only a few miles from Washington, DC.

In Arlington, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin participated in a wreath laying ceremony to honor the 184 people killed at the Pentagon – the last of the tree crash sites. 

In Columbus, Indiana, 911 dispatchers broadcast a remembrance message to police, fire and EMS radios throughout the 50,000-person city, which also holds a public memorial ceremony.

Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts raise and lower the flag at a commemoration in Fenton, Missouri, where a ‘Heroes Memorial’ includes a piece of World Trade Center steel and a plaque honoring 9/11 victim Jessica Leigh Sachs. Some of her relatives live in the St. Louis suburb of 4,000 residents.

‘We´re just a little bitty community,’ said Mayor Joe Maurath, but ‘it´s important for us to continue to remember these events. Not just 9/11, but all of the events that make us free.’

New Jersey’s Monmouth County, which was home to some 9/11 victims, made Sept. 11 a holiday this year for county employees so they could attend commemorations.

As another way of marking the anniversary, many Americans do volunteer work on what Congress has designated both Patriot Day and a National Day of Service and Remembrance.

At ground zero, Harris – after facing criticism for a lack of public appearances for the past three years – joined famous faces in Giuliani, DeSantis, Hochul, and Bloomberg in the ceremony on the National September 11 Memorial and Museum plaza. 

The event will not feature remarks from political figures, instead giving the podium to victims’ relatives for an hourslong reading of the names of the dead.

James Giaccone signed up to read again this year in memory of his brother, Joseph Giaccone, 43. The family attends the ceremony every year to hear Joseph’s name.

‘If their name is spoken out loud, they don’t disappear,’ James Giaccone said in a recent interview.

The commemoration is crucial to him.

‘I hope I never see the day when they minimize this,’ he said. ‘It’s a day that changed history.’

Biden, meanwhile, will be the first president to commemorate September 11 in Alaska, or anywhere in the western U.S. 

Havin attended last year’s memorial in Arlington, he’s already facing criticism for the unprecedented decision not to mark the anniversary of 9/11 at one of the three crash sites.

Instead he will spend just two hours at Joint Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska with service members and first responders on his way home from a 24-hour trip to Vietnam dominated by a shambolic and rambling press conference.

He and his predecessors have gone to one or another of the attack sites in most years, though Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Barack Obama each marked the anniversary on the White House lawn at times. Obama followed one of those observances by recognizing the military with a visit to Fort Meade in Maryland.

First lady Jill Biden is due to lay a wreath at the 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon.

In Pennsylvania, where one of the hijacked jets crashed after passengers tried to storm the cockpit, a remembrance and wreath-laying is scheduled at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Stoystown operated by the National Park Service. Harris´ husband, Doug Emhoff, is expected to attend the ceremony.

The memorial site will offer a new educational video, virtual tour and other materials for teachers to use in classrooms. Educators with a total of more than 10,000 students have registered for access to the free ‘National Day of Learning’ program, which will be available through the fall, organizers say.

‘We need to get the word out to the next generation,’ said memorial spokesperson Katherine Hostetler, a National Park Service ranger.

Federal prosecutors plan to indict Hunter Biden by end of September

By Nikki Schwab, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Published: 16:49 EDT, 6 September 2023 | Updated: 16:49 EDT, 6 September 2023

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Apple is gearing up to launch its new iOS 17, which will unleash loads of new features to the iPhone – but the update will cut some models’ values by 50 percent.

The iPhone 8 and iPhone X, released in 2017, will not support the upcoming operating system – and tech experts are urging users to sell or trade in devices before September.

Trade-in value for a mint condition iPhone X is currently around $190, while the iPhone 8 is $90 and $152 for the iPhone 8 Plus.

When iOS 16 dropped last year, the iPhone 7 Plus went from $138 in June 2022 to $80, while the iPhone 6S Plus went from $94 to $47.

Apple’s iPhone X cost $999 in 2017 and was the tech giant’s ten-year anniversary smartphone. 

The smartphone was the first to ditch Touch ID for Facial ID, marking a new era of iPhones.

The device – called ‘the biggest leap forward since the original iPhone’ – boasts more advanced features than the iPhone 8 family that was announced simultaneously.

iPhone X features a glass front and back, a band around the edge made from surgical-grade stainless steel, and an edgeless display – all of which was never before seen in Apple phones.

The iPhone X also includes the first Apple OLED display called the ‘super retina display’ that, on the diagonal, is 5.8 inches.

The anniversary smartphone outshined the flagship devices, but the iPhone 8 was still a fan favorite – at the time.

Apple reported selling 86.3 million iPhone 8 and 8 Plus worldwide, making them one of the best-selling smartphones ever. 

However, the pair were discontinued in February 2020.

Apple released the iPhone SE that year, which was essentially an upgraded iPhone.

And now it seems the end of the line has come for both the iPhone X and iPhone 8.

A report from SellCell states that the smartphones’ values are likely to drop by up to 50 percent and open owners up to a range of security risks.

‘Neither the iPhone X or the iPhone 8 will receive the iOS 17 update, which means the phones won’t get security updates either,’ the report reads.

‘Owners and their data are more at risk of attack by people with malicious intent, like hackers, for example. 

‘These models will become obsolete once the new iOS version rolls out to the public.’

The iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR will be the oldest devices to support iOS 17.

The new updates with iOS 17 promise to be expansive, with a raft of new security features, including improvements to Safari Private Browsing and Apple’s child safety protections and more aesthetic and usability improvements.

The new operating system will have design-driven contact cards for you and the people in your address book and a ‘StandBy’ mode that effectively turns your iPhone into a desk or nightstand clock as it charges — with customizable quick info on display.

 iOS 17 also features keyboard updates – and one that improves autocorrect.

Many users have complained that their words are autocorrected incorrectly, but the new system adds a new language model that has a more accessible shortcut to go back to the original word if the system gets it wrong.

And now, dictation also uses a new AI-powered model.

Another feature that aims to make life easier is the new ‘NameDrop’ that lets users easily share contact information by tapping their devices with someone else’s.

Users can create their own posters that will appear on someone else’s display when they call.

These can include your best selfie or unique emoji – anything that represents who you are.

London‘s hottest new hot property now has an opening date.

The first-ever UK hotel by the luxury Peninsula chain – Peninsula London – will be welcoming the first guests on September 12 this year, with rooms starting from £1,300.

The Peninsula Hotels group has an eye-catching portfolio of properties, from Hong Kong to Paris and from New York to Beverly Hills. And newly released photographs show that the London edition will be similarly easy on the eye.

Peninsula London is located in Belgravia where Hyde Park Corner meets Wellington Arch, with iconic attractions including Buckingham Palace, the Palace of Westminster, Harrods and the boutiques of Bond Street less than a 15-minute walk away.

This spot is in one of the UK’s most exclusive postcodes – SW1X, which is shared by other five-star hotels including Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, The Berkeley and The Lanesborough.

Peninsula London will fit right in, with a statement boasting that the newly built hotel has been ‘designed and appointed to embody the finest British craftsmanship’.

It continues: ‘With architecture conceived to gracefully harmonise with the heritage buildings of Belgravia, The Peninsula London also embodies a sleek, spacious aesthetic that floods its exquisite, Peter Marino-designed interiors with natural light.

‘The hotel, along with 25 opulent luxury residences, centres around an expansive, off-street courtyard, landscaped in the style of a classic English garden with cascading ivy, wisteria vines, and 120-year-old Japanese maples allowing for a graceful and easy off-street arrival along with valet parking and underground garage.’

The hotel boasts 190 ‘understatedly luxurious guest rooms (from 51 to 59 sq m/549 – 635 sq ft) and suites’ that ‘feature bespoke furnishings, textiles, and artworks that evoke the feel of chic private residences’.

The dressing rooms, we’re told, are mahogany-panelled, the ‘exquisite’ bathrooms made of honey onyx, and many rooms ‘have floor-to-ceiling windows with unparalleled views over Wellington Arch and historic Belgravia’.

The hotel will also offer a ‘diverse array of relaxation and well-being choices’ later in the year in its spa, which boasts ‘a dramatically lit 25m indoor swimming pool’.

The room prices may make an overnight stay out of reach for many, but there is plenty on the horizon at the property to entice those looking for a pleasant place to eat and drink.

The statement reveals: ‘The hotel’s signature rooftop restaurant, Brooklands, offers modern British cuisine from Michelin-starred Chef Director Claude Bosi. At Canton Blue and its adjacent bar, Little Blue, innovative Chinese cuisine, cocktails, teas, and exotic decor celebrate the spice-trade union of Asian and British cultures.

‘And at The Lobby, traditional Peninsula Afternoon Tea and globally inspired fare are served beneath soaring ceilings. A more casual offering, including fresh-made salads, sandwiches, and sweets, is available throughout the day at The Peninsula Boutique and Cafe.’

The exclusive £1,300 opening room offer includes daily breakfast for two; Peninsula Time, offering flexible check-in and check-out times, use of a ‘house car’; and complimentary airport pick-up for all suite reservations.

Visit www.peninsula.com/en/london/5-star-luxury-hotel-belgravia for more.