‘Don’t focus on hate’: World marks 20th anniversary of 9/11

NEW YORK (AP) — The world solemnly marked the 20th anniversary of 9/11 on Saturday, remembering the dead, invoking the heroes and taking stock of the aftermath just weeks after the bloody end of the Afghanistan war that was launched in response to the terror attacks.

Victims’ relatives and four U.S. presidents paid respects at the sites where hijacked planes killed nearly 3,000 people in the deadliest act of terrorism on American soil.

Others gathered for observances from Portland, Maine, to Guam, or for volunteer projects on what has become a day of service in the U.S. Foreign leaders expressed sympathy over an attack that happened in the U.S. but claimed victims from more than 90 countries.

“It felt like an evil specter had descended on our world, but it was also a time when many people acted above and beyond the ordinary,” said Mike Low, whose daughter, Sara Low, was a flight attendant on the first plane that crashed.

“As we carry these 20 years forward, I find sustenance in a continuing appreciation for all of those who rose to be more than ordinary people,” the father told a ground zero crowd that included President Joe Biden and former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

The anniversary unfolded under the pall of a pandemic and in the shadow of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, which is now ruled by the same Taliban militant group that gave safe haven to the 9/11 plotters.

“It’s hard because you hoped that this would just be a different time and a different world. But sometimes history starts to repeat itself and not in the best of ways,” Thea Trinidad, who lost her father in the attacks, said before reading victims’ names at the ceremony.

Bruce Springsteen and Broadway actors Kelli O’Hara and Chris Jackson sang at the commemoration, but by tradition, no politicians spoke there. In a video released Friday night, Biden addressed the continuing pain of loss but also spotlighted what he called the “central lesson” of Sept. 11: “that at our most vulnerable … unity is our greatest strength.”

Biden was also paying respects at the two other sites where the 9/11 conspirators crashed the jets: the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

At the Pennsylvania site — where passengers and crew fought to regain control of a plane believed to have been targeted at the U.S. Capitol or the White House — former President George W. Bush said Sept. 11 showed that Americans can come together despite their differences.

“So much of our politics has become a naked appeal to anger, fear and resentment,” said the president who was in office on 9/11. “On America’s day of trial and grief, I saw millions of people instinctively grab their neighbor’s hand and rally to the cause of one another. That is the America know.”

“It is the truest version of ourselves. It is what we have been and what we can be again.”

Calvin Wilson said a polarized country has “missed the message” of the heroism of the flight’s passengers and crew, which included his brother-in-law, LeRoy Homer.

“We don’t focus on the damage. We don’t focus on the hate. We don’t focus on retaliation. We don’t focus on revenge,” Wilson said before the ceremony. “We focus on the good that all of our loved ones have done.”

Former President Donald Trump visited a New York police station and a firehouse, praising responders’ bravery while criticizing Biden over the pullout from Afghanistan.

“It was gross incompetence,” said Trump, who was scheduled to provide commentary at a boxing match in Florida in the evening.

The attacks ushered in a new era of fear, war, patriotism and, eventually, polarization. They also redefined security, changing airport checkpoints, police practices and the government’s surveillance powers.

A “war on terror” led to invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, where the longest U.S. war ended last month with a hasty, massive airlift punctuated by a suicide bombing that killed 169 Afghans and 13 American service members and was attributed to a branch of the Islamic State extremist group. The U.S. is now concerned that al-Qaida, the terror network behind 9/11, may regroup in Afghanistan, where the Taliban flag once again flew over the presidential palace on Saturday.

Two decades after helping to triage and treat injured colleagues at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, retired Army Col. Malcolm Bruce Westcott is saddened and frustrated by the continued threat of terrorism.

“I always felt that my generation, my military cohort, would take care of it — we wouldn’t pass it on to anybody else,” said Westcott, of Greensboro, Georgia. “And we passed it on.”

At ground zero, multiple victims’ relatives thanked the troops who fought in Afghanistan, while Melissa Pullis said she was “just happy all the troops are out of Afghanistan.”

“We can’t lose any more military. We don’t even know why we’re fighting, and 20 years went down the drain,” said Pullis, who lost her husband, Edward, and whose son Edward Jr. is serving on the USS Ronald Reagan.

At this point, many of the relatives reciting victims’ names are too young to have known their lost kin. But the families spoke of lives cut short, milestones missed and a loss that still feels immediate. Several also pleaded for a return of the solidarity that surged for a time after Sept. 11 but soon gave way.

Muslim Americans endured suspicion, surveillance and hate crimes. Schisms and resentments grew over the balance between tolerance and vigilance, the meaning of patriotism, the proper way to honor the dead and the scope of a promise to “never forget.”

Trinidad was 10 when she overheard her dad, Michael, saying goodbye to her mother by phone from the burning trade center. She remembers the pain but also the fellowship of the days that followed, when all of New York “felt like it was family.”

“Now, when I feel like the world is so divided, I just wish that we can go back to that,” said Trinidad, of Orlando, Florida. “I feel like it would have been such a different world if we had just been able to hang on to that feeling.”

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DR Congo president seeks review of mining contracts with China

Democratic Republic of the Congo is seeking what it says is a fairer share of its vast mineral wealth.

Felix Tshisekedi, the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has called for a review of mining contracts signed with China in 2008 by his predecessor, saying he wanted to get fairer deals.

A statement after a cabinet meeting on Friday said Tshisekedi called for the “technical and financial details of Sino-Congolese contracts” at the next meeting.

“DR Congo is sorely lacking in infrastructure and this hampers its development,” the statement said.

Former President Joseph Kabila, who held power from 2001 to 2019, negotiated a highly contentious minerals-for-infrastructure contract with the Chinese in 2008 valued at $9bn.

But the deal was reduced to two-thirds of that amount under pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which noted the severe effect it had on the country’s finances.

To date, about $2.74bn has been disbursed by the Chinese so far.

Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin (L) escorts Former President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as they review a guard of honour during a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing [File: Goh Chai Hin/AFP]

During a visit to the mining town of Kolwezi in May, Tshisekedi announced his intention to renegotiate mining contracts, particularly those concluded by Kabila.

“It is not normal that those with whom the country has signed exploitation contracts are getting richer while our people remain poor,” he said.

“It is time for the country to readjust its contracts with the miners in order to seal win-win partnerships.”

Earlier this year, China granted some debt relief to the DRC aimed at helping it overcome the economic fallout from the pandemic.

As a result, the DRC did not have to repay its interest-free loans from China that matured at the end of 2020. The ministry did not say how much this amounted to.

According to data gathered by Johns Hopkins University’s China Africa Research Initiative, Chinese entities have extended 53 loans to the DRC between 2000 and 2018. Most of the lending was focused on the power, transport and mining sectors.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES

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Uncertainty in Guinea after military coup removes Alpha Conde

The coup leaders have promised a government of national unity to lead transition to civilian rule, but questions remain about what is next.

Guinea’s leader Alpha Conde used to tell journalists that he was the only one who could lead the country. He would also say the military would not overthrow him.

On Sunday, he was proved wrong.

An elite Special Forces unit stormed the presidential palace in the capital, Conakry, detaining the 83-year-old president. Hours later, coup leader Colonel Mamady Doumbouya appeared on state broadcaster Radio Television Guineenne, draped in the Guinean flag, introducing himself to surprised Guineans as the country’s new leader.

The putsch in Guinea threw the country into a state of uncertainty, caused the West African economic bloc to threaten sanctions and saw the price of aluminium reach its highest level in more than a decade. Guinea is the world’s biggest producer of bauxite, a mineral used to make aluminium.

Regional leaders immediately condemned the power grab, urging the coup leaders to restore constitutional order and release Conde.

In Conakry, the new military rulers were quick to try and reassure political and economic actors of their good intentions.

A government of national unity would be set up to lead the transition to civilian rule, Doumbouya told members of the overthrown government on Monday.

The new leadership would honour mining contracts, urging companies to continue operations, he said. Land and sea borders that were shut during the takeover reopened in fewer than 24 hours.

This, however, did not convince the Economic Community of the West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc that went on to suspend Guinea from all its decision-making bodies. Two days later, the African Union followed suit.

Conde in 2010 became Guinea’s first democratically elected leader, his victory seen as putting an end to decades of authoritarian rule by the country’s two first presidents, Sekou Toure and Lansana Conte, who were in office for 26 and 24 years respectively.

Conde was re-elected for a second term in 2015. But he became increasingly disliked when he pushed through a constitutional referendum, backed by Russia, that Conde said allowed him to seek a controversial third term in October 2020 polls, which he won.

Sidy Yansane, a journalist and analyst in Conakry, said Conde brought the downfall on himself.

“Conde was very unpopular, even though people still voted for him. With the third mandate, Conde went too far,” he said by phone.

Questions loom

In his address to the nation on Sunday, Doumbouya said Conde’s removal was necessary and went on to blame his leadership for Guinea’s poverty, corruption, misrule and a lack of development. Doumbouya said a reform of the country’s ruling system and institutions was desperately needed.

“If you see the condition of our roads, of our hospitals, you realise that it is time for us to wake up,” Doumbouya said. What he did not say was when a transitional government could be put in place.

“Right now, people are just happy to see Conde gone,” Yansane said. “But pretty soon, they will need to see some actions from the junta; signs things are about to change, including a timetable for a transition.”

Residents cheer on army soldiers after the uprising that led to the toppling of president Alpha Conde in Kaloum neighbourhood of Conakry, Guinea [File: Souleymane/Reuters]  Camara

So far, Sunday’s coup has been met with minimal resistance. Cheering crowds greeted the putschists as they drove through Conakry earlier this week.

Sally Bilaly Sow, a 29-year-old blogger and activist, said the coup could be an opportunity to reform and restructure state institutions.

“The important thing now is to not rush. To give an interim leadership enough time for reforms and prepare fresh elections,” Sow said by phone from Conakry.

Cellou Dalein Diallo, the only challenger to Conde in 2020 polls boycotted by the opposition, said he was open to participate but would not set an end date for a transition and a return to civilian rule.

The coup in Guinea is the fourth military takeover in West Africa this year following two coups in neighbouring Mali – the second one as recently as May this year – and a questionable succession in Chad raising concerns of a democratic backslide in the region.

In Mali, the military-led interim government is falling behind an 18-month schedule for general elections that should return the country to civilian rule.

In Chad, President Mahamat Deby, who succeeded his father Idriss Deby in April, seems in no rush to hand power to a civilian government.

An ECOWAS delegation that visited Conakry on Friday said its first meetings with the coup leaders had been “positive”.

The delegation also met Conde, ECOWAS Commission President Jean-Claude Kassi Brou said, referring to the overthrown leader as the “former president” indicating the regional bloc would not call for him to be reinstated.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

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Apple must allow other forms of in-app purchase, rules judge in Epic v. Apple

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers issued a permanent injunction in the Epic v. Apple case on Friday morning, putting new restrictions on Apple’s App Store rules and bringing months of bitter legal jousting to a conclusion.

Under the new order, Apple is:

permanently restrained and enjoined from prohibiting developers from including in their apps and their metadata buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms, in addition to In-App Purchasing and communicating with customers through points of contact obtained voluntarily from customers through account registration within the app.

In short, iOS apps must be allowed to direct users to payment options beyond those offered by Apple. The injunction is scheduled to take effect in 90 days — on December 9th — unless it is enjoined by a higher court.

In a separate judgment, the court affirmed that Epic Games was in breach of its contract with Apple when it implemented the alternative payment system in the Fortnite app. As a result, Epic must pay Apple 30 percent of all revenue collected through the system since it was implemented — a sum of more than $3.5 million.

In the full ruling, Judge Gonzalez Rogers explained her thinking on the issue in greater detail. Notably, the judge rejected both parties’ definition of the marketplace at issue in the case.

“The relevant market here is digital mobile gaming transactions, not gaming generally and not Apple’s own internal operating systems related to the App Store,” Gonzalez Rogers wrote.

Under that market definition, “the court cannot ultimately conclude that Apple is a monopolist under either federal or state antitrust laws,” she continued. “Nonetheless, the trial did show that Apple is engaging in anti-competitive conduct under California’s competition laws.”

Reached for comment, Apple cast the ruling as a victory for the App Store model.

“Today the Court has affirmed what we’ve known all along: the App Store is not in violation of antitrust law,” a representative said. “Apple faces rigorous competition in every segment in which we do business, and we believe customers and developers choose us because our products and services are the best in the world. We remain committed to ensuring the App Store is a safe and trusted marketplace.”

On Twitter, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney expressed disappointment in the order. “Today’s ruling isn’t a win for developers or for consumers,” Sweeney said. “Epic is fighting for fair competition among in-app payment methods and app stores for a billion consumers.” Separately, an Epic Games spokesperson told NPR that the company plans to appeal.

The new restrictions include echoes of some provisional anti-steering restrictions already placed on Apple outside of the US.

On September 1st, Apple agreed to allow outside signup links for “reader” apps like Netflix and Spotify, following a regulatory investigation in Japan. More recently, a South Korean law opened the door to alternate payment systems, although the practical impacts of the law are still unclear.

Apple and Epic Games have been at odds for years over the transaction fee system in the iOS App Store, which Apple sees as a necessary operating cost but Epic sees as a monopolistic tax.

The fight came to a head in August 2020 when Epic installed an alternative payment system in Fortnite to circumvent the App Store’s transaction fees. Apple responded by removing Fortnite from the App Store, which sparked an immediate legal complaint from Epic.

The subsequent trial was a brutal tug-of-war over the App Store model and Apple’s efforts to maintain control over software on iOS. Among other things, we learned about Apple’s strange accounting methods and charm offensive to keep major players like Netflix using in-app purchases.

The ruling is likely to have significant impacts outside of Apple. Google is already facing a similar lawsuit from Epic Games over its own efforts to maintain the Google Play Store as the central source of software on Android, drawing on elaborate deals with phone manufacturers.

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Biden, Obama, Clinton mark 9/11 in NYC with display of unity

NEW YORK (AP) — Three American presidents stood somberly side by side Saturday at the National September 11 Memorial in New York, sharing a moment of silence to mark the anniversary of the nation’s worst terrorist attack with a display of unity.

Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton gathered at the site where the World Trade Center towers fell two decades ago. Each man wore a blue ribbon and held his hands over his heart as a procession marched a flag through the memorial before hundreds of people, some carrying photos of loved ones lost in the attacks.

Before the event began, a jet flew overhead in an eerie echo of the attacks, drawing a glance from Biden toward the sky. For much of the ceremony he stood with his arms crossed and head bowed, listening while the names of the victims were read. At one point, he wiped a tear from his eye.

Biden was a senator when hijackers commandeered four planes and carried out the attack. He was Obama’s vice president in 2011 when the country observed the 10th anniversary of the strikes. Saturday’s commemoration was his first as commander in chief, beginning in New York City and culminating late afternoon at the Pentagon, where the world’s mightiest military suffered an unthinkable blow to its very home.

In between he visited Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where passengers brought down a hijacked plane that was headed for the U.S. Capitol. Biden and his wife, Jill, walked with relatives of the crash victims into the grassy field where the jet came to rest.

He reflected on the need for unity when he dropped by the Shanksville Volunteer Fire Department to deliver Bud Light and thank first responders who responded to the plane crash on Sept. 11.

“Everyone says Biden, ’Why do you keep insisting on trying to bring the country together?” the president told reporters. “That’s the thing that’s going to affect our well-being more than anything else.”

It is now Biden who shoulders the responsibility borne by his predecessors to prevent another strike. He must do that against fears of a rise in terrorism after the hasty U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, where those who planned the Sept. 11 attacks were sheltered.

But on a day when his nation recalled its shock and sorrow, Biden left the speech-making to others.

Biden’s vice president, Kamala Harris, spoke in Shanksville at the Flight 93 National Memorial, praising the courage of those passengers and the resilience of Americans who came together in the days after the attacks.

“In a time of outright terror, we turned toward each other,” she said. “If we do the hard work of working together as Americans, if we remain united in purpose, we will be prepared for whatever comes next.”

Former President George W. Bush, speaking before Harris, recalled how 9/11 showed that Americans could unite despite their differences. It was a message, he said, that was needed today.

“So much of our politics have become a naked appeal to anger, fear and resentment,” Bush said. “On America’s day of trial and grief, I saw millions of people instinctively grab for a neighbor’s hand, and rally for the cause of one another. That is the America I know.”

Biden, speaking at the firehouse later, praised Bush’s message of unity, and mentioned that he had taken photos with some boys wearing Trump hats at the firehouse. Biden framed the need for unity as a crucial to the success of democracies, asking “Are we going to, in the next four, five, six, 10 years, demonstrate that democracies can work, or not?”

Former President Donald Trump skipped the official 9/11 memorial ceremonies and instead visited a fire station and police precinct in New York.

While Biden had no prepared remarks of his own Saturday, he did offer praise for Bush’s words, telling reporters in Pennsylvania that he thought the former president “made a really good speech today. Genuinely.”

But unity was a theme that Biden emphasized in a taped address released by the White House late Friday. He spoke about the “true sense of national unity” that emerged after the attacks, seen in “heroism everywhere — in places expected and unexpected.”

“To me that’s the central lesson of September 11,” he said. “Unity is our greatest strength.”

Biden is the fourth president to console the nation on the anniversary of that dark day, one that has shaped many of the most consequential domestic and foreign policy decisions made by the chief executives over the past two decades.

Bush was reading a book to Florida schoolchildren when the planes slammed into the World Trade Center. He spent that day being kept out of Washington for security reasons — a decision then-Sen. Biden urged him to reconsider, the current president has written — and then delivered a brief, halting speech that night from the White House to a terrified nation.

The terrorist attack would define Bush’s presidency. The following year, he chose Ellis Island as the location to deliver his first anniversary address, the Statue of Liberty over his shoulder as he pledged, “What our enemies have begun, we will finish.”

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were still deadly when Obama visited the Pentagon to mark his first Sept. 11 in office in 2009.

By the time Obama spoke at the 10th anniversary, attack mastermind Osama bin Laden was dead, killed in a May 2011 Navy SEAL raid. Though the nation remained entangled overseas, and vigilant against terrorist threats, the anniversary became more about healing.

Trump pledged to get the U.S. out of Afghanistan, but his words during his first Sept. 11 anniversary ceremony in 2017 were a vivid warning to terrorists, telling “these savage killers that there is no dark corner beyond our reach, no sanctuary beyond our grasp, and nowhere to hide anywhere on this very large earth.”

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