With the end of the memorial ceremonies marking the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Agence France-Presse is closing the Live Report.
13:21 The choir sang "I Will Remember You" as the ceremony drew to a close. Buglers played a solemn "Taps," the traditional song for military funerals, and the memorial ended.
13:17 As the annual reading of the names ends at the World Trade Center site, the space left open for families is almost empty.
Cheryl Shames, a relative of Andrew Zucker, just came back from the memorial and says "it's peaceful, beautiful." 'It was very emotional for me," she says.
12:54 In Paris, a special memorial mass was held at the Notre Dame Cathedral.
In his homily, the archbischop of Paris Andre Vingt-Trois, said "The most important message is that terrorism is not an effective way to steer international relations."
12:47 As readers continue to list the names of all those killed at Ground Zero, spectators explain why they were compelled to come to the site.
Carlos Sorwell, a member of the Coast Guard says:
"Because the buildings were attacked and American citizens were killed, so I joined the military to serve my country overseas. And it's important for me to return here, because this is were it happened."
12:18 Obama is still shaking hands with people attending the Shanksville ceremony, smiling often.
12:14 Vice President Joe Biden is leaving the Pentagon after spending three hours marking the 9/11 anniversary. He spent a good hour shaking hands with those attending the memorial ceremony.
12:11 The president is meeting with families of Flight 93 victims. The hijacked plane was only 20 minutes flying time from Washington when hero passengers stormed the cockpit, forcing the plane to crash in a field instead of its intended target.
12:08 Obama and Michelle laid a wreath of white flowers at the site where Flight 93 crashed into a Pennsylvania field.
The Obamas approached the new marble memorial to the 40 passengers and crew of the plane, dedicated on Saturday, and positioned a large wreath of white blooms before one of the polished marble slabs.
The president and first lady then bowed their heads in prayer.
11:59 The president was welcomed by a polite applause as he arrived. Obama and the first lady walked along the marble wall that lists the names of all 40 victims of Flight 93.
He has walked toward the site of impact.
11:56 Obama and Michelle Obama desend from his green helicopter and walk to the memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.The president will lay a wreath at a marble memorial and greet relatives of the heroic passengers who downed the plane before it could reach its presumed target in Washington.
11:48 Admiral Mullen tweets:
"We look back today, as we should. But let us also look ahead. As I said this morning, living well and for each other -- that is victory."
11:42 Obama's helicopters land near the Flight 93 memorial site in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
11:37 Monica Iken lost her husband when the North Tower fell. He called her at home before he died. He is among the hundreds of people whose remains were never found.
"He's here, 100%. This is where he took his last step, his last breath. This where I want to go to visit my husband," she tells CNN of the new memorial.
Monica was a leader in demanding a memorial at the World Trade Center site. She calls the final result "breathtakingly beautiful."
Earlier, military personnel gathered at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan to focus on those who died on 9/11.
Some 1,000 troops gathered near a giant slab of metal from the World Trade Center etched with the legend "WTC 9/11/01" to lay memorial wreaths. For many of the service members, 9/11 was a defining moment.
Specialist Keyonna Chiles, said that 9/11 was "the reason I joined" the Army.
"At the time, I was a senior in high school and it was very emotional, devastating. Just the thought of being able to play a part in the protection of our country is what inspired me," she said.
11:15 Obama is now aboard his Marine One helicopter flying from Pittsburgh where Air Force One landed to Shanksville , Pennsylvania and the crash site of United Flight 93.
His spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters that the president had been touched and moved by the "serene" setting of the Ground Zero memorial in New York, and by relatives, especially children, reading of the names of victims of the attack
11:12 US television is playing images from September 11, 2001, with the World Center on fire and the towers collapsing, covering lower Manhattan with dust and smoke.
They are also playing tapes of the emergency calls from that day, as panicked victims, trapped in the burning buildings cry out for help.
10:55 In Shanksville, Gordon Felt, president of the Families of Flight 93, speaks of the value of healing.
"We lost too much 10 years ago," he says. "The anguish of September 11 continues to overwhelm... Why and for what purpose was this battle forced upon the 40 passengers and crew of Flight 93 who were taken from us with such violence that morning? … While we can never be healed, we can embrace the healing process, and in doing so, allow ourselves to remember."
He adds: "Let us not allow time to heal all of our pain. Let us never forget the horror of 9/11 ... but let us cherish the memory of those we lost."
10:45 At the Pentagon, the ceremony ends with the singing of "America the Beautiful." Families are given time to walk through the memorial site as airliners from nearby Ronald Reagan National Airport roar overhead.
10:41 The readers are all relatives of someone who died in the World Trade Center, many of whom never received remains to bury. For them, the memorial site is also, essentially, a gravesite. Some make a special comment for their loved ones, many sad, some bittersweet, and some light-hearted.
One honored her husband, Port Authority police officer Tom Gorman. "Tom, Bridget, Patrick, Laura, myself, and your soon-to-be granddaughter keep you in our hearts every day. Your family and friends miss you, love you, miss your laughter, your smile and your meatloaf."
10:39 Obama tells Americans in an interview with NBC News to "keep your eyes open" for suspicious activity during September 11 commemorations, as authorities chase what they have said is a credible but unconfirmed Al-Qaeda threat against Washington and New York.
10:37 As the Pentagon ceremony draws to a close, an Army sergeant plays "Taps," the mournful notes echoing across the memorial site.
10:35 Famed singer-songwriter Paul Simon, wearing a suit and a 9/11 ball cap, and playing only an acoustic guitar, sang "Sounds of Silence."
10:30 Former New York mayor Rudolph Guiliani read from Ecclesiastes, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up."
10:28 A bell tolls to begin the sixth and final moment of silence of today's memorials, making the moment that the North Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed, 102 minutes after being struck and 29 minutes after the South Tower fell.
10:24 The reading of the names continues at Ground Zero, as families linger at the new memorial. Many leave flowers and flags at spot where their loved one's name is etched.
10:18 One by one, the service members begin to lay the wreaths on the 184 benches at the Pentagon memorial.
10:16 Biden, choking back tears, honored the victims as "irreplaceable." But, he said, "my prayer for you, ten years later, is when you think of them, that it brings a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye."
10:14 Under a bright sun, service members hold small wreaths of white flowers at each of the benches that make up the Pentagon memorial to the 9/11 attacks. There is a bench in honor of each victim.
10:08 In Paris, braving a driving rain, hundreds of people are still here in Trocadero to mark the moment of silence for when the south tower collapsed.
10:07 Biden asks the people gathered at the Pentagon to remember the sacrifices of those who serve.
"Those who were in this building that day, knew what they were witnessing. It was an act of war."
10:03 A moment of silence is observed to mark the moment Flight 93 plunged into a Pennsylvania field.
10:01 In Shanksville, Reverand Paul Britton, opens with a simple prayer quoting Mother Teresa about "ordinary people doing ordinary things."
"Three minutes after 10 am, United Airlines Flight 93, after a struggle to protect freedom and life, flew over this hill and into that field," the pastor says. "Pause with me for a moment of silence and thanksgiving."
Then, with the sun ducking behind a cloud, relatives of the victims read the names of their lost loved ones, in alphabetical order, from German wine merchant Christian Adams to flight purser Deborah Jacabs Welsh.
When each name was spoken, two bells were tolled.
10:00 Defense Secretary Leon Panetta speaks at the Pentagon ceremony. "In the wake of the attacks, a generation of Americans stepped forward to serve in uniform, determined to confront our enemies and respond to them swiftly and justly.
"For ten years, they have taken on the burden of protecting America, relentlessly pursuing those who would do us harm and threaten our homeland. Because of their sacrifices, we are a safer and stronger nation today."
9:59 A moment of silence is held to mark the moment the South Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed.
9:54 Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Admiral Mullen addresses the crowd gathered at the Pentagon: "Hopes were tragically dashed" that day. As the country sought to recover, "You the families have shown us the way."
The 9/11 attackers "could bring down the walls, but they could not bring down America." They could kill our citizens, but not our "citizenship," Mullen says. As he finishes, the US Army band and Navy chorus begins to perform "Battle Hymn of the Republic."
9:51 Around the world, US soliders mark the anniversary with events of their own. At Forward Operating Base Fenty in the northeastern Afghan town of Jalalabad, hundreds of US servicemen and women are up at dawn for a ceremony and a memorial 5 kilometer run to mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11.
9:42 Obama is not scheduled to speak in Shanksville, but will is to lay a wreath in memory of the 40 passengers and crew who died there. The program is distinctly local, with a presentation of colors by the Sharksville Volunteer Fire Department, the singing of the national anthem by the Johnstown Symphony Children's Choir and a remembrance litany from Wally Miller, the local coroner.
9:41 Events begin in Shanksville, about ten minutes late. Traffic on the winding country roads to the memorial site is clogged with visitors.
9:37 A moment of silence is held for the moment that Flight 77 slammed into the Pentagon.
9:33 Obama heads to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the small town where Flight 93, the fourth and final plane slammed into a field after a passenger revolt against the hijackers.
At the site, a few thousand people were gathered as string quartet music is playing softly through the sound system. “It’s turning out to be a beautiful morning,” one woman says. “Just like 10 years ago.”
9:27 Vice President Joe Biden, who will attend the ceremony at the Pentagon, tweets that he and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, stopped by a Washington fire house.
“On way to Pentagon this AM, VP & Dr. B paid visit to DCFD Engine 20, Truck 12 w/coffee & bfast in hand”
9:23 Memorial events are being held at the Pentagon as well, where the third plane hit.
A US Army band has begun playing "My Country 'tis of Thee" as families of victims and VIPs take their seats for the Pentagon ceremony. Under a hot sun, the crowd will hear eulogies from Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, top military officer Admiral Mike Mullen and Vice President Joe Biden.
The Pentagon was under tight security, with special police manning rooftops, most road entrances blocked and families undergoing searches as they entered the area.
On the western side of the Pentagon building, where Flight 77 struck on September 11, a giant American flag was hung from the roof -- in the same spot where firefighters draped the flag after the attacks.
9:17 Relatives are able to touch the names of their loved ones and many brought paper to do a rubbing of the name so they can bring back a momento from the site.
9:14 Among events marking the anniversary around the world, was service at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Some 2,000 people gathered to remember those killed, including 67 Britons.
"We gather in this cathedral today to remember before God all who died in the atrocities in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania 10 years ago and to pray with those whose lives were changed forever that day," said Reverend Graeme Paul Knowles, the dean of St. Paul's.
Among those at the service was Courtney Cowart, who survived the attacks despite being buried under rubble when the north tower of the World Trade Centre collapsed.
9:09 Obama and Bush left the site as it was opened to the families, many of whom wept openly as they saw it for the first time.
9:08 The names are etched into the edges waterfalls, many grouped together with the names of those they knew and with whom they died.
9:07 Famed celloist Yo-yo ma played during the break in the reading of the names as the memorial was opened for the first time to the families of those killed in the attacks.
9:04 There will be six moments of silence observed during the ceremony. One each for when the two airliners crashed into the towers, two more marking the moment each tower fell at 9:59 and 10:28, one when a third plane crashed into the Pentagon at 9:37 and one when Flight 93 crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers revolted against their hijackers, at 10:03 a.m.
9:03 The ceremony is stopped for a second moment of silence to mark the moment the second plane hit the South Tower. Laura Bush wiped tears from her eyes.
8:56 Patti Schwartz, 58, lost her husband when the South Tower fell. She said she came "to see the memorial, the waterfall." She wore a black t-shirt emblazened with a picture of the twin towers inside a heart. Her husband's name is at the bottom.
"I came for the first anniversary, the fifth and now. I don't know if I'll come again", she said.
8:53 Parisians at the Trocadero also observe the moment of silence marking the exact time American Airlines flight 11 hit the North Tower. A choir of children then sing Schubert's Ave Maria.
8:48 Readers began announcing the names of the 2,753 people who died at the World Trade Center, a tradtion began on the first anniversary of the attacks. By chance, the clouds took over the sun just before the first minute of silence and the sky became suddenly less brilliant.
Obama, the first lady and Bush and his wife, are all seated are in a special part of the stage, protected by glass. They all look up as the reading of the victims names start.
The events of September 11 are being marked around the world. In Paris, on the Trocadero plaza across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower, between two replicas of the fallen twin towers, American and French choirs sing the Marseillaise and then the Star-Spangled Banner.
8:46 The first moment of silence as Americans mark the moment that the first plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
8:40 Many at the ceremony are moved to tears as the flag is folded while the police and firefighter bagpipers played.
8:38 Firefighters unfolded a US flag, which flew over Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks as a choir sang the national anthem. The two presidents stood side-by-side with their hands over their hearts.
8:37 The memorial features huge black square fountains sunk into the ground at the exact footprints of the vanished Twin Towers. Water cascades down into to the deep pits which are rimmed with the names of all the victims of 9/11 written in bronze.
8:34 Beside the stage at the 9/11 Memorial, there are two tents for the "readers," the people who will read the names of the victims as they do every year.Helicopters fly over the area and a huge American flag hungs on One World Trade Center tower, the new tower being built at the site. It will be the tallest in United States and has already 81 of 104 floors.Mourners hold up posters with pictures of their loved ones. "Debra Ann Di Martino, we love you", "Philip T. Hayes, always and forever in our hearts."
8:30 A bagpipe band, a tradition among New York firefighters and police officers, are marching into the site to the beat of solemn drums.
8:28 Nancy Novaro, 52, lost her sister-in-law Catherine Lisa Loguidice, 30, who was in the 105th floor of north tower. She's alone at the World Trade Center site and she has a big picture of a smiling Catherine."I come every year. I don't miss an anniversary. It's getting easier but it's never easy. Now with the memorial it looks much better. It's a new step forward.""I don't think we can turn the page. For us the pain will remain there. Maybe grandchildren will be able to turn the page. Every September 11th the feelings come back and we have to go through it again."
8:25 Before taking their seats, the Obamas and Bushes shook hands and exchanged words with a line of people that included relatives of those killed at the World Trade Center and New York officials, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
8:23 Obama, wearing a dark suit and tie with a white shirt, is walking around Ground Zero with Bush. First Lady Michelle Obama, wearing a black dress, and former First Lady Laura Bush, are with the group which also includes the New York governor, Andrew Cuomo and Bush's daughters Jenna and Barbara. They pause at the new 9/11 memorial, a pair of massive fountains at the footprints of the Twin Towers. They seem relaxed as they stroll around. Soon they will be in their seats along with other VIPs for the start of the ceremony.
8:15 US President Barack Obama and former president George Bush, along with their wives, visit the memorial at the site of the World Trade Center in New York.
8:14 The world is marking the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the United States with memorials in New York, Washington and around the world. AFP is opening a Live Report to document the events of the day.
