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Boris Johnson will denounce the terrorists who killed nearly 3,000 people during the 9/11 attacks while paying tribute to their victims on the 20th anniversary.

The prime minister has recorded a video message that will be played at a memorial event on Saturday at the Olympic Park in east London where a memorial forged from the steel from Ground Zero – where the World Trade Center stood in New York – is on display.

In the message, he will say how September 11, 2001 “became, in President Roosevelt’s words after Pearl Harbour, a ‘date which will live in infamy'”.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a meeting with the President of Chile, Sebastian Pinera at 10 Downing Street in London. Picture date: Friday September 10, 2021.
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Boris Johnson will pay tribute to those who died

Mr Johnson, who was born in New York City, will say how terrorists “tried to destroy the faith of free peoples everywhere in the open societies which terrorists despise and which we cherish”.

“And it is precisely because of the openness and tolerance of the United States that people of almost every nationality and religion were among the 2,977 murdered on that day, including 67 Britons, each of them a symbol of the eternal friendship between the United Kingdom and the United States,” he will say.

“But while the terrorists imposed their burden of grief and suffering, and while the threat persists today, 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, or cause us to abandon our values, or to live in permanent fear.

“The fact that we are coming together today – in sorrow but also in faith and resolve – demonstrates the failure of terrorism and the strength of the bonds between us.”

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Mr Johnson will also congratulate Since 9/11, the organisation holding the memorial, for their “vital work to educate young people about what happened on that day”.

He will also mention the recent withdrawal of British and all foreign troops from Afghanistan nearly 20 years after sending troops there in reaction to the 9/11 attacks by Al Qaeda.

Hundreds of firefighters were among those who died in the 9/11 attacks
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Hundreds of firefighters were among those who died in the 9/11 attacks

“Recent events in Afghanistan only strengthen our determination to remember those who were taken from us, cherish the survivors and those who still grieve and hold fast to our belief in liberty and democracy, which will always prevail over every foe,” Mr Johnson will conclude.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has also paid tribute to those who lost their lives that day and say how the “consequences of the 9/11 attacks are still being felt to this day – the tragedy is still so raw”.

He said: “We show support to our American friends as they mark this difficult time in their history.

“And we remember those in all corners of the world who have lost their lives to terror. They will always be in our hearts …and our memories.”

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US SEC expected to deny spot Ether ETFs next month

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US SEC expected to deny spot Ether ETFs next month

Other evidence suggests that the SEC will likely delay the approval of spot Ether ETFs, while Hong Kong will start trading such products next week.

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SNP and Scottish Greens power-sharing deal ends following climate target row

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SNP and Scottish Greens power-sharing deal ends following climate target row

The SNP has terminated its power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens following a bitter row over its climbdown on climate targets.

It comes after First Minister Humza Yousaf summoned a meeting of his Cabinet – usually held on a Tuesday – this morning following speculation over the future of the Holyrood deal, first struck by his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon.

The deal, signed in 2021, was designed to facilitate governing between the two pro-independence parties in Holyrood.

But signs it was running into difficult came after the Scottish government scrapped its commitment to cut emissions by 75% by 2030.

The climate announcement also came on the same day that the prescription of puberty blockers for new patients under the age of 18 at a Glasgow gender identity service would be paused.

It means Mr Yousaf’s administration will now run a minority government at Holyrood.

Politics latest updates – Greens and SNP to hold news conferences

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Lorna Slater, the co-leader of the Scottish Greens, accused the SNP of an “act of political cowardice” and of “selling out future generations to appease the most reactionary forces in the country”.

“They have broken the bonds of trust with members of both parties who have twice chosen the co-operation agreement and climate action over chaos, culture wars and division,” she said. “They have betrayed the electorate.

“And by ending the agreement in such a weak and thoroughly hopeless way, Humza Yousaf has signalled that when it comes to political cooperation, he can no longer be trusted.”

It is understood the first minister will hold a press conference this morning in the wake of the announcement. The Greens are also expected to talk to the media.

The power-sharing deal with the Greens, also known as the Bute House agreement, brought the party into government for the first time anywhere in the UK.

Named after the first minister’s official residence in Edinburgh, it gave the SNP a majority in the Scottish parliament when its votes there were combined with those of the seven Green MSPs.

It created ministerial posts for the Scottish Green Party’s co-leaders Ms Slater and Patrick Harvie.

As well as the watering down of climate targets, the Greens were also dismayed at the pause of puberty blockers in the wake of the landmark Cass review into the landmark Cass review of gender services for under-18s in England and Wales.

Last week the Greens said it would hold a vote on the future of the Bute House Agreement and Mr Harvie urged members to back it so the party could “put Green values into practice” in government.

But in the statement released today, Ms Slater said Green members were now not going to have a “democratic say” on the agreement, adding: “The most reactionary and backwards-looking forces within the first minister’s party have forced him to do the opposite of what he himself had said was in Scotland’s best interests.”

“If they can’t stand up to members of their own party, how can anyone expect them to stand up to the UK government at Westminster and defend the interests of Scotland?”

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EU enacts crypto regulations to combat money laundering

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EU enacts crypto regulations to combat money laundering

The new legislation would impact crypto-asset service providers, like centralized crypto exchanges under MiCA.

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