US Ambassador to Armenia honors 9/11 victims
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US Ambassador to Armenia Lynne Tracy and members of the Embassy’s Armenian and American staff gathered at the Embassy’s 9/11 memorial site to observe a moment of silence in honor of those who were killed or injured in the attacks 20 years ago.
On Tuesday 11 September 2001 suicide attackers seized US passenger jets and crashed them into two New York skyscrapers, killing thousands of people.
The attack remains one of the most traumatic events of the century, not only for Americans but also for the world.
Four planes flying over the eastern US were seized simultaneously by small teams of hijackers.
They were then used as giant, guided missiles to crash into landmark buildings in New York and Washington.
Two planes struck the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York.
The first hit the North Tower at 08:46 Eastern Time (13:46 GMT). The second crashed into the South Tower at 09:03.
The buildings were set on fire, trapping people on the upper floors, and wreathing the city in smoke. In less than two hours, both 110-storey towers collapsed in massive clouds of dust.
At 09:37 the third plane destroyed the western face of the Pentagon – the giant headquarters of the US military just outside the nation’s capital, Washington DC.
The fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania at 10:03 after passengers fought back. It is thought the hijackers had meant to attack the Capitol Building in Washington DC.
Russia summons US ambassador over ‘election interference’
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Foreign ministry says John Sullivan presented with ‘undeniable proof’ of US-based tech giants violating Russian laws ahead of elections this month.
Russia’s foreign ministry says it has summoned the United States ambassador to the country over alleged election interference ahead of parliamentary polls later this month.
The Russian government has “undeniable proof” that tech giants, based in the US, violated Russian laws ahead of the coming election to the lower house State Duma, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday. It did not specify what companies and violations it referred to.
The ministry said ambassador John Sullivan held a meeting with Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister.
“In this regard it was stated that interference in the internal affairs of our country was absolutely unacceptable,” the statement said.
Russia has recently ramped up control of its segment of the internet and has been taking legal action against foreign tech companies for not deleting content banned by authorities.
There was no immediate comment by the US embassy in Russia and the State Department.
Earlier in September, Russia said it may treat as election meddling refusals by Apple and Google to remove Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny’s app from their online stores.
Navalny and his allies promote a tactical voting plan, which requires followers to support candidates who are judged to have the best chance of defeating the ruling United Russia party in local election campaigns.
Amid rising tensions, Russia formally designated the US an “unfriendly” state, barring its embassy from employing Russian nationals.
Armenian Ambassador briefs Rep. Speier on situation in Artsakh
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Lilit Makunts, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the United States of America, held a virtual meeting with Co-Chair of Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D – California).
Ambassador Makunts briefed Rep. Speier on the situation around Artsakh and stressed the urgency of addressing priority humanitarian issues followed by the 44-day war.
In this regard, Ambassador Makunts emphasized the need for unconditional repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians held in Azerbaijan. I
the interlocutors emphasized the importance of resuming the process of peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.