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The US will again double the money it gives to help developing nations respond to climate change, President Biden has announced.

Mr Biden said in April that America would double its contribution to $5.7bn (£4.2bn), but speaking at the United Nations General Assembly he said it would increase again to over $11bn (£8bn).

In his first appearance at the UN since taking office in January, the president said he would work with the US Congress to secure the extra money.

Mr Biden hopes this commitment, along with increased private finance and contributions from other donors, will help developed countries meet the long-promised goal of delivering $100bn (£73bn) a year for developing countries to deal with the crisis.

The pledge was made in 2009 and was supposed to be achieved by 2020, but was missed by about $20bn, with the greatest shortfall coming from the US, according to ODI analysis.

The news will likely be welcomed by the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson who has used the Assembly to galvanise commitments on climate finance ahead of COP26, crucial climate talks hosted in Glasgow in November.

Meeting the climate finance pledge is seen as key to securing a successful outcome to COP26, where developing countries – who have usually done the least to contribute to climate change – will be reluctant to engage and make ambitious climate pledges without sufficient funding help.

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President Biden told the UN the world must “work together as never before” in a year that has “brought widespread death and devastation from the borderless climate crisis” in the form of “extreme weather events… in every part of the world”.

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PM: COP26 a ‘turning point for the world’

“Scientists and experts are telling us that we’re fast approaching a point of no return,” warned the president.

He laid down the gauntlet to other nations, urging every state to “bring their highest possible ambition to the table” at COP26 in order to “keep within our reach the vital goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C”.

Mr Biden has been keen to re-establish America’s prime position on the world stage, as well as international alliances, after years of “America First” policies under Donald Trump.

He moved to reinstate the US commitment to the Paris climate agreement just hours after being sworn in.

Many more leaders will address the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, including Iran’s recently elected hardline president Ebrahim Raisi, and Chinese President Xi Jinping – who will give a pre-recorded video address.

Analysis by Hannah Thomas-Peter, Climate change correspondent

Joe Biden’s announcement that he is doubling America’s climate finance funding to over $11bn a year will be hailed by many as a breakthrough moment in the fight against climate change.

The new money helps close the roughly $20bn shortfall between what has been promised and what has been delivered to developing nations already dealing with the worst effects of global warming.

It is no exaggeration, as far as many negotiators will be concerned, to say that this injection of cash might keep COP26 from failure – such was the fury of those shortchanged lower income countries.

But the devil, as always, is in the detail.

And there is still a $15bn gap that needs to be filled. Will America’s new outward looking attitude and generosity during this decisive decade for climate change unlock generosity from other nations?

We won’t know until COP26 is nearer.

Meanwhile, other intractable problems remain, well,
intractable.

Agreement from big polluters like China and India on the detail of phasing out coal remains elusive.

We actually don’t even know if President Xi Jinping will attend in person.

And no one can decide on how global carbon markets should work.

Watch the Daily Climate Show at 6.30pm Monday to Friday on Sky News, the Sky News website and app, on YouTube and Twitter.

The show investigates how global warming is changing our landscape and highlights solutions to the crisis.

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Benjamin Netanyahu to meet Donald Trump next week amid calls for Gaza ceasefire

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Benjamin Netanyahu to meet Donald Trump next week amid calls for Gaza ceasefire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be meeting Donald Trump next Monday, according to US officials.

The visit on 7 July comes after Mr Trump suggested it was possible a ceasefire in Gaza could be reached within a week.

On Sunday, he wrote on social media: “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!”

At least 60 people killed across Gaza on Monday, in what turned out to be some of the heaviest attacks in weeks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, with US President Donald Trump. Pic: Reuters
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Benjamin Netanyahu, left, with Donald Trump during a previous meeting. Pic: Reuters

According to the Hamas-run health ministry, 56,500 people have been killed in the 20-month war.

The visit by Mr Netanyahu to Washington has not been formally announced and the officials who said it would be going ahead spoke on condition of anonymity.

An Israeli official in Washington also confirmed the meeting next Monday.

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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration was in constant communication with the Israeli government.

She said Mr Trump viewed ending the war in Gaza and returning remaining hostages held by Hamas as a top priority.

Read more from Sky News:
Queen Elizabeth II’s favourite form of transport to be scrapped
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The war in Gaza broke out in retaliation for Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attacks on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw a further 250 taken hostage.

An eight-week ceasefire was reached in the final days of Joe Biden’s US presidency, but Israel resumed the war in March after trying to get Hamas to accept new terms on next steps.

Talks between Israel and Hamas have stalled over whether the war should end as part of any ceasefire.

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Bryan Kohberger to plead guilty to murdering four University of Idaho students

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Bryan Kohberger to plead guilty to murdering four University of Idaho students

The man accused of stabbing four University of Idaho students to death has agreed to plead guilty to the murders, in a move that would spare him from the death penalty.

Bryan Kohberger, 30, was arrested at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania weeks after the killings in November 2022.

He was accused of sneaking into the rented home in Moscow, Idaho, which is not far from the university campus, and attacking Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves.

Kaylee Goncalves, Maddie Mogen and Xana Kernodle, and Xana's boyfriend Ethan Chapin
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Kaylee Goncalves, Maddie Mogen and Xana Kernodle, and Xana’s boyfriend Ethan Chapin

Kohberger previously pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, but is now set to be sentenced to four consecutive life sentences and waive all rights to appeal.

The family of Ms Goncalves spoke of their fury at the reported plea deal.

In a statement after media reports about the deal, they said: “It’s true! We are beyond furious at the State of Idaho. They have failed us. Please give us some time. This was very unexpected. We appreciate all your love and support.”

In a separate statement, they said: “After more than two years, this is how it concludes with a secretive deal and a hurried effort to close the case without any input from the victims’ families on the plea’s details.”

Autopsies showed the four were all likely asleep when they were attacked, some had defensive wounds and each was stabbed multiple times. Two other women in the house at the time survived.

Investigators matched Kohberger’s DNA to genetic material recovered from a knife sheath found at the crime scene.

Mugshot attached of Idaho killings suspect BRYAN KOHBERGER.

Photo is from Monroe County Correctional Facility via NBC News.
Image:
Bryan Kohberger’s mugshot. Pic: Monroe County Correctional Facility

A letter from prosecutors to the victims’ families, obtained by US media, said Kohberger’s lawyers had approached them to seek a plea deal.

“This resolution is our sincere attempt to seek justice for your family,” the letter said.

“This agreement ensures that the defendant will be convicted, will spend the rest of his life in prison, and will not be able to put you and the other families through the uncertainty of decades of post-conviction, appeals.”

In Idaho, judges can reject plea agreements – but such incidents are rare. Defendants do have the right to withdraw their guilty plea if this happens.

A change of plea hearing has been set for tomorrow, with the victims’ families asking for it to be delayed so they can travel to the courthouse.

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Suspect who targeted fire service in ‘ambush’ shooting named as aspiring firefighter

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Suspect who targeted fire service in 'ambush' shooting named as aspiring firefighter

A gunman suspected of having started a fire to “ambush” firefighters in Idaho and kill them has been named as Wess Val Roley.

The 20-year-old is said to have aspired to become a firefighter before the attack on Sunday, which saw him allegedly perched in a sniper position, firing at the firefighters as they sought to put out a fire, which authorities believe he intentionally started.

Two firefighters were killed and one was injured as they came under gunfire over several hours, according to authorities.

An armoured police vehicle where multiple firefighters were attacked when responding to a fire.
Pic: Reuters
Image:
An armoured police vehicle near where the firefighters were attacked. Pic: Reuters

They said the incident took place after they asked him to move his vehicle.

Roley was later found dead in the mountains with a firearm nearby.

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Sky News’ US partner network NBC quoted Roley’s grandfather, Dale Roley, as saying “something must have snapped” in his grandson for him to commit such violence.

“He actually really respected law enforcement,” Mr Roley said. “He loved firefighters. It didn’t make sense that he was shooting firefighters. Maybe he got rejected or something.”

Mr Roley added: “I know he had been in contact to get a job with a fire department.

“He wanted to be part of a team that he sort of idolised.”

Bob Norris, the sheriff of Kootenai County, said on Sunday: “We do believe that the suspect started the fire.

“This was a total ambush. These firefighters did not have a chance.”

Smoke billows into the air after several firefighters were attacked while responding to a fire. Pic: Reuters
Image:
The firefighters were responding to a blaze. Pic: Reuters

Officers said they were “taking sniper fire” near the city of Coeur d’Alene on Sunday afternoon, with crews responding to a fire at Canfield Mountain.

Mr Norris said the gunman had used high-powered sporting rifles to fire rapidly at first responders. The ambush continued for several hours.

More than 300 officers from city, county, state and federal levels responded. Two helicopters were deployed with snipers onboard.

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First responders could be heard making urgent calls for help on their radios. “Everybody’s shot up here… send law enforcement now,” one dispatch said.

Later, the sheriff’s office said members of a SWAT team “located a deceased male on Canfield Mountain”, adding that a “firearm was found nearby”.

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