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Whether or not Rishi Sunak will attend COP27 is “under review”, Downing Street has confirmed – as the PM faces mounting calls to attend the climate conference in Egypt.

Asked if the prime minister will be attending the summit, a Number 10 spokesperson said that “any attendance at COP would depend on progress on preparation for that fiscal event – and that work is ongoing”.

Last week, Downing Street said the PM would not be attending the conference in Sharm el Sheikh next month as he would be preoccupied with “other pressing domestic commitments, including preparations for the autumn budget”.

The spokesperson added: “The prime minister fully recognises the importance of the COP summit and is fully committed to addressing climate change.”

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Probed on whether this decision could change, the spokesperson continued: “I think that the prime minister set out that the public would rightly want him to focus on the domestic issues, particularly on restoring fiscal credibility and delivering on a budget that works for the British people.

“There is substantial progress being made on that and so we are keeping the position on COP under review.”

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Speaking to broadcasters on a visit to Croydon University Hospital on Friday, Mr Sunak reiterated this, insisting that he must focus on the “depressing domestic challenges” rather than head to the climate conference in Egypt.

But Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused Mr Sunak of displaying a “failure of leadership”.

“Britain showing up to work with world leaders is an opportunity to grasp. Not an event to shun,” he posted on social media.

Rebecca Newsom, head of politics at Greenpeace UK, accused Mr Sunak of not taking climate change “seriously enough”.

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PM defends decision not to attend COP27

While, over the weekend, the president of last year’s summit Alok Sharma suggested the PM risks undermining Britain’s position as a world leader on green issues if he shuns the conference.

“I’m pretty disappointed that the prime minister is not going. I understand that he’s got a huge in-tray of domestic issues that he has to deal with,” the government’s climate tsar told The Sunday Times.

“But I would say that going to COP27 would allow for engagement with other world leaders. And I think it does send a signal – if the prime minister was to go – about our renewed commitment on this issue.”

Mr Sharma, who lost his cabinet seat in the latest reshuffle, will also be there, along with US president Joe Biden and America’s special envoy on climate change, John Kerry.

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King Charles will not attend COP27 in Egypt, Buckingham Palace says

A spokesperson for the Scottish government last week confirmed First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is planning to attend COP27.

“Given the vital importance of governments working together to tackle climate change, it is the first minister’s intention to attend COP27,” the spokesperson said on Friday.

“Details of the ministerial programme are currently being finalised.”

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Prime Minister should be at COP

Mr Sunak’s predecessor Liz Truss had been due to attend the summit which is due to take place from 6 to 18 November.

New Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s autumn budget – in which he will set out his government’s tax and spending plans – will be delivered on 17 November.

It has been reported that former PM Boris Johnson is planning to attend the summit to show his support for international efforts to tackle climate change.

Last week, Environment Secretary Therese Coffey defended Mr Sunak’s decision not to go to COP27, insisting that protecting the planet was “absolutely a priority for the government”.

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Environment secretary defends Sunak’s COP snub

While former business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said the PM was right not to go to the summit, saying: “The cost of living won’t be solved in Sharm el Sheikh where each hotel room for the conference is £2,000 a night.”

But signalling a potential U-turn earlier on Monday, environment minister Mark Spencer told Sky News that Mr Sunak would go to COP27 “if he’s got time”, adding that the prime minister has “an inbox which is full to the brim”.

Meanwhile, on Sunday it was announced that King Charles will host a reception for key COP27 figures at Buckingham Palace on Friday, despite not attending the conference himself.

Read more:
King faces tough test if he wants to keep his personal climate fight alive

The King, who has been a passionate campaigner on environmental issues, will host the event which will bring together over 200 international business leaders, decision makers and NGOs (non-governmental organisations) to mark the end of the United Kingdom’s presidency of COP26 and look ahead to the COP27 summit in Egypt.

The King has attended the UN climate conference for a number of years and delivered one of the keynote speeches at the opening ceremony for COP26 in Glasgow – but will not be going to Sharm el Sheikh.

Guests at the King’s Buckingham Palace reception will include Mr Sunak, who is expected to speak briefly at the event.

Watch the Daily Climate Show at 3.30pm Monday to Friday, and The Climate Show with Tom Heap on Saturday and Sunday at 3.30pm and 7.30pm.

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

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Israel pounds outskirts of Gaza City overnight as military offensive plans continue

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Israel pounds outskirts of Gaza City overnight as military offensive plans continue

Israel pounded the outskirts of Gaza City overnight, as Benjamin Netanyahu’s government vowed to press on with a planned offensive on the city.

Families streamed out of the city as the explosions hit.

“I stopped counting the times I had to take my wife and three daughters and leave my home in Gaza City,” said Mohammad, 40.

“No place is safe, but I can’t take the risk. If they suddenly begin the invasion, they will use heavy fire.”

Mahmoud Abedrabo mourns over the body of his son Hamada in Gaza City on 24 August. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Mahmoud Abedrabo mourns over the body of his son Hamada in Gaza City on 24 August. Pic: Reuters

Others said they would prefer to die and not leave.

“We are not leaving, let them bomb us at home,” said Aya, 31, who has a family of eight, adding that they couldn’t afford to buy a tent or pay for the transportation.

“We are hungry, afraid and don’t have money,” she said.

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Mourners pray next to the body of Palestinian boy Hamada Abedrabo on 24 August. Pic: Reuters
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Mourners pray next to the body of Palestinian boy Hamada Abedrabo on 24 August. Pic: Reuters

Witnesses said that overnight they heard nonstop explosions in Zeitoun and Shejaia.

Tanks shelled houses and roads in Sabra, and buildings were blown up in Jabalia.

On Sunday, the IDF said its forces had returned to combat in Jabalia to strengthen its control of the area and dismantle militant tunnels.

Smoke rises following an Israeli strike in Gaza City. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Smoke rises following an Israeli strike in Gaza City. Pic: Reuters

It added that the operation there “enables the expansion of combat into additional areas and prevents Hamas terrorists from returning to operate in these areas.”

This month, Israel approved a plan to seize control of Gaza City. The offensive isn’t expected to start for another few weeks.

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In the meantime, mediators in Egypt and Qatar are trying to resume ceasefire talks between the two sides.

On Friday, Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz said that Gaza City will be razed unless Hamas releases all its remaining hostages and ends the war on Israel’s terms.

Mourners transport the body of  Ahmed Balata on 24 August. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Mourners transport the body of Ahmed Balata on 24 August. Pic: Reuters

Around half of Gaza’s two million residents currently live in the city and on Friday a global hunger monitor said that Gaza City and its surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine that will likely spread.

Israel said the monitor ignores steps Israel has taken since late July to increase aid supplies into and across Gaza.

Eight more people died of malnutrition and starvation in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry on Saturday.

281 people, including 114 children, have now died of malnutrition and starvation since the war started, according to the ministry.

The war began on 7 October 2023, when Hamas-led gunmen killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel, mainly civilians, and took 251 hostages.

Since then, Israel has killed at least 62,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, and internally displaced nearly its entire population.

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Two married couples found dead in British car after crash in Germany

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Two married couples found dead in British car after crash in Germany

Two married couples have died after a British car veered off the road and crashed in Germany, according to police.

The fatal accident happened shortly after midnight on Saturday in the trees near a highway in the Kassel district, north of Hesse in central Germany.

The 32-year-old male driver, a 31-year-old female passenger, a 32-year-old female passenger, and a 30-year-old female passenger all died at the scene, despite the efforts of German emergency services.

Sky News understands UK officials have not been contacted for assistance.

At roughly 12.30am on Saturday, the car appears to have veered off the road and crashed into nearby trees around 30m from the road, according to the Kassel police department.

Pic: Feuerwehr Reinhardshagen
Image:
Pic: Feuerwehr Reinhardshagen

One of the victim’s phones automatically alerted the emergency services to the incident, who sent an ambulance to the scene.

Soon, fire engines, ambulances, command vehicles and emergency support vehicles were all dispatched.

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When emergency workers arrived, the car was lying on its side, wedged between several trees.

It wasn’t until they removed the roof that they found all four passengers.

Pic: Feuerwehr Reinhardshagen
Image:
Pic: Feuerwehr Reinhardshagen

The accident happened on Highway L3229
Image:
The accident happened on Highway L3229

The emergency workers who dealt with the victims were immediately supported by the specialist mental health workers at the fire station in Reinhardshagen.

“This high number of deaths is an extraordinary operation for our Reinhardshagen Volunteer Fire Department,” said a fire department spokesperson.

“For some of the emergency personnel, it is the first time they have been confronted with death in this way.

“Therefore, a great deal is being done to help us process these images. We will also discuss this among ourselves and within families, because not everyone can easily shake off what they have seen.”

An investigation into the accident is ongoing and is being conducted by the Hofgeismar police station.

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Legendary boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. to stand trial in Mexico over alleged cartel ties

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Legendary boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. to stand trial in Mexico over alleged cartel ties

Legendary boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. will stand trial over alleged cartel ties and arms trafficking, his lawyer has said. 

A Mexican court has granted a three-month extension for further investigation into the case, according to Chávez’s lawyer, Rubén Fernando Benítez Alvarez.

He said the claims against his client were “speculation” and “urban legends” after a court hearing on Saturday in the northern Mexican city of Hermosillo.

If convicted, Chávez – who took part in the hearing virtually from a detention facility – could face a prison sentence of four to eight years, Mr Alvarez said.

Chávez, 39, who has been living in the United States for several years, was arrested in early July by federal agents outside his Los Angeles home for overstaying his visa and providing inaccurate details on an application to obtain a green card.

The arrest came just days after a fight he had with famed American boxer Jake Paul in Los Angeles.

Mexican prosecutors have been investigating the boxer since 2019 after US authorities filed a complaint against the Sinaloa Cartel for organized crime, human trafficking, arms smuggling, and drug trafficking.

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The case prompted investigations into 13 individuals, including Ovidio Guzmán López – the son of convicted drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán – as well as several associates, hitmen, and accomplices of the criminal organization. Guzmán López was arrested in January 2023 and extradited to the US eight months later.

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Following the inquiry, the Federal Attorney General’s Office issued several arrest warrants, including one against Chávez.

The boxer was deported by the US on 9 August and handed over to agents of the Federal Attorney General’s Office in Sonora state, who transferred him to the Federal Social Reintegration Center in Hermosillo.

The high-profile case comes amid the Trump administration’s efforts to pressure Mexico into cracking down on organized crime, including cancelling visas of prominent Mexican artists and celebrities, and increasing deportations.

Chávez has struggled with drug addiction throughout his career and has been arrested multiple times. In 2012, he was found guilty of driving under the influence in Los Angeles and was sentenced to 13 days in jail.

The boxer was arrested last year for weapons possession. Police said Chávez had two rifles.

He was released shortly afterward upon posting $50,000 bail (£36,000), on the condition that he attend a facility to receive treatment for his addiction.

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