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US vice president Kamala Harris called for Congress to pass an act prompted by George Floyd’s death that would limit immunity for police officers at the funeral of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols.

After being invited to the pulpit by Rev Al Sharpton, she urged the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to be passed, saying: “We should not delay, we should not be denied – it is non-negotiable.”

Quoting religious scripture, she said: “Let our memory of Tyre shine a light on the path towards peace and justice.”

Ms Harris also praised the “courage and strength” of Tyre Nichols’s family at the 29-year-old’s funeral.

“We mourn with you and the people of this country mourn with you.

“Mothers around the world when their babies are born pray to God when they hold that child that that body and that life will be safe for the rest of his life.

“Yet we have a mother and a father who mourn the life of a young man who should be here today.

“They have a grandson who now does not have a father. His brothers and sister will lose the love of growing old with their baby brother.

“When we look at this situation, this is a family who lost their son and their brother through an act of violence at the hands and the feet of people who had been charged with keeping them safe,” she said.

“When I think of the courage and the strength of this family, I think it demands that we speak truth. This violence act was not in pursuit of public safety, it was not in the interest of keeping the public safe.

“Was he not also entitled to the right to be safe?”

She earlier offered her condolences to the family of Tyre Nichols who died three days after being beaten by police.

Celebrated civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton also called for the George Floyd Act to be passed and criticised the police officers who beat Tyre Nichols.

Recalling the death of Martin Luther King in Memphis 55 years ago when he was campaigning for the rights of black workers, he asked: “In the city that they slayed the dreamer, what has happened to the dream?”

“Five black men who wouldn’t have had a job in the police department, would not ever be thought of to be in an elite squad in the city that Dr King lost his life, not far away from that balcony, you beat a brother to death.

“There’s nothing more insulting and offensive. You didn’t get on a police department by yourself, the police chief didn’t get there by herself. People had to march and go to jail and some lost their lives to open the doors for you.

“How dare you act like that sacrifice was for nothing,” he said.

The families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, who were killed by police officers in 2020, are among hundreds of mourners in the church.

Civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton is delivering the eulogy.

Photographs taken by Mr Nichols, as well as images of him as a child and doing his beloved hobby of skateboarding were shown to mourners along with a quote attributed to the 29-year-old: “My vision is to bring my viewers deep into what I am seeing through my eye and out through my lens.”

The ceremony is taking place in Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis with the church’s celebration choir singing a chorus of “we love you Tyre” as mourners entered the church.

Mr Nichols’s black coffin was draped with a white bouquet of flowers and a painting of Martin Luther King placed beside it.

Tiffany Randal, mother of 29-year-old Jalen Randle who was shot by a police officer in Houston in 2022, dedicated a song to Mr Nichols’s family, saying: “I pray that God heals your broken heart. We are fighting together.

“All the mothers all over the world need to come together and stop all of this,” she said.

Mr Nichols, 29, was aggressively punched, kicked and hit with a baton by several Memphis police officers after he was pulled over in a traffic stop on 7 January.

Five police officers have so far been charged with second-degree murder and fired while two other officers were suspended from duty.

Memphis Fire Department also fired three staff members after an investigation found Mr Nichols was left without medical attention for almost 15 minutes after the assault.

Protests have also taken place in several US cities after the footage of the attack was released.

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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:
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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.
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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
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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
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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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