US law enforcement is looking for clues to unravel the mystery behind the Tesla vehicle that exploded outside Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas earlier this week, giving seven people minor injuries.

The man who rented the Cybertruck - then drove it to the city and parked it in front of the hotel - has been identified as Matthew Alan Livelsberger, a 37-year-old active-duty US special forces soldier.

Police found his lifeless body inside the charred Tesla with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. They also found fuel cannisters and more than a dozen firework mortars in the bed of the vehicle.

On Thursday, there remained a heightened police presence at the hotel, located right off the busy Las Vegas strip. Yellow police tape cordoned off a small section of the hotel's entrance as employees worked to repair damage to the facade.

Authorities continue to work and piece together information, and many questions remain.

For example, it is unclear why Livelsberger rented the car - or if the perpetrator was intending to make a political statement ahead of Donald Trump's return to the White House later this month.

Why did Livelsberger drive to Las Vegas?

One of the biggest unanswered questions is why Livelsberger rented the Tesla and drove it more than 800 miles (1,300km) from Colorado to Las Vegas.

Las Vegas police said he rented the vehicle on 28 December in Denver. They were able to track his movements using photographs taken on the drive and information from Tesla's charging technology. He was the only one seen driving it, they said.

The vehicle arrived in the city on Wednesday morning, less than two hours before the explosion, police said.

Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said on Thursday that a body inside the vehicle was recovered. It was burned beyond recognition, but the county's coroner used DNA and dental records to confirm that Livelsberger had been inside the Cybertruck at the time of the blast. He was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

"I'm comfortable calling it a suicide with a bombing that occurred immediately after," Sheriff McMahill said. He added that no motive for the incident had been established.

Was the explosion meant to be a political statement?

Another big question is whether the explosion was meant as a statement ahead of the change of US president later this month.

Police have not found any evidence that links the alleged perpetrator to specific political beliefs, but they said they were investigating whether the incident was tied to the fact that President-elect Donald Trump owns the hotel, or that Elon Musk runs Tesla.

Trump recently named Musk to co-lead a presidential advisory commission, the Department of Government Efficiency, after the two became close during Trump's campaign.

"It's not lost on us that it's in front of the Trump building, and that it's a Tesla vehicle," said Spencer Evans, an FBI agent based in Las Vegas, on Thursday.

"But we don't have information at this point that definitely tells us, or suggests, that (the incident) was because of a particular ideology," he said.

Was it related to the attack in New Orleans?

The explosion happened just a few hours after a man drove a pickup truck into New Year revellers on the crowded Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, killing 14 people and injuring dozens of others.

That attacker has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US citizen who also served in the US Army.

President Joe Biden has said investigators are looking into whether the two incidents are linked, though so far nothing has been uncovered to suggest that is the case.

But the question continues to be fuelled by the apparent similarities between the two incidents and some biographical details of the drivers of both vehicles.

Both incidents happened in the early hours of New Year's Day. Both men served in the US armed forces - including at the Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg) military base in North Carolina - and both completed a tour in Afghanistan. Both men also rented the vehicles they used through a mobile car rental application called Turo.

However, police have said there is no evidence the two men were in the same unit or served at the same time at Fort Liberty. Although both were deployed to Afghanistan in 2009, there is no evidence they served in the same province, location or unit.

In the New Orleans attack, police recovered an Islamic State (IS) group flag from the vehicle used by Jabbar. They added that he posted videos to social media moments prior claiming allegiance to the group. Police have determined that Jabbar was acting alone.

Meanwhile, in Las Vegas, there is no evidence that suggests that Livelsberger was motivated by IS, or that he and Jabbar had ever been in contact. Police have cautioned that the investigation remains active.

What is Livelsberger's background?

Livelsberger was a decorated special forces intelligence sergeant who was serving in Germany, but was on approved leave at the time of the incident.

His father told BBC's US partner CBS News that his son was in Colorado to see his wife and eight-month-old daughter.

He said he last spoke to his son at Christmas and that everything seemed normal.

The Daily Beast reported that Livelsberger was a "big" supporter of Trump. A senior law enforcement official who spoke with Livelsberger's family told the outlet that Livelsberger voted for Trump in November's election.

His uncle told The Independent that Livelsberger loved Trump "and he was always a very, very patriotic soldier, a patriotic American."

America's top doctor has called for risk warnings on alcoholic beverages, similar to the labels on cigarettes, following new research that links the drinks to seven types of cancer.

The advisory from US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy says the "majority of Americans are unaware of this risk" that leads to about 100,000 cases of cancer and 20,000 deaths annually in the US.

It would require an act of Congress to change the existing warning labels, which have not been updated since 1988.

Mr Murthy has also called for reassessing recommended limits for alcohol consumption and boosting education efforts regarding alcoholic drinks and cancer.

The Surgeon General, who is the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the federal government, said that alcohol was the third most common preventable cause of cancer after tobacco and obesity.

"The direct link between alcohol consumption and cancer risk is well-established for at least seven types of cancer ...regardless of the type of alcohol (e.g., beer, wine, and spirits) that is consumed," Mr Murthy said in a statement.

This includes increased risk of throat, liver, throat, oesophageal, mouth, larynx and colon cancers.

The new report recommends health care providers should encourage alcohol screening and treatment referrals as needed, and efforts to increase general awareness should be expanded.

The warning labels are currently required to state that women who are pregnant should not drink alcohol due to birth defect risks. It also must state that "consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery, and may cause health problems".

Share prices of US-listed alcoholic beverage companies - including Diageo, the world's biggest spirits manufacturer - fell by up to 4% following the announcement.

US President Joe Biden has formally blocked the takeover of US Steel by a bigger Japanese company, saying foreign ownership could pose risks for national security.

The controversial decision comes a year after Nippon Steel first announced the $14.9bn (£12bn) deal, describing it as a lifeline for its smaller Pennsylvania-based rival.

But the transaction soon ran into political trouble, after leaders of the United Steelworkers union loudly opposed the deal, bringing political pressure to bear in a key state during the 2024 presidential election.

Biden decided to scrap the deal despite concerns by some advisors that it could damage Washington's relations with Tokyo, a key ally.

BBC News has contacted Nippon Steel and US Steel for comment.

Nippon Steel has previously denied that it planned to reduce production or cut jobs, while US Steel had warned that it might have to close plants without the investment that would come with a new owner.

Those concerns had been echoed by some workers and local politicians.

Other business groups said they feared rejecting the transaction would chill the climate for international investment in the US.

But Biden has voiced longstanding opposition to the deal. The transaction has also been criticised by President-elect Donald Trump and the incoming vice-president, JD Vance.

A US government panel charged with reviewing the deal for national security risks failed to reach a consensus by late December, leaving the decision to Biden, who was required to act within a 15-day deadline.

In his announcement on Friday he said maintaining US ownership was important to keeping the US steel industry and it supply chains strong.

"As I have said many times, steel production - and the steel workers who produce it - are the backbone of our nation," he said.

"That is because steel powers our country: our infrastructure, our auto industry, and our defense industrial base. Without domestic steel production and domestic steel workers, our nation is less strong and less secure."

Nippon Steel and US Steel have previously suggested they may pursue legal action against the government if the deal did not happen.

Prof Stephen Nagy, of the Department of Politics International Studies at the International Christian University in Tokyo, said this was a "political" decision, noting that the Biden administration from its start promised a "foreign policy for the middle class".

"This was a direct response and continuation of the Trump MAGA agenda of Making America Great Again," he said.

"The Biden administration couldn't appear weak on foreign businesses, whether it's an ally or adversary."

The stand-off started long before dawn. By the time we arrived in the dark, an army of police had pushed back suspended president Yoon Suk Yeol's angry supporters, who'd camped out overnight hoping to stop his arrest. Some of those I spoke to were crying, others wailing, at what they feared was about to unfold.

As dawn broke, the first officers ran up to the house, but were instantly thwarted - blocked by a wall of soldiers protecting the compound. Reinforcements came, but could not help. The doors to Yoon's house stayed tightly sealed, his security team refusing the police officers entry.

For several hours the investigators waited, the crowds outside growing more agitated - until, after a series of scuffles between the police and security officials, they decided their mission was futile, and gave up.

This is totally uncharted territory for South Korea. It is the first time a sitting president has ever faced arrest, so there is no rule book to follow - but the current situation is nonetheless astonishing.

When Yoon was impeached three weeks ago, he was supposedly stripped of his power. So to have law enforcement officers trying to carry out an arrest - which they have legal warrant for - only to be blocked by Yoon's security team raises serious and uncomfortable questions about who is in charge here.

The investigating officers said they abandoned efforts to arrest Yoon not only because it looked impossible, but because they were concerned for their safety. They said 200 soldiers and security officers linked arms, forming a human wall to block the entrance to the presidential residence, with some carrying guns.

This is arguably part of Yoon's plan, leveraging a system he himself designed. Before he declared martial law last month – a plan we now know he cooked up months earlier – he surrounded himself with close friends and loyalists, injecting them into positions of power.

One of those people is the current head of his security team, who took up the job in September.

But although alarming, this situation is not entirely surprising. Yoon has refused to cooperate with the authorities over this investigation, ignoring every request to come in for questioning.

This is how things reached this point, where investigators felt they had no choice but to bring him in by force. Yoon is being investigated for one of the most serious political crimes there is: inciting an insurrection, which is punishable by life in prison or death.

Yoon has also spurred on his supporters, who have gathered in force outside his residence every day since the arrest warrant was issued. He sent them a letter on New Years' Day thanking them for "working hard" to defend both him and the country.

Although most people in South Korea are upset and angry at Yoon's decision to impose martial law, a core of his supporters have stayed loyal. Some even camped overnight, in freezing temperatures, to try and stop police reaching his home.

Many told me this morning they were prepared to die to protect Yoon, and repeated the same unfounded conspiracy theories that Yoon himself has floated – that last year's election was rigged, and the country had been infiltrated by pro-North Korea forces. They held up signs reading "stop the steal", a slogan they chanted over and over.

Attention is also now on South Korea's acting President Choi Sang-mok, and how far his powers extend; whether he could and should sack the president's security chief and force the team to allow his arrest. The opposition party says police should be arresting anyone who stands in their way.

Although investigators have until 6 January to attempt this arrest again – this is when the warrant runs out - it is unlikely they will go in once more without changing their strategy or negotiating with the security team in advance. They will want to avoid a repeat of today's failure.

They also have to contend with the throngs of Yoon's supporters, who now feel victorious and empowered. They believe they are largely responsible for the authorities' climb down. "We've won, we did it," they have been singing all afternoon.

As their confidence grows, so will their numbers, especially with the weekend approaching.

US law enforcement is looking for clues to unravel the mystery behind the Tesla vehicle that exploded outside Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas earlier this week, giving seven people minor injuries.

The man who rented the Cybertruck - then drove it to the city and parked it in front of the hotel - has been identified as Matthew Alan Livelsberger, a 37-year-old active-duty US special forces soldier.

Police found his lifeless body inside the charred Tesla with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. They also found fuel cannisters and more than a dozen firework mortars in the bed of the vehicle.

On Thursday, there remained a heightened police presence at the hotel, located right off the busy Las Vegas strip. Yellow police tape cordoned off a small section of the hotel's entrance as employees worked to repair damage to the facade.

Authorities continue to work and piece together information, and many questions remain.

For example, it is unclear why Livelsberger rented the car - or if the perpetrator was intending to make a political statement ahead of Donald Trump's return to the White House later this month.

Why did Livelsberger drive to Las Vegas?

One of the biggest unanswered questions is why Livelsberger rented the Tesla and drove it more than 800 miles (1,300km) from Colorado to Las Vegas.

Las Vegas police said he rented the vehicle on 28 December in Denver. They were able to track his movements using photographs taken on the drive and information from Tesla's charging technology. He was the only one seen driving it, they said.

The vehicle arrived in the city on Wednesday morning, less than two hours before the explosion, police said.

Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said on Thursday that a body inside the vehicle was recovered. It was burned beyond recognition, but the county's coroner used DNA and dental records to confirm that Livelsberger had been inside the Cybertruck at the time of the blast. He was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

"I'm comfortable calling it a suicide with a bombing that occurred immediately after," Sheriff McMahill said. He added that no motive for the incident had been established.

Was the explosion meant to be a political statement?

Another big question is whether the explosion was meant as a statement ahead of the change of US president later this month.

Police have not found any evidence that links the alleged perpetrator to specific political beliefs, but they said they were investigating whether the incident was tied to the fact that President-elect Donald Trump owns the hotel, or that Elon Musk runs Tesla.

Trump recently named Musk to co-lead a presidential advisory commission, the Department of Government Efficiency, after the two became close during Trump's campaign.

"It's not lost on us that it's in front of the Trump building, and that it's a Tesla vehicle," said Spencer Evans, an FBI agent based in Las Vegas, on Thursday.

"But we don't have information at this point that definitely tells us, or suggests, that (the incident) was because of a particular ideology," he said.

Was it related to the attack in New Orleans?

The explosion happened just a few hours after a man drove a pickup truck into New Year revellers on the crowded Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, killing 14 people and injuring dozens of others.

That attacker has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US citizen who also served in the US Army.

President Joe Biden has said investigators are looking into whether the two incidents are linked, though so far nothing has been uncovered to suggest that is the case.

But the question continues to be fuelled by the apparent similarities between the two incidents and some biographical details of the drivers of both vehicles.

Both incidents happened in the early hours of New Year's Day. Both men served in the US armed forces - including at the Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg) military base in North Carolina - and both completed a tour in Afghanistan. Both men also rented the vehicles they used through a mobile car rental application called Turo.

However, police have said there is no evidence the two men were in the same unit or served at the same time at Fort Liberty. Although both were deployed to Afghanistan in 2009, there is no evidence they served in the same province, location or unit.

In the New Orleans attack, police recovered an Islamic State (IS) group flag from the vehicle used by Jabbar. They added that he posted videos to social media moments prior claiming allegiance to the group. Police have determined that Jabbar was acting alone.

Meanwhile, in Las Vegas, there is no evidence that suggests that Livelsberger was motivated by IS, or that he and Jabbar had ever been in contact. Police have cautioned that the investigation remains active.

What is Livelsberger's background?

Livelsberger was a decorated special forces intelligence sergeant who was serving in Germany, but was on approved leave at the time of the incident.

His father told BBC's US partner CBS News that his son was in Colorado to see his wife and eight-month-old daughter.

He said he last spoke to his son at Christmas and that everything seemed normal.

The Daily Beast reported that Livelsberger was a "big" supporter of Trump. A senior law enforcement official who spoke with Livelsberger's family told the outlet that Livelsberger voted for Trump in November's election.

His uncle told The Independent that Livelsberger loved Trump "and he was always a very, very patriotic soldier, a patriotic American."

Israel has confirmed it is holding Gaza hospital director Dr Hussam Abu Safiya after earlier telling a local NGO that it was unaware of his case, sparking concern for his well being.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) statement said he was "currently being investigated by Israeli security forces" in person.

The statement did not offer an explanation for the confusion but repeated that he was suspected of being a "terrorist" and for "holding a rank" in Hamas, the armed Palestinian group at war with Israel in Gaza.

Dr Abu Safiya was arrested as the Israeli military forced patients and medical staff to leave Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza last Friday, alleging the facility was a "Hamas terrorist stronghold".

On Thursday the IDF told Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) that it had "no indication of the arrest or detention of the individual in question".

The PHRI filed a petition with the Israeli High Court of Justice on Thursday, demanding Dr Abu Safiya's location be disclosed. It said the court had given the IDF a week to comply.

Meanwhile Amnesty head Agnès Callamard said Israeli authorities must "urgently disclose his whereabouts".

She said Israel had detained "hundreds of Palestinian healthcare workers from Gaza without charge or trial" and said they had been "subjected to torture and other ill-treatment and been held in incommunicado detention".

Israel denies mistreating detainees.

Dr Abu Safiya's family previously told BBC Arabic they believe he is being held at Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel, where Israeli forces have taken many detainees from Gaza for interrogation.

Whistleblowers have previously told the BBC and other international media of extremely harsh conditions for detainees there. Israel has said all detainees there are kept "carefully and appropriately".

The IDF ordered everyone inside Kamal Adwan hospital to leave last Friday morning, giving the hospital about 15 minutes to move patients and staff into the courtyard, medical staff told the BBC.

Beit Lahia, where the hospital is located, has been under a tightening Israeli blockade imposed on parts of northern Gaza since October. The UN has said the area has been under "near-total siege" as the Israeli military heavily restricts access of aid deliveries to an area where an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people remain.

On Saturday, the IDF said it apprehended 240 combatants at Kamal Adwan and said Dr Abu Safiya was among medical staff taken for questioning.

Video footage showed him walking towards an Israeli armoured vehicle before being taken for interrogation. An Israeli military spokesperson confirmed the arrest that same day, saying the doctor had been transferred for questioning.

Dr Abu Safiya was previously arrested by Israeli forces during an earlier raid on the hospital in October, but was freed shortly afterwards. During that Israeli operation Dr Abu Safiya's 15-year-old son was killed in a drone strike. Footage from later that day showed him leading funeral prayers for his son in the hospital courtyard.

Israeli attacks on Gaza's healthcare facilities have prompted increasing condemnation.

On Tuesday the UN Human Rights Office says Israeli attacks on and around hospitals have pushed Gaza's healthcare system to "the brink of total collapse" and raised serious concerns about war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Israel's mission in Geneva said Israeli forces operated in accordance with international law and would "never target innocent civilians".

Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the group's unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

More than 45,580 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.

US President Joe Biden has formally blocked the takeover of US Steel by a bigger Japanese company, saying foreign ownership could pose risks for national security.

The controversial decision comes a year after Nippon Steel first announced the $14.9bn (£12bn) deal, describing it as a lifeline for its smaller Pennsylvania-based rival.

But the transaction soon ran into political trouble, after leaders of the United Steelworkers union loudly opposed the deal, bringing political pressure to bear in a key state during the 2024 presidential election.

Biden decided to scrap the deal despite concerns by some advisors that it could damage Washington's relations with Tokyo, a key ally.

BBC News has contacted Nippon Steel and US Steel for comment.

Nippon Steel has previously denied that it planned to reduce production or cut jobs, while US Steel had warned that it might have to close plants without the investment that would come with a new owner.

Those concerns had been echoed by some workers and local politicians.

Other business groups said they feared rejecting the transaction would chill the climate for international investment in the US.

But Biden has voiced longstanding opposition to the deal. The transaction has also been criticised by President-elect Donald Trump and the incoming vice-president, JD Vance.

A US government panel charged with reviewing the deal for national security risks failed to reach a consensus by late December, leaving the decision to Biden, who was required to act within a 15-day deadline.

In his announcement on Friday he said maintaining US ownership was important to keeping the US steel industry and it supply chains strong.

"As I have said many times, steel production - and the steel workers who produce it - are the backbone of our nation," he said.

"That is because steel powers our country: our infrastructure, our auto industry, and our defense industrial base. Without domestic steel production and domestic steel workers, our nation is less strong and less secure."

Nippon Steel and US Steel have previously suggested they may pursue legal action against the government if the deal did not happen.

Prof Stephen Nagy, of the Department of Politics International Studies at the International Christian University in Tokyo, said this was a "political" decision, noting that the Biden administration from its start promised a "foreign policy for the middle class".

"This was a direct response and continuation of the Trump MAGA agenda of Making America Great Again," he said.

"The Biden administration couldn't appear weak on foreign businesses, whether it's an ally or adversary."

There were more than 100 police officers and they were armed with a warrant - but South Korean authorities failed to arrest suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol after a six-hour deadlock outside his home.

That's how long the confrontation with Yoon's security team lasted as they formed a human wall and used vehicles to block the arrest team's path, according to local media.

It has been an unprecedented month for South Korean politics - Yoon's shocking yet short-lived martial law order was followed by an impeachment vote against him. Then came the criminal investigation, his refusal to appear for questioning and, earlier this week, a warrant for his arrest.

The right-wing leader still has a strong support base - and thousands of them turned up outside his home on Friday morning to oppose his arrest.

But, by many accounts, Yoon is now a disgraced leader - impeached by parliament and suspended from office, he awaits the decision of the constitutional court which can remove him from office.

So why has it proven so difficult for police to arrest him?

The men guarding the president

Although Yoon has been stripped of his presidential powers - after lawmakers voted to impeach him - he is still entitled to a security detail.

And those men played a key role in blocking the arrest on Friday.

The presidential security service (PSS) could have acted out of loyalty to Yoon or under "a misguided understanding of their legal and constitutional role", says Mason Richey, an associate professor at Seoul's Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

Given that Yoon has been suspended, the PSS should be taking directions from acting President Choi Sang-mok. "They have either not been instructed by acting President Choi to stand down, or they are refusing his orders to do so," says Assoc Prof Richey.

Some experts believe the security officers were showing "unconditional loyalty" to Yoon, rather than the office itself. They point to the fact that the PSS's chief Park Jong-joon was appointed to the job by Yoon last September.

"It may well be the case that Yoon has seeded the organisation with hardline loyalists in preparation for precisely this eventuality," says US-based lawyer and Korea expert Christopher Jumin Lee.

And that Park's predecessor was former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun, who is accused of advising Yoon to impose martial law. He is currently being held for questioning as part of the criminal investigation into Yoon.

A risk of escalation

The "simplest" solution, Mr Lee says, is for acting president Choi to order the PSS to stand down in the interim.

"If he is unwilling to do so, that may be grounds for his own impeachment by the National Assembly," he added.

Choi, who is the finance minister, had stepped in to lead the country after lawmakers voted to impeach Yoon's first successor, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.

This political stalemate also reflects the polarisation in South Korean politics - between those who support Yoon, and his decison to impose martial law, and those who oppose it. And the differences don't necessarily end there.

The vast majority of South Koreans agree that Yoon's declaration of martial law on 3 Dec was wrong and that he needs to be held accountable, says Duyeon Kim, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security - but they cannot agree on what accountability looks like.

"The actors involved disagree over process, procedure and their legal basis, which is adding to the current political uncertainty," she explains.

That uncertainty is also creating tense stand-offs like the one that unfolded on Friday in and outside Yoon's presidental residence, where his supporters have been camping out for days, leading to heated speeches and even skirmishes with police.

Law enforcement could return with more agents and use force but that would be "highly dangerous," Assoc Prof Mason said.

The PSS too is heavily armed, so arresting officers would be looking to avoid any escalation.

"What happens if the police show up with additional warrants calling for the arrest of PSS personnel, [the PSS] defy those warrants as well and then brandish their guns?" Mr Lee asks.

Police have now said they are investigating the PSS director and his deputy for obstructing them - so there could be more charges and arrest warrants coming.

The fallout from Yoon's martial law order is also a challenge for the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) that is investigating him.

It has only been operating for four years. It was was created in response to public anger over former president Park Geun-hye who was impeached, removed from office and later jailed over a corruption scandal.

While South Korean presidents have been jailed before, Yoon is the first one to face arrest before he steps down.

Investigators have until 6 January to arrest Yoon before the current warrant expires.

They may attempt to arrest Yoon again over the weekend, although the weekend could pose a bigger challenge if the crowds of supporters grow. They can also apply for a new warrant and try to detain him again.

Given how far South Korea has now slid into uncharted territory, the uncertainty is likely to continue.

Additional reporting by Ewe Koh

The stand-off started long before dawn. By the time we arrived in the dark, an army of police had pushed back suspended president Yoon Suk Yeol's angry supporters, who'd camped out overnight hoping to stop his arrest. Some of those I spoke to were crying, others wailing, at what they feared was about to unfold.

As dawn broke, the first officers ran up to the house, but were instantly thwarted - blocked by a wall of soldiers protecting the compound. Reinforcements came, but could not help. The doors to Yoon's house stayed tightly sealed, his security team refusing the police officers entry.

For several hours the investigators waited, the crowds outside growing more agitated - until, after a series of scuffles between the police and security officials, they decided their mission was futile, and gave up.

This is totally uncharted territory for South Korea. It is the first time a sitting president has ever faced arrest, so there is no rule book to follow - but the current situation is nonetheless astonishing.

When Yoon was impeached three weeks ago, he was supposedly stripped of his power. So to have law enforcement officers trying to carry out an arrest - which they have legal warrant for - only to be blocked by Yoon's security team raises serious and uncomfortable questions about who is in charge here.

The investigating officers said they abandoned efforts to arrest Yoon not only because it looked impossible, but because they were concerned for their safety. They said 200 soldiers and security officers linked arms, forming a human wall to block the entrance to the presidential residence, with some carrying guns.

This is arguably part of Yoon's plan, leveraging a system he himself designed. Before he declared martial law last month – a plan we now know he cooked up months earlier – he surrounded himself with close friends and loyalists, injecting them into positions of power.

One of those people is the current head of his security team, who took up the job in September.

But although alarming, this situation is not entirely surprising. Yoon has refused to cooperate with the authorities over this investigation, ignoring every request to come in for questioning.

This is how things reached this point, where investigators felt they had no choice but to bring him in by force. Yoon is being investigated for one of the most serious political crimes there is: inciting an insurrection, which is punishable by life in prison or death.

Yoon has also spurred on his supporters, who have gathered in force outside his residence every day since the arrest warrant was issued. He sent them a letter on New Years' Day thanking them for "working hard" to defend both him and the country.

Although most people in South Korea are upset and angry at Yoon's decision to impose martial law, a core of his supporters have stayed loyal. Some even camped overnight, in freezing temperatures, to try and stop police reaching his home.

Many told me this morning they were prepared to die to protect Yoon, and repeated the same unfounded conspiracy theories that Yoon himself has floated – that last year's election was rigged, and the country had been infiltrated by pro-North Korea forces. They held up signs reading "stop the steal", a slogan they chanted over and over.

Attention is also now on South Korea's acting President Choi Sang-mok, and how far his powers extend; whether he could and should sack the president's security chief and force the team to allow his arrest. The opposition party says police should be arresting anyone who stands in their way.

Although investigators have until 6 January to attempt this arrest again – this is when the warrant runs out - it is unlikely they will go in once more without changing their strategy or negotiating with the security team in advance. They will want to avoid a repeat of today's failure.

They also have to contend with the throngs of Yoon's supporters, who now feel victorious and empowered. They believe they are largely responsible for the authorities' climb down. "We've won, we did it," they have been singing all afternoon.

As their confidence grows, so will their numbers, especially with the weekend approaching.

Apple has agreed to pay $95m (£77m) to settle a court case alleging some of its devices were listening to people without their permission.

The tech giant was accused of eavesdropping on its customers through its virtual assistant Siri.

The claimants also allege voice recordings were shared with advertisers.

Apple, which has not admitted any wrongdoing, has been approached for comment.

In the preliminary settlement, the tech firm denies any wrongdoing, as well as claims that it "recorded, disclosed to third parties, or failed to delete, conversations recorded as the result of a Siri activation" without consent.

Apple's lawyers also say they will confirm they have "permanently deleted individual Siri audio recordings collected by Apple prior to October 2019".

But the claimants say the tech firm recorded people who activated the virtual assistant unintentionally - without using the phrase "Hey, Siri" to wake it.

And they say advertisers who received the recordings could then look for keywords in them to better target ads.

Class action

Apple has proposed a decision date of 14 February in the court in Oakland, California.

Class action lawsuits work by a small number of people going to court on behalf of a larger group.

If they are successful, the money won is paid out across all claimants.

According to the court documents, each claimant - who has to be based in the US -could be paid up to $20 per Siri-enabled device they owned between 2014 and 2019.

In this case, the lawyers could take 30% of the fee plus expenses - which comes to just under $30m.

By settling, Apple not only denies wrongdoing, but it also avoids the risk of facing a court case which could potentially mean a much larger pay out.

The California company earned $94.9bn in the three months up to 28 September 2024.

Apple has been involved in a number of class action lawsuits in recent years,

In January 2024, it started paying out in a $500m lawsuit which claimed it deliberately slowed down iPhones in the US.

In March, it agreed to pay $490m in a class action led by Norfolk County Council in the UK.

And in November, consumer group Which? started a class action against Apple, accusing it of ripping off customers through its iCloud service.

Wayne Osmond, a founding member of family band The Osmonds, who had a string of hits in the 1970s, has died at the age of 73.

Wayne was a singer and guitarist, and co-wrote many of their biggest hits, including Crazy Horses, Goin' Home And Let Me In.

"Wayne brought so much light, laughter, and love to everyone who knew him, especially me," wrote brother Donny. "He was the ultimate optimist and was loved by everyone."

Merrill Osmond called his late brother "a genius in his ability to write music" who was "able to capture the hearts of millions of people and bring them closer to God".

He continued: "I've never known a man that had more humility. A man with absolute no guile. An individual that was quick to forgive and had the ability to show unconditional love to everyone he ever met."

Merrill and Donny said the cause of death was a stroke.

Born in August 1951, in Ogden, Utah, Wayne was the fourth oldest of nine children and raised in a Mormon household.

As a child, he started performing in a barbershop quartet with siblings Alan, Merrill and Jay.

By 1961, the harmonising brothers were regular performers at Disneyland in Florida. A year later, they made their TV debut on The Andy Williams Show.

They quickly became regulars on the show, earning the nickname "one-take Osmonds" because of their flawless, tirelessly rehearsed performances.

Younger sibling Donny joined the line-up in 1963, and they began to broaden their repertoire to include clean-cut pop songs.

Their initial singles flopped but, after the success of the Jackson 5 showed that family pop could be a commercial success, MGM Records signed the band and sent them to work at the famed R&B studio Muscle Shoals.

There, they were given a song called One Bad Apple (Don't Spoil the Whole Bunch), which had originally been written for the Jacksons but was rejected by their record label.

Perky, bubbly and bright, the song topped the US singles chart for five weeks in 1971 and established the band as a chart presence, a decade after their professional debut.

For a while, the siblings generated the same sort of fevered excitement as The Beatles.

When the band flew into Heathrow Airport in 1973, 10,000 teenage fans packed the roof gardens at a nearby office block to see them arrive. Part of the balcony railing and wall collapsed amidst a crowd surge, slightly injuring 18 women.

On their departure, hundreds of fans mobbed their limousine. A reporter for the New York Times said "they were lucky to escape alive", while the Guardian said the scenes almost led to a ban on pop groups entering the UK via Heathrow.

But pop is a fickle industry, and The Osmonds' record sales started to tail off by the mid-1970s.

At the same time, Donny and Marie Osmond were offered their own TV variety show, which became a massive hit in the US and was screened by BBC One in the UK.

As a result, the band went on hiatus and ultimately dissolved in 1980, although they regularly reformed for county fairs and reunion tours over the coming decades.

Wayne Osmond suffered a number of health problems during his life. He was diagnosed with a brain tumour as a child, which resulted in cognitive problems.

In 1994, he noticed that the condition was worsening.

"I noticed I couldn't play my saxophone any more because my head would start throbbing," he later recalled. "And my knees would fall out from under me when I was on stage. This all began happening within a week."

The subsequent surgery and related cancer treatments resulted in significant hearing loss that persisted for the rest of his life. He also suffered a previous stroke in 2012.

In 2019, the musician joined his siblings Alan, Merrill and Jay for their final ever performance on TV show The Talk.

Performing in front of a screen that showed a montage of their career highlights, the original quartet performed a song called The Last Chapter, written as a thank you to their fans.

Sister Marie, who presented the show, joined them afterwards to pay tribute, saying: "I am so honoured to be your sister. I love you guys. You've worked so hard. Enjoy your retirement."

Wayne spent his retirement indulging in hobbies including fly fishing, and spending time with his family. He maintained an optimistic outlook, telling Utah newspaper Desert News that hearing loss didn't bother him.

"My favourite thing now is to take care of my yard," he said. "I turn my hearing aids off, deaf as a doorknob, tune everything out, it's really joyful."

He is survived by wife Kathlyn and five children, Amy, Steven, Gregory, Sarah and Michelle.

He is also survived by his eight siblings: Virl, Tom, Alan, Merrill, Jay, Donny, Marie and Jimmy.

As the world rings in a new year, lawmakers are convening on the US Capitol to kick off a new Congress.

Friday marks the start of the 119th Congress, with Republican majorities in both the US House of Representatives and the Senate.

This marks a Republican trifecta given that President-elect Donald Trump is also returning to the White House later this month. The US hasn't seen unified control of all three branches of government since 2017, when Trump was last in office.

Republicans are eager to get started on an ambitious to-do list, but things may not come easy - and their majorities in both chambers of Congress leave little room for disagreement. The first test of the party's unity comes on Friday with leadership elections in the House.

Here are five things worth watching as the new session of Congress begins:

1. A Republican trifecta, but barely

Republicans may have the majority in the House, but not by much.

And it will be put to the test as soon as the session begins. The House cannot certify election results or pass laws until lawmakers select their next speaker - the leader of the chamber.

Despite an endorsement from Trump, current speaker Mike Johnson faces opposition from several members within his caucus who remain unconvinced he deserves a second chance.

The party's majority is so small that if Johnson loses just two Republicans in his campaign, it could set off a series of ballots until Republicans coalesce around a lawmaker. In 2023, it took 15 rounds of votes and four days for Kevin McCarthy to win the speakership.

Johnson already faces one hard "no" from Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky, but several other Republicans have put themselves in the "undecided" column.

The Republican Party was left with a five-seat majority when the final House races were called in the 2024 election. But that has shrunk after Trump tapped several House members to serve in his administration.

"Do the math," Johnson said during an early December press conference. "We have nothing to spare."

2. Confirming cabinet appointments

In the Senate, lawmakers have already selected their majority leader: South Dakota Senator John Thune won an internal Republican Party vote.

This means senators can move to official business on Friday, but they will face challenges in other ways. Lawmakers are scheduled to begin a string of confirmation hearings for some of Trump's controversial cabinet appointees.

The Senate must sign off on some 1,200 appointments for the new president's administration, but some will come with the tense hearings that attract public attention. They'll first appear before a Senate committee and answer questions, before the full chamber votes.

The nominees include Trump's pick for defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, who faces sexual assault allegations from 2017 which he denies, as well as his pick for health and human services secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, who is a vaccine sceptic with a history of spreading misinformation.

Trump's picks were seen making their rounds on Capitol Hill last month to win over Republican senators. But nominees will have to appear before bipartisan committees - meaning the hearings could get heated as senators from both parties use their platform to address criticisms and grievances.

However, the Senate could chose to expedite confirmation hearings from some national security nominees - following a New Year terror attack in New Orleans that left 14 dead and an explosion of a vehicle outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas.

"The US Senate must confirm President Trump's national security team as soon as possible. Lives depend on it," Wyoming Senator John Barrasso wrote in a post on X.

A nomination that clears a committee typically does not face opposition on the full Senate floor, but given some of the initial backlash over Trump's picks, the path to confirmation may be bumpy.

3. A move on taxes

One item that rises to the top of the legislative to-do list for Congress is addressing Trump's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which expires in 2025.

The 2017 legislation - which passed at a time when Republicans controlled both the House and Senate - involved a $1.5tn (£1.2tn) overhaul of the tax code, changed tax brackets and lowered tax rates for most taxpayers.

It marked the biggest tax overhaul in decades. The largest cuts went to businesses and the wealthy, which Democrats have called to reverse.

Trump campaigned on the economy - vowing to extend tax cuts, further slash corporate taxes, and eliminate tax on tips, overtime pay and Social Security income.

How Congress gets it done - an extension of the 2017 bill, a combination of old and new legislation or by other means - is up in the air.

Keeping provisions from the 2017 tax cuts would add an estimated $4tn to the deficit over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office. This may not sit well with many hard-line Republicans who are adamantly opposed to increasing the nation's debt.

4. Other Republican policy wins

Expect to see legislation move on several key Republican priorities, ranging from curbing illegal immigration to cutting government regulations.

There could be proposals to reduce military aid to Ukraine, impose new tariffs, cut spending for clean energy and enhance border security.

In a November press conference, Johnson outlined a Republican agenda that aimed to reduce inflation, secure borders, restore the country's energy dominance, implement "education freedom" and "drain the swamp".

Lawmakers will also have to address the debt ceiling - the total amount the US can borrow to meet its obligations. The issue already popped up at the end of 2024 when lawmakers faced a government shutdown.

Trump demanded that lawmakers raise or even suspend the debt limit in any spending deal, but the provision was dropped from the final version of the bill that passed in both chambers.

It is possible several priorities may be combined in what is known as a reconciliation bill, which allows Congress to pass a bill on taxes, spending and the debt limit with just a majority. This method avoids the possibility of a filibuster in the Senate, in which opposing lawmakers could delay or even derail a vote.

However they choose to approach it, lawmakers may be spending more face-time on Capitol Hill to tackle their priorities in the next session.

Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune has scheduled notably more days and weeks for the Senate - including working days on Mondays and Fridays, which traditionally have been considered travel days.

5. New players in the game

The end of the last Congress offered a glimpse at the influence that Trump and his allies have on the congressional agenda.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has been tasked with advising the Trump administration on cuts to government spending, posted dozens of times on his social media platform X to condemn a spending deal Johnson spearheaded with Democrats to avert a government shutdown.

Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance joined in, and the bill was squashed.

Both Trump and Musk threatened to withhold funding and endorsements from sitting Republicans who supported the bipartisan spending bill, raising the question of how much sway they will have over the legislative agenda.

Musk and pharmaceutical entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy could have more opportunities to weigh in. The pair will be co-leading a newly-formed advisory committee focused on cuts to regulations and spending.

On the other side of the aisle, Democrats are re-grouping, with hopes to win back the House during the 2026 midterm elections. Expect to see centre-left lawmakers vying for influence.

Groups within the party all hope to shape its future - such as the Problem Solvers Caucus, a group of lawmakers focused on advancing bipartisan legislation; the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of centrist Democrats; and the centre-left, "pragmatic" New Democrat Coalition.

A day of high drama has drawn to an end in South Korea, with investigators suspending an attempt to arrest ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol after a six-hour standoff with the security team outside his home.

"We've determined that the arrest is impossible," said the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), which has been investigating Yoon's short-lived martial law declaration.

"Next steps will be decided after review," the CIO said, adding that Yoon's "refusal of the legal process" is "deeply regrettable".

Yoon's supporters, who have been camped out in front of the presidential residence for days, cheered in song and dance as the suspension was announced. "We won," they chanted.

Investigators have until 6 January to arrest Yoon, before the warrant expires. However they can apply for a new warrant and try to detain him again.

A US court has rejected the Biden administration's bid to restore "net neutrality" rules, finding that the federal government does not have the authority to regulate internet providers like utilities.

It marks a major defeat for so-called open internet advocates, who have long fought for protections that would require internet providers such as AT&T to treat all legal content equally.

Such rules were first introduced by the Federal Communications Commission under former Democratic president Barack Obama but later repealed during Republican Donald Trump's first term.

The decision, just as Trump is poised to enter the White House for a second term, likely puts an end to the long-running legal battle over the issue.

In their decision, the judges noted that different administrations have gone back and forth on the issue.

But they said the court no longer had to give "deference" to the FCC's reading of the law, pointing to a recent Supreme Court decision that limits the authority of federal agencies to interpret laws, a decision that critics expect will be used to weaken regulation in the years ahead.

"Applying Loper Bright, means we can end the FCC's vacillations," the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals said.

Brendan Carr, a Republican member of the FCC who Trump has tapped to lead the agency, said he was pleased the court had invalidated the Biden administration's "Internet power grab".

The FCC's outgoing Democratic commissioner said the ruling turned the issue over to Congress.

"Consumers across the country have told us again and again that they want an internet that is fast, open, and fair," Jessica Rosenworcel said.

"With this decision it is clear that Congress now needs to heed their call, take up the charge for net neutrality, and put open internet principles in federal law."

The fight over net neutrality was once a heated issue in the US, pitting internet providers against big tech companies such as Google and Netflix.

Comedian John Oliver famously urged his audience to express support for the rules, leading to a deluge of comments that crashed the government's site.

But the issue has faded in prominence since the rules were repealed in 2018.

Thursday's ruling does not affect state-level net neutrality laws, which in some places offer similar protections.

But advocates, like Mr Oliver, have said that national rules are important to preventing internet providers from having powers to throttle certain content or charge more for speedy delivery of their service.

Public Knowledge, a progressive-leaning internet policy group, said the decision had weakened the FCC's power to shape privacy protections, implement public safety measures and take other action.

It said it believed the court had erred in ruling that internet service providers were simply offering an "information service" rather than acting as telecommunications companies.

"The court has created a dangerous regulatory gap that leaves consumers vulnerable and gives broadband providers unchecked power over Americans' internet access," it said.

But USTelecom, an industry group whose members include AT&T and Verizon, said the decision was "a victory for American consumers that will lead to more investment, innovation, and competition in the dynamic digital marketplace."

Security posts known as bollards were not in place before a suspect drove a truck into a crowd in the French Quarter of New Orleans early on New Year's Day, killing 14 and injuring at least 35.

Louisiana officials have said the street barriers were malfunctioning and were undergoing renovations before the city hosts the NFL Super Bowl on 9 February.

The short and sturdy posts - made of concrete, metal or other materials - are meant to block cars from entering pedestrian areas.

Christopher Raia, a deputy assistant director with the FBI, on Thursday called the attack an act of terrorism.

During the early morning hours on New Year's Day, a police vehicle was parked at an intersection to block access to Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, where the attack took place, but the suspect drove around the car and onto the sidewalk, police said.

Police have named Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old Texas resident and US Army veteran, as the suspect. He died in the attack.

New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said on Wednesday that police had been "aware of the bollard situation" and took steps to "harden those target areas".

"We did indeed have a plan, but the terrorist defeated it," she said.

Ms Kirkpatrick said the city planned to take a number of steps to increase security at the Sugar Bowl American football game, which was moved from Wednesday to Thursday afternoon because of the attack.

Bourbon Street will be re-opened on Thursday shortly ahead of the game.

"We have re-enforced the area," Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said on Thursday.

• Follow live updates on the attack here

New Orleans began placing bollards on Bourbon Street over ten years ago, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said on Wednesday.

But, she added, the bollards began to malfunction because of clogs from Mardi Gras beads, leading officials to try to replace them before the Super Bowl, which is scheduled to take place at the Caesars Superdome, near the site of the attack.

At the news conference, Ms Kirkpatrick defended the other security measures the city had in place.

"We did have a car there, we had barriers there, we had officers there, and they still got around," she said.

A number of cities in the US and around the world have installed bollards to prevent attacks.

New York City put the security measures in place along the Hudson River Park bike path after a man drove a rented pick-up truck into cyclists and runners along the path, killing eight people, in 2017.

It's too difficult to say for certain whether the New Orleans bollards being in place would have prevented such an incident, said University of Michigan professor and counterterrorism expert Javed Ali.

"He had a Ford 150 pick-up truck. You gun that thing at 50, 60 miles an hour, and who knows, even with bollards in place, would the car just - through physics - have rammed through them anyways?" he said.

"There must have been a lot of luck involved," Mr Ali added. "That's unfortunately what happens in these types of attacks."

A 2017 report commissioned by the city of New Orleans found the French Quarter was a "risk and target area for terrorism that the FBI has identified as a concern that the city must address".

The report noted that the neighbourhood was "often densely packed with pedestrians and represents an area where a mass casualty incident could occur".

Fans from two US universities filled a stadium in New Orleans for a highly anticipated American football game as the city reels from a New Year's Day attack.

The annual Sugar Bowl, which was scheduled to take place Wednesday, was postponed to Thursday at 15:00 local time (21:00 GMT) after a Texas man drove through a crowded New Orleans street, killing 14 people.

People gathered in the stadium partook in a moment of silence to remember the victims of Wednesday's attack.

The game brought thousands of fans to the city to see the University of Notre Dame take on the University of Georgia at the 70,000-seat Caesars Superdome.

Notre Dame's "Fighting Irish" ultimately emerged the winner, beating the Georgia Bulldogs 23-10.

Ahead of the game's start, Bourbon Street - where the attack took place on Wednesday - reopened to the public for the first time since the deadly event.

Yellow barriers, designed to prevent cars from driving onto the pavement, lined both sides of the street.

Fourteen flowers were laid against a wall at the spot where the attacker first drove into a crowd.

Many who trickled in had come to have a few drinks before heading over to the stadium for the game, with almost everyone wearing red for Georgia, and green or blue and gold for Notre Dame.

• Get live updates on this story

As the street reopened, a fan of the Notre Dame college football team yelled: "Go fighting Irish! We love life! So let's live!"

A New Orleans man who was discharged from the hospital on Thursday afternoon after being caught up in the attack, headed straight back to Bourbon Street dressed in the same clothes he was wearing on 1 January.

Speaking to the BBC, Jovon Miguel Bell lifted his shirt to show cuts and bruises across his torso, which he said were the result of getting trampled.

"I'm blessed, to be honest. God is good," he said. "Blessings to the victims and their families."

Mr Bell admitted he was "drunk as hell" at the time of the attack, but does vaguely remember what landed him in hospital.

"I'm walking down the street and I hear the screams. Ruckus. Chaos," he said. "As soon as I turn around, I got hit [by a person] and fall to the ground. I got stepped on, multiple times."

Now free from hospital, he headed straight back to the bars of Bourbon Street as the Sugar Bowl game was ongoing, where he said he felt lucky he escaped with minor injuries.

Ahead of the game, state authorities assured the public that the city had taken additional safety precautions.

Brian Williams, a Georgia supporter, told the BBC that "the bad guys would have won" if the game had been cancelled or further postponed after the attack.

"Nowhere will be safer than New Orleans now," he said, as he gestured at a small group of state troopers on Bourbon Street. "There's nothing to worry about."

Like other football fans in town for the game, Mr Williams said the mood was sombre when he arrived in town early Wednesday.

"It felt off. It felt weird to be out in town, and we couldn't even get to Bourbon Street," Mr Williams said. "But this place will be back to normal soon."

Master P, a New Orleans native and rap singer whose full name is Percy Robert Miller, visited Bourbon Street on Thursday to reassure local resident he would do whatever he could to help the city recover.

"We've got to show the people we're not stopping. We are going to move on," he said. "Even this evil stuff that came against us is not going to stop us."

Mr Miller described the city as one where people come to "celebrate" and described it as "our culture".

Jefferson County Sheriff Joseph Lopinto told reporters Thursday the college football match would be secure for fans who have come to the city.

"It's probably going to be one of the safest places in the country," Mr Lopinto said. "If my kid wanted to come to the game, I'd have no problem."

As the sun set over Bourbon Street on Thursday, many locals said they were confident that the vibrant area would bounce back quickly after the attack.

Among them was Darnell Simmons, a 23-year-old member of a brass band playing at the Bourbon House Oyster bar.

"A terrible thing happened here," he said. "But we're back, we're here to remember those we lost."

The bar's owner, Dickie Brennan, said he felt "incredibly emotional" to hear music return to Bourbon Street.

"We overcame Katrina. God knows how many hurricanes, oil spills, crime," he added, referring to the 2005 hurricane that left more than 1,300 dead. "One guy will not stop this beautiful city and special neighbourhood."

"This city is resilient. We have to be."

Just after 3:00 local time on 1 January officials say 42-year-old army veteran, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, killed 14 people and wounded dozens more when he drove a pick-up truck into crowds for the New Years holiday.

Before Jabbar was killed in a shoot-out with police during the attack, he had proclaimed his allegiance to the Islamic State group in videos uploaded to social media, according to the FBI.

The Sugar Bowl is watched by millions of Americans every year, traditionally on New Year's Day.

The game, along with the Los Angeles Rose Bowl, is a big tourist draw for the city.

The Sugar Bowl dates back to 1935, playing host to many of the best coaches, players and teams in college football history.

The Super Bowl, America's biggest sporting event, is scheduled for 9 February at the same New Orleans venue as the Sugar Bowl.

Additional reporting from the BBC's Anna Adams.

Heavy snow blends into white thick clouds in Skellefteå, a riverside city in northern Sweden that is home to 78,000 residents.

It's also the location of what was supposed to become Europe's biggest and greenest electric battery factory, powered by the region's abundance of renewable energy.

Swedish start-up Northvolt opened its flagship production plant here in 2022, after signing multi-billion euro contracts with carmakers including BMV, Volkswagen and Nordic truck manufacturer Scania.

But it ran into major financial troubles last year, reporting debts of $5.8bn (£4.6bn) in November, and filing for bankruptcy in the US, where it had been hoping to expand its operations.

Since September it's laid off around a quarter of its global workforce including more than 1,000 staff in Skellefteå.

"A lot of people have moved out already," says 43-year-old Ghanaian Justice Dey-Seshie, who relocated to Skellefteå for a job at Northvolt, after previously studying and working in southern Sweden.

"I need to secure a job in order to extend my work permit. Otherwise, I have to exit the country, sadly."

Many researchers and journalists tracking Northvolt's downfall share the view that it was at least partly caused by a global dip in demand for electric vehicles (EVs).

In September Volvo abandoned its target to only produce EVs by 2030, arguing that "customers and markets are moving at different speeds". Meanwhile China, the market leader in electric batteries, has been able to undercut Northvolt's prices.

Missing production targets (a key factor in BMW pulling out of a €2bn deal in June), expanding too quickly, and the company's leadership have also been widely cited as factors fuelling the crisis.

"To build batteries is a very complex process. It takes a lot of capital, it takes time, and they obviously just didn't have the right personnel running the company," argues Andreas Cervenka, a business author and economics commentator for Swedish daily Aftonbladet.

At Umeå university, Madeleine Eriksson, a geographer researching the impact of so-called "green industries" says Northvolt presented a "save the world mentality" that impressed investors, media and local politicians.

But this "now-or-never" approach, she argues, glossed over the fact it was a risk-taking start-up that "never finished attracting investment".

Northvolt did not respond to multiple requests from the BBC to respond to comments about its downfall or future plans.

The firm has hired German Marcus Dangelmaier, from global electronics company TE Connectivity to run Northvolt's operations in Skellefeå, from January, as it seeks to attract fresh investment.

Northvolt's co-founder and CEO Peter Carlsson – a former Tesla executive – resigned in November.

• Listen Business Daily: Crisis at Northvolt

As the postmortem into the crisis continues, there are debates about the potential impact on Sweden's green ambitions.

Northern Sweden, dubbed the "Nordic Silicon Valley of sustainability" by consultancy firm McKinsey, has swiftly gained global reputation for new industries designed to fast-track Europe's green transition.

The region is a hub for biotech and renewable energy. Alongside Northvolt, high profile companies include Stegra (formerly called H2 Green Steel) and Hybrit, which are both developing fossil-free fuel using hydrogen.

But Mr Cervenka, the economics commentator, argues Northvolt's downfall has damaged Sweden's "very good brand" when it comes to green technologies.

"There was a huge opportunity to build this champion, and to build this Swedish icon, but I think investors that lost money are going to be hesitant to invest again in a similar project in the north of Sweden," he says.

Some local businesses say the publicity around Northvolt's crisis is already having a negative impact.

"I feel it myself when I travel now – even to the southern parts of Sweden – and abroad, that people really ask me questions," says Joakim Nordin, CEO of Skellefteå Kraft, a major hydropower and wind energy provider, which was an early investor in Northvolt.

Headquartered in Malmö in southern Sweden, Cleantech for Nordics is an organisation that represents a coalition of 15 major investors in sustainability-focussed start-ups.

Here, climate policy analyst Eva Andersson believes the nation's long legacy as an environmental champion will remain relevant.

"I think it would be presumptuous to say that, okay, now we are doomed here in the Nordics because one company has failed," she argues.

Cleantech for Nordics' research suggests there were more than 200 investments in clean tech projects in Sweden in 2023.

Another study by Dealroom, which gathers data on start-ups indicates 74% of all venture capital funding to Swedish start-ups went to so-called impact companies which prioritise environmental or social sustainability, compared to a European average of just 35%.

"Sweden is still punching above its weight in this sector. And I think we could expect it to continue to do so moving forward as well," predicts Anderson.

There are growing calls for increased state support to help Sweden maintain its position. The Swedish government refused to bail out Northvolt, suggesting all startups – sustainable or not – should be subject to market forces rather than bailed out by taxpayers. But as other parts of the world ramp up battery production and other carbon-cutting industries, the decision has faced a backlash.

"The US and China have massive support packages for green industry, and they definitely are catching up and overtaking in some sectors. And so that is definitely a threat to be reckoned with," argues Andersson.

Just 3% of global battery cell production currently takes place in Europe - according to research for international consultancy firm McKinsey - with Asian firms leading the market.

Sweden's minister for Energy, Business and Industry Ebba Busch argues more EU support rather than funding from individual governments is the answer.

Last month she told Swedish television the situation at Northvolt was "not a Swedish crisis", rather a reflection of a Europe-wide challenge when it comes to competitiveness in the electric battery sector.

But while the government insists it wants Sweden to play a key role in Europe's battery industry, and the wider green transition, it has been accused of sending mixed messages. The right-wing coalition, which came into power in 2022 has cut taxes on petrol and diesel, and abolished subsidies for EVs.

"This is a very politically sensitive area," says journalist Cervenka. "The Swedish government is being actually criticised internationally for not fulfilling its climate obligations. And that is a stark contrast to the image of Sweden as a pioneer."

The BBC approached Busch's media team, but was not granted an interview.

Back in Skellefteå, where it has been dark since just after lunch, Joachim Nordin is preparing to commute home in the snow.

He says there's a strong industrial will for Sweden to remain a green tech role model, despite policymakers being "not as ambitious" as previous administrations.

The criteria that enticed Northvolt to establish its first factory in Skellefteå will also attract other big global players to the region, according to the energy company CEO.

"It's 100% almost renewable energy up here… and that's that's pretty unique if you compare it to the rest of Europe. But on top of that we are among the cheapest places in the world for the electricity prices. So if you combine those two things, it's a huge opportunity."

Skellefeå Kraft recently announced a collaboration with Dutch fuel company Sky NRG. Their ambition is to open a large factory by 2030, making fossil-free plane fuel (produced using hydrogen combined with carbon dioxide captured from biogenic sources).

"The publicity around Northvolt is not helping now, of course. But I hope that that's just something that will be remembered as a little bump in the road, when we look back at this 10 years from now," says Mr Nordin.

A day of high drama has drawn to an end in South Korea, with investigators suspending an attempt to arrest ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol after a six-hour standoff with the security team outside his home.

"We've determined that the arrest is impossible," said the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), which has been investigating Yoon's short-lived martial law declaration.

"Next steps will be decided after review," the CIO said, adding that Yoon's "refusal of the legal process" is "deeply regrettable".

Yoon's supporters, who have been camped out in front of the presidential residence for days, cheered in song and dance as the suspension was announced. "We won," they chanted.

Investigators have until 6 January to arrest Yoon, before the warrant expires. However they can apply for a new warrant and try to detain him again.

Just hours before the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve, Jack Bech got on a phone call with his older brother Martin - an avid outdoorsman and former football star mostly known to friends and teammates as "Tiger".

Jack, 22, was in Dallas visiting family members, while Tiger, a 28-year-old former Princeton alumnus who lived in New York, was in New Orleans, getting ready to celebrate the New Year.

"We just thought it was going to be another conversation," he told the BBC. "I was showing him what we were eating, and he was showing us what he was eating."

The two brothers would never speak again.

"I hung up the phone, and that was the last time I ever spoke with him," Jack recalled.

Tiger was among the 14 people killed when an attacker ploughed through a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.

• The rev of an engine and then screams - how revelry turned to mayhem in New Orleans
• Fans flock to Sugar Bowl in New Orleans after deadly New Year's attack

The attacker, 42-year-old army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was killed in a gunfight with police after he drove a pick-up truck into the crowds, according to authorities. Though he posted videos online proclaiming allegiance to the Islamic State group before the attack, FBI officials said they believe he was acting alone.

While the identities of all the victims have not been made public yet, a picture is slowly emerging of a group of mostly young people, many of whom - like Tiger - were Louisiana locals.

Jack - who remembers his brother as his best friend, role model and inspiration - says that the close-knit Bech family will never be the same.

Most of the family is in the town of Lafayette, about 136 miles (218km) away from New Orleans.

"This is something we're going to have to deal with. Every time we wake up, and every time we go to sleep, it's going to be something," he added. "Every holiday, there's going to be an empty seat at the table."

But Tiger said that his brother "wouldn't want us to grieve and mourn". Instead, he has encouraged his family to remember him as "a fighter".

"He'd want us to keep attacking life...he'd want us to go and be there for each other," he said.

"I told my family that instead of seeing him a couple of times a year, he'll be with us every moment," Jack added. "Whenever we're waking up and we're going to sleep and we're walking, when we're at work, doing whatever, he'll be with us."

Among the other victims of the attack in the early morning hours of 1 January was Matthew Tenedorio, an audio-visual technician at New Orleans' Caesars' Superdome.

Tenedorio, who just turned 25 in October, had spent the earlier part of his evening at his brother's home in the town of Slidell, about 35 minutes away from New Orleans.

With him were his father and mother - who just recently recovered from cancer.

His cousin, Christina Bounds, told the BBC that his family "begged" him not to go into New Orleans, fearful of the large crowd and potential dangers.

Despite their pleas, he went, along with two friends. When the news broke, his mother eventually got a hold of one of them.

"They said they were walking down Bourbon, and saw a body fall," she said, noting that they now believe it was a body thrown into the air by the attacker's truck.

Amid screams and gunshots, Tenedorio was separated from his friends.

His family says he was shot, and believe he was killed during the exchange of gunfire between the attacker and police officers on Bourbon Street.

The BBC is unable to independently verify this claim.

According to Ms Bounds, the family's tragedy has been made more painful by the slow, nearly non-existent trickle of communications they've had with local authorities.

"We couldn't get any information when my aunt [Tenedorio's mother, Cathy] showed up at the hospital," she said. "There has been no information from doctors, hospitals, or cops. Nobody."

"They have zero information, and that's the part that's pissing everybody off. We don't even know what happened," Bounds added. "Was he carried out by the EMS? Was he in an ambulance? Did he die instantly?"

These answers, she added, would "help people accept" what happened.

"But now it's like total shock," she added. "It's not registering."

The family has started a GoFundMe page to gather funds for Tenedorio's funeral expenses - which Ms Bounds said have been made difficult by his mother's significant medical bills during her cancer diagnosis.

Another cousin of Tenedorio's, Zach Colgan, remembers him as a "goofball" who was quick to make a joke, cared deeply about animals and was an avid storyteller.

"He cared. He was definitely a people person. A happy-go-lucky guy," Mr Colgan told the BBC. "It's sad that a terrorist attack took him...no family should ever have to bury their son, especially for something so senseless."

Mr Colgan, who has experience working with law enforcement in Louisiana, says he believes officers have done the best they can in an extremely hectic casualty situation.

"I know it's chaotic. But part of closure is getting answers. I know my aunt and uncle weren't able to get much besides 'yes - Matthew was killed'," he said.

"It'd be nice to know a little bit more," Mr Colgan added. ""If it was my kid, I'd want to know."

Even as his family continues to search for answers, Mr Colgan says he hopes that the government and public's focus continues to be on the victims, rather than on law enforcement's response or what else could have been done to prevent the attack.

"I want every single one of them to be remembered," he said. "They didn't deserve this. No one deserves this."

Venezuela's government has offered a $100,000 (£81,000) reward for information leading to the arrest of the opposition's exiled presidential candidate Edmundo González.

He fled the country in September and was granted political asylum in Spain after Venezuela's authorities ordered his arrest, accusing González of conspiracy and of forging documents.

González had vowed to return to Venezuela before President Nicolás Maduro's inauguration next Friday, accusing the government of rigging the vote.

Shortly after the reward was announced, González said he was travelling to Argentina to begin a tour of Latin America, where he will meet fierce Maduro critic President Javier Milei on Saturday.

The United Nations' Human Rights Committee has ordered Venezuela "to refrain from destroying" the voting tallies from the presidential election in July 2024.

The voting tallies - a detailed official breakdown of the votes from each polling station - have been at the centre of the dispute over who won the election.

The government-aligned National Electoral Council (CNE) declared the incumbent, Maduro, the winner but failed to provide the voting tallies to back up its claim.

The opposition, which with the help of accredited election witnesses collected and published more than 80% of the voting tallies, says these prove that its candidate, González, was the overwhelming winner.

González was not well known in Venezuela when he registered as a candidate for the country's presidential election back in March.

He had never run for public office before and was not even widely known in opposition circles.

But months after he decided to run for the top office, the low-key former diplomat overtook Maduro in the opinion polls.

Venezuela has seen divisions between government and opposition supporters get ever deeper over the past decade or so.

González's reconciliatory tone during the presidential campaign was in stark contrast to that of Maduro, who warned of a "bloodbath" should González win.

The 2018 re-election of Maduro was widely dismissed as neither free nor fair.

A killer whale, which captured the world's attention in 2018 when it was spotted pushing the dead body of its newborn calf for 17 days, appears to be grieving again.

The whale, known as Tahlequah, has lost another calf and is again pushing the body, according to the Center for Whale Research.

Tahlequah has this time been spotted off the coast of the US state of Seattle.

Killer whales have been known to carry dead calves for a week but scientists in 2018 said Tahlequah had set a "record".

The Center for Whale Research said the death of any calf was a "tremendous loss" but added that the death of Tahlequah's newborn was "particularly devastating" given its history.

The centre, which studies the Southern Resident killer whale and works on its conservation, said Tahlequah had now lost two out of four documented calves - both of which were female.

Both Canada and the US list Southern Resident killer whales as endangered.

The whales depend on Chinook salmon - which have been in dramatic decline in recent years - for food.

Failures to reproduce are linked to nutrition and access to these salmon, according to research from the University of Washington.

Whales can travel an average of 120km (75 miles) a day.

The 2018 sighting of Tahlequah pushing a dead calf happened when it was off the shores of Victoria, British Columbia.

Shoppers in China are getting rare discounts on iPhones as Apple faces growing competition from local brands.

The four-day promotion, which starts this Saturday (4 January), includes discounts of as much as 500 yuan ($68.50, £55.30) on some of the US technology giant's newest handsets.

Chinese phone maker Huawei has also cut prices of its high-end mobile devices by as much as 20%.

The discounts come as consumers in China remain hesitant about spending because of the country's economic challenges.

The offer covers Apple's top models as well as older handsets and some other devices.

The biggest discount of 500 yuan will apply to Apple's flagship iPhone 16 Pro, which has starting a price of 7,999 yuan, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max which currently costs 9,999 yuan.

The firm held a similar promotion in China last year ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. This year, the festival starts at the end of January.

Changing behaviour

"Apple's strategy has changed to adapt to the change in Chinese consumers' shopping behaviour," said Will Wong, a senior research manager for market intelligence firm International Data Corporation (IDC).

"The value-seeking trend has made price discounts more attractive to consumers. Apple may fall behind other competitors if it doesn't adopt such a pricing strategy."

The discounts being offered by Apple and Huawei reflect a wider trend in China.

From online retail giants to the country's car makers, deals are being offered in a bid to attract customers who have been reluctant to spend as the world's second largest economy slows.

Local competition

Against this backdrop, Apple's share of the Chinese market has come under increasing pressure from local rivals, such as Vivo and Xiaomi.

The US firm re-entered China's top five smartphone makers in the third quarter of 2024 after briefly dropping off the list.

According to IDC's latest research, Vivo was China's best-selling smartphone maker in the period as its sales jumped by more than 20%.

During the same period, Apple saw sales dip by 0.3%. Huawei's jumped by more than 40%.

"We've seen market competition increase with almost everyone launching a flagship last quarter," said Ivan Lam, a senior analyst at Counterpoint Research.

Huawei has seen demand for its products surge after its return to the premium smartphone market in August last year.

The Shenzhen-based firm has since launched several new devices powered by advanced technology despite the company facing US restrictions.

Just hours before the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve, Jack Bech got on a phone call with his older brother Martin - an avid outdoorsman and former football star mostly known to friends and teammates as "Tiger".

Jack, 22, was in Dallas visiting family members, while Tiger, a 28-year-old former Princeton alumnus who lived in New York, was in New Orleans, getting ready to celebrate the New Year.

"We just thought it was going to be another conversation," he told the BBC. "I was showing him what we were eating, and he was showing us what he was eating."

The two brothers would never speak again.

"I hung up the phone, and that was the last time I ever spoke with him," Jack recalled.

Tiger was among the 14 people killed when an attacker ploughed through a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.

• The rev of an engine and then screams - how revelry turned to mayhem in New Orleans
• Fans flock to Sugar Bowl in New Orleans after deadly New Year's attack

The attacker, 42-year-old army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was killed in a gunfight with police after he drove a pick-up truck into the crowds, according to authorities. Though he posted videos online proclaiming allegiance to the Islamic State group before the attack, FBI officials said they believe he was acting alone.

While the identities of all the victims have not been made public yet, a picture is slowly emerging of a group of mostly young people, many of whom - like Tiger - were Louisiana locals.

Jack - who remembers his brother as his best friend, role model and inspiration - says that the close-knit Bech family will never be the same.

Most of the family is in the town of Lafayette, about 136 miles (218km) away from New Orleans.

"This is something we're going to have to deal with. Every time we wake up, and every time we go to sleep, it's going to be something," he added. "Every holiday, there's going to be an empty seat at the table."

But Tiger said that his brother "wouldn't want us to grieve and mourn". Instead, he has encouraged his family to remember him as "a fighter".

"He'd want us to keep attacking life...he'd want us to go and be there for each other," he said.

"I told my family that instead of seeing him a couple of times a year, he'll be with us every moment," Jack added. "Whenever we're waking up and we're going to sleep and we're walking, when we're at work, doing whatever, he'll be with us."

Among the other victims of the attack in the early morning hours of 1 January was Matthew Tenedorio, an audio-visual technician at New Orleans' Caesars' Superdome.

Tenedorio, who just turned 25 in October, had spent the earlier part of his evening at his brother's home in the town of Slidell, about 35 minutes away from New Orleans.

With him were his father and mother - who just recently recovered from cancer.

His cousin, Christina Bounds, told the BBC that his family "begged" him not to go into New Orleans, fearful of the large crowd and potential dangers.

Despite their pleas, he went, along with two friends. When the news broke, his mother eventually got a hold of one of them.

"They said they were walking down Bourbon, and saw a body fall," she said, noting that they now believe it was a body thrown into the air by the attacker's truck.

Amid screams and gunshots, Tenedorio was separated from his friends.

His family says he was shot, and believe he was killed during the exchange of gunfire between the attacker and police officers on Bourbon Street.

The BBC is unable to independently verify this claim.

According to Ms Bounds, the family's tragedy has been made more painful by the slow, nearly non-existent trickle of communications they've had with local authorities.

"We couldn't get any information when my aunt [Tenedorio's mother, Cathy] showed up at the hospital," she said. "There has been no information from doctors, hospitals, or cops. Nobody."

"They have zero information, and that's the part that's pissing everybody off. We don't even know what happened," Bounds added. "Was he carried out by the EMS? Was he in an ambulance? Did he die instantly?"

These answers, she added, would "help people accept" what happened.

"But now it's like total shock," she added. "It's not registering."

The family has started a GoFundMe page to gather funds for Tenedorio's funeral expenses - which Ms Bounds said have been made difficult by his mother's significant medical bills during her cancer diagnosis.

Another cousin of Tenedorio's, Zach Colgan, remembers him as a "goofball" who was quick to make a joke, cared deeply about animals and was an avid storyteller.

"He cared. He was definitely a people person. A happy-go-lucky guy," Mr Colgan told the BBC. "It's sad that a terrorist attack took him...no family should ever have to bury their son, especially for something so senseless."

Mr Colgan, who has experience working with law enforcement in Louisiana, says he believes officers have done the best they can in an extremely hectic casualty situation.

"I know it's chaotic. But part of closure is getting answers. I know my aunt and uncle weren't able to get much besides 'yes - Matthew was killed'," he said.

"It'd be nice to know a little bit more," Mr Colgan added. ""If it was my kid, I'd want to know."

Even as his family continues to search for answers, Mr Colgan says he hopes that the government and public's focus continues to be on the victims, rather than on law enforcement's response or what else could have been done to prevent the attack.

"I want every single one of them to be remembered," he said. "They didn't deserve this. No one deserves this."

Two people have died and 18 others were injured after a small plane crashed into a commercial building in southern California, officials say.

Ten people were taken to hospital with injuries, the Fullerton Police Department said in a post on X on Thursday afternoon. Eight others were treated for injuries and released at the scene.

The single-engine Van's RV-10 crashed at 14:15PST (20:15GMT), according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Officials have provided no further details about how the crash occurred. It is unclear whether the two people who died were workers or were on board the plane.

Police say they are evacuating buildings in the area, and are asking the public to stay away from the crash site.

Congressman Lou Correa, who represents the area of Orange County, about 25 miles (40km) south of Los Angeles, said that the building that was struck is a furniture manufacturing business.

In a post on X, Correa said that at least a dozen of the victims are factory workers.

Aerial photos of the scene show parts of the plane inside the building. The crash also sparked a fire which was extinguished by fire crews.

Security footage recorded from a building across the street shows a fiery explosion, according to local news outlets.

"People are just shaken over the situation," witness Mark Anderson told KRCA-TV.

"It was just a large boom, and then one of the people went out and said, 'Oh my gosh, the building's on fire.'"

The area where the plane crashed is near the Fullerton Municipal Airport, about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from Disneyland.

The plane appears to have been turning back to the airport shortly after takeoff, according to KRCA-TV.

This is the second plane to crash in the area in the past two months, according to CBS, the BBC's US partner.

On 25 November, another plane crashed into a tree roughly one block away from this most recent crash. No major injures were reported in that crash.

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico has threatened to cut financial support for more than 130,000 Ukrainian refugees as a dispute with Ukraine over Russian gas supplies escalates.

On 1 January, Kyiv shut off a pipeline that for decades was used to supply Central Europe with Russian natural gas.

Slovakia had been the main entry point and the country now stands to lose millions of euros in transit fees.

The UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) estimated last month that there were 130,530 Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia out of 6,813,900 globally.

Fico - who in December made a surprise visit to Moscow for talks with Russia's President Vladimir Putin - described Kyiv's move as "sabotage".

The prime minister of the EU state said he would propose halting electricity exports to Ukraine and also "sharply reducing" financial support for Ukrainians who have found shelter in Slovakia.

He said there was no risk of Slovakia itself suffering from gas shortages, as it had already made alternative arrangements.

But Fico added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's decision to turn off the taps would deprive Slovakia of 500m euros (£415m; $518m) in transit fees from other countries.

He said his party was ready to debate "halting supplies of electricity" and the "significant lowering of support for Ukrainian citizens in Slovakia".

"The only alternative for a sovereign Slovakia is renewal of transit or demanding compensation mechanisms that will replace the loss in public finances," he added.

Last month Zelensky accused Fico of helping Putin to "fund the war and weaken Ukraine".

"Fico is dragging Slovakia into Russia's attempts to cause more suffering for Ukrainians," the Ukrainian president had said.

Poland has offered to support Kyiv in case Slovakia cuts off its electricity exports - supplies that are crucial to Ukraine, whose power plants come under regular attack from Russia.

Poland's government called the cut-off "another victory" against Moscow while the European Commission said the EU had prepared for the change and most states could cope.

Moldova, which is not in the EU, is already suffering shortages.

Russia can still send gas to Hungary, Turkey and Serbia through the TurkStream pipeline across the Black Sea.

The man who rented a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside of President-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel is an active-duty US special forces soldier, officials have confirmed.

Las Vegas police identified Matthew Alan Livelsberger, 37, of Colorado, as the renter of the vehicle who drove the Cybertruck from Colorado to Las Vegas.

They said they were fairly certain he was the same person found dead in the vehicle after the explosion but were waiting for DNA evidence to confirm this.

The body was burnt beyond recognition and found with a gunshot wound to the head believed to be self-inflicted, according to Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill.

The explosion injured seven people after the vehicle - filled with fuel canisters and firework mortars - exploded. Officials said all injuries were minor.

Authorities said they were yet to determine any motive.

"I'm comfortable calling it a suicide with a bombing that occurred immediately after," Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said during a Thursday afternoon press conference.

Livelsberger rented the Cybertruck on 28 December in Denver, Colorado. He has decades of experience with the US military, having served in the Army and National Guard.

He entered the active duty Army in December 2012, serving as a special operations soldier.

The US Army said he was on approved leave at the time of his death.

Livelsberger's father spoke to the BBC's news partner CBS and said his son was currently serving in Germany and on leave to visit Colorado and see his wife and eight-month-old daughter.

Livelsberger's father said he last spoke to his son at Christmas and that everything seemed normal.

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Rosita Missoni, co-founder of the eponymous Italian knitwear label Missoni, has died aged 93.

The news was confirmed by the president of Italy's Lombardy region, Attilio Fontana, who praised the brand's iconic "multicoloured textures".

He described her death as "a great loss for Italy, Lombardy and for the province of Varese where she was born and lived".

Rosita founded the luxury brand - which became known for its zig-zag motif - in the northern Italian region with her husband Ottavio in 1953.

Rosita, whose parents were shawlmakers, was born in 1931 in the town of Golasecca, Lombardy.

While on a study trip to learn English in London, she met Ottavio - known as Tai - while he was competing in the 400m hurdles at the 1948 Olympic Games.

At the time, Tai was producing his own knit tracksuits, including bottoms with a zip so they could be put on over trainers.

"When I got married, four sewing machines arrived with my husband," Rosita told the AFP news agency in a 2016 interview.

The pair, who married in 1953, initially set up a machine-knitwear workshop in Gallarate, northwest of Milan.

Their big break came in 1958 when a Milanese department store ordered hundreds of Missoni-labelled striped dresses.

Missoni's first catwalk show came in 1966, followed by a presentation at the Pitti Palace in Florence the following year.

A controversy over the see-through quality of clothing, after models were asked to remove their white bras because they could be seen under blouses, propelled the brand into global fame.

Tai died in 2013, aged 92.

The couple's daughter, Angela, took over the fashion house in the late 1990s, although Rosita continued to work on the label's home line, Missoni Home.

A gunman has killed at least 10 people, including two children, in southern Montenegro, police say.

At least some of the deaths happened inside a restaurant in the Cetinje area, before the suspect reportedly moved to other locations.

A verbal argument between guests preceded the shooting, a police official was quoted as saying by public broadcaster RTCG.

The suspect is still at large and a manhunt is under way. Prime Minister Milojko Spajic described the shooting as a "terrible tragedy".

Multiple casualties are feared in New Orleans after a vehicle reportedly drove into a crowd on the popular Bourbon Street, the BBC's US news partner CBS has reported.

A New Orleans Police spokesman said that "initial reports show a car may have ploughed into a group of people" in the early hours of New Year's Day. The spokesperson added that there were "reported fatalities".

A CBS reporter saw multiple people on the ground with injuries.

Witnesses told the organisation that a vehicle ran into a crowd, and then the driver began firing a weapon, prompting police to return fire. Police have not confirmed this report.

Nola Ready, a New Orleans government agency, said on social media that there had been "a mass casualty incident on Canal and Bourbon Street" and told those nearby to "get yourself away from the area".

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