Victims of New Orleans attack identified

Hello. At least 15 people were killed and dozens more wounded after the driver of a pick-up truck ploughed into crowds celebrating the New Year in New Orleans, Louisiana. My colleagues report on the victims that have been named so far and what we know about the attack, which authorities say was inspired by the Islamic State group. As Russian forces continue their advance in eastern Ukraine, diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams explores whether the conflict could end this year. And finally, palaeontologists unearth 200 dinosaur footprints preserved in a quarry in England for hundreds of millions of years.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Families identify victims killed in attack

Martin "Tiger" Bech, a former football player at Princeton University, was killed in the Bourbon Street attack. Credit: Michelle Bech

In the early hours of New Year's Day, Bourbon Street was bustling. Revellers were spilling out from bars and clubs in the neon-lit street in the heart of New Orleans' French Quarter when a white pick-up truck ploughed into a large crowd. An American football player, a young aspiring nurse, a mother of a four-year-old and a father-of-two are among the victims that have been named by their families. The driver of the vehicle was killed in a shootout with police. He was named as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a US Army veteran from Texas. President Joe Biden said the attacker was inspired by the Islamic State (IS) group and the FBI said an IS flag was found in the truck. Suspected explosive devices were also found in the pick-up truck, and elsewhere in the city's French Quarter.

WORLD HEADLINES

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

How the war in Ukraine could end in 2025

In the absence of agreement on Ukraine's long term future, its allies are doing what they can to bolster its defences. Credit: Reuters

Russia is gaining ground more quickly than at any time since it launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. It feels like an inflection point, writes Paul Adams. But could this year really see the end of the devastating conflict, and what might that look like?

And finally...

The UK's biggest-ever dinosaur trackway site has been discovered in a quarry in Oxfordshire, England. About 200 huge footprints, which were made 166 million years ago in the Jurassic period, criss-cross a limestone floor. They reveal the comings and goings of two different types of dinosaurs, thought to be a long-necked sauropod called Cetiosaurus and the smaller meat-eating Megalosaurus. Take a look.