TRANSCRIPT
- Brother of US veteran suspected of killing 14 in New Orleans speaks out.
- South Korean authorities abandon attempt to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol following stand-off.
- And in tennis, Kimberly Birrell knocked out of Brisbane International quarter-finals.
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The brother of a US Army veteran suspected of killing 14 people by ramming a truck into a New Year's Day crowd in New Orleans says the family has been completely blindsided by the attack.
The FBI says Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old Texas native who once served in Afghanistan, acted alone in the shocking and deadly attack which they've labelled an act of terrorism.
They say Mr Jabbar, who was killed in a shoot-out with law enforcement, had pledged allegiance to the so-called 'Islamic State' militant group before carrying out the attack and his vehicle was found with an IS flag.
Jabbar's half-brother Abdur Jabbar is also searching for answers, saying Shamsud-Din Jabbar had been struggling to get past a recent divorce but he showed no signs of anger just weeks before the attack.
He told Texas-broadcaster KPRC2 that the family is grappling with the tragedy.
"Our hearts and prayers and thoughts go out to those families and those who were there to witness it. It's a tragedy. To understand it, we're all grieving about this. This wasn't the man I knew. This wasn't the father, the son that I knew. And also, this isn't any representation about Islam or Muslims or the Muslim community."
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Republicans in the US House of Representatives have failed to elect a speaker in the opening round of voting as right-wing rebels defied incoming president Donald Trump to block the return of Mike Johnson.
The Louisiana lawmaker was unable to earn the support of a simple majority in the lower chamber of Congress, where the Republicans' already threadbare majority was reduced in November's presidential election.
Johnson secured 216 votes, beating Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries by one -- but with three Republicans not backing their leader, the process now goes to a second round.
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Investigators in South Korea have abandoned an attempt to detain South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol at his residence in Seoul.
Police vehicles and crowds of the impeached president's supporters were outside his home in the South Korean capital.
Anti-corruption authorities entered the gate on Yoon's property, after which a standoff ensued between his security team and police investigators.
Protesters were also lying down in front of police in what they said was an attempt to block authorities from the residence.
“The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials is trying to arrest the president in an illegal way, not in a legitimate way. So I came here today to prevent it.”
There were a total of 3,000 police officers on the scene.
Investigators abandoned their effort some five hours after arriving.
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Queensland Police have called on two brothers who are suspects in the alleged murder of a 23-year-old woman on December 22 to turn themselves in.
Arrest warrants have been issued for 29-year-old Codye Thomson and 32-year-old Kaine Thomson-Gleeson, with police vowing to hunt them down.
The two allegedly chased down and shot Chloe Jade Mason, who was found dead on a Caboolture street north of Brisbane.
It is believed the two have fled to northern New South Wales after being questioned by Queensland Police on the day of the incident.
They were released with no charge along with several other witnesses who were at the scene of the crime.
Queensland Police have urged anyone who may have information regarding the two to get in contact with them.
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In tennis,
Kimberly Birrell has failed to advance to the semifinals of a major ATP tournament after losing to Russia's Anhelina Kalinina in the final eight of the Brisbane International.
The 26-year-old entered the game strongly and won the first set, with the two players giving it their all in the deciding third set, which was ultimately won by the Russian.
This was the first outing of Birrell to the quarter-finals of a big tournament, with the German-born player aiming for better results in the future.
Speaking to Channel Nine after the end of the match Kalinina praised her opponent for the thrilling encounter and the crowd who showed their support.
"Actually, I don't even remember reading the match point because every ball was really hard to get and thank you very much guys for being so loud. I mean I was expecting that. And (I) really appreciate that you came to support anyway. (Applause) And I want to give credit to Kimberly because... Wow, what a match!"
