Six days of funeral events are under way for the former US president Jimmy Carter as a service took place in Atlanta on Saturday.

The 100-year-old Democrat, who served one term in office from 1977 to 1981, died at his home in Plains, Georgia, surrounded by his family on 29 December. He was the oldest living former US president.

A motorcade with his flag-draped coffin set off from the Phoebe Sumter Medical Centre in Americus, where ex-Secret Service agents who protected him served as pallbearers and walked alongside the hearse as it left the campus.

His family, including his four children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, accompanied him in a procession that took his body through Plains and past his boyhood home on his family farm in nearby Archery.

There, the National Park Service rang the old farm bell 39 times to honour his time as the 39th president.

People lined the procession route in central Plains, near the train depot where Mr Carter had his presidential campaign headquarters.

Some carried bouquets of flowers or wore commemorative pins with Mr Carter’s photo.

“We want to pay our respects,” said Will Porter Shelbrock, 12, who was born more than three decades after Mr Carter left the White House in 1981.

“He was ahead of his time on what he tried to do and tried to accomplish.”

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The motorcade made its way to Atlanta, where there was a moment of silence in front of the Georgia Capitol, and later a ceremony took place at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta.

His body will remain at the Carter Presidential Centre until Tuesday, when he will be flown to Washington DC to lie in state at the US Capitol.

His state funeral begins on Thursday at 10am at Washington National Cathedral, followed by a return to Plains for an invitation-only funeral at Maranatha Baptist Church.

He will be buried near his home, next to his late wife Rosalynn Carter, who died in November 2023.

They were both born in Plains and lived most of their lives in and around the city, apart from Mr Carter’s navy career and his terms as Georgia governor and president.

Last year, on his 100th birthday, Mr Carter received a private congratulatory message from the King, expressing admiration for his life of public service.

Mr Carter became president when he defeated former president Gerald Ford in 1976.

The Georgia native and former peanut farmer was later beaten by Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980.

The final year of Mr Carter’s administration was dominated by a hostage crisis in Iran, when 52 Americans were taken captive at the US embassy in November 1979.

On the day he left office, 20 January 1981, the hostages were released. Mr Carter had continued negotiations behind the scenes, even after his election defeat.

In 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to avoid conflict around the world.

Mr Carter conducted diplomatic missions into his 80s and was involved in building houses for the poor well into his 90s.

Following his death, former president Bill Clinton and his wife, the ex-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, led tributes to Mr Carter, who they first met during his campaign in 1975, giving “thanks for his long, good life”.

“Guided by his faith, President Carter lived to serve others – until the very end,” they said in a statement.

White House incumbent Joe Biden said: “Today, America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman, and humanitarian.”

President-elect Donald Trump said the challenges Mr Carter faced as president “came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans”.

“For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude,” he said in a statement.

The King is deeply saddened by the death of a British man who was killed in the attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day – amid reports he was the stepson of an ex-royal nanny.

Edward Pettifer, from Chelsea, west London, was fatally injured in the tragedy, the Metropolitan Police confirmed.

Sky News understands the King was made aware of Mr Pettifer’s death through official channels, was deeply saddened, and has been in touch with the family to share personal condolences.

The 31-year-old’s family said they were “devastated” by his death.

“He was a wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew and a friend to so many,” the family said in a statement.

“We will all miss him terribly. Our thoughts are with the other families who have lost their family members due to this terrible attack. We request that we can grieve the loss of Ed as a family in private.”

New Orleans’ coroner said the preliminary cause of death for Mr Pettifer was blunt force injuries.

Fourteen people were killed and dozens injured when 42-year-old army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar’s rented truck rammed into people in New Orleans’ famous Bourbon Street in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

Jabbar was killed in a shootout with police.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said the attack was “premeditated” and an “evil” act of terrorism, and added Jabbar was “100% inspired by ISIS“, also known as Islamic State.

The preliminary cause of death for all the victims was blunt force injuries, according to the New Orleans coroner.

The coroner has identified most of those killed in the attack, with efforts continuing to identify the final female victim.

• Edward Pettifer, 31, from Chelsea, west London
• Andrew Dauphin, 26, from Montgomery, Alabama
• Kareem Badawi, 23, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Brandon Taylor, 43, from Harvey, Louisiana
• Hubert Gauthreaux, 21, from Gretna, Louisiana
• Matthew Tenedorio, 25, from Picayune, Mississippi
• Ni’Kyra Dedeaux, 18, from Gulfport, Mississippi
• Nicole Perez, 27, from Metairie, Louisiana
• Reggie Hunter, 37, from Prairieville, Louisiana
• Martin Bech, 27, from New York City, New York
• Terrence Kennedy, 63, from New Orleans, Louisiana
• Elliot Wilkinson, 40, from Slidell, Louisiana
• William DiMaio, 25, from Holmdel, New Jersey

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An Islamic State (IS) flag, weapons, and what appeared to be an improvised explosive device (IED) were found in the vehicle used in the attack, the FBI said.

The suspect posted five videos on social media before the rampage in support of IS, the agency added.

In his first clip, Jabbar said he was planning to harm his own family and friends, but was concerned headlines would not focus on the “war between the believers and disbelievers”, said Christopher Raia, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s counter-terrorism division.

Jabbar also joined IS “before this summer”, and provided a will, the FBI chief said.

In an interview with a Texas-based TV station, owned by Sky News’ partner network NBC News, Jabbar’s younger half-brother said he was thinking about all those impacted by the attack.

Abdur-Rahim Jabbar said: “This is a tragedy. We’re all grieving about this.”

The suspect was a Muslim, with his sibling adding: “This wasn’t the man I knew. This wasn’t the father, the son that I knew.

“And that also, this isn’t any representation of Islam or Muslims or the Muslim community.”

A judge has ordered US president-elect Donald Trump to be sentenced next week in his New York hush money case – but has suggested he will not jail him.

In a surprise move, the sentencing has been set for 10 January, just 10 days before the presidential inauguration.

Trump‘s spokesperson called the case “lawless” and a “witch hunt” in a statement released after the date was announced.

He was found guilty in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records, relating to an alleged scheme to hide a hush money payment to adult actress Stormy Daniels in the last weeks of his first campaign in 2016.

Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the trial, has now confirmed sentencing will go ahead, but signalled in a written decision that he would hand down what is known as a conditional discharge, in which a case gets dismissed if a defendant avoids re-arrest.

“While this court as a matter of law must not make any determination on sentencing prior to giving the parties and defendants, opportunity to be heard, it seems proper at this juncture to make known the court’s inclination to not impose any sentence of incarceration, a sentence authorised by the conviction but one the people concede they no longer view as a practicable recommendation,” the judge said.

The development still puts Trump on course to be the first president to take office convicted of felony crimes.

Lawyers for the 78-year-old had pushed to dismiss the verdict and throw out the case on presidential immunity grounds, due to his impending return to the White House.

Judge Merchan rejected this argument, saying he found “no legal impediment to sentencing” and that it was “incumbent” on him to do so prior to the inauguration.

Trump has always denied a sexual encounter with Daniels, but was convicted of falsifying business records over a $130,000 (£102,000) payment to allegedly keep her from publicising claims in the lead up to the 2016 election.

Responding to the sentencing order, the president-elect’s spokesperson, Steven Cheung, called the judge “deeply conflicted” and said the case was a “witch hunt” by the Manhattan district attorney.

“This lawless case should have never been brought and the constitution demands that it be immediately dismissed,” he said. “President Trump must be allowed to continue the presidential transition process and to execute the vital duties of the presidency, unobstructed by the remains of this or any remnants of the witch hunts.

“There should be no sentencing, and President Trump will continue fighting against these hoaxes until they are all dead.”

The president-elect has shaken off other legal cases following his win over Kamala Harris.

Prosecutors ended two federal cases over alleged efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss and claims he hoarded classified papers at his Florida estate.

A separate state case in Georgia – again over election interference claims – is largely on hold.

Mr Trump has denied the allegations in all the cases.