A whirlwind century by Dawid Malan in a record-breaking stand with Eoin Morgan saw England crush New Zealand in the fourth Twenty20 by 76 runs in Napier on Friday to level the series with one game remaining.
Malan was unbeaten on 103 at the close of the England innings with Morgan out in the final over for 91 as England posted an imposing 241 for three and then rolled New Zealand for 165 with 19 balls remaining.
The overwhelming victory set up a winner-takes-all finale in the fifth and final game in Auckland on Sunday.
Malan’s 48-ball century was the fastest T20 hundred by an Englishman, his 182-run stand with Morgan is the highest by an England pair and the 241 total is an England record.
Morgan’s 21-ball 50 is also an England record.
“The message is always the same, play aggressively and back yourself,” Malan said. “It’s not very often you have days like that when every time you have a hack at one it lands safe or goes for six. It’s as good as it gets.”
Between them, the two left-handers hit 13 sixes and 16 fours with Mitchell Santner and Trent Boult the only New Zealand bowlers to escape with a run rate below 10 an over.
New Zealand started their run chase at a fast clip reaching 54 in the fifth over when Martin Guptill was dismissed for 27 and wickets fell regularly after that.
Only Tim Southee (39) and Colin Munro (30) offered any further resistance while Matt Parkinson took four for 47 for England and Chris Jordan finished with two for 24.
Malan is only the second England player to score a T20 century after Alex Hales, who needed 60 balls to reach his hundred.
He advanced from 61 to 89 in a brutal attack in an Ish Sodhi over when he belted three sixes, two fours and a two, and reached his maiden century pulling Boult over the square-leg boundary for another six.
It was a much-need confidence booster for England who won the first match in the series and were then well outplayed in the next two.
After losing the toss, England then lost early wickets with Santner removing Jonny Bairstow for eight and Tom Banton for 31 to have the impressive figures of two for five from his first two overs.
But that changed dramatically as Morgan and Malan took charge and blasted 20 off Santner’s next over.
Of the New Zealand bowlers, Blair Tickner finished with none for 50 off his four overs, while Sodhi had none for 49 off three overs and Southee bowled his full complement to finish with one for 47.
New Zealand’s wing Sevu Reece (L) and England’s full back Elliot Daly reach for the ball during the Japan 2019 Rugby World Cup semi-final match between England and New Zealand at the International Stadium Yokohama in Yokohama on October 26, 2019. CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP
Fly-half George Ford led the way as England ended New Zealand’s eight-year reign as champions with a superb 19-7 World Cup semi-final win in Yokohama on Saturday.
Ford, restored at 10 by coach Eddie Jones, took over goal-kicking duties after England captain Owen Farrell took a knock but he landed four penalty attempts after Manu Tuilagi stunned the All Blacks with an early try.
This was just England’s eighth win in 42 Tests against New Zealand and meant the All Blacks had lost their first World Cup match since a shock 2007 quarter-final defeat by France.
England’s first World Cup win over the two-time defending champions puts them into their fourth final — just four years after their embarrassing first-round exit on home soil.
“Our best form of attack is our defence. We create opportunities through our defence to attack,” said England coach Eddie Jones, who has masterminded the turnaround.
“I’d like to pay the greatest compliment to New Zealand. They’ve won two World Cups in a row. They’ve been a really great team and and we had to dig really deep to beat them.”
England, world champions in 2003 when they beat an Australia side coached by Jones in the final, will now face the winners of Sunday’s match between South Africa and Wales in next week’s showpiece clash.
Their victory ended the tenure of All Blacks coach Steve Hansen, who is stepping down after overseeing a sensational run when they lost only 10 of 106 Tests.
‘Take that on the chin’
“I’m really proud of our team. They’ve done a tremendous job for their country and tonight we just weren’t good enough,” said Hansen.
“So we have to take that on the chin and so does everybody back home and our fans.”
England led 10-0 at the break thanks to Tuilagi’s converted try and the first of Ford’s penalties after a superb forward effort led by locks Courtney Lawes and Maro Itoje saw them dominate territory and possession.
Another Ford penalty early in the second half made it 13-0 but the All Blacks eventually broke a defence coached by former New Zealand boss John Mitchell in the 57th minute, when Ardie Savea crashed over for a converted try.
But Sam Underhill’s tackle on the recalled Scott Barrett led to a simple penalty in front of the posts that Ford duly kicked.
Jones had recalled Ford at fly-half following the 40-16 quarter-final win over Australia, moving Farrell to inside centre.
Before kick-off England, unusually, lined up in an inverted ‘V’ formation, crossing the half-way line as the All Blacks performed their traditional pre-match haka.
And there were fewer than two minutes on the clock when England scored a brilliant team try.
Fullback Elliot Daly made a fine break down the right that was carried on by wing Anthony Watson before the ball was worked across field, with hooker Jamie George charging forward.
Disallowed tries
Ford then found prop Kyle Sinckler and he in turn released Lawes, who took the ball to the All Blacks’ line.
From the ensuing ruck, powerhouse centre Tuilagi — one of England’s try-scorers when they last beat the All Blacks seven years ago — forced his way between guard props Joe Moody and Nepo Laulala for a fine try.
Farrell converted and England led 7-0.
They almost had a second try minutes later when Tuilagi intercepted and found Farrell who passed to Jonny May.
But great corner-flagging by recalled flanker Scott Barrett stopped the wing in his tracks.
England made several more early visits to New Zealand’s 22 only for their own errors to cost them the chance of further points.
Underhill, who had a try against New Zealand last year controversially disallowed, went over in the 25th minute but referee Nigel Owens correctly ruled out the score for crossing by fellow flanker Tom Curry in the build-up.
Ford’s drop goal attempt sailed well wide of the right post but he made no mistake with a 45-metre penalty after a limping Farrell was unable to take the shot.
England thought they had their second try when, following a drive off an attacking line-out, scrum-half Ben Youngs went over after selling centre Anton Lienert-Brown a dummy.
But Owens ruled it out for a knock-on in the maul.
Another Ford penalty extended the lead but George’s overthrown line-out near England’s line was collected by Savea, with fly-half Richie Mo’unga converting.
That, however, was as close as New Zealand got as two more Ford penalties created an unbridgeable gap for the defending champions.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (L) and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters speak to the media during a Post Cabinet media press conference at Parliament in Wellington on March 18, 2019. David Lintott / AFP
New Zealand announced plans for a national firearms register Monday in its second round of gun law reforms following the Christchurch mosque attacks which killed 51 Muslim worshippers.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said regulations around who could hold firearm licences would also be tightened to “stop weapons falling into the wrong hands”.
Ardern said the March 15 killings, when a gunman opened fire at two Christchurch mosques as worshippers gathered for Friday prayers, had changed attitudes towards gun ownership in New Zealand.
“There is a new normal around firearms, it is a change of mindset,” she told reporters.
“The most dangerous weapons are being taken out of circulation.”
The government’s initial response to the attack was an immediate ban on the military-style semi-automatic rifles (MSSAs) used in the worst massacre in modern New Zealand history.
Police Minister Stuart Nash said the latest changes were needed to keep track of firearms in the community.
“Under the current law, we do not know exactly how many guns are in circulation, who owns them, who is selling them, who is buying them or how securely they are stored,” he said.
The register, which is expected to take five years to complete, will contain details of the estimated 1.2 million firearms in New Zealand, for a population of around five million.
The second round of gun law reform also includes a ban on foreign nationals purchasing firearms — the accused Christchurch gunman Brenton Tarrant is an Australian who allegedly bought an arsenal of rifles while living on the South Island.
It also bars people with convictions for violence, gang activity, drug or firearm offences from holding a licence.
A nationwide buyback scheme including 250 “collection events” run by police, was launched this month, allowing members of the public to hand in weapons before a six-month amnesty expires.
Nash said there had been a strong response during the first week of the buyback, with more than 11,000 prohibited firearms and parts handed in.
“Firearms owners want to do the right thing. Many events have seen people queueing before the doors open, ready to hand in firearms, parts and ammunition,” he said.
Canada’s forward Nichelle Prince (L) celebrates after scoring a goal during the France 2019 Women’s World Cup Group E football match between Canada and New Zealand, on June 15, 2019, at the Alpes Stadium in Grenoble, central-eastern France. Jean-Pierre Clatot / AFP
Canada beat New Zealand 2-0 in a women’s World Cup Group E game in Grenoble on Saturday to cement a place in the second round and leave the Kiwis on the brink of elimination.
Earlier in Valenciennes, the Netherlands saw off a spirited Cameroon 3-1 to also move to six points in the group and secure their place in the last 16.
Canada had beaten Cameroon 1-0 in their opening game while New Zealand had battled hard before losing to an injury-time Dutch goal.
On Saturday, Canada again dominated andbombarded the New Zealand goal with 22 total strikes, 11 of them on target.
The Canadians took the lead after 48 minutes.
Nichelle Prince raced down the left wing, where the New Zealand defence had struggled even before right back C.J. Bott went off injured in the 17th minute.
Prince cut in along the goal line and then pulled a precise pass back to Jessie Fleming who side-footed the ball inside the far post.
Prince added a second after 78 minutes, poking home a rebound from close range after Christine Sinclair’s powerful downward header hit the inside of the post.
Despite the assist, it was another frustrating evening for 36-year-old Sinclair who is chasing retired American Abby Wambach’s record of 184 international goals.
Sinclair remained on 181 goals for Canada after nodding the ball against the bar in the first half, skying a shot from a precise low cross by the outstanding Janine Beckie early in the second and hitting the post before Prince’s goal.
Canada and the Netherlands meet in Reims on June 20 to decide who will top the group.
At the same time, New Zealand will play Cameroon in Montpellier. As things stand, a win could be enough to take either team through to the second round as one of the four best third-place teams, although that could change by kick off.
(File Photo) A file photo taken on November 20, 2017 shows logos of US multinational technology company Google displayed on computers’ screens. LOIC VENANCE / AFP
Major technology firms pledged Wednesday to cooperate on “transparent, specific measures” to prevent the posting of violent extremist content online, part of a “Christchurch Call” launched in the wake of the massacre at two New Zealand mosques in March in which 51 people died.
“The dissemination of such content online has adverse impacts on the human rights of the victims, on our collective security and on people all over the world,” said the companies, including Google, Microsoft, Twitter and Facebook, at a meeting with world leaders in Paris.
The call was initiated by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French leader Emmanuel Macron to avoid a repeat of the Christchurch killings, which were broadcast live by the gunman on Facebook for 17 minutes.
The horrific footage remained online for a further 12 minutes before Facebook was alerted by a user and took it down, but millions of uploads and shares of the video continued in the following days.
The statement was issued as Ardern and Macron hosted tech chiefs and some other world leaders at the Elysee Palace to crack down on extremism online.
Backers of the Christchurch Call, a voluntary series of commitments by firms and governments, have pledged new steps to prevent uploads of hateful and violent content, and quickly remove any that gets through their defences.
“Cooperative measures to achieve these outcomes may include technology development, the expansion and use of shared databases… and effective notice and takedown procedures,” they said.
In particular they promised “immediate, effective measures to mitigate the specific risk that terrorist and violent extremist contest is disseminated through livestreaming.”
The firms also agreed to invest in the development of artificial intelligence and other technical solutions for identifying and purging violent and extremist posts.
Algorithms used to determine what social media users see in their feeds may also be tweaked to direct people away from extremist or hateful content, “or the promotion of credible, positive alternatives.”
But the text did not outline any concrete steps that would be taken by individual firms, nor set any timeframe for putting any new measures in place.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (L) and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters speak to the media during a Post Cabinet media press conference at Parliament in Wellington on March 18, 2019. David Lintott / AFP
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday ordered an independent judicial inquiry into whether police and intelligence services could have prevented the Christchurch mosque attacks on March 15.
Ardern said a royal commission — the most powerful judicial probe available under New Zealand law — was needed to find out how a single gunman was able to kill 50 people in an attack that shocked the world.
“It is important that no stone is left unturned to get to how this act of terrorism occurred and how we could have stopped it,” she told reporters.
New Zealand’s spy agencies have faced criticism in the wake of the attack for concentrating on the threat from Islamic extremism.
Instead, the victims were all Muslims and the massacre was allegedly carried out by a white supremacist fixated on the belief that there was an Islamist plot to “invade” Western countries.
“One question we need to answer is whether or not we could or should have known more,” Ardern said.
“New Zealand is not a surveillance state … but questions need to be answered.”
Ardern ruled out New Zealand re-introducing the death penalty for accused gunman Brenton Tarrant, 28, who was arrested minutes after the attack on the mosques and has been charged with murder.
She said details of the royal commission were being finalised, but it would be comprehensive and would report in a timely manner.
It will cover the activities of intelligence services, police, customs, immigration and any other relevant government agencies in the lead-up to the attack.
The gunman livestreamed the attack online, although New Zealand has outlawed the footage as “objectionable content”.
Ardern reiterated her believe it should not be aired.
“That video should not be shared. That is harmful content,” she said when questioned about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan showing excerpts of the footage at campaign rallies for local elections this month.
Erdogan had angered both Wellington and Canberra with campaign rhetoric about anti-Muslim Australians and New Zealanders being sent back in “coffins” like their grandfathers at Gallipoli, a World War I battle.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters travelled to Istanbul to meet Erdogan and address an emergency meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
Peters said OIC members were full of praise for the support New Zealand had offered its small, tight-knit Muslim community in the wake of the killings.
“A number of them were weeping and sobbing at the demonstration (of support) by non-Muslim New Zealand towards the Muslim victims,” he told reporters.
“It was dramatic and I was told by countless ministers that they’ve never seen anything of that type.”
The body of an Indian student killed in the Christchurch mosque attacks, meanwhile, was returned Monday to her grieving family in Kochi, where relatives remembered a bright young woman dedicated to her studies.
Ansi Alibava, 25, was the first of at least five Indians shot dead on March 15 to be repatriated.
The family planned to hold a funeral ceremony for the masters’ student in their nearby hometown of Kodungallur.
Two people look at tributes left at the Linwood Islamic Centre which remains closed despite the reopening of city’s Al Noor mosque, in Christchurch on March 23, 2019. WILLIAM WEST / AFP
More than NZ$10.8 million ($7.4 million) in public donations has been received so far to help families of the 50 people killed in New Zealand’s mosque shootings, according to a pair of fund-raising websites.
A support fund on New Zealand site GiveaLittle.co.nz had received NZ$8,271,847 from more than 91,000 donors as of Sunday, while LaunchGood.com, a global crowdfunding platform focused on Muslims, had netted NZ$2,546,126 from over 40,000 donors.
The slaughter of 50 people at Friday prayers in two Christchurch mosques on March 15 shocked the normally laid-back country and prompted global horror, heightened by the gunman’s cold-blooded live streaming of the massacre.
Since then, New Zealanders have responded with an outpouring of support for the country’s small Muslim community.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said last week that the country would cover the costs of burying the 50 victims as well as “repatriation costs for any family members who would like to move their loved ones away from New Zealand.”
The attack also left dozens of people injured, some critically.
Brenton Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian white supremacist, was arrested within minutes of the massacre and has been charged with murder.
In this file photo taken on February 20, 2019, Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan Miraz reacts during the third one-day international cricket match between New Zealand and Bangladesh at University Oval in Dunedin. Marty MELVILLE / AFP
A Bangladeshi cricketer who narrowly escaped last week’s deadly mosque attacks in New Zealand married his fiancee Friday.
Off-spinner Mehidy Hasan was among 17 members of the Bangladesh Test cricket team touring New Zealand who were driven up to a Christchurch mosque as the shooting began.
They later watched as blood-soaked victims staggered from the building, according to team manager Khaled Mashud, who said if they had arrived just a few minutes later the team could have been caught up in the massacre.
Mehidy announced that he had married his long-term sweetheart Rabeya Akhter Priti on Thursday in a ceremony in the southwestern Bangladeshi city of Khulna.
“I am starting a new journey in my life today. I would like to request the blessings of all my fans and well-wishers for my new beginning. May the Rahmat of Allah always shower upon us,” Mehidy said in his official Facebook page.
Meanwhile, pace bowler Mustafizur Rahman was due to marry his cousin, psychology student Samia Parvin Shimu, in their rural home on Friday, his brother told AFP.
“We were looking for a suitable time for his marriage… Now if it can help him overcome the shock, we will be really happy,” Mahfuzur Rahman said.
The team was in Christchurch for their third and final Test match against the home side scheduled to begin last Saturday, which was promptly cancelled to allow the cricketers to return home.
Fifty people died in attacks on two mosques in Christchurch in what is believed to be the worst assault on Muslims in a Western country. Five Bangladeshis were among those killed.
Mourners help to carry a casket containing the body of Haji Mohammed Daoud Nabi, 71, a victim of the Al Noor Mosque massacre, during his funeral in Christchurch on March 21, 2019. Anthony WALLACE / AFP
More than 10,000 people marched silently on Thursday through the New Zealand city where the alleged shooter in last week’s massacre had lived, as the country paid its respects to the 50 victims of the tragedy.
Marchers made their way through Dunedin to a rugby stadium where a total of about 15,000 people eventually gathered for a sombre vigil, New Zealand media reported.
The accused killer, Australian-born 28-year-old Brenton Tarrant, had lived for the past two years in the city on New Zealand’s South Island before carrying out last Friday’s slaughter in Christchurch, about 350 kilometres (220 miles) to the north.
A self-avowed white supremacist, Tarrant took advantage of New Zealand’s relatively lax gun laws to acquire military-style semi-automatic weapons that he used to gun down worshippers at two Christchurch mosques.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks to journalists during a press conference at the Justice Precinct in Christchurch on March 20, 2019. Marty MELVILLE / AFP
New Zealand imposed a ban on assault weapons Thursday, moving swiftly following the Christchurch massacre and triggering renewed calls from leading American politicians for gun controls in the United States.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said assault rifles and semi-automatic weapons were now banned with immediate effect, making good on a pledge to the country of the military-style weapons used in last week’s slaughter of 50 people.
The killings at two Christchurch mosques by an Australian white supremacist have caused national soul-searching over New Zealand’s lax gun laws.
But the crackdown promises to have political repercussions beyond the country’s shores, including in the United States where gun control is one of the most divisive national political issues.
“In short, every semi-automatic weapon used in the terrorist attack on Friday will be banned in this country,” Ardern said.
She added that high-capacity magazines and devices similar to bump stocks — which allow users to fire weapons faster — will also be banned.
Proponents of gun control in the United States and around the world praised the move and denounced the powerful US pro-gun lobby on social media, while American gun supporters defended their constitutional right to bear arms.
– ‘Follow NZ’s lead’ –
“This is what real action to stop gun violence looks like,” Democratic US Senator and presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders tweeted.
“We must follow New Zealand’s lead, take on the NRA (National Rifle Association) and ban the sale and distribution of assault weapons in the United States.”
High-profile Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez contrasted Ardern’s swift action with US failure to enact even modest controls following recurring horrific shootings such as at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut in 2012, in which 20 children and six school staff died.
“Sandy Hook happened 6 years ago and we can’t even get the Senate to hold a vote on universal background checks,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.
“Christchurch happened, and within days New Zealand acted to get weapons of war out of the consumer market. This is what leadership looks like.”
US President Donald Trump did not immediately react on his Twitter feed, but NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch responded to Sanders by tweeting that “the US isn’t NZ.”
“While they do not have an inalienable right to bear arms and to self defence, we do,” she said.
Accused shooter Brenton Tarrant live-streamed the carnage in real-time, sparking worldwide revulsion and concern over access to guns and the use of social media by extremists.
Tarrant had written that he planned to use firearms for his attacks to encourage US gun control advocates to push for curbs, thus tearing open the bitter political debate.
“This attempted abolishment of rights by the left will result in a dramatic polarization of the people in the United States and eventually a fracturing of the US along cultural and racial lines,” he wrote.
New Zealand’s ban includes interim measures to prevent a run on such guns before legislation is enacted, and outlawing weapons already in private possession.
Guns are to be handed in and destroyed via a buyback scheme that will cost between Nz$100 million and $200 million (between US$69 million and $139 million), depending on how many are received and their valuations.
– A changed nation –
NZ Police Commissioner Michael Bush said there were around a quarter of a million firearms users in New Zealand, but he did not give a breakdown on how many possess semi-automatics.
Conservative estimates indicate some 1.5 million weapons are in circulation in New Zealand, equating to three guns for every 10 people, well below the US ratio of more than one weapon per person.
“The vast majority of New Zealanders will support this change. I feel incredibly confident of that,” Ardern said.
Simon Bridges, leader of the opposition National Party, embraced the ban and pledged to work with the government on it.
“The terrorist attack in Christchurch last week has changed us as a nation,” Bridges said.
“We agree that the public doesn’t need access to military-style semi-automatic weapons.”
Initial public reaction was positive in the still-shocked country, where hundreds of people turned out for a second day for sombre funerals in Christchurch.
“It’s a good thing. Why would we need to have guns like this in our houses?” Kawthar Abulaban, 54, who survived the shootings, told AFP.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (R) speaks with first responders to the scene after an Australian white supremacist gunman on March 15 shot down 50 Muslims at two mosques,/ AFP
A 44-year-old man has become the second person charged with sharing a gruesome live stream video of the deadly attack at a Christchurch mosque, as New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called for a global response to the dangers of social media.
Philip Arps, 44, was arrested by New Zealand Police on Tuesday, four days after 28-year-old Australian Brenton Tarrant went on a rampage at two mosques in the southern city, killing 50 people and wounding dozens more.
The live stream video was shot by Tarrant, who is facing one initial charge of murder for the killings at Al Noor and Linwood mosques.
Arps was charged with two counts of distributing objectionable material under the Films Act and was remanded in custody after appearing in Christchurch District Court on Wednesday.
Arps, who is due back in court on April 15, has attracted controversy for owning a company with Nazi-themed branding. The firm’s logo is a sunwheel, which was appropriated by the Nazis.
A teenager appeared in court earlier this week on the same charge.
Facebook said the live stream was viewed fewer than 200 times but it has had to remove a staggering 1.5 million videos as footage of the slaughter went viral.
Ardern said Wednesday that while her focus was on the people of New Zealand, there were issues world leaders needed to confront collectively.
“We cannot, for instance, just simply deal with some of the issues we face with our social media to be dealt with on a case by case basis,” she said.
“There is an argument there to be made for us to take a united front on a global issue.
“This is not just an issue for New Zealand, the fact that social media platforms have been used to spread violence (and) material that incites violence. All of us need to present a united front.”
Arps’ court appearance came as the first funerals of the victims were held, with more expected to take place later Wednesday and on Thursday as officials release the victims’ bodies to their families.
Mourners carry the first coffin of the Christchurch mosques massacre victim for the burial at Memorial Park Cemetery during the funeral ceremony in Christchurch / AFP
A Syrian refugee and his son who fled the chaos of their homeland only to meet tragedy in New Zealand were buried on Wednesday in the first funerals of those killed in the mosque massacres.
Hundreds of mostly Muslim mourners gathered at a cemetery in the southern city of Christchurch to lay to rest Khalid Mustafa and his 15-year-old son Hamza, who were among 50 people slaughtered at two mosques by an Australian white supremacist.
The family of five had fled to New Zealand seeking sanctuary from the Syrian maelstrom but died in last Friday’s hail of bullets, a bitter irony that New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called “gutting”.
“I cannot tell you how gutting it is to know that a family came here for safety and for refuge, and they should have been safe here,” Ardern said at a press conference in Christchurch after the funeral.
Khalid, 44, and Hamza were shot dead at the Al Noor Mosque, the first site to be attacked, but not before Hamza called his mother in a panic.
“After that I heard shooting and he screamed and after that I didn’t hear him,” she told New Zealand media this week.
– Powerful scenes – Their younger son Zaid, 13, was also injured in the attack and attended the funeral in a wheelchair. In a powerful scene, he held his hands aloft as he prayed alongside rows of mourners.
“I shouldn’t be standing in front of you. I should be lying beside you,” Zaid said at the graves of his brother and father, according to Jamil El-Biza, who traveled from Australia for the funerals.
Also attending was Abdul Aziz, an Afghan refugee who confronted the gunman at Linwood Mosque. He was embraced by many mourners.
In a sign of lingering tensions, the PA system at the funeral announced evacuation procedures from the venue in the event of an emergency, mourners said.
A total of six burials took place on Wednesday and more were expected in the days ahead after police on Tuesday began releasing victims’ remains for burial.
The scale of the attack has caused global revulsion, including alleged gunman Brenton Tarrant’s use of social media to livestream the carnage in real-time.
– ‘United front’ – Ardern, who has vowed to tighten New Zealand’s lax gun ownership laws, said Wednesday the horrific events in Christchurch showed the need for a global approach to confront the dangers posed by extremists’ use of social media.
“There is an argument there to be made for us to take a united front on what is a global issue,” she said.
“This is not just an issue for New Zealand, the fact that social media platforms have been used to spread violence (and) material that incites violence.”
New Zealand on Wednesday charged a second person with sharing the gruesome livestream video of the deadly attack.
Philip Arps, 44, who was arrested the day before, was charged with two counts of distributing objectionable material under the Films Act and was remanded in custody after appearing in Christchurch District Court.
A teenager appeared in court earlier this week on the same charge.
– Turkey tension – The 28-year-old gunman was arrested after the shootings and is expected to spend his life in prison as New Zealand has no death penalty.
In a rambling “manifesto”, Tarrant had said he was motivated partly by a desire to stoke religious conflict between Islam and the West.
The attacks have sparked a row between Australia and Turkey.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday condemned what he called “highly offensive” comments by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, warning that he would consider “all options” in reviewing bilateral relations.
Erdogan, while campaigning for local elections, presented the attack as part of an assault on Turkey and Islam and warned anti-Muslim Australians would be “sent back in coffins” like their grandfathers at Gallipoli, a blood-drenched World War I battle.
– ‘Completely changed’ – The start of funerals should ease pressure from Muslim families, many of whom have travelled long distances to claim loved ones’ remains and complained that police investigations have delayed the return of bodies and prevented the speedy burials prescribed under Islam.
New Zealand authorities are yet to release an official list of the dead, making it difficult to assess the full histories of victims.
But few are likely to present a narrative as poignant and tragic as the Mustafa family.
The New Zealand website Stuff.co.nz this week ran a picture of Hamza smiling on a boat as he showed off a freshly caught fish.
His mother said that after their phone connection was cut during the shootings, she tried repeatedly to reach him again.
“After that someone picked up the phone and told me your son can’t breathe, I think he’s dead,” the website said quoted her saying.
Salwa described her son and husband as both “very caring” people, adding that “our lives have completely changed.”
“God will punish him (the gunman), my son and my husband are in heaven now and we’re going after them, we’re going to follow them to the heavens.”
