this is bbc world news. i'm sharanjit leyl in christchurch. our top stories: 50 people are confirmed dead in the attack on two mosques in new zealand. 13 people remain in critical condition in hospital. crowds have gathered in christchurch to pay their respects and lay flowers. new zealand's prime minister, jacinda ardern, has met members of the islamic community in wellington. she's pledged to tighten the country's gun laws. this is the scene in new zealand, in wellington, where she's expected to make a statement shortly. live from the parliament building. we'll bring that to you live. i'm reged ahmad in london. also in the programme: president macron has condemned violent protests by yellow vest protestors in paris.

shops were looted and barricades set alight. hello and welcome to bbc news. in the next few minutes, we're expecting new zealand's prime minister to make a statement. this is the live picture from the location in parliament, where jacinda ardern is expected to provide an update. it's now known that 50 people were killed in friday's attack on two mosques in the new zealand city of christchurch. 35 of the injured are still in hospital, 13 of them in a critical condition. my colleague, sharanjit leyl, is in christchurch. let's go there now.

it's 4 o'clock in the afternoon here in christchurch and it's a day of mourning and remembrance for many people. throughout the day we have seen many people come here to rate the day, it is near al noor mosque which was one of the sites of attacks. —— throughout the day. people have been leaving floral tributes, singing songs, chanting to show their support to the families. it is really a rejection of the hate that inspired friday's attack. earlier we saw from the prime minister, she has been visiting people at the kilbirnie mosque and laying a wreath there. it was an emotional gathering for many people left shocked by the attack. she laid flowers and shared some emotional moments with people. in wellington, that is the political centre, the focus is now on what the prime minister will say to the country prime minister will say to the cou ntry after prime minister will say to the country after one of the darkest days for the country. already she

has vowed to change the country's gun laws. that is after officers confirmed the alleged attacker had legally acquired five weapons, including two semillon —— semiautomatic rifles. some of the guns were modified to make them more powerful is now it is expect ban will be considered by a politicians. —— considered by politicians. she has been giving several press conferences has been giving several press c0 nfe re nces over has been giving several press conferences over the past few days, updating people and of course giving her support to people still grieving. earlier we heard from the chief of surgery here at christchurch hospital and he gave an update on those who are currently critically injured. it is, uh — it is a bit challenging for people. you know, we are all part of the community

and we are struggling with it as much as everyone else is. this is not something that we expected to see in our environment. we do see gunshot wounds, and do see all these type of injuries, but a0 or 50 people in a day is more than what we should see, so our staff are doing remarkably well. part of the reason that we are trying to take some of the pressure off the system through the week is to allow people to have a bit of a break. most people cope with things pretty well when you are doing things, but it's when you go home and you think about it. when people come into hospital in an event like this, particularly with gunshot wounds, there are things that we need to do initially in terms of saving life and saving limbs, so our initial surgery, after having the patient triaged, is to deal with the life—threatening problems, what we call

damage—control surgery. that's trying to stop bleeding, making sure the airway is intact, and the circulation system effectively is preserved — the abcs that you would all probably rememberfrom your cpr days of training. i'm sure you have all done that. so once the damage control was done, people, then we moved down to the next layer of severity of injury and we deal with those problems as they go. you might imagine someone who has had a major bleeding problem, we'll deal with that major bleeding problem, but we won't perhaps deal with the other, lesser injuries and that is why they need to go back to theatre the next time around. and the, well, the less significant injuries are left for last, so that is why some of the people are needing to go to theatre two,

three, four times. there are also situations with people have, i guess, an unrecognised complication or a bleeding issue that occurs subsequent to the surgery that they've had. with high velocity weapons, they cause a barotrauma, damage to the tissue, that we are trying to preserve as much of as possible without removing tissue that might be useful for them in the long term. we do the minimum and come back and re—explore or redo procedures again at a subsequent occasion. chief of surgery greg robertson there. we have been gathered here at the spot as i mentioned is not very far away from the site of one of the shootings, the al noor mosque, and we are in front of a memorial but i should say the streets just over in that direction has been shut off through the day by police. there are currently some police officers their conduct in some forensic investigations, taking a photograph

of things on the road. earlier we actually saw a troop of policemen flicked the road with a metal, presumably looking for any more explosive devices —— sweep the road. we know some were found on vehicles on friday, the day of the attack. and as we have been reporting as well, the death toll now stands at 50. hywell griffith has this report. to show their grief, to show their love, christchurch‘s people are coming together as they try to comprehend a violent act of terror. some are just holding on to life. wasseim and his li—year—old daughter were both shot. he posted this message online from his hospital bed. sirens wail. the attacks brought chaos to christchurch. it took 36 minutes from the first

emergency call for the suspects to be apprehended. —— it took 36 minutes from the first emergency call for the suspect to be apprehended. he left behind an enormous, complicated crime scene. only now have the police been able to locate all of the bodies. as of last night, we were able to take all of the victims from both of those scenes. and in doing so, we have located a further victim. so that brings the number of those who have died to 50. after all the fear and violence this city experienced on friday, this is the natural, heartfelt response — people wanting to come to stand together, to grieve together, and show their solidarity. they want to help those whose lives have been changed forever. it has just touched a lot of hearts in christchurch for everyone, especially us. like, we are immigrants, like, we came here to make a life.

and a few of our family friends were killed... they were part of it. clear that every community, every culture, is welcome here. the victims were their friends, their neighbours. our hearts go out to them. they are our people as well. they are citizens of this nation. a city struck at years ago by a natural disaster is once again bearing incalculable loss, but following the maori message, kia kaha, and staying strong. more details are merging of the people involved in the attack, including some acts of bravery. the brother of one man who was killed has spoken of his pride and the pain at losing his brother who had tried to tackle the gunman. daniela relph has more.

so many of those killed had moved to new zealand to find peace and tranquillity. but instead, they were all victims of a violent attack as they prayed. naeem rashid had been living in new zealand for nine years. his family say he loved his life there. both he and his 21—year—old son, talha, were killed. originally from pakistan, the government there confirmed their death. in a video of the attack, naeem was seen confronting the gunman. i saw that video and the first thing i wanted to see was the look in his eyes. i did not see an iota of fear in those eyes, and that made me proud. what a brave man he was. i heard from people there, there were a few witnesses who said he saved a few lives there by trying to stop that guy. the stories of those killed continue to emerge. sayyad milne was 14 and wanted

to be a footballer. the police have told his father that his son died in the mosque. hosni ara was originally from bangladesh and officials there said she had been killed. she was looking for her husband in the men's section of the mosque when she was shot. khaled mustafa, a refugee from syria, moved with his family last year to the safety of new zealand. officials have told his wife that he was killed during friday prayers. one of his teenage sons is also missing. haji daioud nabi was 71. he ran the afghan association at the mosque. relatives have described his death as an act of cowardice. the family of farhaj hassan in india were told of his death today by the authorities in new zealand. the country where he and his wife were raising their two young children. nobody believed, nobody was even imagining that in new zealand, which is a peace—loving country,

such a situation arises. in the coming days, we will learn more about the lives lost and the anguish of the families who grieve. daniela relph, bbc news. as you can see behind me here, people have come together to show solidarity to the victims and their families. this continues through the day. we are expecting jacinda ardern, we believe she is about to give the press conference now in wellington. that's listening. a provisional list of missing people was released to families late last night. this is not a formal list and will not be until formal identification has been completed. i have had contact with those directly on the ground and know that providing as much information as we can is in critically important. but i also know the receipt of that

provisional list last night will, of course, have been devastating. in amongst all of the ongoing issues, the operation to bring to justice the operation to bring to justice the person involved, right through to securing the safety of our communities and amongst all of that lies a list of people who were potentially the victims of this terrorist attack. they were loved ones. and they were new zealanders. many of you will know that today, i went to kilbirnie mosque to lay flowers with wellington mayorjustin lisa and to meet with islamic unity leaders. the feeling was one of gratitude, the outpouring of love that they have experienced from the people of wellington. and an acknowledgement of the grief that the community feels. as the police commissioner confirms this morning, 50 people have been killed and 3a people remain in christchurch

hospital. 12 of them in the intensive care unit. in critical condition. a four —year—old girl remains ina condition. a four —year—old girl remains in a critical condition at starship hospital in auckland. i can confirm that the bodies of those who have died are beginning to be returned to their families from this evening. it is likely, however, to bea evening. it is likely, however, to be a small number to begin with. it is the expectation that all bodies will be returned to families by wednesday. to help ensure this happens as quickly as possible, we are receiving support from six disaster victim identification stuff from australia. —— staff. the 28—year—old man charged with murder has been remanded in custody until aprilfive. and police say has been remanded in custody until april five. and police say he will face further charges. he is being held in a specialist security

facility. police have confirmed that there is no indication that two are there is no indication that two are the people arrested on friday would connect with attack ——to other people. they have however confirmed that another person has been taken into custody as a result of evidence collect did during the investigation. —— collected. but there was no information to suggest there was no information to suggest the person is linked to the attacks. as police commissioner has said, this is tangential to the attack on friday. public safety remains the top priority for the police, both in christchurch and across the country. the police commissioner will be issuing further advises look to return to work and school tomorrow. needless to say, there will be an increased police presence in christchurch tomorrow to ensure public safety. there are an

additional 120 police staff in christchurch. when it comes to mosques, during opening hours and while mosques are in active use, there will be a police presence outside. while they are closed, the public will remain in the vicinity. this will continue to be assessed while the police investigation continues. we know these events have been traumatic for the community, but particularly for young people. today, local ministry of education staff met with senior staff at hadley community college to provide support and resources. a team will be at kashmir high school in the morning. the ministry is also gathering information to assess intermediate support needs at school than early learning centres across

the city. support is provided to some schools and this will be expanded tomorrow morning. the christchurch officers responding to calls as they come in and a team of 200 staff has been mobilised with specialist staff other regions on—site or on their way. for the rest of the country, all schools and early learning centres have now received communications advising them of available support. all regions have put traumatic incident trained staff on standby to provide support tomorrow. the ministry is also working closely with the police and red cross to support the refugee community. i also want to acknowledge in terms of wider advice for instance perhaps via parents who may wish to seek advice on communicating with their children, the ministry of health is making advice publicly available. my recollection is that is available on their website. i also reinforce that their website. i also reinforce that the 1737 number remains open projects or phone calls from

absolutely anyone who may wish to seek further support, particularly mental health support at this time. that is open and available to anyone andi that is open and available to anyone and i understand they are experiencing an increase in contact. the national management crisis centre was set up in wellington yesterday with staff on the ground in christchurch. this will ensure all agencies are working closely together to ensure the needs of victims and their families are being met. it will work alongside the national security system to ensure we have a comprehensive and well co—ordinated response. in terms of immediate welfare needs, acc is putting more staff on the ground in christchurch, working alongside the ministry of social development at the community hub at hadley. for acc, as i have said before, immigration status is not a factor.

it is based on the event happening here in new zealand. in an event such as this, murder or manslaughter, the family is eligible for a funeral grant of around $10,000. there are also one—off payments for the deceased's partner, children and dependence. ongoing assistance provisions for things like childcare and of course compensation for the loss of income. mst is providing standing forms of financial assistance also, such as helping with intermediate, immediate needs and things like one—off grants forfood needs and things like one—off grants for food payments. it needs and things like one—off grants forfood payments. it will also be working with individuals and families to consider ongoing needs such as benefit support. in terms of the week ahead, particularly for the government and also for parliament, cabinet will meet tomorrow. i will provide updates from this at my usual post cabinet press conference. asi usual post cabinet press conference. as i have already indicated, it is my intention that we will have an

agency briefing for cabinet and we will have preliminary policy discussions around issues like for insta nce discussions around issues like for instance gun policy. members of parliament will pay tribute in the house on tuesday. once the appropriate statements have been given, we will adjourn for the day. communities are paying their respects and expressing their grief and support in a number of ways throughout new zealand. options and the appropriate timing for national commemorative services are being considered actively now, and i will announce more about that when we are ina announce more about that when we are in a position to confirm arrangements. i can confirm that we will open condolence books at parliament tomorrow as well as at the national library. further details will come on that for media to attend. again, i want to finish my update today by again passing on

my update today by again passing on my deepest gratitude and thanks on behalf of the whole country to the police, the first responders, the hospital staff who i met yesterday, right through to the teachers, many of whom kept their students in lockdown on friday and who will be dealing with the fallout from that for a long time to come. i am happy to ta ke for a long time to come. i am happy to take questions. inaudible.. i have sought the advice quite early on. iam have sought the advice quite early on. i am still awaiting, but what i can say is that i absolutely, charges and the trial itself will happen in new zealand. as for the remainder, i am seeking advice. inaudible. i don't want to pre-empt anything. it will certainly face the justice system of new zealand for the terrorist attack that he has

committed here. inaudible. that is not something that i can give advice on. obviously that is an operational issue and at this time i can't give anything further detailed in that regard. i have had an indication that there will be further charges laid, but as to the specifics of those, i cannot provide them. inaudible. i was one of more than 30 recipients ofa i was one of more than 30 recipients of a manifesto that was mailed out nine minutes before the attack took place. it did not include a location. we did not include specific details. i am advised that within two minutes of its receipt, in at least my office, it was conveyed directly to parliamentary security, but the assurance i want to give is that had it provided

details, that could have been acted on immediately, it would have been. but there unfortunately were not such details in that e—mail. inaudible. it was, it did not go directly to me, idid it was, it did not go directly to me, i did not directly receive it. and as i say, it went to over 30 e—mails, including media, including the parliamentary tourism desk, it went quite widely. but again, the fa ct went quite widely. but again, the fact that there was an ideological ma nifesto fact that there was an ideological manifesto with extreme views attached to this attack, of course, is deeply disturbing. inaudible. elements, yes i have. inaudible.

we will have a conversation in cabinet tomorrow, a discussion around any potential, the potential form, obviously i have already indicated there will be changes to ourgun laws, indicated there will be changes to our gun laws, there will be more detailed discussion with cabinet tomorrow. i have heard and seen reports, but as yet, unverified of potential activity. but as yet, i haven't received official advice as to whether or not there has been any change in purchases. that is something i have asked for follow—up information on. inaudible. i want to get to the bottom whether or not that has occurred. inaudible. again, we cannot be deterred from the work that we need to do on our

gun laws in new zealand. they need to change regardless of what activity may or may not have happened with gun retailers, they will change. inaudible.. again, asi will change. inaudible.. again, as i have already indicated, there will be changes to our gun laws. we will be discussing some of the more detailed policy elements at cabinet tomorrow. of course i have had conversations directly with the deputy prime minister as you would expect already, but again, i will leave it until we have had those policy discussions before i give you further details. inaudible. we will have an agency update for all cabinet members tomorrow. i expect that we will have a

wide—ranging discussion. there are a couple of specific items that i wish to discuss directly. gun policy is one of them. but, yes, the issue around watch lists and how we can ensure we give assurances to the public that our agencies have the tools they need, all of that will be on the table tomorrow. inaudible. in march last year the government was scheduled inaudible.. extremism is of course an issue that our agencies are focused on and aware of, and as i have said, for many months now, because a particular of the global surge that we have seen in those activities, that they have been very active in that they have been very active in that space. but again, as i say, we

need to make sure that we are looking more broadly at the work of our agencies, notjust our intelligence services, police at our borders to ensure that we are taking a comprehensive approach and do everything we can to put into any kind of activity or action like this in the future. inaudible. at that operational level, i really rely on the advice of our services and our agencies to provide advice really directly to us, and of course the ministry of foreign affairs and trade as to what might be necessary. i haven't received anything specific to that, no. inaudible. i believe so. inaudible.

i would need to verify if that was indeed the case, but my understanding is what we received did not have those details. inaudible.. if we could have absolutely, we would have. look, again, i reiterate, this was received by over 30 recipients nine minutes before guns were fired. within two minutes of its receipt, it went to our parliamentary security, but again, the advice we had from police is that actually by the time any of that, those e—mails and details were passed on, they were receiving calls and responding. someone was then taken into and responding. someone was then ta ken into custody and responding. someone was then taken into custody within 36 minutes. inaudible. we have a very specific protocol around when we receive material like this that it does go for immediate response to parliamentary security. that has always been the protocol when we receive material.

inaudible. that is the protocol that has been in place. i would need to ask from an operational level, both police and security, why that is the immediate response, but that is the protocol that is in place. inaudible. would we find out sorry? inaudible. my inaudible. my preliminary advice is that the $10,000 that is available could be used for those purposes. again, it will be obviously up to the individual discretion of family members as to whether or not that is what they would be seeking, but my understanding is that could be used for that purpose. inaudible. no, i have not, buti inaudible. no, i have not, but i understand there could be certainly circumstances where that might be. i

have not received any direct advice or suggested anything direct at this stage. if that is working directly on the ground, it will be available and are connecting people directly for consular assistance if for insta nce for consular assistance if for instance they are visitors. inaudible. inaudible. if that was an issue, i would want to hear about it and see if there we re to hear about it and see if there were arrangements that could be directly made for that purpose. unaudible question. are we not sharing information about terrorism as much as we should? look, that is something that i actually would want to seek some direct advice on in terms of those distinctions. because of course when it comes to extremism and