- Buried Nazi past haunts Athens on liberation anniversary
- Harris to release medical report confirming fitness for presidency: campaign
- Nobel prize a timely reminder, Hiroshima locals say
- Hezbollah fires at Israel as wars rage on Yom Kippur
- Analysts warn more detail needed on new China economic measures
- China tees up fresh spending to boost ailing economy
- China says will issue special bonds to boost ailing economy
- China offers $325 bn in fiscal stimulus for ailing economy
- Dodgers drop Padres 2-0 to advance in MLB playoffs
- Alexei Navalny wrote he knew he would die in prison in new memoir
- Last-minute legal ruling allows betting on US election
- Despite hurricanes, Floridians refuse to leave 'paradise'
- Israel observes Yom Kippur amid firestorm over Lebanon strikes
- Trump demonizes migrants in dark, misleading speech
- X says 'alert' to manipulation efforts after pro-Russia bots report
- US, European markets rise before Boeing unveils sweeping job cuts
- Small Quebec company dominates one part of NHL hockey: jerseys
- Comoros shock Tunisia, Salah, Mbeumo strike in AFCON qualifiers
- Boeing to cut 10% of workforce as it sees big Q3 loss
- Germany win in Nations League as 10-man Dutch rescue point
- Undav brace sends Germany to victory against Bosnia
- Israel says fired at 'threat' near UN position in Lebanon
- Want to film in Paris? No sexism allowed
- Ecuador's last mountain iceman dies at 80
- Milton leaves at least 16 dead, millions without power in Florida
- Senegal set to announce breakaway development agenda: PM
- UN says 2 peacekeepers wounded in south Lebanon explosions
- Injury-hit Australia thrash 'embarrassing' Pakistan at Women's T20 World Cup
- Internal TikTok documents show prioritization of traffic over well-being
- Israel says fired at 'immediate threat' near UN position in Lebanon
- New US coach Pochettino hails Pulisic but worries over workload
- Brazil orders closure of 2,000 betting sites
- UK govt urged to raise pro-democracy tycoon's case with China
- Sculptor Lalanne's animal creations sell for $59 mn
- From Tesla to Trump: Behind Musk's giant leap into politics
- US, European markets rise as investors weigh rates, earnings
- In Colombia, children trade plastic waste for school supplies
- Supercharged hurricanes trigger 'perfect storm' for disinformation
- JPMorgan Chase profits top estimates, bank sees 'resilient' US economy
- Djokovic proves staying power as he progresses to Shanghai semi-finals
- Sheffield Utd boss Wilder 'numb' after Baldock death
- Little progress at key meet ahead of COP29 climate summit
- Fans immerse themselves in Marina Abramovic's first China exhibition
- Israel says conducting review after UN peacekeepers wounded in Lebanon
- 'Party atmosphere': Skygazers treated to another aurora show
- Djokovic 'overwhelmed' after 'greatest rival' Nadal's retirement
- Zelensky in Berlin says hopes war with Russia will end next year
- Kyrgyzstan opens rare probe into glacier destruction
- European Mediterranean states discuss Middle East, migration
- Djokovic proves staying power as progresses to Shanghai semi-finals
New Zealand opens inquest into Christchurch mosques attack
A coronial inquiry into New Zealand's 2019 mosque killings opened Tuesday, with relatives of the 51 people who died in the massacre hoping to discover if any lives could have been saved.
White supremacist Brenton Tarrant shot and killed 51 Muslim worshippers at two Christchurch mosques on March 15, 2019, in New Zealand's deadliest modern-day mass shooting.
Deputy chief coroner Brigitte Windley opened the inquiry in Christchurch on Tuesday, saying it would "look at what we may learn from this atrocity and speak for those who have lost their lives in an effort to protect the living."
Maha Galal, spokesperson for the "15 March Whanau Trust" representing some of the victims' relatives, said there was an "urgent need for answers".
"Our paramount concern is to comprehend the truth," Galal said in a statement before the inquiry began.
The families of the victims "are united in their pursuit of understanding, seeking clarity on whether their loved ones could have survived," Galal added.
"This pursuit of truth is crucial for healing and closure."
The opening session of the inquest included a moving video with a tribute to each of the 51 victims from their grieving families.
The inquest will examine all events from the start of the attack to Tarrant's formal police interview, including the response times of police and emergency services.
"One of the central inquiries revolves around why our loved ones were left at the mosque without any immediate action for some time and the police did not allow us or anyone else to get them out," Galal said.
"We place our trust in the coroner's process and our legal representation to address these pressing questions and provide the necessary insights," she added.
Other questions for the coroner include: Did anyone help Tarrant? Could a different medical response have saved lives? And did an emergency exit door at one of the mosques fail to open on the day of the attack?
- 'Base hatred' -
The killings carried out by Tarrant, an Australian former gym instructor from the rural New South Wales town of Grafton, horrified New Zealand and sparked global revulsion.
After admitting to 51 charges of murder, 40 of attempted murder, and one of terrorism, he was sentenced in August 2020 to life imprisonment without parole.
In his sentencing, Judge Cameron Mander said Tarrant's "warped" ideology and "base hatred" led him to murder defenceless men, women and children.
Tarrant had live-streamed the killings on social media and published a manifesto online before carrying out the attacks.
Then-prime minister Jacinda Ardern quickly moved to tighten gun laws in the aftermath and put pressure on social media giants to curb online extremism.
Galal says the victims' families hope the inquest will provide some closure and highlight ways such an attack can be prevented in future.
"We believe that there is much we can learn from what happened on March 15, 2019, so that we are all prepared, as a community, if such a tragedy happens again which we pray will not happen."
B.Finley--AMWN