Mosque shooting victims remembered
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand -- People in the New Zealand city of Christchurch honored the 51 worshippers who were killed in a mass shooting a year ago in small but poignant ways Sunday, after a planned national memorial event was canceled due to fears it might spread the new coronavirus.
Outside the Al Noor Mosque, dozens of leather-clad bikers from the Tu Tangata club performed a traditional Maori haka. They were welcomed by mosque imam Gamal Fouda, who said people of all beliefs and cultures were stopping to pay their respects, and they were all united as New Zealanders.
One of those who survived the shooting at the Linwood mosque was Mazharuddin Syed Ahmed, who said that marking anniversaries was not typically a Muslim tradition but they were doing it so the wider community could grieve and remember. He said the shootings had provoked an outpouring of love and compassion.
"Of course, we lost our loved friends, family, people and community," he said. "But we are also seeing so much good has come out of it. So looking at the positive part of that. Today, it is such a privilege to be in this country."
Temel Atacocugu, who survived after being shot nine times at the Al Noor mosque, said the anniversary had provoked strong feelings.
"We are sad more than we are angry," he said. "It's very emotional. When I woke up this morning, I'm speechless. I can't explain what I feel."
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Saturday the decision to cancel the memorial event planned for Horncastle Arena was pragmatic and precautionary.
406 migrants intercepted off Libya coast
CAIRO -- Libya's coast guard intercepted over 400 Europe-bound migrants off the country's Mediterranean coast and returned them to the capital of Tripoli over the past 24 hours, the U.N. migration agency said Sunday.
The International Organization for Migration tweeted that 301 migrants on three boats were intercepted on Saturday and taken back to Tripoli. Another 105 migrants on two boats were intercepted on Sunday.
It said most of the migrants were taken to detention centers in Libya, where there are "serious concerns over their safety."
Some migrants managed to escape at the disembarkation point, as the boats were taken back to shore, the International Organization for Migration said.
"It is unacceptable for this to continue despite repeated calls to put an end to the return of vulnerable people to detention and abuse," said Safa Msehli, a spokeswoman for the International Organization for Migration.
Migrants facing deportation in Greece
ATHENS, Greece -- Greece is transferring 450 migrants recently detained for trying to reach the island of Lesbos illegally to a facility near Athens, authorities said Sunday.
A ship with the migrants landed at a port near Athens and the migrants will be transferred to a facility just north of the capital pending deportation, an official at the Ministry of Migration policy told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak on the matter. The transfer to the facility was still underway Sunday morning.
All the migrants have been detained since March 1, just days after Turkey said it was opening its borders to the millions of migrants on its soil. In response, Greece has toughened its stance, suspending all asylum applications for a month and jailing migrants and refugees who tried to cross the land border from Turkey.
Although the migrants had been taken to the ship several days ago, the whole operation had been shrouded in secrecy, with officials refusing to comment on the ship's destination even after it left Lesbos early Saturday afternoon.
Explosion kills 15 people in Nigeria
LAGOS, Nigeria -- An explosion hit Nigeria's commercial capital of Lagos early Sunday, killing at least 15 people and sparking search-and-rescue efforts to save people still trapped in collapsed buildings, emergency officials said.
The explosion in the Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos was heard several miles away. It destroyed more than 50 buildings, which either collapsed or caught fire, in three different neighborhoods, according to Ibrahim Farinloye, the spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency.
Fires were spreading to nearby oil pipelines, so there were fears of more damage or explosions. The death toll was expected to rise because residents said some people remained trapped in collapsed buildings.
"Fifteen bodies have been recovered, including a whole family of four who were heading to church before they were cut short in the explosion," Farinloye said.
At least two people have also been rescued alive, he said. One building is a school where injured children have been pulled from the rubble, some covered in blood.
Nigerian officials were not yet able to identify the cause of the explosion. A naval base is located nearby.
Linda Uche, a resident, told The Associated Press the sound of the explosion and the extent of the damage was far more serious than a usual oil pipeline explosion, which happens not infrequently.
-- COMPILED BY DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS
A Section on 03/16/2020