The unprecedented terrorist attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, a coastal city of around 400,000 people on New Zealand's South Island, in which at least 49 people died, have left a peaceful nation reeling.

New Zealanders have been leaving tributes to the victims of Friday's terrorist attacks near the Christchurch Botanical gardens, close to the Al Noor mosque.

Some have left flowers, while other have written on the pavement in colored chalk.

16 Mar 2019; DW: Australia's government plans to censure a far-right senator who claimed Muslim immigration was to blame for the New Zealand mosque attacks. The Islamophobic comments also caught the attention of a teenager with an egg.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Saturday that the government would censure Senator Fraser Anning over his "appalling" comments about the mosque shootings in southern New Zealand.

15 Mar 2019; DW: US President Donald Trump signed his first veto on Friday, overruling a resolution the US Congress passed in order to end his emergency declaration at the US border with Mexico.

"Today I am vetoing this resolution," Trump said at the White House. "Congress has the freedom to pass this resolution and I have the duty to veto it."

He added that the congressional resolution to end the emergency declaration was "dangerous" and "reckless."

16 Mar 2019; DW: Munich police announced Friday they are investigating 13 officers for internal and legal violations, including the sharing of objectionable content over social messaging services.

The Munich investigation follows prior revelations of right-wing extremist activity among German police forces and members of the military.

A chance discovery

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand, March 16 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Saturday that the suspect of the deadly mosque attacks used modified semi-automatic weapons.

She told a press conference that there were still 39 people in hospital, 11 of whom in critical conditions.

The prime minister said the two police officers who arrested Brenton Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian man, deserved plaudits for their bravery.

Tarrant was charged with murder and appeared in court briefly on Saturday morning.

Syed Mazharuddin, A survivor of Friday's deadly mass shootings in New Zealand, told New Zealand Herald about how a young guy saved lives of many worshippers in Christcurch’s Linwood mosque.

As reported to the New Zealand Herald, Syed Mazharuddin was praying at the Linwood mosque in Christchurch on Friday around lunchtime when a man wearing protective gear entered and began shooting at men, women and children inside.

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania man should be put to death for killing and dismembering his girlfriend’s 14-year-old daughter as part of a rape-murder fantasy he and the teen’s mother shared, a prosecutor declared Friday as he described how the victim fought for her life.

Berlin, Mar 15; GANASHAKTI: A group of European nations is urging Russia not to abandon a nuclear weapons treaty with the United States.

Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands are also calling for new arms control agreements to address the rising power of China and other nations.

The US gave notice of its intention to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty a month ago, citing Russian violations.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Chinese bombers. Chinese hypersonic missiles. Chinese cyberattacks. Chinese anti-satellite weapons.

To a remarkable degree, the 2020 Pentagon budget proposal is shaped by national security threats that Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has summarized in three words: “China, China, China.”

UNITED NATIONS, March 16 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Friday criticized remarks made by a U.S. representative against the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as "contrary to the facts and fraught with prejudice."

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) failed to agree on a regular renewal of the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), while agreeing to adopt "a technical roll-over" of the mandate on Friday, due to differences over the BRI, mention of which had been in previous Afghanistan resolutions.

DUBLIN, March 16 (Xinhua) -- The number of the applications for Irish passports has witnessed a sharp increase since this year, reported local media RTE on Saturday.

The report, quoting the Irish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Coveney, said that over 230,000 applications for Irish passports had been received to date this year.

The figure represented a 30 percent increase over the same period last year, said Simon Coveney.

Caracas, Mar 16 (AFP) Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro created a military unit on Friday charged with protecting basic installations and services such as electricity and water just over a week after the country was hit with a massive blackout.

Maduro blamed that on a cyber attack directed by the United States but critics say the government was at fault for failing to maintain infrastructure.

Speaking on television and radio, Maduro said the "Command for the Defence of Basic Strategic Services" would be tasked with ensuring "security, operability and maintenance."