International

* Plane slams into two-storey building, dozens injured * Cause unknown but there was thick fog at the time * President orders government investigation  A passenger plane carrying nearly 100 people crashed soon after take-off near the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan on Friday, slamming into a house in an accident that killed 12 people and injured dozens. The Fokker 100 aircraft, operated by Bek Air, got into trouble shortly after departing from Almaty, the Central Asian country's commercial centre, on a pre-dawn flight to the capital Nur-Sultan. It lost altitude during take-off and broke through a concrete fence before hitting the two-storey building, Kazakhstan's Civil Aviation Committee said. It was not immediately clear what caused the crash. Emergency and security personnel are seen at the site of the plane crash. Reuters "The plane tilted to the left, then to the right, then it started shaking while still trying to gain altitude," businessman Aslan Nazaraliyev, who survived the crash, told Reuters. Investigators found scratch marks on the runway. "Before crashing, the aircraft touched the runway with its tail twice, the gear was retracted," Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar told reporters. "A commission... will establish whether this was pilot error or technical issues. The runway was in an ideal condition." A Reuters reporter saw the battered remains of the front of the plane and other separate parts of the fuselage scattered around what was left of the house. A survivor told news website Tengrinews she heard a "terrifying sound" before the plane started losing altitude. "The plane was flying at a tilt. Everything was like in a movie: screaming, shouting, people crying," she said. Almaty healthcare authorities initially put the death toll from the crash at 15 or more but later revised the figure down to 12. They said 49 people were in hospitals, some of them in a serious condition. The plane had been carrying 93 passengers and five crew, and the interior ministry said the captain was among those killed. The ministry said it was investigating a possible breach of flight operation and safety rules, a standard legal procedure. There was thick fog in the area at the time of the crash. Kazakhstan's aviation committee said it was suspending all flights by carrier Bek Air and those of Fokker 100 aircraft pending the results of the investigation. Nazaraliyev said he had been seated next to an emergency exit in row 15 and all the rows in front of him were torn off when the plane broke in half on impact. After the shaking started and before the crash "I had enough time to put away my phone and fasten my seatbelt", he said. "We got out through the emergency exit ... I and other men started getting people out and away from the plane. Some were trapped by concrete debris from the building. There were moans and screams and it was dark." Authorities cordoned off the crash site in the village of Almerek, just beyond the end of the runway. The airport remained operational with other planes taking off after the crash. In the airport at Nur-Sultan, relatives of the passengers - some of whom were going to join their families for the holidays - were being briefed on their fate and offered flights to Almaty. "Those responsible will face tough punishment in accordance with the law," Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev tweeted, expressing condolences to the victims and their families. Tokayev declared Dec. 28 a national day of mourning and appointed Prime Minister Askar Mamin to head a commission to investigate the crash. The plane involved in the crash was built in 1996, the government said, and its most recent flight certificate was issued in May 2019. 

All five pro-government parties competing in Uzbekistan's first elections under President Shavkat Mirziyoyev took seats in the country's parliament, preliminary results showed Monday, with international monitors criticising the ‘lack of real contest.’ Mirziyoyev, who took charge of Central Asia's most populous state in 2016 after the death of hardline predecessor and former patron Islam Karimov, described Sunday's vote as ‘historic.’ But the election lacked opposition representatives and all five parties competing were already represented in the outgoing legislature, which is known for rubber-stamping government policy. A monitoring mission by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) acknowledged that the atmosphere in which the vote took place was freer compared to past Uzbek elections. They also took note of reforms to electoral law. But the organisation also said on Monday that such progress ‘did not offset the absence of opposition parties, a continuing lack of respect for fundamental rights, and some serious irregularities on election day.’ Results based on voting in 128 out of 150 districts announced by the central election commission showed the Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan leading with 43 seats in the 150-member lower house. Milli Tiklanish, known in English as the National Revival Democratic Party, trailed it with 35. The People's Democratic Party, the Social Democratic Party also known as Adolat and the Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan also secured seats in the parliament. In the remaining 22 districts, ‘candidates were not able to get enough (votes),’ said the chairman of the central election commission, Mirza-Ulugbek Abdusalomov. Fresh elections would have to be held in those districts, he said. Mirziyoyev has been lauded for doing away with many of Karimov's authoritarian excesses, releasing some political prisoners, battling forced labour and opening up the landlocked state to tourism and foreign investment. - 'Who are we voting for?' - The election was held under the slogan ‘New Uzbekistan, new elections’ as authorities sought to portray them as the latest example of a newfound openness. In the capital Tashkent, residents said they wanted to see more from elected officials and voiced concerns that they would not have dared express under Karimov, who ruled for almost three decades. Aleksandr Kim, a 60-year-old community leader, said local officials had initiated a last-minute push to persuade people to participate but noted that many did not understand the purpose of the election. ‘People do not know who they are voting for,’ Kim told AFP. Karimov was often criticised by international watchdogs over torture and forced labour allegations. Mirziyoyev has continued to honour Karimov publicly, but has been credited with eradicating much of the slavery in the cotton sector and lifting Uzbekistan out of isolation, albeit while eschewing pluralism. Britain's influential magazine The Economist has named Uzbekistan as its country of the year, saying ‘no other country travelled so far’ in 2019. Yet the reform drive has so far not allowed real competition to Mirziyoyev, 62, to develop.

While New Zealand police on Saturday praised firearms owners for handing in their now illegal weapons as part of a buyback and amnesty scheme, opposition politicians and the gun owner lobby called it a failure. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's government banned military-style semi-automatic weapons less than a month after a suspected white supremacist killed 51 people and injured 50 in a massacre at two mosques in Christchurch on March 15. Gun owners had until Saturday to return their firearms to receive a payout.  ‘As of midnight, 20 December 2019, 56,250 firearms and 194,245 parts have been handed in,’ Deputy Commissioner Mike Clement said in a statement.  He said police experienced a surge of people in the last few days of the buy-back with more than 4100 hand-ins occurring in the last week. About 102.2 million New Zealand dollars (67.5 million dollars) has been paid out in compensation.  ‘We kept our collection events open late last night to ensure those firearms owners who left it to the last minute did have the opportunity to do the right thing,’ he said.  The gun buyback was unprecedented and had been a huge logistical exercise for police who held 685 collection events around the country.  Mark Mitchell from the opposing National Party said police failed to buy back ‘anywhere near the number of firearms it was aiming for.’  As there is no gun registry in New Zealand, estimates of how many of the now illegal semi-automatic firearms were in circulation differ wildly.  While police earlier this year estimated that there were between 56,000 and 173,000 prohibited firearms, Mitchell suggested numbers were ‘as high as between 170,000 and 240,000 firearms.’   In a statement, Nicole McKee, spokesperson of the lobbying group Council of Licenced Firearms Owners (COLFO), said the organisation believed that ‘two thirds of the firearms banned have been retained by owners.’  The group criticised that more firearms were banned than the government initially claimed claimed as well as ‘poor compensation, export bans ruining the opportunity of selling up valuable collections, and police destroying prized and historic firearms.’  Police Minister Stuart Nash on Saturday said the number of firearms handed in or still being processed was within the range estimated by consultancy firm KPMG which provided independent advice to police.  ‘However police have consistently warned the problem is we just don't know exactly how many guns are out in the community,’ Nash added. The government has proposed the establishment of a gun registry in a second tranche of gun laws.  ‘We are now moving to the next phase, to ensure firearms cannot fall into the wrong hands. ‘This is the objective of the proposed gun register and tighter licensing system,’ he said.  Nash advised people holding onto illegal weapons to ‘voluntarily surrender them or face risk of prosecution, loss of licence and firearms, and five years in jail. Anyone who was hiding their guns was ‘a criminal’, he said.

* Worsening tremors on White Island * Chance of another major eruption 40-60% in 24 hours * Risk too high for recovery of bodies * Media names two Australian victims * Death toll 6, 8 still missing, 25 in critical condition Increasing tremors on a volcanic island in New Zealand on Wednesday prevented the recovery of the bodies of eight people thought to be left on the island, two days after an eruption engulfed dozens of tourists in steam and hot ash. Six people were killed in Monday's explosion at White Island, which lies some 50 km (30 miles) off the mainland, with another eight missing and presumed dead and 30 injured. Authorities monitoring the uninhabited island said conditions were worsening and there was now a 40-60% chance of a massive eruption similar to Monday in the next 24 hours. ‘In summary, yesterday there was a high risk of an eruption. Today there is an even higher risk of an eruption. And the parameters are worsening at the moment,’ Graham Leonard, a senior volcanologist at GNS Science, told a news conference in Wellington. A plume of smoke could still be seen coming from the island. ‘I've spoken to many of those involved in the operation and they are very, very eager to get back there, they want to bring people's loved ones home,’ New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told Reuters. RISKS TO BE CONSIDERED Police said the safety of recovery teams was the priority and are awaiting advice from experts on when they could access the island. That has prompted some criticism authorities are being too cautious. ‘We cannot put other people in jeopardy to go out there until we're absolutely certain that the island is actually safe,’ Acting Assistant Commissioner Bruce Bird told a media conference in Whakatane, the town that is an access point for tourist trips to the island. There were 47 people on White Island at the time of the eruption. Twenty-four of those were from Australia, nine from the United States, five from New Zealand, four from Germany, two each from China and Britain and one from Malaysia. A mother and daughter have become the first Australians to be named as victims, media said on Wednesday. Brisbane woman Julie Richards, 47, and her daughter Jessica, 20, had been confirmed dead, family friend John Mickel told Sky News. Aerial surveillance has detected no signs of life on the island, where at least one tour group was captured on automated webcams in the crater just a minute before the eruption. Ardern said the primary focus was on caring for some 30 people who were injured and were being treated for burns at several hospitals around the country. Of the 30 injured, police said 25 are in a critical condition, and the other five were classed as stable but serious. ‘Our absolute focus at the moment is ensuring we have the very best care for those who are injured,’ Ardern said in an interview at her office in Wellington's parliament, where the country's flag was flying at half-mast to respect victims of the tragedy. ‘I do understand that many have very critical injuries.’ The death toll from Monday's eruption rose to six after one victim died in hospital on Tuesday. One of the private helicopter operators who landed on the island after the eruption and carried survivors back to the mainland said he thought conditions had been favourable and a recovery operation could be completed in about 90 minutes. ‘For us, it's 20 minutes to get out there. We could load those folks on and be back here in an hour and a half,’ pilot Mark Law told the AM show on Three television. ‘I know where they all are, and the conditions are perfect for recovery in my mind.’ Daily tours bring more than 10,000 visitors to the privately owned island every year, marketed as ‘the world's most accessible active marine volcano’. GeoNet raised the alert level for the volcano in November because of an increase in volcanic activity. The alert level was increased further after the eruption, and remains elevated.

* NZ prime minister says no sign of life on White Island * Eight still missing as island remains inaccessible * Australian, US, UK, Chinese, German and Malaysian tourists on island * Police say investigation launched, but not a criminal probe * Science agency says 50/50 chance of another explosion New Zealand police launched an investigation on Tuesday after a volcanic eruption on an island popular with tourists killed five people, injured more than 30 and left eight people missing, who are presumed dead. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said reconnaissance flights showed no signs of life on White Island, as eyewitnesses detailed the horrific burns suffered by those caught up in Monday's eruption. ‘The scale of this tragedy is devastating,’ Ardern said in parliament. ‘To those who have lost or are missing family and friends, we share in your grief and sorrow and we are devastated.’ Police said 47 people were on the uninhabited island at the time of the eruption - 24 from Australia, nine from the United States, five from New Zealand, four from Germany, two each from China and the UK and one from Malaysia. ‘I would strongly suggest that there is no one that has survived on the island,’ police Deputy Commissioner John Tims said of the eight people still missing. Of the 31 injured, at least 27 suffered greater than 71% body surface burns, and some could succumb to their wounds, said Peter Watson, the government's chief medical officer. Burns units across the South Pacific nation of 4.5 million are full to capacity, he added. Police said an investigation into the deaths on White Island had been launched but clarified it was not a criminal investigation. New Zealand's geological hazards agency GeoNet raised the alert level for the volcano in November because of an increase in volcanic activity. The volcano's last fatal eruption was in 1914, when it killed 12 sulphur miners. Yet, daily tours bring more than 10,000 visitors to the privately owned island every year, marketed as ‘the world's most accessible active marine volcano’. ‘I have to say that I'm very surprised to hear there were visitors there today, because scientists seem to have been well aware that White Island was entering a phase of heightened activity,’ said Drexel University volcanologist Loÿc Vanderkluysen. ‘I've been to White Island before, but I don't think I would have been comfortable being there today.’ A crater rim camera owned and operated by GeoNet showed one group of people walking away from the rim inside the crater just a minute before the explosion. ‘It's now clear that there were two groups on the island - those who were able to be evacuated and those who were close to the eruption,’ Ardern said at a morning news conference in Whakatane, a town on the mainland's east coast, about 50 km (30 miles) from White Island. INCREDIBLY BRAVE Later, in parliament, she paid tribute to the pilots of four helicopters that landed on White Island in the aftermath of the eruption. ‘In their immediate efforts to get people off the island, those pilots made an incredibly brave decision under extremely dangerous circumstances,’ Ardern said. Since then, rescuers have been unable to access the island, which is covered in grey ash. GNS Science, New Zealand's geoscience agency, warned there was a 50/50 chance of another eruption in the coming 24 hours, as the volcano vent continued to emit ‘steam and mud jetting’. The Buttle family have owned the island for over 80 years, and a spokesman said they were devastated by the tragic event. ‘We wish to thank everyone involved in the rescue effort, including the first responders, medical personnel and the locals who helped evacuate people from the island,’ Peter Buttle said. ‘Their efforts have been both courageous and extraordinary. Royal Caribbean confirmed several passengers on its 16-deck cruise liner, Ovation of the Seas, were on a day trip to the island but did not provide further information. Janet Urey, 61, a nurse from Richmond, Virginia, said her son Matthew, 36, and his wife, Janet, 32, were cruise passengers injured in the eruption while on their honeymoon. ‘The phone rang at midnight. Then I heard a voicemail come on. It was my son. He said, 'Mom ... this is not a joke. A volcano erupted while we were on the island. We're at the hospital with severe burns.'‘ Urey said she was frustrated by the lack of information from the cruise ship he was on and from authorities. ‘I have not heard a word from the cruise people,’ she said. A New Zealand man, Geoff Hopkins, whose tour group was just leaving the island at the time of the eruption, said he helped pull critically injured survivors into a boat. Hopkins, 50, who was given the tour as a birthday gift, said many of the survivors had run into the sea to escape the eruption. ‘People were in shorts and T-shirts so there was a lot of exposed skin that was massively burnt,’ he told the NZ Herald newspaper. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said three Australians were feared to be among the confirmed fatalities, with 13 among the injured. Malaysia's high commission in New Zealand said one Malaysian was among the dead, while Britain's high commissioner to New Zealand confirmed two British women were among the injured. Russell Clark, an intensive care paramedic with a helicopter team, said the early scenes were overwhelming. ‘Everything was just blanketed in ash,’ he told Reuters. ‘It was quite an overwhelming feeling.’ 'Whakaari', as it is known in the Maori language, is New Zealand's most-active cone volcano, built up by continuous volcanic activity over the past 150,000 years, according to GeoNet.

* One of New Zealand's most active volcanoes spews ash plume * Many tourists among the affected, PM Ardern says * Too risky for rescuers to go to island: police At least five people were killed, up to 20 injured and several reported missing after a volcano that is a tourist attraction suddenly erupted off the coast of New Zealand's North Island on Monday. Police said more casualties were feared on White Island, where the volcano erupted at about 2:11 p.m. (0111 GMT), spewing a plume of ash thousands of feet into the air. About 50 people, New Zealanders as well as foreign tourists, were feared to have been nearby and several were seen near the rim of the crater minutes before the eruption. Many day tours visit the island regularly, and one from the Ovation of the Seas cruise liner was there at the time. Twenty-three people were rescued, police said, adding that others were still on the island. ‘We are unsure of the numbers and unsure of their well-being,’ deputy police commissioner John Tims told a news conference, adding that rescuers could not access the island. ‘The physical environment is unsafe for us to return,’ he said. St. John Ambulance said up to 20 people were believed to have been injured in the eruption, adding that a mobile triage unit was on its way. The organisation said it had sent seven helicopters with medics onboard. Michael Schade, an engineering manager from San Francisco, was one of the tourists who made it off the island just before the eruption. In a video Schade posted on Twitter as he sped away from the island by boat, a huge plume of white ash soars into the sky as a group of frightened tourists huddles close to the shore. ‘This is so hard to believe,’ Schade said. ‘Our whole tour group were literally standing at the edge of the main crater not 30 minutes before.’ A crater rim camera owned and operated by New Zealand science agency GeoNet shows groups of people walking toward and away from the rim inside the crater, from which white vapour constantly billows, in the hour leading up to the eruption. At 2:00 p.m. the crater rim camera catches a group of people - tiny specks in relation to the vast volcano - right at the edge of the rim. At 2:10 p.m. - just a minute before the eruption - the group is headed away from the rim, following a well-worn track across the crater. White Island is about 50 km (30 miles) from the east coast of North Island and huge plumes were visible from the mainland. Volcanologists said the ash plume shot 12,000 feet (3,658 m) into the air. ‘We know that there were a number of tourists on or around the island at the time, both New Zealanders and visitors from overseas,’ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a news conference. ‘I know there will be a huge amount of concern and anxiety for those who had loved ones on or around the island at the time. I can assure them that police are doing everything they can.’ On Twitter, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australians had been affected by the eruption and the government was trying to learn more. Twenty four Australians were on White Isand when the volcano erupted, Australian media said. Kevin O'Sullivan, chief executive of the New Zealand Cruise Association, said: ‘We believe there is a tour party from Ovation of the Seas involved in the White Island eruption. We have no further details at the moment.’ Ovation of the Seas is a 16-deck cruise ship owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises. It can take nearly 5,000 passengers and has a crew of about 1,500. It is docked at Tauranga, on the North Island, on a cruise that began in Sydney on Dec 3. ‘We can confirm that a number of our guests were touring the island today,’ a company representative said in an emailed statement. ‘We do not have any additional details to share at this time.’ NO-FLY ZONE There seemed to be no danger for people in coastal areas farther away, authorities said. The eruption was unexpected, but not unusual, an expert said. ‘Sudden, unheralded eruptions from volcanoes such as White Island can be expected at any time,’ Shane Cronin, a volcanologist at University of Auckland, said in comments published by the Australia Science Media Centre. ‘We know hydrothermal and so-called 'phreatic' eruptions can occur suddenly and with little or no warning because they are driven by the expansion of super-heated water into steam,’ he added. Geological hazard tracker GeoNet raised the alert level for the White Island volcano in November due to an increase in volcanic activity. Just last week, GeoNet volcanologist Brad Scott said in a report that moderate volcanic unrest continued at White Island, with substantial gas, steam and mud bursts observed at the vent located at the back of the crater lake. The White Island volcano is one of New Zealand's most active. The White Island volcano's last fatal eruption was in 1914, when it killed 12 sulphur miners. There was a short-lived eruption in April 2016. White Island became a private scenic reserve in 1953, and daily tours allow more than 10,000 people to visit the volcano every year. 'Whakaari', as it is known in Maori, is New Zealand’s most active cone volcano, built up by continuous volcanic activity over the past 150,000 years, according to geological hazard tracking agency GeoNet. About 70 percent is under the sea, making the massive volcanic structure the largest in New Zealand.

The small French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte announced a red alert as Cyclone Belna closed in on Sunday, threatening the French department of quarter of a million people. The storm was expected to make landfall in Mayotte around 9:00 pm local time (1800 GMT), according to the latest forecasts from Meteo France. A statement from officials in the French overseas department warned inhabitants to stay indoors and "not come out under any circumstances". After Mayotte, the cyclone was forecast to on Monday hit the neighbouring Comoros archipelago then the island of Madagascar. They issued orange and yellow alerts respectively. By lunchtime on Sunday, the cyclone was about 160 kilometres (99 miles) east-northeast of Mayotte, an island of 374 square kilometres. Mayotte risked "very serious consequences," said government representative Jean-Francois Colombet. Officials had decided to bring all at-risk inhabitants indoors, and to evacuate the most exposed zones, he added. The island's 256,000 inhabitants have also been advised to stock up on drinking water. The airport has been closed, and the island's roads declared off-limits from Sunday afternoon. This will be the third cyclone to hit the island in 50 years, said Colombet. The Comoros government announced an orange alert for the island of Anjouan, while the archipelago's other two islands were placed on a lesser yellow alert. The authorities called on the population to take the usual precautions: shutter windows and doors, stock up on provisions and prepare to take refuge in mosques, schools or others homes if necessary. The archipelago was struck by Cyclone Kenneth in April, killing at least three people before it continued on to Mozambique, where it caused widespread damage. Cyclone Belna is expected to land on Madagascar's northwest coastal region of Boeny on Monday afternoon. Madagascar's northern tourism island of Nosy Be was also expected to be affected. The country's transport ministry called on fishermen not to take to the sea due to fierce winds.

A charter airline in Papua New Guinea said armed men hijacked one of its planes Tuesday and forced the pilot to fly to a remote unused airstrip before they made off with the cargo. Tropicair told AFP that eight armed men approached the plane as it was refuelling in Gasmata, on the island of New Britain and forced the pilot to take off. A company spokesman said there were no other passengers on board. ‘Upon arrival at the airstrip, the armed men stole the baggage and cargo that was on board the aircraft and fled the area,’ Matthew Brutnall said. ‘The Captain was not injured during this event and the aircraft was not damaged’ and has since been returned to Port Moresby. The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary confirmed they are now investigating the incident. West New Britain Police Commander John Midi told AFP that ‘police still have no details on the cargo that was stolen and we will rely on the information given by the complainants’. Gasmata is a remote part of the island's south coast on a route predominantly used by workers on nearby logging projects. Midi confirmed the pilot was not injured, but may have been traumatized by threats from the armed assailants. Crime is widespread in Papua New Guinea and this is not the first time Tropicair has suffered a hijacking. In 2007, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that security guards escorting a cash shipment forced Tropicair pilots to land at a disused World War II airfield and made off in a dinghy for the mainland. The pilots had quietly raised the alarm shortly after takeoff and police eventually managed to apprehend four of the armed men and recover the cash. A fifth man was shot dead.

A measles epidemic in Samoa has now claimed 25 lives, with children bearing the brunt of the deadly outbreak, official data in the Pacific island nation showed Monday. The government said they had registered 2,194 cases of the disease -- in a population of about 200,000 -- with more than half those affected aged under four years old. All of the recorded deaths, barring a 37-year-old man, have been toddlers in the same age group. Officials have declared a state of emergency and said a compulsory immunisation programme was making progress, with more than 17,000 people vaccinated in the past five days. The UN children's agency UNICEF has sent than 110,000 doses of measles vaccine and medical teams from Australia and New Zealand are helping administer them to the population of about 200,000. Tonga and Fiji have also experienced outbreaks but Samoa has been hit hardest due to low vaccination rates estimated at 28-40 percent. The country's immunisation programme was briefly suspended last year when two babies died shortly after being given the measles vaccine. Investigations revealed that hampered nurses had accidentally given the infants the wrong medication but the deaths left a legacy of distrust that hampered immunisation efforts. The government this month made vaccination mandatory, with children and non-pregnant women the priority groups. Schools and kindergartens have been closed and children banned from public gatherings such as church services in a bid to contain the outbreak. Aside from the devastating human cost of the epidemic, the Samoa Tourism Authority (STA) expressed concern it could hurt the country's economy by discouraging visitors. STA chief Faamatuainu Lenata'i stressed that the popular tropical destination remained open for business for travellers who had received vaccinations. ‘Tourism is the mainstay of our economy with so many families depending on this industry for their livelihoods, and leading up to the holiday season, we continue to advise everyone to simply take heed of the preventative health measures that are now in place,’ he said.

Deaths related to measles, mostly among small children, have more than tripled to 20 in the past week on the Pacific island of Samoa, the government has said eight days after declaring a state of emergency over the outbreak. The island state of just 200,000, located south of the equator and half way between Hawaii and New Zealand, declared a measles epidemic late in October after the first deaths. The government has identified 1,644 suspected cases of measles, more than doubling over the past week, with deaths rising to 20 from six, it said on Friday. Children younger than five accounted for all but one of the deaths. Staff of UN agency UNICEF have delivered 110,500 doses of measles containing vaccines this week as they fanned out across Samoa to boost its mandatory immunisation effort, the agency said in a statement. It has also worked with governments of other tiny Pacific nations to run immunisation campaigns and develop preparedness plans to combat a regional outbreak, it added. Australia is sending a specialist team of doctors, nurses and public health experts to Samoa, along with equipment and supplies, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Fifteen fighters were killed by Tajik authorities when an armed group attacked a checkpoint on the border with Uzbekistan early Wednesday, officials said, adding that a soldier and a policeman died in the clash. "As a result of an operation conducted by law enforcement forces, 15 members of an armed criminal group were neutralised and four more attackers detained," the country's interior ministry said.

* Fire breaks out at centre under construction in Auckland * Emergency services say 23 fire trucks respond to blaze * Hundreds evacuated from area, traffic at standstill-media * SkyCity says no one was injured Emergency services in New Zealand were battling a massive blaze on the roof of an under construction convention centre in Auckland on Tuesday, but there were no reports of injuries and the owner of the site said everyone had been evacuated. Black smoke billowed out over the central business district, prompting health authorities in New Zealand's largest city to warn residents to take precautions against smoke inhalation. Owned by New Zealand casino operator SkyCity Entertainment Group, the construction project, valued at NZ$703-million ($452-million) was considered to be the biggest in New Zealand. Around 23 fire trucks had joined the operation to bring the blaze at the SkyCity Convention Centre under control, Fire and Emergency New Zealand said. Traffic was gridlocked in the downtown area as the emergency services flocked to the site, and roads were blocked off, and people were advised to stay away. The nearby Sky Tower, New Zealand's tallest building, a tourist attraction that accommodates hotels and offices, was shut, and media reports said hundreds of hotel guests in the area were stranded. "There have been no reported injuries," SkyCity said on Twitter, adding that everyone had been evacuated from the convention centre, and that Sky Tower and a casino had been closed until further notice. There was no immediate official word on the cause of the fire or how many people had been at the centre when the fire broke out. Firefighters are expected to continue fighting the blaze through the night. "It's a very, very difficult fire to extinguish," Fire and Emergency spokesperson Dave Woon told reporters. "We are not on top of the fire but with the resources that have just arrived we should be able to make progress. We don't have any injuries at the moment and we don't have anybody missing," he added. New Zealand's largest construction firm, Fletcher Building Ltd, is building the centre, but the project has been plagued by delays. Shares of SkyCity were down 4% at NZ$3.82 on the New Zealand exchange after the fire reports. Witnesses posted videos of the blaze on Twitter. "Fire is really building," Auckland's mayor, Phil Goff, said on Twitter shortly after the fire broke out. "People can be seen on the roof," he said, posting a video that showed firefighters battling the blaze on the roof of the convention centre. 

An abducted Maldivian journalist was murdered by militants, a panel investigating deaths and disappearances under the previous government said, in remarks that were critical of former president Abdulla Yameen. Ahmed Rilwan, a journalist for the Maldives Independent who wrote about corruption and militancy, was abducted in August 2014, a year after Yameen was elected. Journalists and rights groups in the tropical archipelago say Rilwan's criticism of the government and militancy could have made him a target. Husnu Suood, the head of a Presidential Commission on Investigation of Murders and Enforced Disappearances, said his panel had received witness accounts from those directly involved in his murder. "Rilwan was murdered by radical Islamists associated with foreign militant groups who had earlier threatened him on several occasions," Suood told reporters in the capital, Male, late on Sunday. Rilwan was murdered at sea after his abduction, Suood said, but he declined to elaborate, saying details could hamper the investigation. Suood said Rilwan was seen as a threat to the recruitment of fighters from the archipelago by Maldivian militant groups linked to Syria's civil war. The panel, appointed by President Ibrahim Mohammed Solih in November after he defeated Yameen, found the former president attempted to divert the investigation into Rilwan's abduction. But Suood said there was no evidence to charge Yameen in connection with the abduction and murder. Yameen and his lawyer did not respond to requests for comment, although Yameen has previously denied any involvement in the murders. Mohamed Shareef, a member of Yameen's People's National Congress party, said the panel's remarks were politically motivated. "They have no evidence to link President Yameen to the disappearance, to press charges against him," he told Reuters on Monday. Activists complained of a crackdown on dissent under Yameen's government, following the abduction of Rilwan and the 2017 murder of Yameen Rasheed, a blogger who also denounced militancy and state corruption. 

A former human rights lawyer was elected Nauru's new president Tuesday, following calls for widespread reform in the tiny Pacific nation which Australia uses as a detention centre for asylum seekers. Lionel Aingimea won a parliamentary vote for the presidency 12-6 over rival David Adeang, the Nauru government information office said. It comes in the wake of a general election last weekend that saw more than half of Nauru's 19 lawmakers swept from office, including two-term president Baron Waqa. Adeang had been considered favourite to take the top job from Waqa, a strong supporter of Australia's hardline refugee policy. Australia's Lowy Institute think tank last year said the country of 11,000 ‘lurched towards authoritarianism’ under Waqa's leadership. His government made it difficult for international media to visit Nauru to report on conditions facing asylum seekers and pursued domestic political opponents through the courts, accusing them of rioting during a 2015 protest outside parliament. Speaking before Aingimea's election to the presidency, opposition figure Mathew Batsiua said the general election was ‘a decisive win for change’. ‘Clearly people have had enough of ... a government that's been cracking down on the rights and freedoms of people,’ he told Radio New Zealand. ‘People want a government that's more fair and that doesn't leave people behind.’ Whether Aingimea will prove a reformist is unclear. The Australian-trained lawyer previously worked as a senior trainer with the Regional Rights Resource Team, a Fiji-based body aimed at promoting human rights in the Pacific. However, Aingimea subsequently worked in the Waqa administration, first as a senior public servant, then as an assistant minister for justice and border control. Australia's policy of processing asylum seekers on Nauru -- and the equally remote Manus island in Papua New Guinea -- has proved an economic lifeline for a country which exhausted its previous source of wealth: phosphate deposits used as fertiliser. Nauru's government revenues ballooned from Aus$20 million (US$13 million) in 2010-11 to Aus$115 million (US$77 million) in 2015-16 largely due to fees paid by Canberra linked to the asylum policy, official Australian data shows. Refugee advocates estimate around 300 refugees remain on the island, down from a peak of about 1,200 in 2014. Rights groups and the United Nations have consistently criticised the conditions faced by refugees, warning indefinite detention causes mental health problems and suicide attempts.

Kyrgyzstan's ex-president Almazbek Atambayev was plotting to overthrow the government before he was detained in raids on his compound, the country's security services said Tuesday. Last week's arrest of Atambayev, who was president from 2011 to 2017, has raised fears of new political turmoil in the Central Asian nation. He was seized in a massive security operation on Thursday after an attempt to detain him the day before sparked lethal clashes between his supporters and law enforcement. ‘He wanted bloodshed. His intention was a state coup,’ Orozbek Opumbayev, the head of the national security services (GKNB), told a news conference in Bishkek. The head of the state prosecutor's investigations department said Atambayev would also be investigated for organising attempted murder, after he and his supporters took up arms during the clashes with law enforcement, which left one officer dead and more than 130 people injured. ‘Atambayev is suspected of using violence against government officials, organising riots, and organising attempted murders,’ Zamir Beishekeev said. Kyrgyzstan, which has seen two revolutions in less than two decades, is caught in a standoff between Atambayev and his protege-turned-foe President Sooronbai Jeenbekov. - Five criminal cases - Prior to his arrest Atambayev had ignored three police summonses for questioning in connection with the release of a well-known underworld figure, ethnic Chechen Aziz Batukayev, in 2013 during his presidency. The case was among five criminal cases in which Atambayev figured before the clashes at his residency outside Bishkek sparked further investigations. Beishekeev said Tuesday that other new criminal cases opened following the clashes included a murder case linked to the officer's death, hostage-taking and organising mass disturbances. Farid Niyazov, who served as chief of staff to both Atambayev and Jeenbekov, was detained Thursday over the holding of several special forces officers hostage and organisation of mass unrest as the raid on Atambayev's compound descended into chaos. Several other Atambayev supporters including two sitting lawmakers have been questioned in connection with the clashes. Jeenbekov and Atambayev were once friends, and the former leader backed the incumbent in the 2017 election, triggering accusations that administrative resources were used to sway the vote. That vote marked an unprecedented peaceful transfer of power between heads of state in the nation of six million people. The standoff has drawn in Russia -- the country's Soviet-era master and traditional political patron -- where hundreds of thousands of Kyrgyz work as migrant labourers. Last month Russian President Vladimir Putin met with both Jeenbekov and Atambayev in Moscow in a bid to defuse the confrontation.

A court in Kyrgyzstan has ordered the country's former president held in pretrial detention after he was seized from his compound in raids that left one person dead and plunged the country in crisis. The Central Asian state, which has seen two revolutions in less than two decades, is caught in a standoff between ex-leader Almazbek Atambayev and his protege-turned-foe President Sooronbai Jeenbekov. Special forces this week launched two major operations to take Atambayev from his residence outside the capital Bishkek after he refused to be questioned in cases that supporters say are politically motivated. The first raid on Wednesday failed after descending into deadly violence, but in the second on Thursday he was detained. A court in Bishkek late Thursday ordered the 62-year-old Atambayev held until August 26, a court spokesman said, but did not specify what he had been charged with. Atambayev's lawyer Sergey Slesarev told AFP that the court decision was connected to the illegal release from jail of a well-known crime boss during Atambayev's presidency.  Kyrgyzstan's state prosecutor on Thursday named the freeing of ethnic Chechen underworld figure Aziz Batukayev in 2013 as one of the five criminal cases in which Atambayev is named.  "These charges are baseless... we intend to take our case to international courts," Slesarev said.  The lawyer argued that his client still enjoys immunity from prosecution according to the constitution, despite parliament voting to strip him of this privilege in June. A funeral service was also held for Usen Niyazbekov, a special forces officer who died from a gunshot wound sustained in the clashes between security services and Atambayev's supporters. Around 100 others were injured in the two raids, the health ministry said. The clashes that erupted at the former leader's residence during the raids on Wednesday and Thursday have triggered several new criminal probes.  These saw several of Atambayev's closest aides and his son Seitbek Atambayev called in for questioning Friday.  Omurbek Babanov, a political heavyweight who ran against Jeenbekov in the 2017 presidential election, sparked fears of escalation when he announced he would return to the country from Russia, despite himself facing criminal investigations. The State Committee for National Security said charismatic magnate Babanov would "be held accountable" on his return. But law enforcement did not detain Babanov on his arrival at the country's main airport where he was greeted by a throng of cheering loyalists and several lawmakers. "I have always followed the law. If I am invited (for questioning) then I am ready to go with a lawyer," he said as he appeared outside Manas airport.  Babanov's supporters argue the criminal cases against him -- one for inciting inter-ethnic hatred and one for calling for the overthrow of the government -- were trumped up to blacken his reputation during the bitter 2017 campaign. Jeenbekov and Atambayev were once friends, and the former leader backed the incumbent in the 2017 election against Babanov, triggering accusations that administrative resources were used to sway the vote.  That vote marked an unprecedented peaceful transfer of power between heads of state in the Muslim-majority nation of six million people. But the pair fell out just months after Jeenbekov's inauguration as Atambayev publicly criticised his successor and security services arrested several key Atambayev allies. Supporters took to the streets of central Bishkek on Thursday, blocking a key thoroughfare in the city of one million and setting alight trash containers.  Police said in a statement on Friday they were in full control of the city having spent the night dispersing Atambayev's supporters.  The standoff has drawn in Russia -- the country's Soviet-era master and traditional political patron -- where hundreds of thousands of Kyrgyz work as migrant labourers.  Last month Russian President Vladimir Putin met with both Jeenbekov and Atambayev in Moscow in a bid to defuse the confrontation.  Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev arrived in Kyrgyzstan Thursday for a meeting of a regional trade bloc and said he hoped the situation would stabilise. Kyrgyzstan "has already reached its limit for revolutions," Medvedev said. 

Two light aircraft collided mid-air on their final approach at a regional aerodrome in New Zealand on Sunday killing both pilots, police said. Four parachutists on board of one of the planes had jumped shortly before it crashed with the other plane, a training aircraft. A helicopter, also preparing to land, managed to avoid the collision. The police said that both planes dropped immediately after impact, hitting the ground south of the Hood Aerodrome near the town of Masterton. There was no immediate information about a potential cause of the crash and the police would not release the names of the victims, saying they were still trying to locate family members. Witnesses told New Zealand media that they heard a loud bang and saw the planes spiraling down. Stuff.nz, a New Zealand news website, cited a local pilot instructor saying the aerodrome was unrestricted up to 9,500 feet, but pilots were required to record their movements through a shared radio channel. One of the planes belonged to Skydive Wellington while the other to the Wairarapa Aero Club. The Hood Aerodrome is owned and operated by the Masterton District Council. ‘We have a close-knit community at Hood Aerodrome and the incident has understandably rocked that community,’ the council said in a statement on its website.

Kazakh police rounded up about 150 people on Wednesday as protests continued against President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev despite his call for dialogue after a disputed election. Hundreds-strong demonstrations, otherwise rare in the tightly controlled oil-exporting country, have repeatedly broken out since the election last Sunday in which career diplomat Tokayev won 71 percent of the vote and secured a five-year term. Police made most of the detentions as people approached a cordoned-off square, in the centre of Almaty, the Central Asian nation's biggest city, where activists planned to rally on the day of Tokayev's swearing-in, according to a Reuters witness. A handful who managed to get into the square were also quickly led away after shouting "Kazakhstan forward!" and insulting security officers. Car drivers expressed solidarity by slowing down and honking their horns. Many offices, shops and restaurants closed early. Critics called the weekend vote rigged as 66-year-old Tokayev, nominated for the post by his veteran predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev, faced little meaningful competition and the integrity of ballot counting was questioned. Nazarbayev, 78, who resigned in March after running the former Soviet republic of 18 million for almost three decades, retains sweeping powers as Yelbasy, or national leader, and critics accuse him of installing a puppet. Police also detained about 700 people on Sunday and Monday, although it was unclear how many remained in custody. At his swearing-in, Tokayev did not mention the protests - the biggest in years - but spoke in a conciliatory tone. "Our citizens are really concerned with the development of dialogue between the authorities and the society," he said after taking an oath at the Independence Palace in the capital Nur-Sultan. Any talks "must be based on the recognition of the plurality of opinions", he added. Tokayev said he would set up a special national council open, among others, to young activists. That was a reference to some opponents who staged small but creative protests in the run-up to the vote such as standing at a square with an empty banner - and were still detained for that. The council will first convene in August, Tokayev said. The president's office said he had ordered state prosecutors to make sure passersby detained around protest sites were freed. One video on social media showed police detain a cyclist who said he was going home with groceries. Authorities say the election was legitimate and blame the protests on Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK), a movement led by fugitive former banker and minister Mukhtar Ablyazov.

Malaysia will continue using Huawei products “as much as possible,” bucking a global trend prompted by security concerns and a US ban on the Chinese firm, the country’s prime minister said yesterday.  Mahathir Mohamad, speaking at a conference in Tokyo, acknowledged the security concerns but said they would not deter Malaysia.  “Yes, there may be some spying. But what is there to spy (on) exactly in Malaysia? We are an open book,” the 93-year-old said at the Future of Asia forum.  Mahathir said Huawei had access to research “far bigger than the whole of Malaysia’s research equivalent.”  “So we try to make use of their technology as much as possible.”  “Everybody knows, if any country wants to invade Malaysia, they can walk through, and we will not resist because it’s a waste of time,” he added. His comment came after a wave of controversy over the Chinese telecommunications firm, which has been hit by allegations of espionage and faces a US ban. A number of countries have blocked Huawei from working on their mobile networks and companies have stepped back from the firm after the US ban, citing legal requirements.  The spat comes as the United States and China raise tariffs in tit-for-tat moves along with blistering rhetoric accusing each other of unfair trade practices. Mahathir warned about the heated exchanges between Beijing and Washington, which come as the powers and their allies lock horns in the hotly contested South China Sea.  Mahathir said the United States and “the West” must accept that Asian nations now produce competitive products, and should not “threaten” business rivals.  “Yes, I understand Huawei has tremendous advance (s) over American technology even,” he said.  “The US must compete with China. At times China will win, other times the US will win,” he said.  He warned that the tense relations between the US and China might impact the situation in the South China Sea, where China claims sovereignty despite rival claims from other regional nations.  And he urged calm in the area, warning that small incidents could easily escalate into violence.

Acting US Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan met his Indonesian counterpart yesterday as the United States looks to improve ties with an Indonesian special forces unit that have been limited due to human rights abuses in the 1990s. During a trip to Jakarta by Shanahan’s predecessor, Jim Mattis, last year, Indonesia said it was hoping he could help ease American limitations on contacts. The United States announced in 2010 that it had lifted its outright ban on US military contacts with the Indonesian special forces unit, known as Kopassus, which was accused of rights abuses in East Timor as it prepared for independence.  But legal restrictions meant to ensure the US military does not become entangled with rights abusers prevented contacts with Kopassus from advancing beyond preliminary levels, US officials say. The two sides said in a joint statement after the meeting between Shanahan and his Indonesian counterpart, Ryamizard Ryacudu, that the United States was looking to normalise relations with Kopassus and hold a joint exercise in 2020. “Both ministries affirm support for the expansion in our army to army exercise next year, and by normalising the Army special forces relationship beginning in 2020 with a Joint Combined Exercise Training with KOPASSUS,” the statement said. The meeting also comes amid increasing tensions between China and the United States. Indonesia has clashed with China over fishing rights around the Natuna Islands detaining Chinese fishermen and expanding its military presence in the area in recent years. In 2017, Indonesia renamed the northern reaches of its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea the North Natuna Sea, a change seen as a significant act of resistance to China’s territorial ambitions in the South China Sea. Yesterday’s joint statement also said both ministries “support the possibility of increased information sharing and exchange of views on an assessment of regional threats by using Asean Our Eyes (AOE) as the platform for strategic information exchange among Asean Member States.” Indonesia and five other Southeast Asian nations launched the “Our Eyes” intelligence pact last year aimed at combating militants and improving co-operation on security threats. Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, has in recent years struggled to contain a resurgence in home-grown radicalism inspired in part by the Islamic State. The two countries also discussed conducting underwater surveys to ensure that the wrecks of World War II warships in Indonesian waters are left undisturbed. There have been reports of looting of sunken ships by marine salvagers. “Both ministries discussed the importance of supporting the sanctity of remains entombed in vessels like the World War II wreck, USS Houston, and of co-operation to identify US remains in Indonesia,” they said in the statement.