Christchurch shooting accused faces victims' relatives in court on 50 murder charges

Australian silent as he appeared via video link in Christchurch’s packed high court, where he faces a total of 89 charges

The man accused of murdering 50 people in the New Zealand mosque attacks has appeared via video link in the Christchurch high court, in his second formal court appearance since the shootings.

Australian Brenton Tarrant faces a total of 89 charges in the high court, 50 murder charges and 39 attempted murder charges – the most ever laid in New Zealand history.

Related: Australian agencies had 'no reason to restrict travel' of Christchurch accused, MPs told

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The Guardian view on Brunei and stoning: don’t leave it to celebrities to act | Editorial

Brunei’s shocking new penal code must be challenged – through deeds as well as words. Britain’s responsibilities are clear

Brunei’s introduction of new laws allowing stoning for adultery and sex between men has sparked international outrage. Elton John and George Clooney’s calls for a boycott of luxury hotels owned by the tiny south-east Asian kingdom have grabbed the spotlight. The United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has condemned the “cruel and inhuman” measures, as have the EU, Australia and others.

The punishment is only one of many horrifying changes in a penal code which also covers apostasy, amputation as a punishment for theft and flogging for abortions. Lesbian sex is punishable by 40 strokes of the cane as well as jail. In some cases children who have reached puberty are subject to the same penalties as adults; younger ones may be flogged. The sharia code was first introduced in 2013, and was supposed to be enacted gradually; following an outcry the government did not bring forward its harshest elements until now. Many suspect that the impact of declining oil revenues on public spending has left Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, one of the longest-ruling absolute monarchs, keen to bolster support among conservative elements.

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Abhishek Majumdar: the playwright fighting death threats with ice cream

Blocked from entering Tibet, he simply walked in through the Himalayas, hiding from Chinese soldiers. As his play about riots in the region is finally staged, the Indian writer talks about life under surveillance

Abhishek Majumdar writes plays that rattle people. His trilogy on the Kashmir crisis – one of which, The Djinns of Eidgah, was staged at London’s Royal Court in 2013 – sparked much sound and fury. So did Salvation House, three years later, in which he wrote damningly about the ancient roots of Hindutva, rightwing nationalism in India.

Majumdar has been hauled into police stations over the years and followed by shadowy figures he suspects to be government officials. Just a few weeks ago, a staging of The Djinns of Eidgah was halted by the authorities in Jaipur. He believes his phone to be tapped and his emails monitored.

So many Kashmir boys lost their lives because they had a gun. A gun changes a person

I’m under surveillance in Delhi. If I send an email to someone in Tibet today, it’ll reach them the day after tomorrow

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Jacinda Ardern’s grief should not eclipse that of Muslims | Mariam Khan

The New Zealand prime minister’s response to the Christchurch killings is to be admired, but the focus must be on the Muslim communities affected

Since the Christchurch terror attack, much of the focus has been not on the mourning of New Zealand’s Muslim community, but on white people. This has been repeated across the west, and in parts of the Middle East. Jacinda Ardern’s face was projected on to the outside of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai days after the attack.

The prime minister’s response to the shooting has indeed been exemplary but the reaction to it has left little space for the victims, or the wider Muslim community in New Zealand or around the world. While many of us are still coming to terms with the events that happened in Christchurch, I have seen more pictures of Ardern’s grief and mourning than of the Muslim community in New Zealand, the victims or those who acted bravely on the day to save lives and fight against the terrorist.

I'm worried that next time there is a massacre of a Muslim community, for anyone to care it will take another Ardern

Related: Why we need to talk about the media’s role in far-right hate | Owen Jones

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