well, tonga is covid _ covid-19 situation in tonga? well, tonga is covid freed _ covid-19 situation in tonga? well, tonga is covid freed much - covid—19 situation in tonga? -ii tonga is covid freed much like many countries in the pacific. so everyone who goes into tonga for this effort will be fully vaccinated and will also have had a pcr test as well. though they have high vaccination rates they are to come over 80%. they also had their borders closed since the beginning of the pandemic. obviously the new zealand government is not wanting to create any issues with the covid pandemic but since the response so farfrom pandemic but since the response so far from tonga pandemic but since the response so farfrom tonga in light pandemic but since the response so far from tonga in light of the pandemic has been very strong, closing borders, vaccinating people, this is a good scenario to start with in terms of delivering aid. find with in terms of delivering aid. and new zealand has a large tonga community. i wonder how they are responding

briefly, the long-term im act tonga. briefly, the long-term impact of _ tonga. briefly, the long-term impact of this _ tonga. briefly, the long-term impact of this on _ tonga. briefly, the long-term impact of this on the - tonga. briefly, the long-term impact of this on the island? l tonga. briefly, the long-term impact of this on the island? i think it would definitely be a huge impact and it will be very long, especially in not only because of the synonymy but also the ash that has erupted from the volcano and the health concern as people are breathing it, especially with a huge cleanup mission happening now in tonga. this is all done by humans. about 200 volunteers, people coming to sweep the runway for the aircraft. we have to do it that we know that there will be a long—term problem because people are breathing this ash which is very dangerous and may cause long—term health. in the meantime we will see, because of salami ash coming into the main island, food will be limited so these are the concerns that we hold and we know for sure it will be faced by

she moved to tonga to open an animal shelter. she died trying to rescue her dogs. >> the uglier the dog, the more she loved it. her initial call to tonga was to swim with whales, which she did. a beautiful girl. she's irreplaceable. rupert: offers from new zealand and australia to help tonga are being complited by covid. the island nation is currently covid free and wants to stay that way. >> they've had disasters during the pandemic previously from cyclones and hurricanes, and what they did was air dp supplies in. there was no physical contact or teraction between troops and the local forces. rupert: a century ago, nearly one in 10 tongans died in the 1918 flu pandemic. rupert wingfield-hayes, bbc news in tokyo. >> joining us now is steven mcgann, former u.s. ambassador to tonga at georgetown university. knowing these islands as you do, what is your greatest concern for the people? >> thank you for the introduction. i think it is important for us to consult with the tongan authorities, but we know the key issues will be food sec

tonga is a flat land. you cannot imagine the waves coming through but there are no tall structures or hills to stand in the way of the waves and people. we can only imagine the destruction, as we have only seen pictures. waves that have hit almost to the top of houses. when you think about, when they say they have to run, they have no place elevated to run to. ros: i want to update you on the attack on a synagogue in texas on saturday. this story now involves the u.k., because it was a british man who took four people hostage. no two teenagers have been arrested in manchester. malik faisal akram was shot dead after the standoff. the hostages were not harmed. mr. akram said that he had a gun when he interrupted the congregation. police and negotiators then became involved. here is some audio from the siege. >> [inaudible] ros: one hostage was released after six hours. this moment showing the time the hostages were ablto run out. the group was playing when he heard a click, which turned out to be the hostage

it hit tonga's largest island sending waves flooding into the

where are they in tonga? my where is your family? where are they in tonga?— they in tonga? my family are located just _ they in tonga? my family are located just near _ they in tonga? my family are located just near the - they in tonga? my family are | located just near the coastline of borders. located just near the coastline of borden-— of borders. how many people live there? — of borders. how many people live there? there _ of borders. how many people live there? there is _ of borders. how many people live there? there is about. of borders. how many people| live there? there is about five that live in — live there? there is about five that live in the _ live there? there is about five that live in the household - live there? there is about five that live in the household and | that live in the household and we also have immediate family as well that live around that area. ., ., as well that live around that area. . ., ., , ., area. 0k, and what have you been able — area. 0k, and what have you been able to _ area. ok, and what have you been able to work— area. 0

but you know that, in tonga. what sort of measures might your family have taken, then, if they do discover they have a soon army warning, what might they have been able to do? ., , do? the only thing we might have been — do? the only thing we might have been able _ do? the only thing we might have been able to _ do? the only thing we might have been able to do - do? the only thing we might| have been able to do because do? the only thing we might i have been able to do because i have been able to do because i have grown up on time and been on the situations before, we get all ourfamily on the situations before, we get all our family members and try to get to high ground. the two points of high ground there is one, and a second one with the airport is located. i5 the airport is located. is there a _ the airport is located. is there a procedure, do people know, 0k, there a procedure, do people know, ok, now is the time to follow procedure to get to those particular points? unfortunately i wouldn't be able to know

that is some of the situation happening in tonga. new zealand, they are going to impose their mask mandate rules from midnight on sunday after a cluster of 0micron, just nine cases i believe, but do you feel that is necessary, briefly? we've anticipated the onset of 0micron around what we are doing, so we are rolling out our booster, the vaccination to those who have been double vaccinated already, and also rolling out young people vaccinations, so the way we are managing slowing down 0micron coming down to our community, to reduce the numbers going into hospitals is the effort at this moment, and it is the right way to go. limiting the numbers who can gather, making sure people wear masks in close settings, and also maintaining the distance and hand—washing, the public health that has always been suggested alongside the covid response. nanaia mahuta, new zealand's foreign minister. new zealand is limiting gatherings, after nine cases of the covid—19 0micron variant were detected after a wedding. the prime minister, jacinda arder

." >> tonight, devastation in tonga. the small pacific island nation ravaged by an undersea volcanic eruption. >> there's this boom. we sort of looked at each other, something strange going on. >> setting off tsunamis across the world.ations sll dn. no way for desperate families to reach loved ones. >> none of us have heard from anybody. >> the massive effort to get critical supplies ashore. and how the pandemic is adding danger to the efforts. >>> plus sister versus sister. the fierce feud between britney and jamie lynn escalating. >> britney seems incredibly angry. >> after the story jamie lynn told us of a frightened britney locking them in a room with a knife. >> i was a kid. in that moment i was scared. but also was so upset that she didn't feel safe. >> and why the lawyers are now involved. >>> and remembering andre leon talley, the ever-stylish fashion journalist who shattered barriers. you are an electric vehicle. electricity powers your heart. want to feel your heart beat faster? drive an electric car. made by a

it is the tonga -- the pacific plate beneath the pacific ocean. we have about every 100 kilometersn the sea -- we have a massive volcano that what was seen on the gund, this little island, just the top of a giant volcano which now iraq did. -- erupted we know this region is very active. it is part of the pacific ring of fire, so we canxpect this forever, just rarely in this extreme violence. bren joining us tonight from nich. we appreciate your time and your valuable insights. thank you. mali's former president has died at the age of 76. he led the west african country from 2013 till he was ousted by a military coup in 2020. his death comes as thousands take to the streets to protest against international sanctions on the military junta that is now in power. >> a controversial political figure, but a respected one. despite differences in opinion, malians have been paying the respective the residence of the former president. his death shocks me enormously because he is our president. we fought him but he was a man of peace, a man of his word. >> he

tonga bein: vessel to that ob'ective? tonga being ireland's — vessel to that objective? tonga being ireland's and _ vessel to that objective? tonga being ireland's and reliant - vessel to that objective? tonga being ireland's and reliant on i being ireland's and reliant on mainly rainwater —— tonga being islands, and the main source being inundated with salt water, following the tidal wave, there was a real need, that what it was a priority for the communities. and our counterparts were supporting the government operation in actually distributing water, notjust on the main island but also on the three other islands. so we had a team that was working on, and a team that were supporting the other emergency team in distributing votive, freshwater, and also other relief items. —— in distributing water. and also other relief items. -- in distributing water.— distributing water. thank you so much for speaking _ distributing water. thank you so much for speaking to _ distributing water. thank you so much for speaking to us, - distributing water. thank you so much for

tonga is one of the few countries in the world that is still covid free. there are no cases at all in the country. it is the responsibility of everyone involved to do our best to manage that risk. at this point, we don't immediately expect personnel will be deployed in the country. that may change over the coming weeks but if it does, it would require significant missed -- risk mitigation measures. tonga is very carefully managing its borders. we don't expect lots of personable deployed. the supplies needed are already on the way. >> sean casey from the w joining us tonight from fiji. >> thank you. >> we are entering the third year for the coronavirus pandemic. tonight we want to focus on south africa. it was the first country to sound the alarm about the omicron coronavirus variants. data shows how omicron causes a spike in case numbers. south africa's fourth wave was sharper and shorter. crucially, the omicron wave had fewer deaths than previous waves. some experts have concluded that omicron is less dangerous but others are warning that many cases may h

she's the co—chair of the tonga relief committee — and was herself born and raised in tonga. thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us on the programme. i really appreciated. have you been able to get in touch with anybody in the affected areas? what are you hearing about the damage? what are you hearing about the damaue? a, what are you hearing about the damaue? , , what are you hearing about the damaue? , _ ., , damage? may begin by saying that my heartfelt condolences _ damage? may begin by saying that my heartfelt condolences to _ damage? may begin by saying that my heartfelt condolences to the _ damage? may begin by saying that my heartfelt condolences to the first - heartfelt condolences to the first casualty of this volcanic eruption and synonymy. and it is, it is heartbreaking in terms of hearing that one of your own family members passed away and what have we been hearing. just over the 70,000 tompkins live in new zealand and many have reached out to others and basically, because they're worried about their loved ones, i myself was involved in a zoom conv

the tsunami warning was in effect for samoa and tonga. communications are still out this morning leaving many unanswered questions and looming concerns about how the tongan people are doing. san mateo county has one of the largest tongan populations out of the island, and without any ability to contact their loved ones there, worry here is all consuming. today in the bay's thom jensen reports. >> reporter: we were not able to reach anybody at the consulate, but with tens of thousands of people in the community living in this area and with a blackout across all the islands, they are going to be very busy in the coming days. members of the tongan community are only hearing bits of news coming out of tonga. >> a lot of devastation. there's lot of fear now. >> reporter: her grandmother is safe in fiji, but she worries about family and friends and the people of tonga. >> the eruption was so bad that the internet connection is out. i read that there's also no way to radio in either. >> there are a few videos circulating showing water rushing th

new zealand is flying water and other supplies to tonga tomorrow. experts say water levels along the california coast ed after that massive volcanic eruption in tonga. >> all tsunami warnings. they have been lifted after 2 to 3 foot swells reach shores on saturday throughout california. the hardest hit area was santa cruz was some coastal flooding. san francisco firefighters had to rescue 2 surfers were pulled out to sea by a powerful rip current. >> family and friends of people living in tonga are still waiting for answers because we mentioned communication lines have been severed. so it's tough for people trying to organize relief efforts to know exactly what to send. but for us, rob nesbitt reports on how one local company is putting together cargo to sent to the south pacific. >> just about every worker at sf enterprises and logistics has a family member living in tonga. they, of course, want to help. but that's tough. when phone lines and internet and tonga are both down. i mean, we're sitting here worried as well. we haven't spoken in one sinc

tonga has a population of around 100,000. the red cross estimates that about 80% of them may have been affected. 0ur correspondent rupert wingfield hayes has the latest. these pictures of the hunga tonga—hunga ha'apai volcano erupting are from last friday. this is just a foretaste of what was to come a day later — an eruption many, many times larger. this is the volcano poking above the ocean's surface last week. and today, it's completely gone. it has now been confirmed the huge eruption severed the main cable linking tonga to the outside world. this morning, new zealand dispatched aircraft to try and find out what is going on. some of those islands are reporting that they haven't had loss of life, but i would reiterate that is second—hand and it is early days. this evening we learnt this british woman, angela glover, was killed by the tsunami that hit the island on saturday. she'd moved to tonga in 2015 to open an animal shelter. she died trying to rescue her dogs. the strange thing was the uglier the dog, the more sh

i've never seen tonga like that. the friday, the night that night before there was disquiet with different colours. it was yellow, was red, it was orange. and then as soon as something like that and then i seen the black ash cloud still seems like it was following us, the car and also straight off the i think it was about eight o'clock. then we had this gust of wind three minutes in and i was just scared that maybe the oceans coming all the way to four more to say. definitely. then we had this gust of wind three minutes in and i was just scared that maybe the oceans coming all the way to four more to say. definitely. i thought of the last day, but i thank god we still have today to laugh and to breathe. the british government says it's uncovered a plot by moscow to install a pro—russian leader in ukraine, amid rising tensions over a possible invasion. russia has sent tens of thousands of troops to the ukrainian border in recent months — and the uk has warned that the it will face serious consequences if there is

. >> although there's no communication with people living in tonga. there were other countries nearby that were affected coming up on kron, 4 news at 6. hear what one man on a boat in new zealand with through live in san francisco. i'm rob nesbitt kron. 4 news. thank you, rob. football and the niners live to see another day in the playoffs after beating the cowboys yesterday. >> in dallas, niners are now going to be headed to green bay to take on the packers this weekend called for sports reporter katie joins us live with a recap of yesterday. and what to expect next, kate, this is exciting. we have a short week now. >> we do not to the forty-niners and thrilled about that part. but of course, they are thrilled to have survived and advanced and forty-niners fans are used to the kind of game we got yesterday, a nail-biter had plenty of them so far this season. yesterday's game against the cowboys was no exception. in most game of all, because this point literally came down the final second of the game. the forty-niners came out of the gates hot sand. t

from tonga -- though we have interviewed people from tonga when it comes to the climate crisis -- what is your message to the world? >> i don't think this will be the last natural disaster that nga will be experiencing. year after year we will be having natural disasters. year after year, we will be expecting aid to come for us because we cannot control nature. but this is what we have to live for and live with and this is normal for us. amy: marian kupu is a reporter for broadcom broadcasting in the capital of tonga, nuku'alofa. next up, saturday marked the 40 not anniversary of roe v. wade, the supreme court decision legalizing abortion. many questioned if the supreme court will strike down the landmark ruling before it turns 50. we will look at a new documentary at the sundance film festival called "the janes" about life before roe when a collective of women in chicago built an underground service for women seeking an abortion. could this be what post roe looks like as well? stay with us. ♪♪ [music break] amy: tongan musicians halamangaono group. this is democracy now!, democrac

authorities in tonga are introducing very strict disease control measures because tonga has just recorded only one known coronavirus case since the pandemic began, so clearly it doesn't want to recover from one disaster by inviting another in. so what they are doing is foreign aid workers, in order to go into the country, will have two adhere to three weeks of isolation. if you look in other parts of the pacific in recent days, kiribati, a population about the same of tonga, was covid free but now is going into lockdown as is samoa, so the authorities in tonga being very careful as that international aid continues to roll in. dr yutaro setoya is the world health organisation's lead on tonga — he spoke to the bbc via satellite phone from the capital. this is day seven of the disaster. in the capital there is a lot of ash everywhere but as long as people are claiming it by hand. in the affected area of western tonga, many of the houses were washed away and support is still going on. if you see from the air, it seems flat but there is a two metre, three metre height difference. i went to t

foreign aid is distributed in tonga, with more than 80 percent of the population affected by last weekend's volcanic eruption and tsunami. new zealand pledges more than $2 million us dollars. the than $2 million us dollars. recovering will be the upturn the recovering will be the upturn and we need to ensure we keep the momentum. two years to the day since china forced the city of wuhan and its 10 million citizens into lockdown, we have a special report on how beijing is containing the virus. there does appear to be widespread support for the government policy on covid because you get this, it looks quite normal, but nobody knows the answer to the big question, how long will it go on for? and the sherpa brothers returning home after becoming the first nepali team to reach the south pole, as they try to achieve the hallowed explorers�* grand slam. the uk government says it has uncovered a plot by president putin to install pro—russian leadership in ukraine, amid increasing tension over a possible invasion. moscow has urged the uk to stop — as it said — "spreading nonsense". russia ha

authorities in tonga are introducing very strict disease control measures because tonga hasjust disease control measures because tonga has just recorded disease control measures because tonga hasjust recorded only disease control measures because tonga has just recorded only one known coronavirus case since the pandemic began so clearly does not want to recover from one disaster by inviting another in so what they are doing is foreign aid workers, in order to go into the country, will have to adhere to three weeks of isolation. if you look in other parts of the pacific, in recent days, an island with a population the same as tonga was covid free but now is going into lockdown as is samoa so the authorities in tonga are being very careful as that international aid continues to roll in. ., �* , ., in. five of the uk's leading business — in. five of the uk's leading business organisations - in. five of the uk's leadingl business organisations have in. five of the uk's leading - business organisations have called on the government to support businesses and consumers who pay spiralling e

the tsunami left a trail of destruction across tonga�*s archipelago. many parts are completely covered in ash. with communications down, neighbouring countries are frantically trying to make contact. we need to finely balance the need to get there quickly and to make sure that we get the people and resources they need there, as well, and in some cases there are parts of tonga that we have not been able to establish communication with. the underwater volcanic eruption that triggered the tsunami, as seen from space, lasted less than ten minutes, but caused waves of more than one metre high to crash into tonga and fiji. plumes of gas and smoke are still pouring from the volcano, reaching 20km into the sky. alerts are in place from the west coast of the united states to japan, where people were warned to stay away from the coast if possible. usually when we get a tsunami on the west coast, it is due to an earthquake, so this is an exceptionally rare event where a volcano that was mostly underwater has exploded and caused a tsunami across the pacific. the s

tonga's recovery from — unprecedented disaster. tonga's recovery from this _ unprecedented disaster. tonga's recovery from this disaster - unprecedented disaster. tonga's recovery from this disaster is - unprecedented disaster. tonga's i recovery from this disaster is going to be long—term, and i think we need to be long—term, and i think we need to ensure that we the momentum up. after tonga has got enough water we will have to rebuild and it will be a long road to recovery.- a long road to recovery. tongan communities _ a long road to recovery. tongan communities abroad _ a long road to recovery. tongan communities abroad have - a long road to recovery. tongan communities abroad have also i a long road to recovery. tongan - communities abroad have also been providing support and donations. in new zealand, entire families filled this auckland car park and loaded trucks with supplies of food, water and other essentials. tongan born rugby player, who lives in the uk, has not heard from his family and has not heard from his famil

shaimaa khalil reporting on the situation in tonga. heavy fighting is taking place in north—eastern syria between islamic state militants and kurdish forces backed by us war planes. the fighting began on thursday when the extremists attacked a prison in the city of hasaka, and attempted to free thousands of is prisoners, as mark lobel reports. scenes syrians never wanted to see again. jihadists attacking a prison containing thousands of militants on thursday. there was a swift and determined fight back by kurdish—led forces guarding the area. taking on islamic state fighters in one of the group's biggest operations since their self—declared caliphate was defeated almost three years ago. from above, us—led coalition aircraft supported the syrian defense forces. many prisoners were recaptured with troops in pursuit of other fugitives that had fled to surrounding houses. families moved to safety in fear of their lives. translation: there's been shelling and killing since yesterday. - the jihadists killed four orfive people in our

but tonight, the main concern remains tonga. until the ash cloud clears and new zealand and australia can begin sending military flights, it remains very unclear how bad the situation on the island really is. we have had a statement from the family of a woman who lives in tonga. she is a british woman. her womanjennifer eleni in hove in the uk has been posting some information on social media about what has happened. family and friends of uk woman missing in tonga after was washed away after a tsunami wave hit the capital are waiting to hear news. communication has been very limited and frustrating. they and their happy sailor tattooing nuku�*alofa. they went to get their dogs when the tsunami hit. james went to get held onto a tree but the wife was washed away with the dogs. several social media post from the family and friends say that angela has not been found and her mother in hove near brighton received the devastating call from her husband james. they understand that technicians have been working frantically to try and g

jessa, these images and videos from tonga are incredible. describe to us what you're seeing, hearing, from people really affected by the kohl vannic eruption and tsunami firsthand. >> reporter: from the pictures we've been receiving from the islands and maritime zone, villages back up with reception and network like the one on the screen right now. there have been damages in these villages. boats, which they depend on for survival daily basis have been damaged, and other peoples that have been making the rounds on social media. >> you know, jese, communication is down, we haven't been able to reach anyone, still trying to figure out if anyone has been hurt or possibly died. have you gotten any word? >> at the moment, unfortunately, we haven't heard anything from tonga, their internet and phone lines are also down. what we've been able to gather from our maritime islands closer to tonga, nothing so far, no one has been injured or had their lives taken away. >> okay. we know you're going to stay on top of it, jese, thank you for taking the tim

the first international relief flights are en route to tonga. ash from the volcanic eruption has finally been cleared from the airport runway. the u.s. will start distributing 400 million masks for free across the country next week from its national strategic stockpile. health experts say they are the most protective face covering against the omicron variant. the u.s. has been reporting up to 800,000 new cases every day over the past week. to the u.k. and britain's prime minister has defied cause to quit during a raucous session in parliament. boris johnson said he won't be stepping down over the so-called party-gate scandal. he's been under pressure to resign over those streets in his downing street residence during coronavirus lockdowns. >> in a highly charged atmosphere, prime minister's questions began with another thought -- another major body blow for boris johnson, news that one of his mps had defected to the opposition party. this following morning, newspaper reports of a widening plot to oust johnson by members of his own party. jokes a

you know, it's just, west coast of tonga. you know, it'sjust, yeah, as i mentioned, just a relief to finally hear from them. it is such a huge _ finally hear from them. it is such a huge relief— finally hear from them. it is such a huge relief and - finally hear from them. it is such a huge relief and it's l such a huge relief and it's really great that you managed to speak to them and of course, there are so many people that have had their homes destroyed, lives have been lost. have they been able to give you an account of what the situation is like on the ground? we've been hearing about this huge amount of ash that people are having to clear.— having to clear. yes, that's correct. — having to clear. yes, that's correct. so _ having to clear. yes, that's correct, so the _ having to clear. yes, that's correct, so the only - correct, so the only information that my parents were able to tell me over the phone was people are busy trying to get the ash cleared, especially from their homes and the ground as well. i think th

the tonga community is seeking news . we will have that story picks >>> thank you for joining us.>>> look at the video. the undersea volcanic eruption that triggered the synonymy. it began last night. 4700 miles southwest of san francisco near tonga. it suddenly erupted sending ash 12,000 feet high. three miles wide. water, small rock came out of the capital 40 miles away.>>> we have team coverage bringing you the latest on the advisory on the california coast.>>> traffic is moving at the berkeley marina. police close the street as the advisory was beginning. they made sure people were kept a safe distance away. they wanted to study the waves. an unexpected start. >> i got a call from a friend and she said be careful. there is something coming.>> reporter: police had to evacuate because of the tsunami advisory. >> they made evacuations going boot to boot.>> reporter: 10% of the docked had people living. >> they drove by and walked up and down the docks with loudspeakers telling us to evacuate. four the red cross showed up

this is an australian c17 transport plane on final approach to tonga this afternoon. the crew quickly unloaded water and emergency supplies, but, because of covid, they were not allowed any contact with locals. tonga's government has decided that until covid is over, the islanders will have to deal with the clean up from this disaster by themselves. meanwhile, another cleanup is under way. the crude oil was spilt from a tanker that was unloading, triggered by the eruption in tonga more than 10,000 kilometres away. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in tokyo. let's get some of the day's other news. the united states has charged four government officials from belarus with aircraft piracy over the diversion of a passenger plane in order to arrest a journalist. the incident took place last may, when a ryanair plane travelling from greece to latvia was forced to divert to minsk, after the belarusian authorities said there was a suspected bomb threat. the lower house of austria's parliament has passed a bill to make covid—i9 vaccinations compulsory for adults. the bill,

much of the relief effort for tonga is being coordinated in neighbouring fiji. our correspondent shaimaa khalil is in the fijian capital, suva, with this update. aid has arrived in tonga, and a lot of it is being coordinated from here in fiji. countries like australia, new zealand, japan and britain have sent everything from water supplies to shelter kits, generator, even sweeping machines as well. the concern now is that this is going to be a slow process. getting aid and distributing it to people who need it the most is very, very tricky on any occasion — add the fear of a covid—i9 outbreak to that equation and you see how complex this is. the tongan government has insisted that the aid should be contactless. theyjust do not want a covid—i9 case in the country. they don't want to be dealing with a covid—i9 outbreak as they're dealing with the devastation, which means that supplies are there on the ground, but aid workers are not. so essentially, it's up to people in tonga to distribute that aid, whether it be volunteers or other aid workers inside the

in the first instance, are you getting any news from tonga? where the pa rt part of the latest thing you're hearing? irate part of the latest thing you're hearin: ? ~ . ., hearing? we are getting more news which — hearing? we are getting more news which is _ hearing? we are getting more news which is fantastic - hearing? we are getting more. news which is fantastic because we have been cut off as your news broadcast is been saying. we have not been able to have contact with our red cross teams on the ground since saturday afternoon, just after the initial blast. and this nominee happening with authorities moving people to higher ground and since then, we have been cut off. and with support of the british high commission, we are able to relay a series of message to our offices and we will have that for a couple of hours from now to get more updates. we are fortunate that the surveillance flights have been able to give more satellite imagery of her getting more news coming in on some satellite calls and from other agencies that are sharing inf

anchor: we also have these pictures of the tonga capital. this is a port facility before and two days after the corruption. again, it is covered in ash. the damaged outlined items may be even great. it is 70 kilometers from the booking appeared on monday, the u.n. detected the distress signal coming from the island. this is why this image taken by the new zealand defense force shows tsunami waves may have destroyed every home here. tarter island is closer to the volcano still. it is home to around 100 people. we are told there are large numbers -- a large number of buildings missing. this island is 80 kilometers from the arcana. all of the largest buildings were destroyed. here's more from the international federation for the red cross. >> we have been able to make some small contact, a little bit on and off through satellite phone with our red cross team on the ground today. we are getting a little bit of a better picture emerging on what is happening on the ground. we are thinking goodness that it is not the catastrophic event that we firs

. dangers that can be posed to the nation -- tongas.- the nation -- tongas. after what we — the nation -- tongas. after what we have _ the nation -- tongas. after what we have gone - the nation -- tongas. after| what we have gone through, the nation -- tongas. after i what we have gone through, i think this is because last year we were very much aware that there is a live volcano on the western side, we have been hearing a little explosion, experiencing big black clouds, we also experienced lightning. so we were very much aware that there is a live volcano out there is a live volcano out there in the western side. so when the big explosion that we heard on saturday evening, everyone immediately new that the volcano just erupted. so thatis the volcano just erupted. so that is why we were very prompt to run and evacuate because we were very well aware that that is the volcano and all we need to do is move away from the western side move away from the coastal areas. but western side move away from the coastal areas.— coastal areas. but even regardless _ coas

. —— causing the tsunami. that has been identified in tonga. -- causing the tsunami. fascinating. thank ou -- causing the tsunami. fascinating. thank you so — -- causing the tsunami. fascinating. thank you so much _ -- causing the tsunami. fascinating. thank you so much for— -- causing the tsunami. fascinating. thank you so much for clearing - -- causing the tsunami. fascinating. thank you so much for clearing up i thank you so much for clearing up some of the many questions that we have on this. thank you. large crowds of hindu worshippers have gathered on the banks of india's ganges river for a holy bath, in spite of a 30—fold increase in coronavirus cases in the past one month. similar festivals are taking place across the country. doctors in west bengal applied to stop its festival this year, worrying it would become a super spreader event. india reported over 260,000 new coronavirus cases on friday. aru na iyengar reports. varanasi in the northern state of uttar pradesh. thousands of pilgrims throng the ganges river banks to take part in the magh mela festi

her initial call to go to tonga was to swim with whales, which she did, and yeah. beautiful girl, she is irreplaceable. offers from new zealand and australia to help tonga are being complicated by the covid pandemic. the island nation is currently covid—free and it wants to stay that way. they have had disasters during the pandemic previously, from cyclones and hurricanes, and what they did then was just air drop supplies in and there was no physical contact or interaction between, say, troops and the local forces. a century ago, nearly one in ten tongans died in the 1918 flu pandemic. any reluctance now to ask for help would not be without reason. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, tokyo. katie greenwood heads the international red cross�*s pacific delegation. i spok to her from suva in fiji. we have not been able to have contact with our red cross teams on the ground since saturday afternoon, just after the initial blast. and right as the tsunami warning was happening with authorities moving people to higher ground and since then, we have been cut off. and w

this is an australian c17 transport plane on final approach to tonga this afternoon. the crew quickly unloaded water and emergency supplies, but, because of covid, they were not allowed any contact with locals. tonga's government has decided that until the covid pandemic is over, the islanders will have to deal with the clean up of this disaster by themselves. meanwhile, on the other side of the pacific in peru, another clean—up is under way. the crude oil on these beaches was spilled from a tanker that was unloading when a tsunami hit the coast here, triggered by the eruption in tonga, more than 10,000 kilometres away. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in tokyo. the former pope, benedict the sixteenth, has expressed shock at the sexual abuse of children by clerics, after a report accused him of failing to take action in four cases back when he was archbishiop of munich, germany. benedict, who was then called josef ratzinger, denies any wrongdoing. victims�* groups have welcomed the report's findings. 0ur berlin correspondent, jenny hill has more details. the wo

reggie: the afterma t volcanic eruption in tonga. the urgent call for disaster relief as you learn about the science of tsunamis here. jobina: two arrested after the standoff at a texas synagogue. reggie: an uptick in covid cases among teens. we will give you a few of the possible reasons for that increase. good morning. abc 7 mornings is live right now. jobina: we are going to start with a look at our forecast with drew tuma. drew: we are off to a mild start along our coastline. 51 in the city, mid-50's for half moon bay. 38 in santa rosa, and hayward as well. a live look with light wind out there this morning, partly to mostly cloudy skies overhead and it will remain that way through the daylight hours today. sun is up at 7:20 is 7:20 is partly cloudy skies throughout the day. another mild afternoon with temperatures in the upper 50's to lower 60's, five to 10 degrees above where we should be for this time of year we will find that haze in our atmosphere once again. air quality today today and tomorrow on the moderate side. sunset

but tonight, the main concern remains tonga. until the ash cloud clears and new zealand and australia can begin sending military flights, it remains very unclear how bad the situation on the island really is. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in tokyo. i've been speaking to anna jane lagi, a tongan university student in neighbouring fiji, who began by sharing some good news. i did hearjust an hour before this interview that my mum and my siblings are good, and hopefully my dad and my auntie as well. we were able to contact them by asking someone who was working at a place where they have a satellite phone. they were able to contact a few family members and get back to us that they are safe. that is excellent news, and i am so happy to hear that. it must be such a worrying time for the tonga community, obviously notjust on the island nation, but in fiji, which i understand has quite a sizeable community. yes, quite a number of us are here. as well as in other countries, and we have already been pulled —— as well as in other

tonga is made up of a group of islands in the south pacific. entire villages were destroyed in the tsunami and some are still without basic neccessities, like clean water. our correspondent shaimaa khalil has more from fiji. aid has arrived in tonga and a lot of it is being coordinated from here in fiji. countries like australia, new zealand, japan and britain have sent everything from water supplies to shelter kits, generators, even sweeping machines as well. the concern now is that this is going to be a slow process, getting aid and distributing it to people who need it the most is very very tricky on any occasion. and the fear of a covid—i9 outbreak to that equation and you see how complex this is. the tongan government has insisted the aid should be contactless, theyjust do not want a covid—i9 case in the country, they don't want to be dealing with a covid—i9 outbreak as they are dealing with the devastation, which means that supplies are there on the ground, but aid workers are not so essentially it's up to people in tonga to distrib

on some of tonga is 169 islands in the south pacific. these images were captured by a new zealand defense force reconnaissance flight. it's as close as outsiders concurrently get after a massive volcanic eruption and su nami hit tonga at the weekend. satellite pictures show the capital, knuckle a loafer before the eruption and after the ashes, proving quite problematic. not just for a war turn, sanitation because tom collected water from the roofs of household. but in terms of access for the aid from australia, new zealand, and other flights, but they need to clear the runway supplies are already on their way. you zealand h m. n zed as wellington is one of 2. royal navy ships heading towards tomba, with water supplies survey teams, and a helicopter. australia is also sending help, including humanitarian aid, with regular communication line, still down, tonga is almost cut off from the world. no one can be sure what they'll find when they get there. south africa was the 1st country to sound the alarm about the army, kron corona, virus fai

this is an australian c17 transport plane on final approach to tonga this afternoon. the crew quickly unloaded water and emergency supplies, but, because of covid, they were not allowed any contact with locals. tonga's government has decided that until the covid pandemic is over, the islanders will have to deal with the clean up of this disaster by themselves. meanwhile, on the other side of the pacific in peru, another clean—up is under way. the crude oil on these beaches was spilled from a tanker that was unloading when a tsunami hit the coast here, triggered by the eruption in tonga, more than 10,000 kilometres away. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in tokyo. the government has refused permission for a new electricity link beneath the channel, bringing energy from france. the company involved, aquind, is part—owned by two men who've made large donations to the conservative party. the proposal involved laying cables from portsmouth to normandy at a cost of over £1 billion. but the business secretary, kwasi kwarteng, said he wasn't satisfied that "more approp

i've never seen tonga like that. the friday, the night before, the skies were different colours bit was yellow, red, orange. and then, as soon as something like that, i saw that black ash cloud and it seemed like it was following us in the car and also, straight after, i think it was about 8pm, then we heard these gusts of wind, three minutes. notice gather may be the oceanis minutes. notice gather may be the ocean is calming all the way so definitely i thought it was the last table god we still have today to laugh and to breathe. islamic state fighters have carried out one of their biggest attacks in syria since the group's self—declared caliphate was defeated. a british—based monitoring group says more than 120 people — most of them jihadists — have been killed in four days of fighting with kurdish—led forces in the northern city of hasa—keh. it's thought the aim of the attack is to free thousands of suspected islamic state supporters held in a jail there. mark lobel reports. scenes syrians never wanted

it must be awful for the people in tonga- _ humans? it must be awful for the people in tonga. i— humans? it must be awful for the people in tonga. i understand - humans? it must be awful for the people in tonga. i understand it | humans? it must be awful for the l people in tonga. i understand it cut off internet communication and other communications are struggling. the prime minister of new zealand said there was a thin film of ash everywhere. the column and the umbrella cloud produce was at least 200 kilometres wide so it is fully covered with ash. but the tsunami is probably the biggest impact and that has been propagating across the space —— across the bill specific including japan and the united states. that is causing some damage. not anything as bad as perhaps we saw in the eruption of crack and how about two years ago, which had a much bigger local impact, but still it is a tsunami which is interesting. the tsunami process and what produces the tsunami is really interesting. i'm sure we'll find out, but at the moment it is not clear whether the tsunami was becau