If you're just joining us here's the some of the most important latest developments on the aftermath of the shootings in Christchurch:

• Australian Brenton Tarrant, 28, the main suspect, has appeared in court on a single murder charge
• He was brought to the dock in a white prison shirt and handcuffs

• He was remanded in custody without plea and is due to appear in court again on 5 April
• Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says he may yet face more charges
• A total of 49 people are confirmed to have died

• The first victim has been named by his family as Daoud Nabi, 71, who moved to New Zealand from Afghanistan in the 1980s
• Read our main story
• Here's what we know about the suspects
• What are New Zealand's gun laws?

Police in New Zealand have appealed for those who may have witnessed or have any information on the attacks to contact them.

New Zealand's attorney-general has clarified comments he made earlier, when he said the government would ban semi-automatic weapons.

Speaking to RNZ radio, external, David Parker said there was no commitment yet to a ban on semi-automatics.

He added that he was trying to reflect Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's comments that "we need to ban some semi-automatics, perhaps all of them. Those decisions have yet to be taken but the prime minister has signaled that we are going to look at that issue".

A fundraising appeal set up by New Zealand charity Victim Support has been receiving so many donations for the victims that the website has been suffering "technical issues".

Newlyweds Reece and Kellie Campbell decided to mark their special day on Saturday with a tribute to "those who are going through a hard time right now", the New Zealand Herald reports.

After exchanging vows, the pair took time out of their special day to visit a mosque and lay their wedding bouquets outside.

"We had flowers from our wedding that we thought would be nice to drop them to the mosque to show support, external," they said.

Following news that New Zealand's Attorney-General David Parker said the government would ban semi-automatic rifles, US anti-gun activist Shannon Watts praised the move on Twitter.

Anjum Rahman, spokeswoman for the Islamic Women's Council of New Zealand, said there was "a lot of shock and grief" following Friday's attack.

"I think people just don't know what to make of it at the moment," she told BBC World News.

"It’s devastating – we’re shattered."

The organisation is at work in Christchurch providing logistical support, counselling and helping relatives organise funerals.

Ms Rahman said the Islamic community in New Zealand is small so most Muslims will know someone affected.

New South Wales (NSW) State Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, tweeted on Saturday that Australia will show "solidarity" with New Zealand by displaying the country's Silver Fern on Sydney's iconic Opera House.

The Pakistan Association of New Zealand (PANZ) posted a video on Saturday, external in which New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addresses Muslims and describes the police operation to retrieve and identify the victims of the attack.

"The hope is that all bodies will be removed by the end of the day," she says.

"One of the issues we have had is within the mosques - we had to ensure that it was safe to be able to retrieve those who had fallen within it."

She adds: "There is huge grief in this nation... you are us, and so we feel deeply in our hearts for what has happened."

Large crowds gathered in Auckland's Aotea Square on Saturday to mourn the shooting victims.

Local media report that thousands were present for the vigil, with others planned across the country.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Jacinda Ardern says that "specialists" are working to support families and connect them with their loved ones.

An imam at the Linwood mosque, where the second attack took place on Friday, said that despite the shootings, Muslims still felt at home in New Zealand.

"My children live here, we are happy," Ibrahim Abdul Halim said, adding: "We still love this country."

He said that the majority of New Zealanders "are very keen to support all of us, to give us full solidarity," AFP news agency reported.

Image source, Reuters

NZ news website Newshub has been speaking to members of a rifle club attended by the alleged gunman.

The club's vice-president, Scott Williams, said the man had been a member since 2018 but he "never gave anyone reason to suspect he would carry out an attack like he has".

"The club is feeling, shocked stunned, and a bit betrayed that we've had this person in our club that would do these horrible things."

The club is working with police.

A website for an anti-immigration movement that describes itself as "a fraternity of young New Zealand nationalists" has ceased activity in the wake of the Christchurch attacks.

The homepage for the Dominion Movement now features a message stating that it "categorically and without reservation condemns the events in Christchurch".

"Terrorism is absolutely antithetical to our worldview and our cause," it reads, adding: "We will be taking a hiatus."

A hospital in Hawke's Bay on New Zealand's North Island has been placed in lockdown due to a security threat in the facility, Radio New Zealand (RNZ) is reporting.

According to RNZ, witnesses say a police car is blocking the entrance to the hospital.

Police have provided no further details. It is not clear if the incident is in any way related to the Christchurch attacks.

Friday's attacks are the worst mass shootings in New Zealand's modern history.

Here is what we know so far about how the attacks unfolded.

The attacker livestreamed the mass killings on the internet. Despite efforts by tech companies, that video can still be seen.

Officials in New Zealand have been urging people not to share the video.

But as BBC technology reporter Jane Wakefield writes, the series of events "has, once again, shone a spotlight on how sites like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Reddit try - and fail - to address far-right extremism on their platforms".

Social media races to stop attack footage

New Zealand's Human Rights Commissioner Paul Hunt has said the country is enriched by its diversity.

"Islamophobia, antisemitism, xenophobia, racism, intolerance in all its terrible forms do not belong in modern Aotearoa New Zealand," he told Newstalk ZB, external, saying the response would define the country.

"We need to underscore our values. We need to fight intolerance in all its forms. We need to think about how better to educate communities and in schools of our multicultural beliefs.

"I am sure New Zealand will bounce back."

Ms Ardern has been in Christchurch meeting people affected.

She spent time at the Canterbury Refugee Centre, an NGO that helps refugees who have resettled in New Zealand to integrate and build new lives. It is believed that refugees from various countries were among those at the mosques on Friday.

Image source, AFP