North Korea has announced an "explosive" COVID-19 outbreak that has likely killed six people and infected more than 350,000, according to state media, prompting fears of an impending and deadly crisis in the isolated and impoverished nation.

The announcement comes a day after the country reported its first ever coronavirus case, calling the situation a "major national emergency".

On Thursday, North Korea reported 18,000 new "fever cases" and six deaths, one of which tested positive for the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron, state media KCNA reported on Friday.

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North Korea has not confirmed that all "fever" cases and deaths are COVID-19, likely due to its limited testing capability.

"A fever whose cause couldn't be identified explosively spread nationwide since late April," the newspaper said. "As of now up to 187,800 people are being isolated."

An outbreak of COVID-19 could prove disastrous for North Korea. The country's dilapidated health care infrastructure is unlikely to be up to the task of treating a large number of patients with a highly infectious disease and the nation is not known to have imported any coronavirus vaccines.

North Korea had not previously acknowledged any coronavirus cases, though few believe that a country of around 25 million people has been spared by a virus that has infected millions worldwide.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters on Thursday and acknowledged the spreading outbreak meant there was a "vulnerable point" in the country's epidemic prevention system, according to KCNA.

In images of the meeting published by state media, Kim is seen wearing a surgical mask as he enters and leaves the meeting room. Officials accompanying him are also shown wearing masks throughout.

"It is the most important challenge and supreme tasks facing our party to reverse the immediate public health crisis situation," Kim said, according to KCNA.

Following a meeting of the country's powerful politburo on Thursday, North Korea placed all cities into lockdown and ordered "people with fever or abnormal symptoms" into quarantine, KCNA said.

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A reporter for Chinese state media CGTN released a rare video from Pyongyang on Friday, recounting his experience on the ground.

"As far as we know, not many people in Pyongyang have been vaccinated, and the medical and epidemic prevention facilities are in short supply," reporter Zang Qing said in a Weibo post.

"Because the capital is in lockdown, the food I have at home is only enough for a week. We are still awaiting what policy the government will announce next."

Global assistance

On Thursday, China said it's ready to provide support to North Korea in its fight against COVID-19.

North Korea's borders have been sealed since January 2020 to keep the virus at bay, despite the knock-on effects on trade with Beijing, an economic lifeline the impoverished country needs to keep its people from going hungry.

"As comrades, neighbours and friends, China stands ready to provide full support to the DPRK in its fight against the epidemic," China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Zhao Lijian said in a briefing.

As China battles its own outbreak, the Chinese National Immigration Administration urged Jilin Province – which borders North Korea – to strengthen health inspections at its customs after North Korea reported its first COVID-19 case.

South Korea and the United States also agreed to continue discussions on ways to provide humanitarian aid to North Korea with the international community, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said in a press release.

South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke on a call on Friday and shared concerns over the COVID-19 situation in North Korea, the ministry said. Both countries are open to dialogue with the north, they said.

Zero vaccines could spell disaster

North Korea is not believed to have received any COVID vaccinations, despite being eligible for the global COVID-19 vaccine sharing program, Covax.

Assuming most of North Korea's population is unvaccinated, an outbreak in North Korea – which has limited testing capabilities, inadequate medical infrastructure and which has isolated itself from the outside world – could quickly become deadly.

Calls are mounting on the country's leadership to provide access to vaccines.

"There is no evidence to show that North Korea has access to enough vaccines to protect its population from COVID-19. Yet, it has rejected millions of doses of AstraZeneca and Sinovac vaccines offered by the WHO-led COVAX program," said Amnesty International's East Asia researcher Boram Jang, in a statement.

"With the first official news of a COVID-19 outbreak in the country, continuing on this path could cost many lives and would be an unconscionable dereliction of upholding the right to health."

In February, Covax reportedly scaled back the number of doses allocated to North Korea because the country failed to arrange for any shipments, according to Reuters.

A spokesperson for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, said Covax has moved to "needs-based vaccine allocations" and "has currently not committed any volume" for North Korea.

"In case the country decides to start a COVID-19 immunisation program, vaccines could be made available based on criteria of Covax objectives and technical considerations to enable the country to catch up with international immunisation targets," the spokesperson said.

Israeli riot police have pushed and beat pallbearers at the funeral for slain Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, causing them to briefly drop the casket in a shocking start to a procession that turned into perhaps the largest display of Palestinian nationalism in Jerusalem in a generation.

The scenes of violence were likely to add to the sense of grief and outrage across the Arab world that has followed the death of Abu Akleh, who witnesses say was killed by Israeli troops Wednesday during a raid in the occupied West Bank.

They also illustrated the deep sensitivities over east Jerusalem – which is claimed by both Israel and the Palestinians and has sparked repeated rounds of violence.

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Abu Akleh, 51, was a household name across the Arab world, synonymous with Al Jazeera’s coverage of life under Israeli rule, which is well into its sixth decade with no end in sight.

A 25-year veteran of the satellite channel, she was revered by Palestinians as a local hero.

Thousands of people, many waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Palestine! Palestine!” attended the funeral.

It was believed to be the largest Palestinian funeral in Jerusalem since Faisal Husseini, a Palestinian leader and scion of a prominent family, died in 2001.

Ahead of the burial, a large crowd gathered to escort her casket from an east Jerusalem hospital to a Catholic church in the nearby Old City.

Many of the mourners held Palestinian flags, and the crowd began shouting, “We sacrifice our soul and blood for you, Shireen.”

Shortly after, Israel police moved in, pushing and clubbing mourners.

As the helmeted riot police approached, they hit pallbearers, causing one man to lose control of the casket as it dropped toward the ground.

Police ripped Palestinian flags out of people's hands and fired stun grenades to disperse the crowd.

Abu Akleh's brother, Tony, said the scenes “prove that Shireen's reports and honest words … had a powerful impact.”

Al Jazeera correspondent Givara Budeiri said the police crackdown was like killing Abu Akleh again. “It seems her voice isn't silent,” she said during a report by the broadcaster.

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East Jerusalem, home to the city’s most important Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy sites, was captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war.

It claims all of the city as its eternal capital and has annexed the eastern sector in a move that is not internationally recognized.

The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state. Israel routinely clamps down on any displays of support for Palestinian statehood.

The conflicting claims to east Jerusalem often spill over into violence, helping fuel an 11-day war between Israel and Gaza militants last year and more recently sparking weeks of unrest at the city’s most sensitive holy site.

Outside of prayers at the Al Aqsa Mosque, Israel rarely allows large Palestinian gatherings in east Jerusalem and routinely clamps down on any displays of support for Palestinian statehood.

Police said the crowd at the hospital was chanting “nationalist incitement,” ignored calls to stop and threw stones at them.

“The policemen were forced to act,” police said.

They issued a video in which a commander outside the hospital warns the crowd that police will come in if they don’t stop their incitement and “nationalist songs.”

An Israeli official said the details of the funeral had been coordinated with the family ahead of time to ensure it would run smoothly, but that “masses began gathering around the hearse of Shireen Abu Akleh and chaos ensued,” preventing the procession from going along its intended route. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Earlier this week, Abu Akleh’s brother said the original arrangement was to move the casket in a hearse from the hospital to the church, and that after the service, it would be carried through the streets to the cemetery.

It was not immediately clear why those plans had changed and pallbearers emerged from the hospital carrying the casket.

Al Jazeera said in a statement that the police action “violates all international norms and rights."

"Israeli occupation forces attacked those mourning the late Shireen Abu Akhleh after storming the French hospital in Jerusalem, where they severely beat the pallbearers,” it said.

The network added that it remains committed to covering the news and will not be deterred.

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White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the images "deeply disturbing.”

The focus should be “marking the memory of a remarkable journalist who lost her life,” Psaki said. “We regret the intrusion into what should have been a peaceful procession.”

During a Rose Garden event, US President Joe Biden was asked whether he condemns the Israeli police actions at the funeral, and he replied: “I don’t know all the details, but I know it has to be investigated.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “was deeply disturbed by the confrontations between Israeli security forces and Palestinians gathered at St Joseph Hospital, and the behavior of some police present at the scene,” according to a statement from his deputy spokesman, Farhan Haq.

Israeli police later escorted the casket in a black van, ripping Palestinian flags off the vehicle as it made its way to the church.

“We die for Palestine to live!” crowds chanted. “Our beloved home!”

Later, they sang the Palestinian national anthem and chanted “Palestine, Palestine!” before her body was buried in a cemetery outside the Old City.

Her grave was decorated with a Palestinian flag and flowers. The Palestinian ambassador to the UK, Husam Zomlot, and Al Jazeera's bureau chief, Walid Al-Omari, placed flowers on the grave.

Salah Zuheika, a 70-year-old Palestinian, called Abu Akleh “the daughter of Jerusalem,” and said the huge crowds were a “reward” for her love of the city.

“We already miss her, but what had happened today in the city will not be forgotten,” he said.

Abu Akleh was a member of the small Palestinian Christian community in the Holy Land. Palestinian Christians and Muslims marched alongside one another Friday in a show of unity.

She was shot in the head during an Israeli military raid in the West Bank town of Jenin. But the circumstances of the shooting remain in dispute.

The Palestinians say army fire killed her, while the Israeli military said Friday that she was killed during an exchange with fire with Palestinian militants. It said it could not determine who was responsible for her death without a ballistic analysis.

“The conclusion of the interim investigation is that it is not possible to determine the source of the fire that hit and killed the reporter,” the military said.

Israel has called for a joint investigation with the Palestinian Authority and for it to hand over the bullet for forensic analysis to determine who fired the fatal round.

The PA has refused, saying it will conduct its own investigation and send the results to the International Criminal Court, which is already investigating possible Israeli war crimes.

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Reporters who were with Abu Akleh, including one who was shot and wounded, said there were no clashes or militants in the immediate area. All of them were wearing protective equipment that clearly identified them as reporters.

The PA and Al Jazeera, which has long had a strained relationship with Israel, have accused Israel of deliberately killing Abu Akleh. Israel denies the accusations.

Rights groups say Israel rarely follows through on investigations into the killing of Palestinians by its security forces and hands down lenient punishments on the rare occasions when it does.

This case, however, drew heavy scrutiny because Abu Akleh was well-known and also a US citizen.

Palestinians from in and around Jenin have carried out deadly attacks in Israel in recent weeks, and Israel has launched near daily arrest raids in the area, often igniting gunbattles with militants.

Israeli troops pushed into Jenin again early Friday, sparking renewed fighting.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said 13 Palestinians were wounded. The Israeli military said that Palestinians opened fire when its forces went in to arrest suspected militants. Police said a 47-year-old member of a special Israeli commando unit was killed.

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From flying kites, to carrying potatoes; these are some of the strangest laws in our fair country.

After Australians have cast their votes in the federal election the counting will begin, and both Labor and the Coalition will anxiously wait to see if they've won enough seats in parliament to claim victory.

To form Government in their own right they will need a majority of the 151 seats in the House of Representatives.

That means they need at least 76 seats.

And if both Labor and the Coalition fall short? Then we'll have a hung parliament.

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What happens if there is a hung parliament?

A hung parliament means neither side has won enough seats to form government.

If that happens, a lot of wheeling and dealing with the crossbench will begin.

Both Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese would essentially be trying to convince independent MPs and minor parties to pick them as prime minister.

The fundamental thing one of the leaders must have is the agreement for confidence and supply.

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In other words, they'll be asking crossbenchers to guarantee they won't support votes to bring the government down – this constitutes "confidence".

And they won't support votes that stop the government from doing its ordinary business, such as paying public servants and social security bills – this is "supply".

If Scott Morrison or Anthony Albanese could secure those guarantees, they'd go to the Governor-General and say, "I enjoy the confidence of the House".

The Governor-General could then commission a Prime Minister to form a minority government.

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What's in it for the crossbenchers?

They would issue certain demands in exchange for their support – for example, they may insist on a change or commitment to a certain policy.

Is a hung parliament common in Australia?

In the federal parliament, it's only happened once since World War II.

At the 2010 election, the Coalition and Labor each landed 72 seats.

That meant they each needed to find another four votes.

Julia Gillard remained caretaker Prime Minister as both sides attempted to woo the six MPs on the crossbench.

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It took 17 gruelling days of negotiations before Labor was able to win enough support to govern in minority after striking deals with four crossbenchers.

Those MPs guaranteed confidence and supply, but they didn't agree to support all ALP measures.

That's why leading a minority government is hard work, because the crossbenchers hold greater power than usual.

Julia Gillard had to win the backing of every member of her alliance in order to pass most laws.

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Why is there so much talk of a hung parliament at this election?

The opinion polls suggest many Australians will be voting for independents and minor parties over major party candidates.

Both Labor and the Coalition have primary votes in the mid-30s.

If current polling is replicated at the federal election, a hung parliament is the most likely outcome.

And then the fun begins.

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