A Chinese man appeared on Monday in a New Zealand court charged with murdering his wife, in a case that sprang to global attention when he abandoned their young daughter at a railway station.
Pictures of the three-year-old crying by a station escalator in Melbourne, Australia, triggered an international hunt for Xue Naiyin (
He was traced to the US and, after nearly six months on the run, returned to New Zealand earlier on Monday to face court.
Xue, 53, landed at Auckland's international airport in handcuffs and guarded by four US immigration officers following his capture in Atlanta, Georgia, on Feb. 28.
He had fled New Zealand in September after allegedly killing his wife Annie Liu (劉安安), 27, whose body was found in the trunk of a car outside their Auckland home.
He then flew to Melbourne with his daughter, Xue Qianxun (
The newspaper publisher and self-styled martial arts expert was formally charged with murder shortly after arriving back in New Zealand.
In a brief appearance at an Auckland court, he stood impassive in the dock as Judge Eddie Paul remanded him in custody to reappear on March 19.
Xue's time on the run in the US ended when he was recognized by members of the Chinese community in the Chamblee district of Atlanta. His case had been extensively publicized in the Chinese language media in the US as well as on the America's Most Wanted TV show.
The Chinese bound his hands and tied his trousers around his ankles to hold him until police arrived.
His daughter Qianxun now lives with her maternal grandmother in China.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel
Two people died and 19 others were injured after a Mexican Navy training ship hit the Brooklyn Bridge, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said yesterday. The ship snapped all three of its masts as it collided with the New York City landmark late on Saturday, while onlookers enjoying the balmy spring evening watched in horror. “At this time, of the 277 on board, 19 sustained injuries, 2 of which remain in critical condition, and 2 more have sadly passed away from their injuries,” Adams posted on X. Footage shared online showed the Mexican Navy ship Cuauhtemoc, its sails furled
RSS