Authorities said yesterday they hold grave fears for the safety of the mother of a three-year-old girl who was abandoned by her father at a train station in Australia during a bizarre flight across at least three countries.
Australian police said they believe Xue Naiyin (薛乃銀), a Chinese-language magazine publisher in New Zealand, boarded a flight to the US after dumping his daughter in Melbourne on Saturday.
Qian Xun Xue (
PHOTO: AP
An international police operation has been piecing together what happened to the girl, whose plight has been front page news in Australia and New Zealand.
Police say Qian and her father left Auckland, New Zealand, -- where the family had lived for the past decade and where Xue, 54, is the director of publishing company the Chinese Times One Group -- last Thursday and flew to Melbourne.
On Saturday, security camera footage showed a man, believed by police to be Xue, leading Qian by the hand through the train station, then leaving her at the foot on an escalator as he ascended, wheeling a suitcase.
Airline records show Xue boarded a flight to Los Angeles about two hours later, police said.
New Zealand police have not been able to trace the girl's mother, Anni Liu (
"There are concerns we haven't heard from her at all," Pearson said.
He declined to say if police thought the woman had been killed.
Inspector Brad Shallies of Australia's Victoria state police said US authorities and Interpol had joined the search for Xue, and that many possible explanations remained for his behavior.
"We are not flagging him as a danger at present," Shallies told Australian Broadcasting Corp radio.
The girl was in temporary foster care in Melbourne and is now being looked after by a foster family in Victoria.
"She remains calm and composed, sometimes she spikes in emotions when she wakes up and mum's not there but the carers settle her back into a routine," Shallies said.
It was not immediately known how police identified the girl and her father.
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
RSS