Borrowers who fell behind risked public shaming on Facebook and Tongan media.
Category Archives: headline
South Otago crash: Tributes for Clutha Valley firefighter Logan Sinclair
Logan Sinclair’s death comes after brother Blake died in a Clutha River tragedy in 2013.
OLACDE launches new monthly report
QUITO, Ecuador, May 25, CMC – The Latin American and Caribbean Energy Organization (OLACDE) Monday announced the launch of its new monthly Oil and Gas Report, a publication designed to track developments in production and foreign trade across the sector in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). According to the analysis for January 2026, oil […]
Antigua and Barbuda and Barbados welcome inaugural Air Peace flight
ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, May 25, CMC – Prime Minister Gaston Browne has reiterated that health protocols have been put in place to accommodate travellers from Africa as the island welcomed the inaugural Air Peace flight on Sunday connecting Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda. Browne, speaking on his weekly radio programme, said his administration’s cautious approach […]
Two arrested as part of Dezi Freeman investigation
Two people have been arrested by police and are now being questioned as officers investigate how fugitive Dezi Freeman remained on the run after fatally shooting two police officers at Porepunkah in August last year.
Detectives from Taskforce Summit, a special group set up to track Freeman's movements, today arrested the pair "as part of their ongoing investigation into the movements of Desmond Freeman".
A 48-year-old man and a 35-year-old man, each arrested at different locations in north-east Victoria, are now being interviewed by police.
LIVE UPDATES: As Trump claims deal is close, Iran is spotted laying mines
"The investigation remains ongoing and as such, we are not in a position to provide further details at this immediate time," police said in a statement.
Freeman was shot and killed at a property in Thologolong in March this year, after seven months on the run.
At the time of his death, police pledged to follow every angle into his time on the run, including whether he received assistance from others.
Coroner's court hears of Freeman's last moments
The two arrests came a day after a coroner's court heard of the final moments before double police killer Dezi Freeman died in a hail of bullets.
Holding a police-issued handgun stolen from an officer he had left for dead months prior, Freeman was struck in a hail of police bullets on March 30 at a remote property in Thologolong, Victoria.
Fresh details of Freeman's death were detailed in a Coroners Court directions hearing yesterday.
READ MORE: Dozens of protesters shut down part of Parliament House
The court earlier heard the 56-year-old killed Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart and Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson on his Porepunkah property, 310km northwest of Melbourne, in August 2025.
The officers were executing a warrant after disclosure of an alleged sexual assault involving a child, as well as an attempt to involve a child in the production of child abuse material.
Seven months later, Freeman would point the stolen gun at a team of arresting officers before being shot himself.
READ MORE: Mother called police after allegedly murdering four-year-old daughter
Counsel assisting Lindsay Spence told the court officers tracked Freeman down to a shipping container in Thologolong.
Police surrounded the dwelling on the morning of March 30, attempting to negotiate with Freeman via loudspeaker.
After two hours of negotiations, police deployed gas inside the shipping container.
Freeman emerged with a green bag covering his hands, before dropping the bag and revealing a firearm.
READ MORE: Search for evidence in Gus Lamont disappearance renewed by police
"The deceased was struck and immediately fell to the ground," Spence told the court.
"The black handgun, which the deceased had pointed and discharged at the (Special Operations Group) members, was later confirmed as the police-issued handgun he had stolen from Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart."
Freeman had told the fatally wounded officer to die in hell moments before shooting him again, the court was earlier told.
Police had been attempting to arrest Freeman at Porepunkah, where he was living in a converted bus with his family, including wife Mali.
Five officers had knocked at the door, before Freeman had yelled and refused to come out, saying the police "could go to hell," Spence said.
READ MORE: Minns admits 'giant intelligence failure' led to Bondi terror attack
Freeman was eventually shown a copy of the search warrant, which he described as "bullshit".
The court heard an officer climbed onto the bus roof but was unable to gain access, before Freeman said he was coming out.
After failing to exit, Thompson lifted himself through a window to gain access to the bus, but as his feet touched the ground, he was shot.
He suffered a gunshot wound to the face and neck, and collapsed immediately.
READ MORE: Queensland school shut after students exposed to mercury
A second officer, standing near Thompson, yelled "gun" and ran, activating a duress alarm, the court heard.
Freeman then shot de Waart-Hottart as the other officers ran and sought cover behind a shipping container.
"I had no choice," Freeman said.
The court heard Freeman returned to the bus after the shooting and swore over the bodies of both fallen officers.
READ MORE: Famous chimney stacks reduced to rubble in massive blast
"F—ing scum, die in hell," he yelled at police before firing de Waart-Hottart's firearm at Thompson again.
Freeman then stepped out of the bus with two guns and fired at a third officer, injuring them.
"He was last sighted running down the hill towards the river," Spence told the court.
Freeman later sent a message to his wife.
"Get a mile away and keep going. See you in heaven, love," he texted.
Speculation has been rife over how Freeman came to be in Thologolong, about 150km from Porepunkah, where he fatally shot the officers.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Jamaica records downward slide in murders
KINGSTON, Jamaica, May 25, CMC – Jamaica has recorded 213 murders for the period January to May 23, this year as compared with 275 for the same period last year, according to figures released Monday by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), a decline of 22.5 per cent. It said that while St. James, St. Elizabeth, […]
Guyana unveils first locally minted Independence gold medallion
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, May 25, CMC – Guyana has officially launched the country’s national gold and jewellery brand under the brand name “Eldorado Reimagined” marking a historic milestone in the transformation of the country’s gold sector. The Ministry of Natural Resources said that the medallion signifies a moving away from raw commodity production to value-added manufacturing […]
Trinidad: Government grants hold over” letters to bona fide operators
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, May 25, CMC – The Trinidad and Tobago government Monday said that it has presented “Hold Over” letters to 25 bona fide operators allowing them to continue their mining and processing operations, under the same terms and conditions as their previous licences, while their renewal applications are being processed. The Ministry […]
Trinidad: Ramsamooj awarded US$30,000 in compensation following unlawful detention in Suriname
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, May 25, CMC – The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) Monday awarded the Trinidad-based political analyst Derek Ramsamooj US$30,000 in damages resulting from his arrest and detention in Suriname in 2020. Derek Ramsamooj (File Photo) Ramsamooj had alleged that his rights under the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC) which governs the […]
Government Advances Youth Economic Empowerment Bureau Through Stakeholder Consultations
Basseterre, Saint Kitts, May 22, 2026 (SKNIS): The Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis is advancing plans to establish a Youth Economic Empowerment Bureau aimed at equipping young people with the support needed to launch and sustain businesses in a growing economy. As part of the consultative process, a Validation Workshop was held on Friday, […]