Tag Archives: oceania

Trump to pardon Honduran president’s drug trafficking sentence

2025-11-29 FreeNews

President Donald Trump said he will be pardoning former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who in 2024 was convicted for drug trafficking and weapons charges and sentenced to 45 years in prison.

The president explained his decision on social media by posting that "according to many people that I greatly respect," Hernandez was "treated very harshly and unfairly."

In March of last year, Hernandez was convicted in US court of conspiring to import cocaine into the USA. He had served served two terms as the leader of the Central American nation of roughly ten million people.

Donald Trump said Juan Orlando Hernandez was "treated very harshly and unfairly".

Hernandez has been appealing his conviction and serving time at the US Penitentiary, Hazelton in West Virginia.

A lawyer for Hernandez, Renato C. Stabile, expressed gratitude for Trump's actions.

"A great injustice has been righted and we are so hopeful for the future partnership of the United States and Honduras," Stabile said. "Thank you President Trump for making sure that justice was served. We look forward to President Hernandez's triumphant return to Honduras."

A separate lawyer for Hernandez, Sabrina Shroff, declined comment.

The post was part of a broader message by Trump backing Nasry "Tito" Asfura for Honduras' presidency, with Trump saying the US would be supportive of the country if he wins. But if Asfura loses the election this Sunday, Trump posted that "the United States will not be throwing good money after bad, because a wrong Leader can only bring catastrophic results to a country, no matter which country it is."

Juan Orlando Hernandez conspired to move hundreds of tonnes of cocaine from Honduras to the United States.

Asfura, 67, is making his second run for president for the conservative National Party. He was mayor of Tegucigalpa and has pledged to solve Honduras' infrastructure needs. But he has previously been accused of embezzling public funds, allegations that he denies.

In addition to Asfura, there are two other likely contenders for Honduras' presidency: Rixi Moncada, who served as the finance and later defence secretary before leaving to run for president for the incumbent democratic socialist Libre party, and Salvador Nasralla, a former television personality who is making his fourth bid for the presidency, this time as the candidate for the Liberal Party.

Trump has framed Honduras' election as trial for democracy, suggesting in a separate Truth Social post that if Asfura loses, the country could go the way of Venezuela and fall under the influence of that country's politician, Nicolás Maduro.

Trump has sought to apply pressure on Maduro, ordering a series of strikes against boats suspected of carrying drugs, building up the US military presence in the Caribbean with warships including the Navy's most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford.

The US president has not ruled out taking military action or covert action by the CIA against Venezuela, though he has also floated that he was open to speaking with Maduro.

Donald Trump has said he will pardon the former president of Honduras.

Outgoing Honduran President Xiomara Castro has leaned into a leftist stance, but she has kept a pragmatic and even cooperative attitude in dealing with the US administration and she has received visits from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and US Army Gen. Laura Richardson, when she was the commander of US Southern Command. The president has even backed off his threats to end Honduras' extradition treaty and military cooperation with the US.

Under Castro, Honduras has also received its citizens deported from the US and acted as a bridge for deported Venezuelans who were then picked up by Venezuela in Honduras.

Argentine President Javier Milei, a staunch admirer of Trump, also gave his support to Asfura in Honduras on Friday.

"I fully support Tito Asfura, who is the candidate who best represents the opposition to the leftist tyrants who have destroyed Honduras," the libertarian president said on his X account.

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Former detective shuts down latest alleged sighting in hunt for alleged cop killer

2025-11-29 FreeNews

Three months since Desmond Freeman allegedly killed two officers in Victoria's high country, a Melbourne man has claimed to have spotted the fugitive in South Africa.

The man allegedly called Crime Stoppers after claiming he saw Dezi Freeman in Cape Town.

The Melbourne man claimed to have made eye contact with the fugitive before he darted off.

Victoria Police during the search for alleged shooter Dezi Freeman at Mount Buffalo National Park.

But former police detective Charlie Bezzina has poured cold water on the claims.

"This guy Dezi Freeman is not an organised criminal," Bezzina told Today.

"He wouldn't have the connections, I wouldn't believe, to get a false passport. Then you've got to get past facial recognition at all areas of departure in Australia."

"I'll be very surprised if he's able to get out of the country."

Freeman, 56, has not been seen since August 26, when police officers Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart-Hottart were shot dead at his home at Porepunkah in regional Victoria.

"Chief Commissioner Bush has certainly made it quite clear that they're not going to give up," Bezzina said.

Victoria's Mount Buffalo National Park has officially reopened after an extensive, eight week manhunt for accused police killer Dezi Freeman.

"Clearly, he wouldn't have survived this length of time in the bush if he's self-sufficient, even if he is hunting or gathering his own food source."

"But, how long is a piece of string?"

The two officers were part of a team executing a search warrant on Freeman's property. A third officer was also wounded.

A $1 million reward has been offered for information leading to Freeman's arrest.

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Swiss tourist killed by shark on NSW beach identified

2025-11-29 FreeNews

The Swiss tourist mauled to death by a shark on the NSW Mid North Coast has been identified.

Lucas Schindler, 26, and Olivia Mulheim, 25, were at Kylies Beach south of Port Macquarie when the attack happened.

Mulheim was an investment associate at Swiss asset management company Bellecapital.

Livia Mulheim was killed in a shark attack on a NSW beach.

She had studied at the University of St Gallen before starting at the firm in 2024.

She was a keen swimmer and was a judge in artistic swimming with the Swiss Swimming Federation.

The pair were filming dolphins off the beach when they were attacked by the shark.

Despite being severely wounded himself, Schindler dragged Mulheim back to shore before bystanders raced in to help.

Mulheim died from her injuries but Schindler was able to be saved.

Schindler is a marathon runner who crossed the finish line of the Sydney Marathon in August.

Lukas Schindler from Switzerland crossing the finish line at the Sydney marathon.

The 26-year-old may struggle to walk again after being bitten in the leg by the bull shark he tried to fend off.

"Everyone was talking about it yesterday, it's just terrible," a resident told 9News.

"My child was camping out here last week, swimming. I just couldn't imagine how everyone's feeling."

"So he's in a whole world of hurt, obviously not just from his injury, but, you know, emotionally he's going to be really struggling," shark attack survivor David Pearson said.

David Pearson is a shark attack survivor.

Pearson has been a member of a group helping people overcome the challenges following a shark attack.

"We're here to try and help people understand life after an attack, because it's not an easy journey."

The beaches around Crowdy Bay were closed today and could remain that way over the weekend.

Investigations into finding the shark responsible for the attack continue as Fisheries NSW has deployed half a dozen drum lines across the beach.

Surf Life Saving is deploying drones and scanning for any sharks.

Since the attack, no sharks have been spotted in the area.

Livia Mulheim had just started her career in finance in her home country of Switzerland.

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Detectives visit notorious killer on his deathbed

2025-11-28 FreeNews

South Australian major crime detectives have visited Yatala Labour Prison to see Bevan Spencer Von Einem – one of the state's most notorious child killers.

Police won't confirm that the interview took place, but 9News understands officers spoke with Von Einem for around an hour this morning in an interview room at the high-security prison.

Two major crime detectives arrived at the jail before emerging around an hour and a half later with notebooks and a small video camera in hand.

South Australian major crime detectives have visited Yatala Labour Prison to see Bevan Spencer Von Einem – one of the state's most notorious child killers.

It's unclear what, if anything, the child killer said to them, but there's little hope he would've shared anything he knows about the so-called Family Murders.

It's widely believed Von Einem, who has long denied involvement in multiple crimes, will die with his secrets.

He's been serving a life sentence, convicted in 1984 of the murder of 15-year-old Richard Kelvin.

It's widely believed Von Einem, who has long denied involvement in multiple crimes, will die with his secrets.

That killing has long been linked to four others for which no one has ever faced justice.

All are thought to have been connected to a sinister group of men known as "The Family".

Von Einem is now terminally ill with lung cancer, and it is unclear how long he has left to live, or if detectives intend to pay him another visit.

This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.

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Teenager fighting for life, man injured after shopping centre stabbing

2025-11-28 FreeNews

A 16-year-old is fighting for life and a 20-year-old has been seriously injured after a stabbing at an Adelaide shopping centre during Black Friday sales.

A fight broke out between four males at Elizabeth City Centre in Adelaide's north just after 2pm (ACDT), leading to the centre's alarm being sounded and the area being locked down.

A 16-year-old boy was stabbed in the leg and has been taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Two stabbing victims were taken to hospital following the frightening public attack. One of them is fighting for life.

"All I see is a bunch of people on top of each other. Some of them start running off then he falls to the ground bleeding everywhere, he had a knife in his leg," one witness said.

"I bought a towel to try and help stop the bleeding but security got onto it straight away."

A 20-year-old man was stabbed in the abdomen and is in a stable condition, according to police.

"People were just shocked, horror, crying in tears, it was pretty devastating to see," the witness said.

Police swiftly pounced on a suspect at the scene and took him into custody.

The knife used in the attacks was also recovered, police said.

Detectives are also interviewing a 16-year-old boy they believe may have been involved.

Another suspect remains on the run.

SA Police Superintendent Amit Sareen said the shopping centre was particularly busy at the time due to the Black Friday sales.

"There were quite a few people around," he said.

He has reassured the community the incident "was not a random attack".

"The group was known to each other," he said.

Part of the centre remains blocked off as police continue their investigations.

A heavy police presence is expected to remain at the centre as shoppers take advantage of extended trading hours for Black Friday.

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Final search for Hong Kong fire survivors as apartment tower blaze death toll climbs

2025-11-28 FreeNews

Hong Kong firefighters are searching through a high-rise tower complex apartment-by-apartment for more victims after a massive fire engulfed seven of its eight buildings, killing at least 128 people in one of the city's deadliest blazes.

Crews were prioritising apartments from which they received more than two dozen calls for assistance during the blaze but were unable to reach, Derek Armstrong Chan, a deputy director of Hong Kong Fire Services told reporters.

The toll rose tonight to 128 after more bodies were found in the blackened towers, and Secretary for Security Chris Tang told reporters at the scene that the search for victims was continuing and the numbers could still rise.

The fire started mid-afternoon on Wednesday in one of the Wang Fuk Court complex's eight towers, jumping rapidly from one to the next as bamboo scaffolding covered in netting in place for renovations caught ablaze until seven buildings were engulfed.

It took more than 1000 firefighters some 24 hours to bring the blaze under control, and even nearly two days later, smoke continued to drift out of the charred skeletons of the buildings from the occasional flare-up.

The final search of the buildings was expected to be completed later on Friday at which point officials have said they will officially end the rescue phase of their operation at the complex in Tai Po district, a northern suburb near Hong Kong's border with mainland China.

It was unclear how many people could possibly be inside the buildings, which had almost 2000 apartments and some 4800 residents.

"We will endeavor to force entry into all the units of the seven blocks concerned so as to ensure that there is no other possible casualties," Chan said.

He said an updated figure on the number of missing people cannot be calculated until the search and rescue operation is complete.

The apartments from which a total of 25 unanswered rescue calls were received, which are being prioritised, were primarily on higher floors, where the fire was last to be extinguished, he said.

More than 70 people were injured in the blaze, including 11 firefighters, and about 900 people were housed in temporary shelters.

Most of the casualties were in the first two buildings to catch fire, Chan said.

The apartment complex housed many older people. It was built in the 1980s and had been undergoing a major renovation. Hong Kong's anti-corruption agency said on Thursday it was investigating possible corruption relating to the renovation project.

Three men, the directors and an engineering consultant of a construction company, have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, and police said company leaders were suspected of gross negligence.

Police have not identified the company where the suspects worked, but The Associated Press confirmed Prestige Construction and Engineering Company was in charge of renovations in the tower complex. Police have seized boxes of documents from the company, where phones rang unanswered on Thursday.

Authorities suspected some materials on the exterior walls of the high-rise buildings did not meet fire resistance standards, allowing the unusually fast spread of the fire.

Police also said they found plastic foam panels — which are highly flammable — attached to the windows on each floor near the elevator lobby of the one unaffected tower. The panels were believed to have been installed by the construction company but the purpose was not clear.

Authorities planned immediate inspections of housing estates undergoing major renovations to ensure scaffolding and construction materials meet safety standards.

The fire was the deadliest in Hong Kong in decades. A 1996 fire in a commercial building in Kowloon killed 41 people. A warehouse fire in 1948 killed 176 people, according to the South China Morning Post.

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How police discovered 30,000 ‘falsely or erroneously’ recorded breath tests

2025-11-28 FreeNews

One officer falsely recorded 11 breath tests over a period of five minutes.

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‘Lowlife’ on the run after carjacking person who stopped to help him

2025-11-28 FreeNews

A man who stole a car at knifepoint from a driver who stopped to help him following a two-car crash in Sydney's west remains on the run.

At about 11.30pm yesterday, emergency services were called to Amy Street in Regents following reports of a two-vehicle crash.

Officers arrived to find a Volkswagen Ute and a Volkswagen Hatchback that had been involved in a crash.

A black Volkswagen hatchback that was involved in a car accident in Sydney's west. The ute has been seized for forensic examination.

The 18-year-old female driver of the hatchback was uninjured.

Police were informed that a 47-year-old man driving a van had stopped to help.

Police were told the driver of the ute then threatened the man with a knife before stealing his van.

"At this stage, we don't believe any parties are known to each other," Detective Chief Inspector Alison Fenwick said.

The 47-year-old man driving a van stopped to help before being carjacked. Police were informed that a 47-year-old man driving a van had stopped to help.