Newborn baby abandoned inside plane

The baby boy born on a flight from the Middle East to the Philippines and abandoned in an airplane trash bag will be put up for adoption if the mother is not found or declared unfit, a government official said Tuesday.

The baby, named George Francis after Gulf Air's flight code GF, was doing fine, watched closely by nurses and social workers while authorities searched for his mother.

Officials have identified a person who occupied a bloodstained seat on the plane but are still verifying if she is the boy's mother, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman told The Associated Press.

"He is well. He takes a lot of milk, but he is being observed because there was a bump found on his head. But as far as the report from his checkup goes, his condition is good," she said.

The six pound, nine ounce (three kilogram) boy was discovered Sunday when a security officer on the tarmac spied something moving in one of the trash bags that were carried from the plane. He opened it, sifted through the rubbish and found the newborn wrapped with tissue paper and covered in blood.

The story evoked pity and outrage around the world. The infant – still attached to the placenta – was taken to an airport clinic, where doctors and nurses cleaned him, gave him a checkup, wrapped him in cloth and mittens and warmed him under a light bulb, airport doctor Maria Teresa Agores said.

Philippine officials have started searching for the mother of a newborn baby abandoned inside a plane that arrived in the Manila international airport.

Cleaners found the baby boy inside a rubbish bin in the toilet of a Gulf Air flight that arrived from Bahrain on Sunday, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said.

The boy was covered with blood and wrapped in tissue paper when found. Staff said blood stains were also found on two seats in the plane.

An airport medical team cleaned up the newborn, then rushed him to a hospital. He is in good condition, said an official of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, who has taken custody of the child.

Radio stations were swamped with calls offering adoption of the baby, but the welfare department said they are giving the mother a chance to come forward.
Read more...

Amy Winehouse finally Laid To Rest

Friends and family said goodbye to Amy Winehouse today with prayers, tears, laughter and song at a funeral ceremony in London. Kelly Osbourne and Mark Ronson were among the famous friends that joined Winehouse’s family and loved ones at London’s Edgwarebury Cemetery earlier today. Winehouse will be cremated following the service.

According to Britain’s Daily Mail, Amy’s father gave a touching eulogy at today’s ceremony.

“Mitch’s last words to Amy in his eulogy were ‘Goodnight my angel,’” Goodman said. “Sleep tight. Mummy and Daddy love you ever so much.”

Winehouse’s official cause of death will be released in October.

Although drug and alcohol abuse are being blamed for the death of Amy Winehouse, there was no sign of drugs in the London home where the British singer was found dead Saturday, according to police sources who spoke to PEOPLE magazine.

There have been speculations that the soulful singer died because of a drug and alcohol binge. The Mirror reported that a friend of the singer claimed that “[Amy] has spent the last seven days on a massive bender and people were saying she’s going to drink herself to death.”

The untimely death of singer Amy Winehouse has caused a lot of people to stop and think about their own lives. As we said earlier, it’s no secret that Amy had a very public battle with drugs and alcohol during her life. As unfortunate as this may sound, Amy isn’t the only person in the spotlight to publicly talk about her drug addiction in interviews and songs. People like Lil Wayne, Lindsay Lohan, Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown and even Souljah Boy have been noted for their drug usage during their musical and acting careers.
Read more...

Everton fan handcuffs himself to goalpost during 1-0 victory over Manchester City

The 46-year-old, named locally as John Foley, forced the referee to halt play for around five minutes at Goodison Park.
The bizarre incident occurred shortly before 8.40pm, five minutes before the end of the first half, with the match goalless.

Both teams' managers used the pause to speak to their players as several Merseyside Police officers worked to remove the man
from City keeper Joe Hart's left-hand post.
The man, who wore a T-shirt, jeans and baseball cap, was eventually led away after police used boltcutters enabling play to restart. It is thought he was protesting against Ryanair.

His actions are reported to be linked to his daughter's alleged unfair dismissal by Ryanair, claims denied by the company.

A message on his T-shirt read: "Europe's greatest training robbers. Ryanair. Lowest wages guaranteed. Stop. Recruitment scamming our children."

Despite the attempts of captain Phil Neville as well as the man refused to leave the field. The majority of players looked with disbelief, before the crowd quickly started heckling the fan.
Reports suggested the man was Mr Foley, who staged a similar protest on top of the Crown Plaza Hotel, near to Liverpool John Lennon airport in Speke, in February 2010
.
Everton later confirmed on their official website, evertonfc.com: "Bolt-cutters were used to remove the offender, who was roundly booed as he was escorted from the ground.

"It transpired that the supporter is a known professional protester, allegedly protesting about an airline's recruitment policy. He was arrested by Merseyside Police, who are now dealing with the matter."
Everton went on to win the game 1-0 with a deflected strike from Darron Gibson.
Police said the man from Southport was arrested for pitch encroachment and was being questioned overnight on Tuesday.

City lost the game 1-0 and are now on the same points as Manchester United who defeated Stoke City 2-0 at Old Trafford.

Both teams have 54 points from 23 games but City lead on goal difference.
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini admitted he was to blame for the costly defeat that provided Manchester United with renewed hope in the title race.
A Ryanair spokesman was unavailable for comment.
Read more...

Florida Man Adopts 42 Year Old Girlfriend

A wealthy Florida man has set off a firestorm by legally adopting his 42-year-old girlfriend as he prepares for a potentially costly wrongful death suit.
John Goodman, 49, founder of the tony International Polo Club in Wellington, Fla., was involved in a crash on Feb. 12, 2010 that killed 23-year-old Scott Patrick Wilson. Local police say Goodman ran a stop sign while driving with a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit in Florida.

While Goodman faces criminal charges of DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an accident that carry a possible 30-year prison term in a trial set for March 6, he also faces a civil suit from William and Lili Wilson over the death of their son.
In recently released court documents, the Wilsons learned that Goodman had legally adopted his girlfriend Heather Hutchins in October. Attorneys for the Wilsons say it was a blatant move to protect his assets.
"It cannot go unrecognized that [Goodman] chose to adopt his 42-year-old girlfriend as opposed to a needy child," The Palm Beach Post newspaper quoted family attorney Scott Smith as saying.
Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Glenn Kelley had previously ruled a trust fund Goodman had established for his two minor children could not be considered an asset in any court-rewarded damages to the Wilson family.
Now, with Hutchins also considered Goodman's daughter, she is entitled to one-third of the trust fund, and as an adult over 35 she can begin drawing money from the fund immediately.
Judge Kelley was critical of Goodman's move in his order granting the Wilson family the right to information regarding the adoption. Kelley said the adoption "border(s) on the surreal," The Palm Beach Post reported.
"The Court cannot ignore reality or the practical impact of what Mr. Goodman has now done," Judge Kelley wrote. "The Defendant has effectively diverted a significant portion of the assets of the children's trust to a person with whom he is intimately involved at a time when his personal assets are largely at risk in this case."
While Goodman's move has tongues wagging on the society scene in south Florida, a state adoption expert told WPEC-TV in West Palm Beach that Goodman adopting his girlfriend may not be strictly legal.
Read more...

NUPENG halts strike after face-off with Shell Posted

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas workers have called off their strike which began on Tuesday.

The strike was suspended on Wednesday afternoon after members of the union and the management of Shell reached an agreement.

The President, NUPENG, Mr. Achese Igwe, told our correspondent that Shell had agreed to the terms of the union, adding that the GMD, NNPC, Mr. Austin Oniwon, attended the meeting.

He said, "We have suspended the industrial action because a commitment has been made by Shell management. It was made by the MD himself and the GMD of NNPC also signed as a witness in the presence of everyone in attendance to see that these issues as regards the Shell branch vis-à-vis employee statements pertaining the nonpayment of those that were retired from Shell or sacked indiscriminately are all being paid."

NUPENG had accused Shell of anti-labour activities, demanding compensation for contracted employees of the oil firm laid off without benefits after serving the company for over 15 years.

Igwe said the meeting ended after Shell agreed to settle the union within the next one week, adding that the union would seek avenues to stop inhumane treatment of its members by foreign firms operating in Nigeria.

He said, "We have agreed that by next week all these issues will be resolved and in one week all the entitlements and disagreements will be over."

Meanwhile, there was heavy traffic in Marina, Lagos on Wednesday as NUPENG picketed the headquarters of the Anglo/Dutch giant.
Read more...