ABU DHABI // The mother who abandoned a foetus on an Etihad Airways flight to Manila may have had a miscarriage, according to the police chief leading the investigation.
The foetus, which was at five to six months' term, was found in a rubbish bin in the plane's rear lavatory shortly after the aircraft arrived in Manila on Monday night.
The identity of the mother is still not known. "It's difficult to conclude; investigations should be based on facts, so we need to identify her first," said Senior Supt Napoleon Cuaton, the police chief in Pasay City, part of metro Manila.
"But as I see it, the woman could have been under a great deal of stress and was very exhausted from the flight, and that caused a miscarriage. She got terrified and left the foetus in the toilet," he said.
Yesterday, investigators assigned to the case received a copy of the list of passengers aboard Etihad flight EY428, which arrived at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 9.55pm on Monday.
There were 246 passengers on the flight from Abu Dhabi, including an infant. One hundred and eight were women.
"My investigators are now looking for the names of the female passengers on the flight manifest so we can start the process of elimination," Senior Supt Cuaton said.
He said the mother left no traces that would make for an easy identification on the plane. In a similar case in September last year, a Filipina who abandoned her baby after giving birth in the toilet of a Gulf Air plane was tracked down because blood spots were found on her seat. The mother was identified as an overseas worker in Qatar.
"But last Monday, the plane did not offer any clues for us to identify the mother. The passengers had already disembarked when the foetus was discovered by an aircraft cleaner in preparation for Etihad's outbound flight," Senior Supt Cuaton said. Investigators have to verify the port of origin of the female passengers, which requires co-ordination with Etihad.
The station manager of Etihad Airways at Ninoy Aquino airport said he was not authorised to speak about the incident, beyond acknowledging that the airline had been working with police in their investigations.
"If the mother is found to be an [overseas Filipino worker], we will contact the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration [OWWA] for assistance in our investigation," Senior Supt Cuaton said.
The OWWA is an agency of the Philippine department of labour and employment that protects and promotes the welfare of Filipino migrant workers.
Once the mother had been identified, she would be questioned about the circumstances and reasons for abandoning the foetus, he said. She could face homicide charges if she intentionally aborted the foetus. But if she had a miscarriage, she will be charged with abandonment.
"Under the revised penal code, the woman could be sentenced to between seven and 12 years in prison for abandoning a minor," Senior Supt Cuaton said.
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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MATCH INFO
Liverpool 2 (Van Dijk 18', 24')
Brighton 1 (Dunk 79')
Red card: Alisson (Liverpool)
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Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
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RESULTS
Welterweight
Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) beat Mostafa Radi (PAL)
(Unanimous points decision)
Catchweight 75kg
Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR) beat Leandro Martins (BRA)
(Second round knockout)
Flyweight (female)
Manon Fiorot (FRA) beat Corinne Laframboise (CAN)
(RSC in third round)
Featherweight
Bogdan Kirilenko (UZB) beat Ahmed Al Darmaki
(Disqualification)
Lightweight
Izzedine Al Derabani (JOR) beat Rey Nacionales (PHI)
(Unanimous points)
Featherweight
Yousef Al Housani (UAE) beat Mohamed Fargan (IND)
(TKO first round)
Catchweight 69kg
Jung Han-gook (KOR) beat Max Lima (BRA)
(First round submission by foot-lock)
Catchweight 71kg
Usman Nurmogamedov (RUS) beat Jerry Kvarnstrom (FIN)
(TKO round 1).
Featherweight title (5 rounds)
Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) v Alexandru Chitoran (ROU)
(TKO round 1).
Lightweight title (5 rounds)
Bruno Machado (BRA) beat Mike Santiago (USA)
(RSC round 2).
Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day - 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227 for four at the close.