emerges (4)
Between a rock and a hard place: Husband emerges to face warring women who had to be pulled apart
Probably the bravest of all the 33 trapped miners was the one who asked for both his wife and his mistress to greet him on reaching the surface.
Yonni Barrios initially became known as the group’s ‘doctor’.
He used knowledge gained from looking after his diabetic mother to work with medical teams on the surface to diagnose and help the men trapped with him. ..
Trapped miner Yonni Barrios Rojas is greeted by his girlfriend Susana Valenzuela after reaching the surface
Very public display of affection: The entire world watches as Susanna kisses her lover
Row: Marta Salinas, left, wife of trapped miner Yonni Barrios, did not greet him on his return to the surface after it emerged he was having an affair with Susana Valenzuela, right
But very soon the 50-year-old miner became even better known for something rather less noble. His wife and another woman were both holding a vigil for him in Camp Hope.
Marta Salinas, 58, whom he married 28 years ago, reportedly almost came to blows with Susana Valenzuela, 50, when they faced off in the mine’s dining area. The pair had to be pulled apart.
According to Miss Salinas, Barrios had been dividing his time between the two women for the last couple of years. And it was Miss Valenzuela who broke the news to her that there had been an accident at the mine.
As his wife began to get involved in his affairs on Camp Hope, he instructed teams on the surface to deal with his lover instead.
Incredible: Susanna appears unable to believe Barrios is safe as she cusps his face in her hands and clings to him in a long hug
Moments later Barrios, centre, was carried on a stretcher to the triage centre
And as the day of the rescue finally approached, he asked for both of them to wait for him as he emerged from the borehole.
‘He is either very cheeky or very idiotic,’ said a source within the rescue team. ‘He didn’t seem worried at all.’
In the end he was greeted by his mistress, his wife choosing to stay away. He emerged at 8:32pm UK time to be met by tearful Miss Valenzuela.
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'Alone at last! All right Maria, you can come out now.'
He looked calm as he gingerly walked towards his mistress, who gave him a long hug, crying on his shoulder and occasionally pulling back to look at him as if to make sure the reunion was really happening.
After he emerged, his wife, who has three sons from an earlier relationship, said she is over Barrios and did not feel ‘anything in particular’.
'Cocky': Barrios, waving to the crowd, was slammed by his ex-wife - but Susanna was unable to hide the joy from her face at his escape
She said: ‘I watched it on television. I’m very pleased they are all coming out well.
‘I’m glad I didn’t go to the mine, it was the correct decision. It would have been wrong if the two of us were there – I have children and grandchildren. That kind of situation wouldn’t have been good for my family, and my sons come first.
‘He is crazy and cocky to think I would do such a thing. I have a sense of decency.’
She said she could tell Barrios was ‘holding back’ in the reunion, as his girlfriend held him tightly and cried.
Rock and a hard place: Miner Yonni Barrios
‘I know she is impulsive, while he behaved properly. He knew I was going to be watching.’ She said she would not be visiting him at the hospital. ‘If he wants to see me or talk to me he can come find me. Otherwise we will talk through our lawyers.
‘I have his belongings and all these gifts people have sent him – he is welcome to have them.’
She said she is not bitter but had a parting shot for her husband and the other miners.
‘This is historic but soon it will be over to the next thing. People move on – in a few years everyone will have forgotten about this.
‘They think they will all be millionaires overnight but it’s not like that. Only the skillful ones will make something from this.’
Mr Barrios is thought not to be alone in his complex domestic arrangements.
According to reports, another Barrios – Carlos – who was rescued yesterday has a five-year-old son with a woman he has not divorced and his girlfriend of seven months is pregnant.
Another miner is said to have four women claiming his affections and perhaps soon-to-be-increased income – a wife he has not divorced, his current live-in girlfriend, a third woman who claims to have had his son and another who says she is having an affair with him.
Ramsey Noah emerges AMAA Actor of the Year
Popular Nollywood actor Ramsey Noah on Saturday emerged the Best Actor of the year at the African Movie Academy (AMAA) Award held in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.
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The award was for his spectacular performance in the flick, The Figurine, which also emerged the best film of the year..
The sixth AMAA award was witnessed by an array of movie stars from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and the Diaspora. Two American movie stars, Ms C.C.H Pounder and Glynn Turner, also attended the event.
Nollywood acts alone carted away nine of the twenty-four awards handed out including Cinematography and Visual Effects of the year won by the film The Figurine..
Ghanaian, Ugandan and Kenyan movie industries also proved that they had a considerable acting and production talents as they carted away awards in eleven categories including the Best Actress of the year won by the duo of Ashaku Mensa-Doku and Lydia Forson in a movie The Perfect picture.
In his speech, Governor Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa said though the economy of the state and indeed the nation needed all the revenue that could be accruable, his administration is convinced its investment in the AMAA is not wasted as the award has shown to the world that the state and the Niger Delta is safe and ready for tourism, which is the new forte for Bayelsa.
Sylva noted that the continued hosting of the event would encourage the anticipated investors to come to the state to invest and also come into a Public-Private Partnership initiative with the state government.
“This administration places huge importance on arts and culture for the promotion of the African values. We will encourage home grown talents.
“Beyond the glamour of the award, it is expected that the talents discovered would be used to correct the wrong impression about the African continent. I hope they would be used to switch the paradigm from the negative to the positive story of the African people and culture.
Use it to tell the story that Bayelsa State is safe for investors to come,” he said.
The Chairman of the state Hosting Committee and Director-General of the Tourism Bureau, Mr. Nathan Egba, said the state shares a mutually benefiting relationship with the AMMA organization, which has helped to promote the fielding tourism industry of the state over the years.
Addressing the huge gathering of movie stars, producers and politicians, the representative of the Group Executive Director, Communications of the United Bank of Africa (UBA), Mr. Charles Aigbe, said the relationship between the bank and AMAA award had hit three years and the partnership was in furtherance of the firm belief of the bank in the promotion of the African culture through the movie industry.
In her comment on the noticeable developments in the African Movie industry, the Chairperson of the Award Jury Committee, Keith Shiri, said though the number of entries for the awards for 2010 increased with over 280 entries received for 24 categories, the harsh economic condition grossly affected the industry with a reduction in film production and exit of professionals from the industry.
Shiri, however, noted that the few movies produced and submitted for entry for the award showed an improvement in technical and production expertise and increased number of the involvement of the women behind the cameras.
acting President Goodluck Jonathan has sworn in members of his new cabinet.
A senior executive at the investment bank Goldman Sachs, Olusegun Aganga, has been appointed finance minister.
Thirteen members of the new cabinet are from the dissolved government, Reuters reports.
Mr Jonathan has placed former Mines Minister Deziani Allison-Madueke in charge of the country's oil ministry, a key post in the oil-rich state.
Mr Jonathan has outlined his main priorities as electoral reforms, security in the oil-producing Niger Delta, providing a more reliable power supply and fighting corruption.
In March, Mr Jonathan dissolved the entire cabinet and made new nominations, most of which were accepted by Nigeria's senate last week.
The new cabinet is expected to remain in place until elections due next year.
These are due in April but could be held in January.
President Umaru Yar'Adua has not been seen in public since he fell ill in November 2009..
Other Reports:
Dora Akunyili retains her job as Minister of Information in the new cabinet and John Odey returns to the Environment ministry.
Odein Ajumogobia is named Nigeria's Foreign Affairs minister; Dieziani Allison-Madueke becomes Petroleum Minister while Fidelia Njeze is named Aviation Minister. Olusegun Aganga is the new Finance Minister, and Godsday Orubebe is the Niger Delta Minister.
Idi Hong is minister of state for Health, while Shamsudeen Usman remains Minister of National Planning. Humphrey Abba has been named as Interior Minister.
Bello Adoke is the new Attorney General of the Federation, Adetokunbo Kayode who was formerly the AGF is now the new helsman at the Defence ministry while Murtala Yar'Adua is the minister of state.
Update 1734 Lagos time
Agriculture............................Sheikh Ahmed ABDULLAH
Aviation.......................................Fidelia NJEZE
Culture and Tourism...............Abubakar Sadiq A. MOHAMMED
Commerce and Industry....................Jibril Martins KUYE
Defence....................................Adetokunbo KAYODE
Education.................................Ruqayyatu A. RUFAI
Environment...................................John Ogar ODEY
Finance......................................Olusegun AGANGA
Foreign Affairs............................ Odein AJUMOGOBIA
Health................................................vacant
Information & Communication....................Dora AKUNYILI
Interior..................................Emmanuel IHEANACHO
Justice & Attorney General..............Mohammed Bello ADOKE
Labour.........................Chukwuemeka Ngozichineke WOGU
Lands, Housing & Urban Development.............Nduese ESSIEN
Mines & Steel Development.................Musa Mohammed SADA
Niger Delta Affairs..........................Godsday ORUBEBE
Petroleum............................Deziani ALLISON-MADUEKE
Police Affairs..................................Adamu WAZIRI
Power.................................................vacant
Science & Technology....................Muhammed K. ABUBAKAR
Special Duties.............................Earnest OLUBOLADE
Transportation................................Yusuf SULAIMAN
Women Affairs..........................Iyom Josephine ANENIH
Works & Housing.............................Sanusi M. DAGASH
Youth Development.......................Akinlabi OLASUNKANMI
Ministers in the Presidency
Federal Capital Territory......................Bala MUHAMMED
National Planning Commission Chairman......Shamsuddeen USMAN
National Sports Commission...................Ibrahim Isa BIO
Ministers of state
Agriculture & Water Resources.........Awodele Najeem ADEWALE
Commerce....................................Josephine TAPGUN
Defence...............................Murtala Shehu YAR'ADUA
Finance..................................Aderemi W. BABALOLA
Foreign Affairs (1)...........................Aliyu Idi HONG
Health....................................... Suleiman BELLO
Information & Communications....................Labaran MAKU
Interior............................. Humphrey Enemakwu ABAH
Niger Delta Affairs...............................Samuel ODE
Power..........................................Nuhu Somo WYA
Works & Housing.............................Chris OGIEMWINYI
culled from NEXT
