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Vietnam spots possible wreckage from Malaysian plane
Vietnam spots possible wreckage from Malaysian plane (AFP) / 10 March 2014 The United States sent an FBI team to investigate, but US officials stressed there was as yet no evidence of terrorism. Vietnamese searchers on Sunday spotted possible aircraft debris after combing the sea for nearly 48 hours in the hunt for a Malaysian passenger jet that vanished with 239 people aboard, officials said. The discovery, which could confirm the worst fears of anguished relatives, came after Malaysia’s government launched a terror probe into the Boeing 777’s disappearance, investigating suspect passengers who boarded with stolen passports. “We received information from a Vietnamese plane saying that they found two broken objects, which seem like those of an aircraft, located about 50 miles (80 kilometres) to the southwest of Tho Chu Island,” said an official from Vietnam’s National Committee for Search and Rescue, who did not want to be named. The island is part of a small archipelago off the southwestern tip of Vietnam, and lies northeast of Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur, from where Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 left early Saturday bound for Beijing. “As it is night they cannot fish them out for proper identification. They have located the position of the areas and flown back to land,” the Vietnamese official added. Planes and boats would be sent back to the area on Monday to investigate further, he said. Two large oil slicks which authorities suspect were caused by jet fuel were detected late Saturday farther south of the island chain, and observed later by an AFP journalist aboard a Vietnamese spotter plane. Both MAS and Malaysia’s civil aviation authority, however, said they had no new information to offer after the apparent Vietnamese discovery. Malaysian officials said earlier that MH370 may have inexplicably turned back towards Kuala Lumpur. The plane, captained by a veteran MAS pilot, had relayed no indications of distress, and weather at the time was said to be stable. The United States sent an FBI team to investigate, but US officials stressed there was as yet no evidence of terrorism. “There is a distinct possibility the airplane did a turn-back, deviating from the course,” said Malaysia’s air force chief, General Rodzali Daud, citing radar data. But MAS chief executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said the Boeing 777’s systems would have set off alarm bells in that case. “When there is an air turn-back the pilot would be unable to proceed as planned,” he said, adding authorities were “quite puzzled” over the situation. A total of 40 ships and 34 aircraft from an array of Southeast Asian countries, China and the US have been involved in the search, with two Australian surveillance aircraft due to join in. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had asked Malaysia to continue the search, saying every minute counts, according to a report from the official Xinhua news agency early Monday. The report said he told his Malaysian counterpart Anifah Aman: “Search and rescue should not stop so long as there is a glimmer of hope.” The Chinese government will send a working group later Monday morning to Malaysia, Xinhua said. It will include officials from the foreign ministry, ministry of public security and transport ministry, according to the foreign ministry’s website. Its tasks will include investigating the incident and helping family members already in Malaysia. After it emerged that two people boarded the flight with stolen European passports, Malaysia’s transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein said he was looking at four suspect passengers in all. He said authorities were examining CCTV footage of the two with fake passports. “We have managed to get visuals of them,” he said, adding that Malaysia was liaising with other countries’ intelligence agencies on the findings. He gave no more details. Hishammuddin also confirmed the FBI was dispatching personnel to Malaysia. “At the same time our own intelligence has been activated, and of course, the counter-terrorism units… from all the relevant countries have been informed,” he said, refusing to rule out the possibility of a hijack. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was quoted by The Star newspaper saying the government would review and enhance airport security protocols, if needed. Technical advisers from Boeing and the US Federal Aviation Administration are en route to Asia to help with the probe. The flight vanished about an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur. A total of 153 Chinese nationals were on board, and relatives camping out at Beijing’s main international airport complained about the lack of news. “The airline company didn’t contact me, it was a friend,” a middle-aged woman surnamed Nan told reporters, holding back tears. Her brother-in-law was on the flight. “I can’t understand the airline company. They should have contacted the families first thing.” MAS insisted it was doing its best to keep relatives in China informed given the confusion over the plane’s fate, and has offered to fly them to Malaysia to be closer to the search-and-rescue operation. Two European names — Christian Kozel, an Austrian, and Luigi Maraldi of Italy — were listed on the passenger manifest. But neither man boarded the plane, officials said. Both had their passports stolen in Thailand over the past two years. Thai police said on Sunday they were investigating a possible passport racket as flight information seen by AFP gave new details about bookings made in Thailand with the two stolen European passports. The tickets booked in Maraldi and Kozel’s names were made on March 6, 2014 and issued in the Thai city of Pattaya, a popular beach resort south of Bangkok. The e-ticket numbers for their flights are consecutive and both were paid for in Thai baht. Each ticket cost THB 20,215 (US$625). “Kozel” was booked to travel from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on MH370, then on to Amsterdam and Frankfurt. “Maraldi” was booked on the same flights until Amsterdam, where he was to continue to Copenhagen. Interpol confirmed that “at least two passports” recorded in its Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database were used by passengers on board the Malaysian flight. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
UAE’s priciest mobile number tops Dh7.8 million
UAE’s priciest mobile number tops Dh7.8 million Kelly Clarke (kelly@khaleejtimes.com) / 10 March 2014 Selling for a hefty Dh7,877,777, etisalat’s Diamond Plus mobile number, 0507777777, was the clear favourite among the 700 bidders on Saturday, and made more than six times that of the runner up. The UAE’s most expensive mobile number has raised a staggering seven-digit figure — or Dh7,440,777 — for charity, after going under the hammer during a live auction across Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Selling for a hefty Dh7,877,777, etisalat’s Diamond Plus mobile number, 0507777777, was the clear favourite among the 700 bidders on Saturday, and made more than six times that of the runner up. Seventy of etisalat’s most exclusive number packages went up for grabs at the auction, with the top 10 numbers alone making a hefty Dh13,852,777. Pocketing only the starting prices of all number packages showcased by the auctioneer, etisalat will donate the extra earnings to several charities, including the Khalifa Foundation. Fifty of the 700 bidders were vying for etisalat’s most exclusive digits on the day and Emirates Auction’s managing director Abdulla Al Mannaei told Khaleej Times the atmosphere was electric. “I cannot describe the feeling in the room. It was so different from any other auction we’ve had.” And when the gavel finally hit the rostrum, it brought an end to a very tense few minutes, he said. “The price went from Dh7.5 million to the winning bid in a matter of seconds. One bidder even offered Dh7,777,777, in keeping with the mobile number itself,” a move which didn’t bag the goods he said, after the winning bidder raised the offer by a further Dh100,000. Starting at a price of Dh437,000, the Diamond Plus digits alone will see a number of charities receive donations totalling Dh7,440,777. “With all the events that take place at Emirates Auctions, we give a considerable amount to charity. Etisalat will be doing the same,” Al Mannaei said. Unable to reveal the winning bidders identity, Al Mannaei did confirm that it was a man and said he will be using the number personally. “Although it is the government who own all mobile phone numbers, this bidder has the right to use it himself. He can assign the number to someone else if he wants, but he can’t sell it on.” Back in 2012, a similar auction took place in Kuwait where local telecommunications company, Viva, sold a number for Dh2.8 million, making it the most expensive in the country at the time. “That number was actually better than this one I think, because it was one zero, followed by nine fives,” Al Mannaei said. And although the auction house was expecting the etisalat number to exceed this figure, Al Mannaei admitted many were shocked that it more than doubled it. “I don’t know in terms of the rest of the world, but this is certainly the most expensive mobile number in the UAE now,” he said. A first for Emirates Auction house, Saturday’s VIP mobile number auction took place across two halls at Emirates Palace in the Capital and the Armani Hotel in Dubai. On Sunday Al Mannaei was unable to confirm the total amount raised from the auction. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Dh1.1 billion Silicon Park construction starts in Dubai
Dh1.1 billion Silicon Park construction starts in Dubai Staff Report (abdulbasit@khaleejtimes.com) / 10 March 2014 The project articulates Dubai’s Vision 2021 to transform the emirate into a smart city while ensuring that it remains on par with the latest global trends for smart cities. An artist’s impression of Silicon Park at Dubai Silicon Oasis. Dubai Silicon Oasis, or DSO, on Sunday unveiled a Dh1.1 billion Silicon Park that will offer a modern lifestyle for residents, workers and visitors, according to a statement by the integrated free zone technology park. Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, the regulatory body for DSO, launched the first integrated smart city project to be built in DSO, spanning an area of 150,000sqm. “Work has commenced, and the project will be completed by the fourth quarter of 2017. This project is in line with the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to transform Dubai into the smartest city in the world over the course of the next three years. The project articulates Dubai’s Vision 2021 to transform the emirate into a smart city while ensuring that it remains on par with the latest global trends for smart cities,” Shaikh Ahmed, who is also President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Emirates airline and Chief Executive of the Emirates Group, said in a statement. The Silicon Park project comprises 97,000sqm of office space, 25,000sqm of commercial space, 20,000sqm of residential area, and a 115-room business hotel, in addition to value-added facilities that suit contemporary living such as restaurants, cafes, health and fitness centres, as well as running tracks and cycling trails, prayer rooms, a shopping centre and underground parking for more than 2,500 cars. Shaikh Ahmed added: “We are confident that this project will succeed in offering a modern lifestyle for residents, workers and visitors. The project’s standards are aligned to the Dubai Government’s strategic directions on smart cities that focus on six pillars: life, society, mobility, economy, governance and environment.” The project is compliant with the UAE Green Building Regulations and Specifications and the international Leed standard, and seeks to enhance environmental sustainability. The project will be built with green building material and control mechanisms as well as solar panels and double-glazed windows to reduce heat absorption. As a smart community, Silicon Park will feature intelligent solutions from charging-docks for smart devices on the street to smart pop-up furniture and digital play tables, as well as optimally-designed bus shelters, piazzas shading, and other public amenities. The Silicon Park complex will be completely devoid of vehicles. Instead, electricity-powered vehicles will serve as the primary form of transportation. A number of charging stations will be set up across the area that can be accessed by all residents and visitors with electric vehicles. The project will also include other means of transportation such as smart rechargeable electric bikes. The project will consist of a control centre that collects and analyses data and information gathered through the sensor devices available at the project’s site. Dr Mohammed Alzarooni, vice-chairman and chief executive officer of the Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, said: “The Silicon Park project reflects the vision of Dubai Silicon Oasis to compliment Dubai’s ambition to offer harmonious living for individuals through endorsing smart criteria across the services and facilities that we deliver.” For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
