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Search planes fail to find Malaysia jet debris

Search planes fail to find Malaysia jet debris (AP) / 21 March 2014 The planes are part of an international effort to solve the nearly 2-week-old aviation mystery by locating two large objects a satellite detected floating off the southwest coast of Australia about halfway to the desolate islands of the Antarctic. Search planes sent to find objects in the south Indian Ocean that may be from the missing Malaysia Airlines jet began returning without success on Friday, and an Australian official said the hunt would be extended again for another day. The planes are part of an international effort to solve the nearly 2-week-old aviation mystery by locating two large objects a satellite detected floating off the southwest coast of Australia about halfway to the desolate islands of the Antarctic. The area in the southern Indian Ocean is so remote is takes aircraft four hours to fly there and four hours back, and leaves them only about two hours to search. The satellite discovery raised new hope of finding the vanished jet and sent another emotional jolt to the families of the 239 people aboard. But like the first day of searching on Thursday, efforts so far Friday have been fruitless, said John Young, manager of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s emergency response division. “Although this search area is much smaller than we started with, it nonetheless is a big area when you’re looking out the window and trying to see something by eye,” Young said. “So we may have to do this a few times to be confident about the coverage of that search area,” he said. Five planes were sent out, with the last expected to head back to Perth in western Australia about 1100 GMT, he said. Young said that although the weather improved from Thursday, there was still some low cloud cover over the search area 2,300 kilometers (1,400 miles) from western Australia. Given that radar did not pick up anything on Thursday, searchers were using their eyes instead of equipment to try and spot the objects, forcing the planes to fly very low over the water. The aircrafts are planning to head back to the search zone on Saturday, but the search area will change slightly depending on water movements overnight, Young said. AMSA officials are also looking to see if there is any new satellite imagery that can help provide searchers with new or more information, he said. Speaking at a news conference in Papua New Guinea, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said, “We’ve been throwing everything we’ve got at that area to try to learn more about what this debris might be.” He said that the objects “could just be a container that’s fallen off a ship — we just don’t know.” Abbott spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom he described as “devastated.” Of the 227 passengers on the missing flight, 154 were from China. “It’s about the most inaccessible spot that you could imagine on the face of the earth, but if there is anything down there we will find it. We owe it to the families of those people to do no less,” Abbott said. The development also marked a new phase for the anguished relatives of the passengers, who have been critical of Malaysian officials for what the relatives say has been the slow release of timely information. In Beijing, relatives met on Friday with Malaysian officials at the Lido Hotel, where most have been staying awaiting the latest news. Those who spoke said they had a two-hour briefing about the search but that nothing new was said. Wang Zhen, son of artist Wang Linshi, said the meeting went smoothly but that there were questions on why Malaysian authorities had provided so much seemingly contradictory information. Wang said he has hopes his father can be found alive and was praying that the Australian reports turn out to be false. He said he and other relatives are suspicious about what they were being told by the Malaysian side, but are at a loss as to what to do next. “We feel they’re hiding something from us,” said Wang, who was filling his days attending briefings and watching the news for updates. One of the objects on the satellite image was 24 meters (almost 80 feet) long — which is longer than a standard container — and the other was 5 meters (15 feet). The Norwegian cargo vessel Hoegh St. Petersburg is also in the area and its crew of 20 Filipinos is helping with the search. The ship, which transports cars, was on its way from South Africa to Australia, he said. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said another commercial ship and an Australian navy vessel were also en route to the search area. Three Chinese naval ships were heading to the area, along with the icebreaker Snow Dragon, China’s state television reported. The icebreaker was in Perth following a voyage to the Antarctica in January, but it wasn’t clear when the other ships would get there. The combination the planes are using of radar to detect objects coupled with low passes over the ocean to identify them visually is crucial because when “radar blips come back it’s not always clear what the object is,” said Michael Smart, an aerospace engineering professor at Australia’s University of Queensland. “They use the radar to focus and then they go and visually look to see what it is,” he said. “The high technology and the low technology are equally important.” The biggest challenges for the searchers are weather conditions in an area known for its storms, he said, though rainy and cloudy weather appeared to be clearing up Friday afternoon. And if the objects are partially submerged as they bob in the ocean that could also affect the planes’ radar detection capabilities. Smart predicted that “it will be just a matter of time before they are found. If they were going to sink they would have already.” The hunt has encountered other false leads. Oil slicks that were seen did not contain jet fuel. A yellow object thought to be from the plane turned out to be sea trash. Chinese satellite images showed possible debris, but nothing was found. Malaysian authorities have not ruled out any possible explanation for what happened to the jet, but have said the evidence so far suggests it was deliberately turned back across Malaysia to the Strait of Malacca, with its communications systems disabled. They are unsure what happened next. Police are considering the possibility of hijacking, sabotage, terrorism or issues related to the mental health of the pilots or anyone else on board. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading

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Clusters of Light show in Sharjah for 4 days

Clusters of Light show in Sharjah for 4 days Afkar Abdullah / 20 March 2014 Operetta on Islamic history to be held for public on March 27, 28 and April 3, 4. Shaikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Executive Committee Chairman for the Sharjah Islamic Culture Capital 2014 (SICC 2014) celebrations, on Tuesday shared some details and insights regarding Sharjah’s forthcoming musical spectacular “The Clusters of Light”. Shaikh Sultan bin Ahmed announcing the details of The Clusters of Light show in Sharjah on Tuesday. — KT photo by M. Sajjad The show will be performed for the public on March 27 and 28, and April 3 and 4. The revelations came during a Press conference held in Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre in the presence of Shaikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) and Head of the Projects Committee for the SICC 2014 celebrations. The conference was also attended by members of the Executive Committee for Sharjah’s celebrations for being declared the capital of Islamic culture, as well as prominent members of the crew and representatives of the media. Shaikh Sultan bin Ahmed said: “The Clusters of Light is the culmination of the vision of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, who ordained a work to be “recorded by history and 
engraved in memories of next generations”. “In presenting the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the early story of Islam, it promotes humanitarian values of justice, brotherhood, love and peace. The Clusters of Light contains such dazzling elements that words fail to describe them. The efforts of the administrative, technical and artistic staff will leave an indelible imprint in the history of this epic,” he said. He added that the show will bring values of love, justice, tolerance and peace to the entire world. More than 750 people came together from various countries to produce an artwork that, as the Sharjah Ruler said, reminds us of the most important moments in the formation of the Islamic civilisation. Shaikh Sultan bin Ahmed said that this first-ever performance at the new Al Majaz Open Theatre is Sharjah’s gift to the entire world: “By telling the story of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and clarifying the true nature of Islam, we hope we will enrich the world of ideas, highlight the civilising aspects of Islamic culture and irrigate the intellects of present and future generations,” he said. Khalid Al Shaikh, Bahraini artist who composed The Clusters of Light, commended the “spring of culture” currently being enjoyed by Sharjah. Christian Steinhauser, German musician and conductor of the Global German Orchestra that completed recordings of the momentous operetta, said the last six months of his life were the most important in his career. He co-operated with 50 musicians and 20 sound engineers from around the world to offer a spiritual and emotional soundtrack inspired by Islamic history. Steinhauser said that admiration for the biography of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) helped the team produce a monumental artwork about Islam in a short period of time. The audience watched a short film about Al Majaz Theatre, which will host the first performance of the world’s greatest oratorio of Islam, The Clusters of Light, on March 26. The theatre will be the official headquarters of the Sharjah Capital of Islamic Culture 2014 Celebrations. Tickets are available at http://www.ticketmaster.ae/ and at selected outlets across the UAE. afkarali@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading

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Dubai Design District woos top brands

Dubai Design District woos top brands Amanda Fisher / 19 March 2014 Dubai Design District, whose first phase opens in Jan 2015, makes a presentation before international delegates.  Less than a year away from opening the first phase of Dubai Design District, the city’s latest industry hub is on a charm offensive to woo international brands. Dozens of British designers and brand owners are in town this week, as part of an international United Kingdom Trade and Investment (UKTI) ‘GREAT’ campaign to further ties with key industries in eight countries around the world, including China and Hong Kong.  The designers, who paid to be a part of the delegation in an effort to expand their business in the Middle East, had a presentation by Dubai Design District (d3) top brass, including managing director Lindsay Miller. This follows a delegation from Italy last week, while designers from Lebanon are set for similar treatment in the coming days. But the exercise is aimed equally at small-time start-up designers as the elite international fashion houses, with the Dh4-billion development expected to house 10,000 people in the first phase — which will see nine buildings open by January 2015. Women’s wear designer Cristina Sabaiduc is hoping to grow the eponymous boutique label that she launched 18 months ago. Currently based in London’s trendy Shoreditch area — aptly the district that d3 has taken inspiration from in its plans — Sabaiduc says she sees a market for her fashion in Dubai. “I focus on a lot of big shawls and scarves and beautiful silks, and I think there’s a lot of demand for that in the Middle East.” While she was not yet selling in this region, Sabaiduc said she was in talks with people in Dubai’s fashion industry. She said while d3 would not be the same as a design district like Shoreditch that evolved organically, if the development was done well it would thrive like other design hotspots of the world. “If you provide the right facilities and operations, there’s a hunger for it here and I think that will almost overtake the fact that it’s been created…it could definitely work.” D3’s tax-free benefits, which guarantee 50 years without needing to pay taxes, seemed to be the major attraction to others interested in branching out in the region. Lascivious lingerie creative director and founder Chloe Hamblen said the tax-free provisions drew the attention of most brands at the presentation — all of whom were looking to expand in the region. “The reason why we have taken the time to come out is because that’s what we’re aiming to do.” Others present said having the design, art, fashion and luxury sectors combined in one place — along with other services like marketing and PR — would be a draw card, while the tax-free provisions may be the impetus needed to take the risk. UKTI Retail Sector Specialist Fred Bassnett, who is leading delegates in the UKTI’s UAE campaign this week, told Khaleej Times the country was one of the top three markets for UK brands, along with the US and China/Hong Kong. “There’s only London in the world that has the selection of brands that we have. Here in Dubai it’s seen clearly by the UK industry…as a market that they want to be involved in because of the high profile and the actual spending profile of not only the local populace, but also the tourism populace.” He said initiatives like the UKTI’s were “hugely important” in helping the UK economy recover after taking a hammering during the global economic recession. But brands like Sabaiduc’s say they are worried about the costs involved being part of d3 and feel they may not have a space there. Subaiduc said in an ideal world, she’d be able to open a second office in d3, but it was more realistic her foray into the MENA market would initially be limited to exhibition spaces and fashion shows. “For small businesses, it’s a big gamble (to open an office overseas).” However, D3’s Miller says there is a place for designers of all sizes. “We do have specific start-up packages and we have facilities to consider all kinds of elements of the value chain.” While the bigger brands would likely be established in the exclusive real estate in d3, for example with waterfront views, there were offices of different sizes in different locations to suit varied budgets. She said there was also the option of sharing working spaces, facilities and equipment such as 3D printers with other companies. “It’s important for this zone to have all segments, not just luxury and not just emerging and we’ve reflected that in the pricing and the product design.” Miller said the reason d3 was targeting international brands was to engender “cross-pollination” of the kind that would lead to the creation of unique designs, as well as collaboration. “If we can bring all of this talent together, design at the end of the day is a suggestive product…it’s really about what the consumer appetite is for your product and that’s a lot about bringing different designer viewpoints together.” But courting international brands may also drive up competition for local designers wanting a presence there. While Miller would not reveal how much space had already been contracted to particular companies, she said there had been 550 different approaches in the six months since the initiative was announced. She said she expected to be at full capacity by early next year, around the launch date. amanda@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading

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