Malaysia expands search area for missing jet, mystery deepens

Kuala Lumpur: The mystery over the missing Malaysian aircraft with 239 people on board continued for the third day today even as the multinational search operations to look for the wreckage widened to cover the Andaman Sea near Thailand's border. 'Unfortunately, we have not found anything that appears to be objects from the aircraft, let alone the aircraft itself,' Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, head of Malaysia's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), said at a news conference.

Hopes for finding some clue about the missing jet arose when authorities reported traces of oil slick and some object floating in the sea in the area where the aircraft went missing. But the reports were denied today. 'This unprecedented missing aircraft mystery -- it is mystifying and we are increasing our efforts to do what we have to do,' he said.

Five Indians and a Canadian of Indian-origin were among the 239 people on board the Beijing-bound flight MH370 when it disappeared over the South China Sea one hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur. Thirty four planes, 40 ships and teams from ten countries are involved in search operations. Rahman said the DCA is expanding the area of search operations in the next few days. He said right now they just cannot speculate what  happened to the aircraft as it has not been found.

The initial search zone spread over a 50 nautical miles (92 kilometres) radius around the point where flight vanished.  Malaysian authorities announced it was doubling the size of the search area to 100 nautical miles. Rahman said that besides scouring in waters between Malaysia and Vietnam, authorities were also searching on land in Malaysia and off western Malaysia. The focus has also shifted to the Andaman Sea, near Thailand's border, after radar data indicated the plane may have turned around to head back to Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia yesterday launched a terror probe into the disappearance of the plane. The probe was launched after it emerged that two passengers boarded the flight with stolen passports of an
Italian and Austrian. One of the two suspects, who travelled on the plane on stolen passports has been identified.

Rahman said they are probing a stolen passport syndicate and confirmed that the two suspects were not Asian-looking. Rahman said investigators were pursuing 'every angle' to explain its disappearance, including hijacking. Counter- terrorism agencies and the FBI are also involved in the probe. PTI

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Malaysia expands search area for missing jet, mystery deepens

Kuala Lumpur: The mystery over the missing Malaysian aircraft with 239 people on board continued for the third day today even as the multinational search operations to look for the wreckage widened to cover the Andaman Sea near Thailand's border. 'Unfortunately, we have not found anything that appears to be objects from the aircraft, let alone the aircraft itself,' Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, head of Malaysia's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), said at a news conference.

Hopes for finding some clue about the missing jet arose when authorities reported traces of oil slick and some object floating in the sea in the area where the aircraft went missing. But the reports were denied today. 'This unprecedented missing aircraft mystery -- it is mystifying and we are increasing our efforts to do what we have to do,' he said.

Five Indians and a Canadian of Indian-origin were among the 239 people on board the Beijing-bound flight MH370 when it disappeared over the South China Sea one hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur. Thirty four planes, 40 ships and teams from ten countries are involved in search operations. Rahman said the DCA is expanding the area of search operations in the next few days. He said right now they just cannot speculate what  happened to the aircraft as it has not been found.

The initial search zone spread over a 50 nautical miles (92 kilometres) radius around the point where flight vanished.  Malaysian authorities announced it was doubling the size of the search area to 100 nautical miles. Rahman said that besides scouring in waters between Malaysia and Vietnam, authorities were also searching on land in Malaysia and off western Malaysia. The focus has also shifted to the Andaman Sea, near Thailand's border, after radar data indicated the plane may have turned around to head back to Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia yesterday launched a terror probe into the disappearance of the plane. The probe was launched after it emerged that two passengers boarded the flight with stolen passports of an
Italian and Austrian. One of the two suspects, who travelled on the plane on stolen passports has been identified.

Rahman said they are probing a stolen passport syndicate and confirmed that the two suspects were not Asian-looking. Rahman said investigators were pursuing 'every angle' to explain its disappearance, including hijacking. Counter- terrorism agencies and the FBI are also involved in the probe. PTI

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How to manage your cholesterol

London : Excess bad cholesterol can lead to heart disease or stroke, so take into account a few steps to manage your cholesterol levels. Nutritionist Lovisa Nilsson has shared her top tips on how to keep your cholesterol levels in control, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

* Superfruits: Following recent nutritional studies, several fruits have been labelled 'superfoods' due to their ability to combat harmful fats and reduce bad cholesterol. For instance, it was recently revealed that strawberries have the ability to reduce LDL, the harmful form of cholesterol, by nearly 14 percent, according to research carried out by Università Politecnica Delle Marche in Italy.

* Unsaturated fats: Consuming omega-3 essential fatty acids, found in unsaturated fats, will help to lower the levels of bad cholesterol in the blood. Unsaturated fats include oily fish, nuts and seeds, ground flax seeds, olive oil and certain vegetables and fruits such as avocado.

* Fibre: Beans, pulses, vegetables, cereal and whole grain breads all have a high fermentable fibre content and are therefore difficult for the gut to digest so they attach to bad cholesterol and then remove it from the body via waste.

* Red wine: Red wine contains a plant compound called saponin which blocks the body's absorption of bad cholesterol, LDL. This news is not an excuse to drink large quantities of red wine and I do not recommend adding red wine to your diet purely for health reasons since alcohol consumption can lead to further health complications such as high blood pressure and liver disease.

How to manage your cholesterol

London : Excess bad cholesterol can lead to heart disease or stroke, so take into account a few steps to manage your cholesterol levels. Nutritionist Lovisa Nilsson has shared her top tips on how to keep your cholesterol levels in control, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

* Superfruits: Following recent nutritional studies, several fruits have been labelled 'superfoods' due to their ability to combat harmful fats and reduce bad cholesterol. For instance, it was recently revealed that strawberries have the ability to reduce LDL, the harmful form of cholesterol, by nearly 14 percent, according to research carried out by Università Politecnica Delle Marche in Italy.

* Unsaturated fats: Consuming omega-3 essential fatty acids, found in unsaturated fats, will help to lower the levels of bad cholesterol in the blood. Unsaturated fats include oily fish, nuts and seeds, ground flax seeds, olive oil and certain vegetables and fruits such as avocado.

* Fibre: Beans, pulses, vegetables, cereal and whole grain breads all have a high fermentable fibre content and are therefore difficult for the gut to digest so they attach to bad cholesterol and then remove it from the body via waste.

* Red wine: Red wine contains a plant compound called saponin which blocks the body's absorption of bad cholesterol, LDL. This news is not an excuse to drink large quantities of red wine and I do not recommend adding red wine to your diet purely for health reasons since alcohol consumption can lead to further health complications such as high blood pressure and liver disease.

Missing Malaysian airliner: Fake passport holder identified

Kuala Lumpur: One of the two suspects, who boarded the missing Beijing-bound Malaysia Airlines flight on stolen passports, was identified Monday.

The man was identified using CCTV footage provided by the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), the Malaysian Star reported citing Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar.

"I can confirm that he is not a Malaysian but cannot divulge which country he is from yet," Abu Bakar said at the Kajang police headquarters Sunday.

The police has not yet given out any further information regarding the identity of the person with the stolen passport and has not claimed the involvement of terrorists in the disappearance of the aircraft.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 with 239 people on board vanished without a trace about an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur early Saturday. The Boeing 777-200ER was presumed to have crashed off the Vietnamese coast into the South China Sea.

The plane took off from Kuala Lumpur at 12.41 a.m. local time Saturday and was due to land in Beijing at 6.30 a.m. the same day. The 227 passengers on the flight included five Indians, 154 Chinese and 38 Malaysians.

Missing Malaysian airliner: Fake passport holder identified

Kuala Lumpur: One of the two suspects, who boarded the missing Beijing-bound Malaysia Airlines flight on stolen passports, was identified Monday.

The man was identified using CCTV footage provided by the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), the Malaysian Star reported citing Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar.

"I can confirm that he is not a Malaysian but cannot divulge which country he is from yet," Abu Bakar said at the Kajang police headquarters Sunday.

The police has not yet given out any further information regarding the identity of the person with the stolen passport and has not claimed the involvement of terrorists in the disappearance of the aircraft.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 with 239 people on board vanished without a trace about an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur early Saturday. The Boeing 777-200ER was presumed to have crashed off the Vietnamese coast into the South China Sea.

The plane took off from Kuala Lumpur at 12.41 a.m. local time Saturday and was due to land in Beijing at 6.30 a.m. the same day. The 227 passengers on the flight included five Indians, 154 Chinese and 38 Malaysians.

IUML announces candidates for LS polls

Panakkad Hyderali Shihab Thangal announcing the IUML candidates for LS polls. Industries Minister P K Kunhalikkutty, P. Ubaidullah, MLA and M P Abdussamad Samadani, MLA  are also seen. Photo: T. Pradeep Kumar.

Malappuram: The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has announced its candidates in the state for the upcoming parliamentary polls. While E Ahmed will contest from Malappuram E T Mohammed Bashir will contest from Ponnani as IUML candidates. The names of the candidates were announced by Panakkad Hyderali Shihab Thangal.

The names of the candidates were decided after elaborate discussions, said senior Muslim League leader P K Kunhalikkutty.

E Ahmed is a prominent leader in the UDF and an inevitable figure the national politics. His absence would pave way for serious consequences, P K Kunhalikkutty said while addressing the media persons.

IUML announces candidates for LS polls

Panakkad Hyderali Shihab Thangal announcing the IUML candidates for LS polls. Industries Minister P K Kunhalikkutty, P. Ubaidullah, MLA and M P Abdussamad Samadani, MLA  are also seen. Photo: T. Pradeep Kumar.

Malappuram: The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has announced its candidates in the state for the upcoming parliamentary polls. While E Ahmed will contest from Malappuram E T Mohammed Bashir will contest from Ponnani as IUML candidates. The names of the candidates were announced by Panakkad Hyderali Shihab Thangal.

The names of the candidates were decided after elaborate discussions, said senior Muslim League leader P K Kunhalikkutty.

E Ahmed is a prominent leader in the UDF and an inevitable figure the national politics. His absence would pave way for serious consequences, P K Kunhalikkutty said while addressing the media persons.

Multinational rescue efforts launched for missing Malaysian airliner

KAULA LUMPUR: Multinational rescue efforts have been launched to locate a Malaysia Airlines plane that lost contact with air traffic control early Saturday, two hours after take-off from Kuala Lumpur.

Flight MH370, operating a Boeing B777-200 aircraft, departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.21 a.m. local time Saturday and was expected to land in Beijing at 6.30 a.m. the same day. Malaysia Airlines said on its website that on board the plane were 12 crew members and 227 passengers, including five Indians, 154 Chinese and 38 Malaysians.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China has been informed by Vietnamese civil aviation authorities that Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore are conducting a joint search south of Vietnam's Tho Chu Islands, Xinhua reported. China has dispatched two maritime rescue ships to the South China Sea to help in rescue work. "Earlier today, Subang ATC had lost contact with the aircraft at 2.40 a.m. The last known position of MH370 before it disappeared off the radar was 065515 North (longitude) and 1033443 East (latitude)," Malaysia Airlines said in a statement.

The airliner said the company was working with international authorities on the search and rescue mission. In its latest website update issued at 7.20 p.m. Malaysia time, it said: "An international search and rescue mission was mobilised this morning. At this stage, our search and rescue teams from Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam have failed to find evidence of any wreckage." It added that the sea mission would continue while the air mission would recommence at daylight.

Malaysia Airlines group chief executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said the missing aircraft made its last contact about 200 km east of the Malaysian town of Kota Baru. "We have contacted both the Malaysian and Vietnamese authorities as it is actually the borderline of Malaysian airspace and Vietnam," he told a press conference, adding there had been no indication the plane was in distress.

The flight had lost contact with ground control when flying into the Ho Chi Minh air traffic control area in Vietnam, authorities said. Its signal never appeared to Ho Chi Minh City controllers. Malaysian Transport Minister Hishamuddin Hussein said no sign of any plane wreckage had been found, denying earlier media reports that the plane had crashed south of an island off Vietnam. A Vietnamese newspaper had said that the aircraft had crashed into waters off Vietnam's southern Phu Quoc Island.

Hishamuddin said the Malaysian government had contacted the departments of maritime affairs of China, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia to jointly search for the vanished plane. Malaysian authorities dispatched a plane, two helicopters and four vessels to search seas off its east coast in the South China Sea, said Faridah Shuib, a spokesperson for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.
Vietnam's defence ministry has also launched a search, a statement on the official Vietnamese government website said.

Singapore has sent a C130 Hercules aircraft for a search and locate mission for the missing plane, the city-state's air force said Saturday, while the Philippines' military said it had dispatched naval and air assets to join the international efforts. The flight was piloted by Captain Zahaire Ahmad Shah, a Malaysian aged 53. He has a total of 18,365 flying hours to his credit and had joined Malaysia Airlines in 1981. Fariq Ab. Hamid, 27, also a Malaysian, served as the first officer of the flight. He has logged 2,763 flying hours, the airline said.

Multinational rescue efforts launched for missing Malaysian airliner

KAULA LUMPUR: Multinational rescue efforts have been launched to locate a Malaysia Airlines plane that lost contact with air traffic control early Saturday, two hours after take-off from Kuala Lumpur.

Flight MH370, operating a Boeing B777-200 aircraft, departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.21 a.m. local time Saturday and was expected to land in Beijing at 6.30 a.m. the same day. Malaysia Airlines said on its website that on board the plane were 12 crew members and 227 passengers, including five Indians, 154 Chinese and 38 Malaysians.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China has been informed by Vietnamese civil aviation authorities that Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore are conducting a joint search south of Vietnam's Tho Chu Islands, Xinhua reported. China has dispatched two maritime rescue ships to the South China Sea to help in rescue work. "Earlier today, Subang ATC had lost contact with the aircraft at 2.40 a.m. The last known position of MH370 before it disappeared off the radar was 065515 North (longitude) and 1033443 East (latitude)," Malaysia Airlines said in a statement.

The airliner said the company was working with international authorities on the search and rescue mission. In its latest website update issued at 7.20 p.m. Malaysia time, it said: "An international search and rescue mission was mobilised this morning. At this stage, our search and rescue teams from Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam have failed to find evidence of any wreckage." It added that the sea mission would continue while the air mission would recommence at daylight.

Malaysia Airlines group chief executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said the missing aircraft made its last contact about 200 km east of the Malaysian town of Kota Baru. "We have contacted both the Malaysian and Vietnamese authorities as it is actually the borderline of Malaysian airspace and Vietnam," he told a press conference, adding there had been no indication the plane was in distress.

The flight had lost contact with ground control when flying into the Ho Chi Minh air traffic control area in Vietnam, authorities said. Its signal never appeared to Ho Chi Minh City controllers. Malaysian Transport Minister Hishamuddin Hussein said no sign of any plane wreckage had been found, denying earlier media reports that the plane had crashed south of an island off Vietnam. A Vietnamese newspaper had said that the aircraft had crashed into waters off Vietnam's southern Phu Quoc Island.

Hishamuddin said the Malaysian government had contacted the departments of maritime affairs of China, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia to jointly search for the vanished plane. Malaysian authorities dispatched a plane, two helicopters and four vessels to search seas off its east coast in the South China Sea, said Faridah Shuib, a spokesperson for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.
Vietnam's defence ministry has also launched a search, a statement on the official Vietnamese government website said.

Singapore has sent a C130 Hercules aircraft for a search and locate mission for the missing plane, the city-state's air force said Saturday, while the Philippines' military said it had dispatched naval and air assets to join the international efforts. The flight was piloted by Captain Zahaire Ahmad Shah, a Malaysian aged 53. He has a total of 18,365 flying hours to his credit and had joined Malaysia Airlines in 1981. Fariq Ab. Hamid, 27, also a Malaysian, served as the first officer of the flight. He has logged 2,763 flying hours, the airline said.