Dubai's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum inaugurated a free zone for e-commerce today, called Dubai Internet City. The preliminary stages of the project, the only one of its kind according to its designers, are estimated at $200 million. Sheikh Mohamed, who is also the Defense Minister of the United Arab Emirates, announced at the inauguration ceremony that "we want to make Dubai a new trading center." The minister, who has his own website, also said: "I want Dubai to be the best place in the world for state-of-the-art technology companies." He said companies engaged in e-commerce would be able to set up offices, employ staff and own equipment in the open zone, including fully-owned foreign companies. The e-commerce free zone is situated in north Dubai, near the industrial free zone in Jebel Ali, the top regional and tenth international leading area in container transit. The inauguration of Dubai Internet City coincides with the opening of an annual IT show in Dubai, the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (Gitex), the biggest in the Middle East.

How much are the preliminary stages of Dubai Internet City estimated to cost?

American Airlines Flight 11: FAA Awareness. Although the Boston Center air traffic controller realized at an early stage that there was something wrong with American 11, he did not immediately interpret the plane's failure to respond as a sign that it had been hijacked. At 8:14, when the flight failed to heed his instruction to climb to 35,000 feet, the controller repeatedly tried to raise the flight. He reached out to the pilot on the emergency frequency. Though there was no response, he kept trying to contact the aircraft. At 8:21, American 11 turned off its transponder, immediately degrading the information available about the aircraft. The controller told his supervisor that he thought something was seriously wrong with the plane, although neither suspected a hijacking. The supervisor instructed the controller to follow standard procedures for handling a "no radio" aircraft. The controller checked to see if American Airlines could establish communication with American 11. He became even more concerned as its route changed, moving into another sector's airspace. Controllers immediately began to move aircraft out of its path, and asked other aircraft in the vicinity to look for American 11. At 8:24:38, the following transmission came from American 11: American 11: We have some planes. Just stay quiet, and you'll be okay. We are returning to the airport. The controller only heard something unintelligible; he did not hear the specific words "we have some planes." The next transmission came seconds later: American 11: Nobody move. Everything will be okay. If you try to make any moves, you'll endanger yourself and the airplane.

What did Controllers do after Flight 11 changed route?

After more than a year of effort, attorneys with Northwest Justice Project earlier this week told 25 families in a mobile home park here that they can keep their homes and no longer need to fear eviction. The East Wenatchee City Council has entered into an Interlocal Agreement with the Wenatchee Housing Authority authorizing the Authority to purchase and maintain the Mobile Park Plaza mobile home park. Located just north of the Wenatchee Valley Mall, the park had been threatened with closure for more than a year. "We cannot say enough about how relieved we are that this is over," said Manuel Luna, one of the residents of Mobile Park Plaza. "We were afraid that no solution would be found, and that our families would have no place to go. We are very grateful for the help of our attorneys. Without them, we would not have saved our homes. We are also thankful for the help of the Housing Authority, the City Council and Mayor Steve Lacy." Formerly owned by local businessman Dan Jennings, Mobile Park Plaza had been home to 45 low-income families, many of them Latino farm workers. In October 2000 Jennings gave the park residents notice of his intent to close the park effective November 30, 2001. While some park residents decided to move, others, including 25 families, organized an informal association to relocate or save their homes. Unable to afford private legal counsel, the families asked for help from legal services attorneys at the Northwest Justice Project and Columbia Legal Services. In the succeeding months, these attorneys worked with representatives of the Greater Wenatchee Housing Authority, the state Office of Community Development, Chelan County, the City of East Wenatchee, state legislators, Jennings and others to secure funding and find a solution. "There seemed to be a never-ending set of obstacles," said Patrick Pleas, an attorney with Northwest Justice Project. "Mr. Jennings had financial considerations, the City had growth and economic development considerations, and the State and Housing Authority had their own concerns. Thankfully, hard work and good will from all parties allowed us to find a solution that works for everyone." Northwest Justice Project and Columbia Legal Services are non-profit organizations that provide civil legal assistance to low-income individuals and families throughout Washington state. Members of the state's Access to Justice Network, these organizations work with thousands of volunteer attorneys to ensure that justice is available to those who face critical legal problems and can't afford private legal counsel.
How many families lived in the Mobile Park Plaza before getting notice to leave and how many decided to fight the eviction?