Malaysia Airlines Debris Search Enters Third Day

The hunt for objects that could be from the missing Malaysia Airlines plane has entered a third day in the southern Indian Ocean.

Saturday's search will involve six aircraft and cover 13,900 square miles (36,000 square kilometres) of ocean south west of Perth in western Australia.

Flight MH370 disappeared on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing two weeks ago with 239 people on board, the majority of them from China.

Three Royal Australian Air Force P3 Orion aircraft, a New Zealand P3 RAAF Orion aircraft and two ultra long-range commercial jets with 10 volunteer observers on board make up the search team.

A plane embarks on Saturday's search

The jets and the P3 Orion left Perth at 9am local time (10pm UK time) and will take four hours to reach the search area.

The vast distance only allows the Orions two hours of search time before they must head back to Perth. The jets will be able to stay for five hours.

Two merchant ships are currently in the area, and are due to be joined by the Royal Australian Navy ship HMAS Success later on Saturday afternoon.

The two objects that could be debris from the missing plane

Two Chinese aircraft are expected to arrive in Perth on Saturday, followed by two Japanese planes on Sunday.

A flotilla of Chinese ships is making its way to the southern Indian Ocean, although it is still several days away.

Potential pieces of debris from the Boeing 777 were spotted by satellite last Sunday, but were only revealed on Thursday after analysis.

One object is thought to be 24 metres in length and the other about five metres.

A Royal Australian Air Force P3 Orion returns from Friday's search

The sightings have been deemed credible by the authorities and a "potentially important development" in attempts to solve the mystery surrounding the flight's fate.

However, Australia's deputy prime minister Warren Truss has admitted the objects could have sunk by now.

Poor weather hampered the first day of the search on Thursday, but conditions are expected to be good on Saturday.

The planes are expected to fly low under cloud cover rather than rely on radar, a repeat of the procedure followed on Friday.

The US is considering a request from Malaysia for underwater surveillance equipment to help in the search.

The Pentagon says it has spent $2.5m (£1.5m) providing ships and aircraft for the search, and has budgeted for a further $1.5m (£900,000).

Numerous theories about the fate of the plane have been put forward since its disappearance, and a former air accident investigator told Sky News on Friday he believed a "criminal act" was to blame.

Former assistant director of the FBI in New York James Kallstrom, who investigated the explosion of a Boeing 747 in the Atlantic Ocean in 1996, said the main focus of the inquiry should be on the crew.

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Missing Plane: 'Criminal Act' Behind Mystery

Missing Plane Probe 'May Provide No Answers'

Updated: 5:10pm UK, Thursday 20 March 2014

By Greg Milam, US Correspondent

One of the world's top air crash investigators has said finding a possible human cause for the disappearance of flight MH370 may be the only way of solving the mystery.

Thomas Anthony, a former security chief with the Federal Aviation Administration, told Sky News finding the aircraft, which disappeared nearly a fortnight ago with 239 people on board, is vital to solving many of the unanswered questions.

It comes after an American scientist who found the wreckage of an Air France plane, which crashed in 2009, claimed investigators may "never find out what happened".

"If the aircraft breaks, the technical investigation will likely disclose the causes," Mr Anthony said.

But he warned: "If the human breaks, the technical investigation may actually provide no answers to what caused the accident, incident or crash."

His comments come as the FBI is brought in to help analyse files deleted from a flight simulator belonging to Malaysia Airlines pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah.

Records of simulations were deleted on February 3, although investigators insist Mr Zaharie is innocent until proven guilty.

Mr Anthony, director of the world renowned Aviation Security and Safety Programme at the University of Southern California (USC), criticised officials for failing to speak with a "single investigative voice".

He also said he believes Malaysian authorities failed to prepare for a major air disaster.

As news of a possible sighting of debris was announced, the US also offered to help in any way it can.

Officials from both the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are in Malaysia to assist with the investigation.

Most air accident investigators will at some point turn to the USC's crash lab.

Sky News was given access to its vast warehouse in eastern Los Angeles, where the wreckage of numerous aircraft is stored.

Project specialist Daniel Scalese said: "The answers are all here. It does look like a bunch of twisted wreckage but the answers are all here if you know where to look and what to look for."

The USC team said aviation has benefited from the public attention on air disasters as safety continues to improve.

They point to figures showing only 0.4 of every one million flights result in a crash.

Generally, they claim, a chain of five or six factors lead to an accident and discovering just one of those can lead to huge advances.

Mr Anthony said: "We don't have to wait for the final analysis to learn some lessons."

The investigation into the disappearance of flight MH370 is looking at a number of theories, including hijacking, sabotage and terrorism, as well as a fault with the plane, such as a fire in the cockpit.

Authorities believe someone on board intentionally switched off two vital pieces of communication equipment and deliberately diverted the aircraft.

Satellite data suggests the plane flew for at least seven hours after it was turned back across Malaysia towards the Strait of Malacca.

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Missing Plane Mystery: Debris Sheds New Light

If two large objects photographed in the Indian Ocean are confirmed to come from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight, they will shed new light on the theories of what happened to Flight MH370.

Electrical fire, structural damage, plane malfunction, hijacking, pilot murder-suicide and theft are among the numerous ideas circulating on forums and social media.

More outlandish claims include landing the plane somewhere to be used later in a 9/11-style attack, or it being involved in a collision with a military aircraft.

The plane carrying 239 people disappeared 12 days ago some 40 minutes into its flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

The Boeing 777-200's communication equipment was turned off and it was intentionally diverted west and could have flown on either a northern or southern arc from its last known position.

Seven "pings" were picked up from the plane six hours after military radar last detected it over the Strait of Malacca.

Two objects were spotted 1,500 miles west of Australia

Former British Airways pilot Alastair Rosenschein said if the two pieces of debris, found 1,500 miles off the coast of Western Australia, are from the plane, it is most likely to point to pilot incapacitation through structural failure.

One possibility is the pilots' oxygen tanks exploded, blowing a hole in the cockpit, and causing the communication equipment to fail at the same time.

Another is the pilots may have been rendered unconscious by a fire in the cabin, and the tracking equipment was disabled to prevent the blaze getting worse.

If the pilots had fallen unconscious, the plane would have carried on along its diverted route for up to 3,500 miles before the fuel ran out.

It would then have glided and crashed somewhere in the southern Indian Ocean.

Mr Rosenschein said this would take it into the region where the possible debris was found, especially given that sea currents could have moved the wreckage more than 1,000 miles from the crash site.

Satellite images of the possible debris

"It's no surprise they might find it there," he told Sky News.

He suspects the plane was picked up by Indonesian radar as it flew near Sumatra and this is why investigators have been searching near Australia.

He said if the debris is found to be from the plane, it is still possible the cause was hijacking or pilot suicide.

But he said these were much less likely given the location of the crash, as neither scenario would require the plane to be flown so far and for so long.

However, David Gleave, chief investigator at Aviation Safety Investigations, said authorities needed to be "very, very cautious" about assuming the debris is wreckage from the plane.

One piece is 24 metres long and if it is the front fuselage it would have filled with water and sunk to the bottom of the sea, he said.

Search for the missing plane continues

If it is a wing, it might have floated, he said, but this is unlikely.

If the debris is from the plane, he believes it would point to an "insurance job".

"What other possible motive could there be for dumping a plane in the middle of the Indian Ocean," he told Sky News.

Paul Edwards, former Chief of Staff for Army Aviation, said the debris is "the first credible lead" in the investigation.

But he stressed it needed first to be located and then identified, and should not detract from searches in the northern arc.

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Missing Malaysian Jet: Debris Air Search Resumes

The search for two large objects that may be from the missing Malaysia Airlines jet has resumed in the southern Indian Ocean.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said Friday's operation would involve four military aircraft, including two RAAF Orions, scouring a remote area of 8,800 sq miles (23,000 sq km).

The planes, which set off from Perth, are expected to arrive in the area around midnight (UK time).

A Norwegian merchant ship - the first vessel to reach the vicinity - has been using searchlights through the night to try and locate the objects.

The area where the search will concentrate on today

They were spotted by a satellite last Sunday and could potentially be debris from flight MH370.

One is thought to be 24 metres in length and the other about five metres.

The sightings have been deemed "credible" and a "potentially important development" by authorities - as the search for the passenger plane enters its 13th day.

A New Zealand Orion and a US Navy Poseidon aircraft are also involved in the search.

Australian naval vessel HMAS Success, which is capable of retrieving debris, is also en route to the search area but is some days away.

Satellite images show the possible plane debris

A British naval survey ship, HMS Echo, is also heading to the region.

There has been no trace of the aircraft since it vanished from radar a short distance into a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8.

Wider searches, including of a northern corridor from northern Thailand to Kazakhstan, are set to continue until investigators are certain they have located the plane. Some 18 ships and 29 aircraft are taking part.

Those areas were targeted after faint electronic "pings" picked up by one commercial satellite suggested flight MH370 flew on for at least six hours after it disappeared from air traffic control screens.

More follows...

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Budget 2014: 'For Makers, Doers And Savers'

Budget 2014: Key Points At A Glance

Updated: 2:27pm UK, Wednesday 19 March 2014

The Chancellor George Osborne has delivered his fifth budget. Here are the key points.

Savings

:: Tax-free ISAs to be boosted to £15,000 per year from July. Junior ISAs up to £4,000 a year.

:: Stocks and shares ISAs can be tranferred to new single ISA scheme.

:: Premium Bonds cap lifted from £30,000 to £40,000 in June, and to £50,000 next year.

:: 10p rate of tax for savers to be abolished.

:: Zero tax band to cover £5,000 of savings.

Reliefs

:: Alcohol escalator to be scrapped for all alcohol duties, instead a rise with inflation.

:: Scottish whisky duty to be frozen as it is "a huge British success story".

:: Cut of 1p in duty per pint of beer.

:: Export finance lending interest rate to be cut by a third and lending doubled to £3bn.

:: From 2015, all long haul air passenger flights carry same, lower, band B tax rate.

:: Right to Build scheme for builders of their own homes including £150m of finance to support it.

:: New £200m fund for councils "to bid for" to fix potholes across Britain.

:: Additional £140m help for flood damage.

:: September's fuel duty rise will not be brought in.

Taxes

:: Duty on fixed-odds betting terminals to rise to 25%.

:: Horse race betting levy to be extended to bookmakers based offshore.

:: Bingo duty will be halved to 10% "to protect jobs and protect communities".

:: Tobacco duty to remain at 2% above inflation and escalator will not be stopped.

:: Increased disclosed tax avoidance schemes scrutiny for the wealthy.

:: City fines over Libor rate-rigging to continue going to military charities and emergency service charities.

:: From midnight anyone buying home over £500,000 through corporate entity to pay 15% stamp duty to "avoid abuse".

:: "We will expand the tax on residential properties worth over £2m to those worth more than £500,000."

:: Private jets, previously not taxed, will see tax levied on flights.

Income Tax

:: Personal tax allowance rises to £10,500 next year, giving average saving of £800.

:: 40p tax rate threshold to rise from £41,450 to £41,865 from next month and then up by further 1% to £42,285 next year.

:: Transferable tax allowance for married couples rising to £1,050.

Pensions

:: All retirees on defined contribution pensions to be offered free, impartial, face-to-face advice.

:: No need for pensioners to buy annuities if they do not wish to.

:: Removal of all remaining tax restrictions on how pensioners have access to their pension pots.

:: Income requirement for flexible draw-down from £20,000 to £12,000, raised cap draw-down limit from 120% to 150%.

:: Lump sum small pot level lifted five-fold to £10,000.

:: Almost doubling total pension savings as a lump sum to £30,000.

:: £20m  to be spent in next two years working with consumer groups over pension advice.

:: New Pensioner Bond paying market leading rates, issued by National Savings and Investments, open to everyone aged 65 or over. Available from January next year.

 

Spending and Welfare

:: Foreign aid to be 0.7% of national income.

:: Public sector spending reduction to reach £1bn by 2015-16.

:: A permanent cap on welfare, excluding state pension, set at £119bn in 2015-16, rising in line with forecast inflation to £127bn in 2018-19.

Growth

:: Independent OBR growth forecast revised upwards to 2.7%, up from 2.4% in Autumn Statement.

:: Growth next year is also revised up to 2.3%, then 2.6% in 2016 and 2017, with growth expected to return to long-term trend of 2.5% in 2018.

:: 1.5 million new jobs forecast in next five years.

Borrowing

:: Deficit this year of 6.6% reduced to 5.5%  next year, then expected to be 4.2%, 2.4% and finally 0.8% in 2017-18. Following year forecast surplus of 0.2%.

:: Expect to borrow £108bn this year, £12bn less than forecast last year. No borrowing from 2018-19.

:: OBR forecasts public debt to be 74.5% of GDP this year; 77.3% next year; peaking at 78.7% in 2015-16 - lower than the 80% previously forecast - before falling to 78.3% in 2016-17, then falling to 76.5% and then 74.2% in 2018-19.

:: The new £1 coin to thwart forgery and "In honour of our Queen".

Jobs

:: Support for more than 100,000 new apprenticeships.

:: New Alan Turing Institute for computing "big data" to boost Britain's IT prowess.

Business

:: New allowance for ultra high pressure, high temperature oil field for North Sea oil and gas.

:: Tax relief of up to 25% for touring theatrical productions.

:: VAT relief on fuel for air ambulances and inshore rescue boat services across Britain, and a new air ambulance for London.

:: Accept recommendation to move collection of Class 2 NICs into self-assessment, abolishing for 5 million people "this wholly unnecessary bureaucracy".

:: Corporation tax - high street stores will get £1,000 off their rates, and businesses the £2,000 Employment Allowance.

:: From next year, corporation tax to drop from 21% to 20% and under-21s taken out of the jobs tax.

:: Business rates discounts and enhanced capital allowances will be extended for another three years.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Budget 2014: The Key Points You Need To Know

The Chancellor George Osborne has delivered his fifth budget. Here are the key points.

Savings

:: Tax-free ISAs to be boosted to £15,000 per year from July. Junior ISAs up to £4,000 a year.

:: Stocks and shares ISAs can be tranferred to new single ISA scheme.

:: Premium Bonds cap lifted from £30,000 to £40,000 in June, and to £50,000 next year.

:: 10p rate of tax for savers to be abolished.

:: Zero tax band to cover £5,000 of savings.

Reliefs

:: Alcohol escalator to be scrapped for all alcohol duties, instead a rise with inflation.

:: Scottish whisky duty to be frozen as it is "a huge British success story".

:: Cut of 1p in duty per pint of beer.

:: Export finance lending interest rate to be cut by a third and lending doubled to £3bn.

:: From 2015, all long haul air passenger flights carry same, lower, band B tax rate.

:: Right to Build scheme for builders of their own homes including £150m of finance to support it.

:: New £200m fund for councils "to bid for" to fix potholes across Britain.

:: Additional £140m help for flood damage.

:: September's fuel duty rise will not be brought in.

Taxes

:: Duty on fixed-odds betting terminals to rise to 25%.

:: Horse race betting levy to be extended to bookmakers based offshore.

:: Bingo duty will be halved to 10% "to protect jobs and protect communities".

:: Tobacco duty to remain at 2% above inflation and escalator will not be stopped.

:: Increased disclosed tax avoidance schemes scrutiny for the wealthy.

:: City fines over Libor rate-rigging to continue going to military charities and emergency service charities.

:: From midnight anyone buying home over £500,000 through corporate entity to pay 15% stamp duty to "avoid abuse".

:: "We will expand the tax on residential properties worth over £2m to those worth more than £500,000."

:: Private jets, previously not taxed, will see tax levied on flights.

Income Tax

:: Personal tax allowance rises to £10,500 next year, giving average saving of £800.

:: 40p tax rate threshold to rise from £41,450 to £41,865 from next month and then up by further 1% to £42,285 next year.

:: Transferable tax allowance for married couples rising to £1,050.

Pensions

:: All retirees on defined contribution pensions to be offered free, impartial, face-to-face advice.

:: No need for pensioners to buy annuities if they do not wish to.

:: Removal of all remaining tax restrictions on how pensioners have access to their pension pots.

:: Income requirement for flexible draw-down from £20,000 to £12,000, raised cap draw-down limit from 120% to 150%.

:: Lump sum small pot level lifted five-fold to £10,000.

:: Almost doubling total pension savings as a lump sum to £30,000.

:: £20m  to be spent in next two years working with consumer groups over pension advice.

:: New Pensioner Bond paying market leading rates, issued by National Savings and Investments, open to everyone aged 65 or over. Available from January next year.

 

Spending and Welfare

:: Foreign aid to be 0.7% of national income.

:: Public sector spending reduction to reach £1bn by 2015-16.

:: A permanent cap on welfare, excluding state pension, set at £119bn in 2015-16, rising in line with forecast inflation to £127bn in 2018-19.

Growth

:: Independent OBR growth forecast revised upwards to 2.7%, up from 2.4% in Autumn Statement.

:: Growth next year is also revised up to 2.3%, then 2.6% in 2016 and 2017, with growth expected to return to long-term trend of 2.5% in 2018.

:: 1.5 million new jobs forecast in next five years.

Borrowing

:: Deficit this year of 6.6% reduced to 5.5%  next year, then expected to be 4.2%, 2.4% and finally 0.8% in 2017-18. Following year forecast surplus of 0.2%.

:: Expect to borrow £108bn this year, £12bn less than forecast last year. No borrowing from 2018-19.

:: OBR forecasts public debt to be 74.5% of GDP this year; 77.3% next year; peaking at 78.7% in 2015-16 - lower than the 80% previously forecast - before falling to 78.3% in 2016-17, then falling to 76.5% and then 74.2% in 2018-19.

:: The new £1 coin to thwart forgery and "In honour of our Queen".

Jobs

:: Support for more than 100,000 new apprenticeships.

:: New Alan Turing Institute for computing "big data" to boost Britain's IT prowess.

Business

:: New allowance for ultra high pressure, high temperature oil field for North Sea oil and gas.

:: Tax relief of up to 25% for touring theatrical productions.

:: VAT relief on fuel for air ambulances and inshore rescue boat services across Britain, and a new air ambulance for London.

:: Accept recommendation to move collection of Class 2 NICs into self-assessment, abolishing for 5 million people "this wholly unnecessary bureaucracy".

:: Corporation tax - high street stores will get £1,000 off their rates, and businesses the £2,000 Employment Allowance.

:: From next year, corporation tax to drop from 21% to 20% and under-21s taken out of the jobs tax.

:: Business rates discounts and enhanced capital allowances will be extended for another three years.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Missing Plane: No Pilot Suicide Notes Found

Police searching the homes of the pilots of flight MH370 have not found any suicide notes, officials have revealed.

The men at the controls of the Boeing 777 - Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah and first officer Fariq Abdul Hamid - have been one of the focuses of the investigation into the missing plane.

"The fact that there was no distress signal, no ransom notes, no parties claiming responsibility, there is always hope," Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said at a news conference.

The home of Mr Zaharie has been searched by police

Mr Hamid is believed to have made the last communication from the flight, speaking to air traffic control before the plane vanished 10 days ago.  

Malaysia Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said at the news conference that initial investigations into a recording of the exchange suggested the first officer was the one who calmly said: "All right, good night" as the plane passed into Vietnamese air space.

The plane's transponder - which relays the plane's location - was switched off just two minutes after the voice message.

Both pilots' homes have been searched and a flight simulator belonging to Mr Zaharie is now in police hands, officials said.

The missing plane could have landed at hundreds of locations. Pic: WNYC

Authorities stressed that the backgrounds of all the passengers and crew were being checked - as well as ground staff who may have worked on the plane before takeoff.

However, officials at Monday's news conference did not comment on reports that police were investigating a passenger who had aviation experience.

Mohd Khairul Amri Selamat said on social media sites he was a flight engineer working for a Swiss-based private jet charter company.

The 29-year-old's apparent experience means he would have a knowledge of in-flight computer systems and be able to carry out repairs.

A senior police official with knowledge of the investigation said: "The focus is on anyone who might have had aviation skills on that plane."

However, as an engineer specialising in executive jets, he would not necessarily have had the skills required to divert and fly a Boeing 777.

And Mr Selamat's father has told Sky News police had not approached anyone in the family about his son.

Mr Selamat's father, Selamat Omar, told Sky News there was no reason to suspect him.

Mr Hamid, left, and Mr Zaharie were the pilots on the missing jet

He said: "Since he was young, my son has always been a very good boy. He's obedient, and as he grew older, it gets easier because my son became like my friend."

He added: "I am very confident that this plane and its passengers are safe because this confidence came when the government announced that the plane could be detected."

The search for the plane has dramatically widened as satellite data suggests the Boeing 777, which had 239 people on board, flew for at least seven hours - more than six hours after it lost contact with air traffic control.

It has been claimed it could have landed at one of 634 runways spread across at least a dozen countries.

Researchers at WNYC searched for runways with a length of at least 0.95 miles (1.52km) within a radius of 2,530 miles (4,070km) from the aircraft's last known position.

The number of countries involved in the search for the plane has nearly doubled over the past two days to 26, after satellite and military radar data projected two large corridors the plane might have flown through.

The northern corridor stretches in an arc over south and central Asia, while the other swoops deep into the southern Indian Ocean towards Australia.

Malaysia announced that it was deploying its naval and air force assets to the southern corridor, with Australia vowing substantial assistance.

But on Monday a US defence official said the USS Kidd, which had been searching the Indian Ocean, will now return to normal duties.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Missing Plane Mystery: Faces Of Flight MH370

By Sarah Hajibagheri, Sky News Producer

It is 11 days since Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared in the night and investigators appear no closer to knowing the fate of the passengers and crew on board.

The names of the 239 people currently missing are listed in black and white in the plane's manifest.

But these colour photos show the faces of those who were on the flight.

There were 14 different nationalities among the 227 passengers and 12 crew travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, although the majority - 153 in all - were Chinese.

Other passengers came from the United States, Canada, Indonesia, Iran, Australia, India, France, New Zealand, Ukraine, Russia, Taiwan and the Netherlands.

The youngest is two, the oldest 76. Seven of the passengers are children, five of whom are yet to see their fifth birthdays.

On board the plane were sons, daughters, husbands, wives and grandparents. Some were embarking on a new start, others returning home.

They included a famous stunt man, engineers, artists, Buddhist pilgrims, students, holidaymakers and honeymooners.

These are some of their stories:

:: The husband and wife returning to their sons

Muktesh Mukherjee and Bai Xiaomo were heading home to Beijing after a beach holiday in Vietnam.

Ms Bai, 37, had posted pictures of their break shortly before boarding the flight.

The couple's two young sons were waiting for them at home with Ms Bai's mother.

Mr Muktesh, 42, an Indian-born Canadian employed by US firm XCoal, met his wife while on a business trip to China in 2002.

They lived in Montreal before moving to Beijing.

:: The Hollywood stuntman

Ju Kun's kung fu moves have featured in films such as Fearless, where he doubled for martial arts actor Jet Li, and The Expendables.

The 35-year-old was travelling to Beijing to see his two young children before starting work on the new Netflix and Weinstein Company series Marco Polo in Malaysia.

In a statement, Weinstein said: "He was an integral part of our production team and a tremendous talent. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time."

:: Teen lovers

French students Hadrien Wattrelos, 17, and Zhao Yan, 18, were heading for school in Beijing.

They had enrolled themselves in the Lycee Francais International de Pekin, also known as the French School.

Hadrien posted a picture of himself and Ms Zhao on a social media site, accompanied with the phrase: "Je t'aime."

Ms Zhao replied: "Haaaaaa mon amour, trooooop mignon."

Two other passengers on the flight, Laurence Wattrelos, 52, and Ambre Wattrelos, 14, are believed to be Hadrien's mother and sister.

:: The student studying in Hull

Yue Wenchao, 26, is originally from inner Mongolia but had moved to the UK to study a postgraduate course at the University of Hull Business School.

He was flying to Kuala Lumpur to visit his girlfriend.

In one of his last posts on a social media site on March 7, he wrote next to a photo of her: "See u in Beijing!"

:: The New Zealander

Paul Weeks, a mechanical engineer, left his wedding ring and watch at home when he headed to Mongolia for a work trip.

The devoted father instructed his wife, Danica, to pass them on to his two sons, three-year-old Lincoln and 10-month-old Jack, "should anything happen".

Danica, who lives in Perth, Australia, says the hardest part of the ordeal is explaining Paul's absence to their two children.

:: The Australian travel-lovers

Bob and Cathy Lawton loved to travel.

The couple, who are in their fifties and from Springfield Lakes, Australia, are parents to three daughters, as well as doting grandparents.

Cathy's last Facebook post before embarking on their latest adventure read: "Off to China."

:: The father and child

Hu Xiaoning, 34, was travelling home to Beijing with his three-year-old daughter Hu Siwan.

Proud mum Zhang Na has been an active user of China's microblogging site Weibo, regularly posting family photos.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Missing Plane 'May Have Sent Signals On Ground'

Missing Jet: Timeline Of Key Events

Updated: 2:27pm UK, Sunday 16 March 2014

A summary of the developments surrounding the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

Sunday, March 9

:: Malaysia's police chief says the pilot, co-pilot as well as ground staff, crew and passengers are now all under investigation.

:: The search expands even further with 25 countries being asked to help, including Australia.

:: Malaysia says its possible the plane's signal could have been picked up while it was on the ground.

Saturday, March 8

:: The Boeing 777, with 239 people on board, loses contact with air traffic control north of Malaysia around 1.20am, some 40 minutes after taking off from Kuala Lumpur en route to Beijing.

:: Vietnam says the plane went missing near its airspace.

It launches a search operation which expands into a huge international hunt in the South China Sea, involving dozens of ships and aircraft from countries including the US and Japan.

:: Tearful relatives of the 153 Chinese passengers criticise Malaysia Airlines over a lack of information.

:: Vietnamese planes spot two large oil slicks near the aircraft's last known location, but it proves a false alarm.

:: It also emerges two passengers were travelling on stolen EU passports, fuelling speculation of a terrorist attack.

Sunday, March 9

:: Malaysia said it was investigating a possible terror link to the jet's disappearance and the US sent FBI agents to assist in the investigation.

:: Malaysia raises the first of several suggestions that the plane may have veered radically off-course.

:: The air force chief said it may have turned back towards the country's capital for no apparent reason.

:: A Vietnamese plane spots possible debris off southwest Vietnam - but this is also a false alarm.

Monday, March 10

:: Authorities double the search radius to 100 nautical miles around the point where MH370 disappeared from radar.

:: China criticises Malaysia, saying it needs to speed up the investigation.

:: Malaysia sends ships to investigate a sighting of a possible life raft, but a Vietnamese vessel that gets there first finds only flotsam.

:: Chemical analysis by Malaysia finds no link between oil slicks found at sea and the missing plane.

Tuesday, March 11

:: The search area now includes land on the Malaysian peninsula itself, the waters off its west coast, and an area to the north of Indonesia's Sumatra island, all far removed from the flight's scheduled route.

:: Authorities identify the two men with stolen passports as young Iranians who are believed to be illegal immigrants - not terrorists.

Wednesday, March 12

:: Malaysia expands the search zone to include the Malacca Strait off the country's west coast and the Andaman Sea north of Indonesia, hundreds of miles away.

:: Malaysia's air force chief says an unidentified object was detected on military radar north of the Malacca Strait early on Saturday - less than an hour after the plane lost contact - but says it is still being investigated.

:: At a news conference, Malaysian officials deny the search is in disarray after China says conflicting information about its course is "pretty chaotic".

:: It emerges US regulators warned months ago of a problem with "cracking and corrosion" of the fuselage skin under the satellite antenna on Boeing 777s that could lead to a mid-air break-up.

:: But the manufacturer later confirms that the warning did not apply to the missing plane, which had a different kind of antenna.

Thursday, March 13

:: Malaysia dismisses a report in the Wall Street Journal which said US investigators suspect the plane flew on for four hours after its last known contact, based on data sent from its engines.

:: Authorities in Kuala Lumpur also say that Chinese satellite images of suspected debris in the South China Sea are yet another false lead.

:: India steps up its search, sending three ships and three aircraft to the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Friday, March 14

:: The hunt spreads west to the Indian Ocean after the White House cites unspecified "new information" that the jet may have flown on after losing contact.

:: Malaysia declines to comment on US reports that the plane's communication system continued to "ping" a satellite for hours after it disappeared, suggesting it may have travelled a huge distance.

Saturday, March 15

:: Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak says the last-known movements of the missing airliner were consistent with the deliberate actions of someone on board.

:: He also revealed the last contact with the plane was with a satellite at 8.11am last Saturday which means it could have been flying for more than six hours longer than first thought.

:: The PM confirmed Malaysian air force defence radar picked up traces of the plane turning back westward, crossing over Peninsular Malaysia into the northern stretches of the Strait of Malacca.

:: The search area is expanded to two air corridors - a northern one stretching as far as Turkmenistan and Thailand - and one which goes as far as Indonesia and the southern Indian Ocean.

:: Mr Najib says search efforts in the South China Sea, where the plane first lost contact, had ended.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Landslide Crimea Vote To Split From Ukraine

Voters in Crimea have overwhelmingly backed breaking away from Ukraine to join Russia, paving the way for sanctions by the West which has dismissed the poll as a "sham".

With half the votes counted, results showed more than 95% of voters supported a union with Russia, on a turnout of 83%.

The White House restated its rejection of the referendum in the southern Black Sea region and branded Russia's actions "dangerous and destabilising".

Hinting at additional sanctions, Barack Obama told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin the West was ready to "impose additional costs" on Moscow for violating Ukraine's sovereignty.

European diplomats have been drawing up a list of Russian officials who will be hit with travel bans and asset freezes.

The referendum saw a landslide in favour of Crimea joining Russia

However, Mr Putin has insisted the vote is legal and has promised to "respect" the result.

Crimea's regional government will make a formal application to join Russia on Monday, its pro-Moscow leader Sergei Aksyonov said on Twitter.

Even before the official results were announced, thousands gathered in the Crimean capital Simferopol, waving Russian and Crimean flags.

People also turned out to celebrate in Sevastopol, where Russia's Black Sea fleet is based.

The result was expected as ethnic Russians make up 58% of the population

Lucia Prokorovna, 60, carrying a giant Russian flag said: "We're free of the occupation. Ukraine was attached to Crimea like a sack of potatoes."

The vote, branded illegal by Kiev and Western powers, has triggered the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War and threatens to escalate the crisis in Ukraine.

The intervention of Russian military forces in the region, following the ousting as president of Kremlin ally Viktor Yanukovych last month, led to accusations the poll was conducted "at the barrel of a gun".

Moscow justified the occupation of Crimea, saying it wished to protect the majority ethnic Russian population.

The referendum came against a backdrop of unrest in the divided eastern Ukraine, which has seen pro-Russian demonstrations turn violent.

The Ukraine crisis has led to a Cold War-style stand-off

Kiev has accused "Kremlin agents" of stoking violence in Russian-speaking cities such as Donetsk and urged people not to be provoked into retaliating because clashes could be used by Moscow as an excuse for further interventions.

Moscow also raised the stakes after Russian forces, backed by helicopter gunships and armoured vehicles, took control of the Ukrainian village of Strelkovoye and a nearby gas plant.

It was the first Russian military move into Ukraine beyond the Crimean peninsula and while the troops returned the village, they kept control of the gas plant.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has vowed to bring the Crimean politicians who called the referendum to justice, warning: "The ground will burn under their feet."

In a statement, the White House said: "In this century, we are long past the days when the international community will stand quietly by while one country forcibly seizes the territory of another."

Foreign Secretary William Hague also said the UK would not recognise the outcome of the vote, condemning it as "a mockery of proper democratic practice".

He argued sanctions were needed to "send a strong signal to Russia that this challenge to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Russia will bring economic and political consequences".

More follows...

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Deliberate Action' Diverted Missing Plane

Missing Jet: Timeline Of Key Events

Updated: 2:41pm UK, Saturday 15 March 2014

A summary of the developments surrounding the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

Saturday, March 8

:: The Boeing 777, with 239 people on board, loses contact with air traffic control north of Malaysia around 1.20am, some 40 minutes after taking off from Kuala Lumpur en route to Beijing.

:: Vietnam says the plane went missing near its airspace.

It launches a search operation which expands into a huge international hunt in the South China Sea, involving dozens of ships and aircraft from countries including the US and Japan.

:: Tearful relatives of the 153 Chinese passengers criticise Malaysia Airlines over a lack of information.

:: Vietnamese planes spot two large oil slicks near the aircraft's last known location, but it proves a false alarm.

:: It also emerges two passengers were travelling on stolen EU passports, fuelling speculation of a terrorist attack.

Sunday, March 9

:: Malaysia said it was investigating a possible terror link to the jet's disappearance and the US sent FBI agents to assist in the investigation.

:: Malaysia raises the first of several suggestions that the plane may have veered radically off-course.

:: The air force chief said it may have turned back towards the country's capital for no apparent reason.

:: A Vietnamese plane spots possible debris off southwest Vietnam - but this is also a false alarm.

Monday, March 10

:: Authorities double the search radius to 100 nautical miles around the point where MH370 disappeared from radar.

:: China criticises Malaysia, saying it needs to speed up the investigation.

:: Malaysia sends ships to investigate a sighting of a possible life raft, but a Vietnamese vessel that gets there first finds only flotsam.

:: Chemical analysis by Malaysia finds no link between oil slicks found at sea and the missing plane.

Tuesday, March 11

:: The search area now includes land on the Malaysian peninsula itself, the waters off its west coast, and an area to the north of Indonesia's Sumatra island, all far removed from the flight's scheduled route.

:: Authorities identify the two men with stolen passports as young Iranians who are believed to be illegal immigrants - not terrorists.

Wednesday, March 12

:: Malaysia expands the search zone to include the Malacca Strait off the country's west coast and the Andaman Sea north of Indonesia, hundreds of miles away.

:: Malaysia's air force chief says an unidentified object was detected on military radar north of the Malacca Strait early on Saturday - less than an hour after the plane lost contact - but says it is still being investigated.

:: At a news conference, Malaysian officials deny the search is in disarray after China says conflicting information about its course is "pretty chaotic".

:: It emerges US regulators warned months ago of a problem with "cracking and corrosion" of the fuselage skin under the satellite antenna on Boeing 777s that could lead to a mid-air break-up.

:: But the manufacturer later confirms that the warning did not apply to the missing plane, which had a different kind of antenna.

Thursday, March 13

:: Malaysia dismisses a report in the Wall Street Journal which said US investigators suspect the plane flew on for four hours after its last known contact, based on data sent from its engines.

:: Authorities in Kuala Lumpur also say that Chinese satellite images of suspected debris in the South China Sea are yet another false lead.

:: India steps up its search, sending three ships and three aircraft to the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Friday, March 14

:: The hunt spreads west to the Indian Ocean after the White House cites unspecified "new information" that the jet may have flown on after losing contact.

:: Malaysia declines to comment on US reports that the plane's communication system continued to "ping" a satellite for hours after it disappeared, suggesting it may have travelled a huge distance.

Saturday, March 15

:: Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak says the last-known movements of the missing airliner were consistent with the deliberate actions of someone on board.

:: He also revealed the last contact with the plane was with a satellite at 8.11am last Saturday which means it could have been flying for more than six hours longer than first thought.

:: The PM confirmed Malaysian air force defence radar picked up traces of the plane turning back westward, crossing over Peninsular Malaysia into the northern stretches of the Strait of Malacca.

:: The search area is expanded to two air corridors - a northern one stretching as far as Turkmenistan and Thailand - and one which goes as far as Indonesia and the southern Indian Ocean.

:: Mr Najib says search efforts in the South China Sea, where the plane first lost contact, had ended.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pilots And Crew In Spotlight As Homes Raided

Police investigating the missing Malaysian airliner have searched the homes of both pilots, as authorities turned their attentions to those onboard the plane.

Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah and his First Officer Fariq Abdul Hamid are among the few who would have been in a position to tamper with equipment on Flight MH370.

Experts say the Boeing 777's transponder would have had to be turned off by someone with technical knowledge and that it is "inconceivable" anyone in the passenger cabin was involved in the diversion.

Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak said the jet's communications had been deliberately disabled by "someone on the plane".

Pilots Fariq Abdul Hamid and Zaharie Ahmad Shah

"In view of this latest development, the Malaysian authorities have refocused their investigation into the crew and passengers on board," he said.

It later emerged that police in Malaysia had searched the homes of both Mr Shah and co-pilot Mr Hamid.

Hijacking has also not been ruled out, but the country's prime minister refused to be drawn on the matter, saying instead authorities were "refocusing their investigation into the crew and passengers on board".

Reports emerged last week that Mr Hamid, 27, had entertained two women in the cockpit during a flight between the Thai island of Phuket and Malay capital Kuala Lumpur in 2011.

Australian woman Jonti Roos alleged that Mr Hamid and another pilot had talked to her and a friend, smoked and posed for photos in a clear violation of aviation rules.

Mr Hamid has about 2,800 hours of flying experience and has worked for Malaysia Airlines since 2007.

The house of Fariq Abdul Hamid on Saturday

Malaysia Airlines said it was shocked by the claims about Mr Hamid's conduct.

Neighbour Ayop Jantan told the Associated Press that he had heard that Mr Hamid was engaged and planning his wedding

Police were seen outside the home of Captain Shah on Saturday - a gated community in the town of Shah Alam, just outside of Kuala Lumpur.

Captain Shah, 53, joined Malaysian Airline in 1981 and was known as an avid flying buff who had clocked more than 18,000 flying hours.

The grandfather is said to have enjoyed flying miniature planes on his days off and had created a series of "community service" YouTube videos with handy hints to help cut bills.

Fariq Abdul Hamid with Jonti Roos and a friend

He was also a certified flight simulator examiner and had sufficient knowledge to build his own simulator at his home.

Several days ago, the Malaysians were forced to deny raiding the pilots' homes, when suggestions that the place could have been deliberately diverted first emerged.

Despite that, police have confirmed they ae looking at the pair's psychological backgrounds, their family life and connections.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More