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Ukraine Base Prepares To Resist Russians

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 22 Maret 2014 | 20.18

Ukrainian forces surrounded by Russian troops at a base in Crimea are preparing to use their weapons, says Sky's Stuart Ramsay.

The commanding officer at the Belbek base is expecting an "attack" after the deadline to hand over the base to Russia expired at 12.30GMT.

Ramsay, outside the base, said the men had been told to stand their ground and not surrender the facility.

More follows...


20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pope Tells Mafia: Repent Or Prepare For Hell

Pope Francis has warned members of the mafia that they will go to hell if they do not repent and renounce evil.

Speaking at a prayer vigil for relatives of victims of organised crime, the Pontiff said: "The power, the money, that you have now coming from so many dirty businesses, so many Mafiosi crimes, it's blood-stained money, blood-stained power, you can't bring it with you to your next life. Repent.

"There's still time to not end up in hell, which is what awaits you if you continue on this path."

His appearance marked the first time a pope has attended the annual event - now in its 19th year - which is held on the first day of spring.

At the vigil held in Rome's San Gregorio church, Francis met around 900 relatives of people murdered by the mafia.

After expressing his solidarity with the family members, he said that he could not leave the service without speaking to those not present: the "protagonists" of mafia violence.

Pope Francis attends vigil against organised crime The Pope shakes hands with victims' families as he leaves the church

"I feel that I cannot finish without addressing those who are greatly absent today, the protagonists who are not here, the men and women who are part of the mafia. Please, change your lifestyle, convert, stop doing evil," he said.

"Convert, you still have time not to end up in hell, that is what awaits you if you continue on this path. You too had a father and a mother, think of them, cry a little and convert."

The brutality of Italy's gangsters was highlighted this week following the death of Domenico Petruzzelli, a two-year-old killed along with his mother and her companion in a suspected mob hit in the southern city of Taranto in which assailants opened fire on their car. 

In January, after the charred body of a three-year-old boy was found in a burned car alongside his grandfather and another woman, Francis urged the suspected mafia killers to "repent and convert to the Lord".

The Pope has spoken out frequently about the evils of corruption, and wrote a short booklet on corruption and sin in 2005 when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires.


20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Missing Plane: Cockpit Conversations Revealed

A transcript of the final conversations between the crew of flight MH370 and air traffic control has been revealed two weeks after the aircraft vanished from radar.

The transcript, between the co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid and the control tower, includes conversations as the aircraft was taxiing at Kuala Lumpur airport up until the final exchange with Malaysian air traffic control at 1.19am.

It also includes a repeated message about the aircraft's altitude at the same time as the plane's Acars signalling technology sent its last transmission before it was apparently disabled.

Transcripts of pilot conversations on missing Malaysia Airlines plane Excerpts from the cockpit conversations

At 1.01am it reads: "MH370 remaining in flight altitude 350 (35,000ft)."

Six minutes later, the co-pilot said: "MH370 remaining in flight altitude 350."

The final conversation in the documents, published in The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mirror, was at 1.19am as the plane left Malaysian airspace, and reads: "All right, good night."

Missing Flight MH370

But former pilot Alastair Rosenschein told Sky News too much could be read into the repetition of the plane's altitude.

He said: "You make a radio call confirming your altitude and then a few minutes later you think 'gosh did I make that call?', you don't know, the easiest thing is to make it again.

"So no it's not suspicious, at least I don't see it as suspicious.

Family members of passengers onboard Malaysia Airlines MH370 shout to protest against the lack of new information after a routine briefing by Malaysia in Beijing Relatives of missing passengers shout for answers in Beijing on Saturday

"If he wanted to hijack the aircraft then this was an ideal spot because it lies between Malay air space and Vietnamese air space. So you've got that handover - the Malaysians are no longer interested in the aircraft because it's left them, they've handed it over, and the Vietnamese don't yet expect a call.

"Quite frankly if you wanted to take an aircraft and didn't want anyone to know, you wouldn't have done it on a Beijing flight - you're covered by radar the whole way.

"You would have done it on a flight from Kuala Lumpur say to London where you've got plenty of fuel."

Peter Marosszeky, an aviation expert at the University of New South Wales in Australia, added: "I've sat through many thousands of flights myself and it's not something that would really strike me as unusual.

Malaysia airlines promo

"Without being able to hear the inflection in the pilots' voices, it's very difficult to determine whether anything said is truly noteworthy.

"I'd love to hear the actual voice level of communication to see if there's any level of anxiety that might have been driving the pilot to say what he did."

It comes after the search for debris spotted on satellite in the south Indian Ocean resumed on Saturday for a third day.

Six aircraft took off from Perth to search seas around 1,550 miles southwest of the city after two large objects were spotted earlier this week.

More aircraft and shipping is expected to join the operation over the next few days.


20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Missing Plane: China Spots Large Object In Sea

The Chinese government has said it has located a large object in the sea after viewing satellite imagery.

During a news conference in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, Malaysian Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein was handed a piece of paper containing details of the apparent discovery.

The object is thought to be 42ft long (13m) and 74ft wide (22.5m) and was spotted somewhere in the southern search corridor in the Indian Ocean.

220314 PLANE satellite image chinese object 1 China's image was taken on March 18, two days after Australia's below Satellite imagery provided to AMSA of objects that may be possible debris of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370

China said the object was captured by its high-definition earth observation satellite, Gaofen-1, and ships have been dispatched to the area.

The image was taken on March 18, two days after an Australian satellite located objects in the water. The China image shows the object is around 75 miles south of where it was pinpointed by the Australian images.

The Chinese location is just to the south of the patch of ocean being combed south and west of Australia.

Missing Flight MH370

Six aircraft flying over that area on Saturday failed to locate any sign of debris spotted by a satellite last week.

Now bad weather could affect the operation after a cyclone warning was declared for Tropical Cyclone Gillian, which is forecast to move into the southern search corridor.

Family members of passengers onboard Malaysia Airlines MH370 shout to protest against the lack of new information after a routine briefing by Malaysia in Beijing Relatives react angrily during a meeting with Malaysian officials in Beijng

Mr Hussein said: "Very strong winds and rough seas are expected there today.

"In the area where possible objects were identified by Australian authorities, there are strong currents and rough seas. Generally, conditions in the southern corridor are very challenging."

Tropical cyclone hitting Indian Ocean Tropical Cyclone Gillian is expected to hit the Indian Ocean on Saturday

Countries in the north search corridor, which includes China, India, Pakistan, Myanmar, Laos, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, said there had been no sightings of the aircraft on their radar.

It comes after angry scenes at a meeting in Beijing when Malaysian officials attempted to leave without answering questions on the search operation from relatives of the missing passengers.

One shouted: "You can't go. You can't leave here. We are here waiting for you 14 days. We want to know what happened, what the reality is."

Malaysia airlines promo

Another said: "We don't even know if our family members are alive or dead. We should never let them treat us like this!"

Speaking at Peking University during a week-long visit to China, US First Lady Michelle Obama said the US was committed to offering as many resources to the search as possible.

She said: "Please know that we are keeping all of the families and loved ones of those on this flight in our thoughts and in our prayers at this very difficult time."

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

Authorities face a race against time to locate the plane's black box voice and data recorder, which transmits an electronic signal only for 30 days before running out of battery power.

After that it will be much harder to locate the piece of equipment that is likely to hold the key to solving the mystery of what happened to the plane.

On Saturday, India said it had found no evidence the missing jet flew through its airspace after checking its radar records.


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Putin Mocks Sanctions For Russians Over Crimea

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 21 Maret 2014 | 20.18

Faces Caught In The Middle Of US-Russia Spat

Updated: 8:45pm UK, Thursday 20 March 2014

The fresh wave of US sanctions against Russia include banning some of the country's richest and most influential businessmen - and President Vladimir Putin's closest friends - from entering America.

Among the individuals targeted with and travel bans and freezing of US assets are billionaire brothers Arkady and Boris Rotenberg.

The co-owners of SMP Bank and SGM Group, a major supplier of construction services to Russian gas giant Gazprom, were judo sparring partners with Mr Putin.

The pair - friends of Mr Putin since childhood - also made billions in Sochi Olympics-related contracts.

Financier Yuri Kovalchuk, the largest shareholder of Bank Rossiya, is a personal banker for senior Russian officials - including, reportedly, Mr Putin. He is another close friend - and a neighbour - of the president.

They have known each other since the early 1990s when Mr Kovalchuk was deputy mayor of St Petersburg.

The bank - also on the hit list - serves some of the country's wealthiest officials and controls two big insurance firms - Sogas and SK Transneft.

High-level Kremlin officials including Mr Putin's chief of staff Sergei Ivanov and deputy chief of staff Alexei Gromov are also targeted, as well as Vladimir Yakunin, chairman of the board of the Russian state-owned company Russian Railways and a close confidant of the president.

Gennady Timchenko, a prominent businessman and owner of the private investment group, Volga Group, which specialises in investments in energy, transport and infrastructure assets is also named by the US.

President Putin's spokesman said some of the names on the list caused "nothing but extreme bewilderment" - and Russia immediately responded with its own list of sanctions on American officials.

These included Obama aides Caroline Atkinson (deputy assistant and deputy national security adviser for international economics), Daniel Pfeiffer (senior adviser and assistant ), and Benjamin Rhodes (assistant and deputy national security adviser for strategic communications and speechwriting), as well as senators Mary Landrieu, John McCain and Daniel Coats.

Mr McCain, the former Republican presidential candidate, and Mr Putin have long been engaged in a bitter personal feud.

During their last war of words in September 2013, the US senator accused Mr Putin of corruption, repression and self-serving rule in an opinion piece for a Russian website in response to a letter Mr Putin wrote in The New York Times, urging America not to use military force in Syria.

In an opinion piece headlined "Russians Deserve Better Than Putin", Mr McCain also accused the president of being "a friend to tyrants and an enemy to the oppressed" for siding with Syria's President Bashar al Assad.

Back in December 2011, Mr Putin let his views be known on Mr McCain after the US politician tweeted "Dear Vlad, The #ArabSpring is coming to a neighbourhood near you" at a time of huge protests across Moscow.

When pressed about the tweet during a televised phone-in, the Russian president hit back, calling the senator "nuts".

"Mr McCain fought in Vietnam. I think he has enough blood of peaceful citizens on his hands. It must be impossible for him to live without these disgusting scenes anymore," he said.

Mr Putin added: "Mr McCain was captured and they kept him not just in prison, but in a pit for several years. Anyone [in his place] would go nuts."

Earlier this month, Speaker of the House John Boehner, also on the Russian list, called Mr Putin a "thug" over its actions in Crimea, according to The Enquirer.

The Republican told the Cincinnati newspaper it was "time to stand up to Putin", adding: "At what point do you say enough is enough? We are at that point."

He, and Senators Landrieu, McCain and Coats hailed their inclusion on the Russian list as a "badge of honour", while the White House refused to comment.


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Kabul: Foreigners Among 9 Killed In Hotel Attack

Four foreigners were among nine people killed when teenage gunmen attacked a luxury hotel in Kabul, officials have confirmed.

Afghan authorities initially said only two security guards were injured during the attack on the Serena hotel.

But deputy interior minister General Mohammad Ayub Salangi confirmed on Friday that nine people, including two children, were killed in a restaurant in the hotel.

The foreign victims included two men and two women, from Canada, New Zealand, India and Pakistan. Five Afghan people were also killed.

Sardar Ahmad, an Afghan reporter at the Agence France-Presse news agency, was among the victims.

Ahmad was shot dead along with his wife and two of his three children.

Four gunmen hid pistols inside their socks as they passed through metal detectors at the hotel, hid for three hours and then stormed into the restaurant, according to interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi.

Gunmen Attack Serena Hotel In Kabul A security perimeter is put around the hotel the morning after the attack

The attack ended around 11:30pm when Afghan security forces killed the last of the attackers.

The Serena Hotel is considered one of the safest places to stay in Kabul because of its tight security. It is used by UN staff and prominent Afghan politicians.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack.

He said: "Our people, if they decide to attack any place, they can do it."

In 2008, gunmen disguised as police stormed the Serena Hotel and killed six people inside a gym.

The attack is the latest in a spate carried out by insurgents seeking to disrupt the presidential election on April 5.

It comes after 11 people were killed in a separate attack on a police station in Jalalabad, eastern Afghanistan.


20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Missing Malaysian Jet: Debris 'May Have Sunk'

A search for two large objects that may be from the missing Malaysia Airlines jet has concluded for the day without any sight of flight MH370.

Friday's operation involved five aircraft, including three RAAF Orions, and a US Navy P8 Poseidon which scoured a remote area in the southern Indian Ocean of 8,800 sq miles (23,000 sq km).

An Australian P3 Orion search plane arrived back at base in Perth after failing to find any evidence of debris from the missing aircraft.

HMS Echo HMS Echo is heading towards the region

On his return to Perth, flight lieutenant Russell Adams told waiting reporters that conditions were perfect but there was no sign of any wreckage.

"We had really good weather compared to yesterday, better than 10km visibility and there was no rain in the area," he said.

"Unfortunately the conditions back here precluded us from staying on station as long as we'd like, however there are other aircraft out there still searching.

"We've got a lot of hope. Hopefully we'll find something soon."

RAAF AP-3C Orion pilot Adams speaks to the press upon his return from a search for Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 over the Indian Ocean, at RAAF Base Pearce north of Perth RAAF AP-3C Orion pilot Adams speaks to the press in Perth upon his return

But Australian deputy prime minister Warren Truss admitted the objects spotted on satellite images in the remote southern Indian Ocean may have sunk.

"Something that was floating on the sea that long ago may no longer be floating," he told reporters in Perth.

"It may have slipped to the bottom."

At a news conference in Kualar Lumpur the Malaysian authorities said they were using every possible search and rescue asset in the world to help them find the missing aircraft.

Britain's HMS Echo is on its way and David Cameron told his Malaysian counterpart that Britain stands ready to help with whatever specialist support they can offer.

Malaysian Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein listens to reporter's questions about the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport Malaysia's Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein at today's briefing

"The UK has remained in close touch with Malaysian authorities since the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 on 8th March," said a government spokesman.

"The PM called PM Najib on Tuesday to offer any additional support to the AAIB assistance already in place.

"Following that, we have been in close contact with the Malaysians and have offered an additional package of support.

"We are also in close contact with the Australians and today we have confirmed that HMS Echo is already heading towards the southern Indian Ocean."

Missing Flight MH370 Promo

It was also revealed the plane could have been carrying lithium-ion batteries in the cargo hold.

The flammable batteries can pose a safety concern and are required to undergo stricter testing than other types of battery.

In Boeing's 787 Dreamliner's first year of service, some four aircraft experienced problems stemming from its lithium-ion batteries.

But Malaysia Airline's chief executive, Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, told Sky's Kay Burley the batteries were an approved item and were not classed as dangerous goods.

Muslims perform a special prayer for passengers onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 at the Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin mosque in Putrajaya Muslims perform a prayer for passengers at a mosque in Putrajaya, Malaysia

"We carry some lithium ion batteries but they are approved and not declared as dangerous goods," he said.

"Airlines do this all the time; these goods have been flown many times."

Meanwhile, Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the country was doing everything it could to find the suspected debris and to keep the families of the passengers informed of the progress.

"We owe it to the families, the friends and the loved ones of the nearly 240 people on board flight MH370 to do everything we can to resolve what is as yet an extraordinary riddle," he told a news conference.

"Because of the understandable state of anxiety they're in, we also owe it to them to give them information as soon as we get it to hand.

A woman writes on the message board in support of the passengers and family members of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, at a shopping mall in Damansara near Kuala Lumpur A message board of support at a shopping centre in Damansara, Malaysia

"We have five aircraft searching the area. We're looking for a visual that was picked up on satellite imagery and as soon as we have additional information we'll make it available."

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

They were spotted by a satellite last Sunday and could potentially be debris from flight MH370, one of which 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 14th day.

Relatives of passengers onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 react as they wait for news at a hotel in Beijing Relatives of those on board wait for news at a hotel in Beijing

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

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.

Satellite imagery provided to AMSA of objects that may be possible debris of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 Satellite images show objects which may be debris from the plane

Willie Walsh, chief executive of the International Airlines Group, said he was baffled by the disappearance of the aircraft.

"My deepest sympathies to everybody associated with this, it must be truly awful for the families and friends of the passengers and crew," he told Sky's Jeff Randall Live.

"I'm baffled; I must have heard twenty, thirty, maybe even forty theories on what has happened and quite honestly, we just don't know.

"I've been in this industry 35 years and I've never seen anything like this. I'm confident that with the technology today and the fact accident investigation has progressed significantly, we will ultimately find out."


20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Flight MH370: Latest Developments At A Glance

The search for possible debris of missing flight MH370 off the coast of Australia has entered its second day.

This is what we know:

:: Australian Maritime Safety Authority search operation concludes for the day without any sightings.

:: Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said objects spotted on satellite images in Indian Ocean may now have "sunk to the bottom". 

:: Malaysia Airlines chief executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya confirms lithium ion batteries were in hold of missing plane, but insists they are "approved" and not "dangerous goods".

:: Hishammuddin Hussein, acting minister of transport, said UK has offered list of assets to aid in search.

:: Three-hour meeting held with relatives of passengers on Thursday.

:: Five aircraft in total involved in search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

:: Three Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P3 Orions, a civil Gulfstream jet and a US Navy P8 Poseidon aircraft are being used.

:: Due to the distance to and from the target area, the aircraft involved have approximately two hours of search time.

:: One merchant vessel is currently in the search area.

:: A second merchant vessel is due to arrive tonight.

:: At least seven Chinese ships are heading to the region but could take days to arrive.


20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Missing Plane Families 'Let Down' By Officials

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 20 Maret 2014 | 20.18

Missing Plane: Air France Families' Sympathy

Updated: 2:42pm UK, Wednesday 19 March 2014

By Sarah Hajibagheri, Sky News Producer

The families of the Air France flight AF447 crash victims have written a touching letter to the relatives of those on board the missing Malaysia Airlines plane, offering their support.

In the open letter, published by a German association of family members of the 228 people who were killed, they express their "sympathy and compassion in these days of utmost anxiety".

It comes as two people, believed to be relatives of a passenger on board the airliner, were forcibly removed from a news conference on the MH370 investigation at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

Sky News presenter Kay Burley, who was there, said: "People were being pushed, shoved, physically forced out of the way. The women were taken up an escalator and into another room."

The letter sent by the relatives of the Air France victims is critical of the handling of the disappearance by authorities investigating the Malaysia Airlines plane.

"We are completely dismayed about the vague and partially contradicting information policy by the Malaysian government," the families say.

They also urge the relatives of passengers, who hail from 14 different countries, to approach their respective national governments to put pressure on the Malaysian military and civil authorities to speed up their investigations and quickly release their findings.

The letter was shared on Facebook by the Families and Friends of American Eagle Flight 4184, a group set up after a plane crash in Indiana in 1994 killed all 68 people on board.

But it is the Air France tragedy which has so far drawn most comparisons with the Malaysia Airlines mystery.

It has been nearly five years since the Airbus A330 took off from Rio de Janeiro, bound for Paris.

On June 1, 2009, the plane plunged into the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 228 passengers and crew on board.

Just like MH370, the jetliner disappeared from radar and a daunting search and rescue operation ensued.

Bodies and debris from the flight emerged in the days and weeks following the crash, but investigators took nearly two years to retrieve the main wreckage and black box recorders.

The final report into the disaster found the flight was doomed by a combination of ice build-up, mechanical failure and pilot error.

Aviation experts who were involved in the search for the Air France plane have arrived in Malaysia to help with the investigation.

It is hoped they might be able to help provide answers for the families of the 239 passengers and crew who, 12 days on, are still missing.

Some 26 countries are searching an area larger than Australia for any sign of the aircraft.

As China joined the hunt, angry relatives of the 154 people from the country who were on the plane threatened to go on hunger strike unless they were given more information from authorities.

Investigators have not uncovered any evidence suggesting there was a plot to hijack or bring down the aircraft, although both theories remain a possibility.

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

Satellite data suggest the plane flew for at least seven hours.

The backgrounds of pilots Zaharie Ahmad Shah and Fariq Abdul Hamid are being checked, as are those of ground engineers who worked on the aircraft before it took off.


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Missing Plane: Could A Fire Explain Mystery?

Both pilots on the missing Malaysia Airlines plane may have been incapacitated by a fire in the cabin, an expert has told Sky News.

The theory, which has been gathering pace within the aviation industry over recent days, suggests the tracking equipment was disabled to prevent a fire getting worse.

Experts say it would mean the pair had changed course in a bid to find an airport where they could land the stricken aircraft - but were overcome by smoke.

While officials investigating the mystery have not commented on the theory, if true, it would make the two men in control of flight MH370 heroes rather than the suspects they have become.

Pilot Fikri Zambi told Sky News: "Let's say you have an electrical problem inside the wiring and you have smoke in the cabin.

"If it is anything to do with the wiring from the transponder or ACARS that's causing the smoke, then we have to pull out the circuit breakers to make it stop."

Fariq Abdul Hamid & Zaharie Ahmad Shah Pilots Fariq Abdul Hamid and Zaharie Ahmad Shah may be heroes not suspects

He said the next thing the pilots would do is attempt to get the plane to the nearest airport, which would mean turning left and back to the peninsula.

Experts say the jet could have kept heading southwest because the crew were rendered unconscious by the smoke.

Under such circumstances, if the plane remained in auto-pilot mode, it would continue flying south over the vast Indian Ocean until it ran out of fuel or was overcome by the flames.

Another pilot, Chris Goodfellow, a Canadian with 20 years' flying experience, also put forward the theory of a cabin fire in a piece he posted online

Sky News promo

He suggested Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah was a "smart pilot" who "just didn't have the time" to land at an airport within a reasonable distance before he was overcome by smoke from the fire.

A contributor to the Professional Pilots Rumour Network forum, under the username Aerobat77, wrote: "For me, (either this) or a similar event happened. No James Bond secret landing on a desert strip."

Others on the forum said suggestions the flight inexplicably climbed to 45,000ft - 10,000ft above its cruising altitude - could also be consistent with attempts to put out a fire.

Search Operation The search operation covers massive swathes of land and sea

A number of other theories have also been put forward since flight MH370 vanished.

Hijack

Among the more common theories in circulation is the idea that the aircraft was hijacked, either by a member of the crew or one of the passengers.

This gained weight when authorities revealed tracking and communications devices had been turned off deliberately.

However, the lack of any contact or demands from supposed hijackers indicates otherwise and experts say it would be almost impossible to land on an airstrip undetected.

Theft

Similar arguments are made in response to the theory that the Boeing 777 has been stolen by persons unknown, who would use it for a terror attack or simply sell the parts.

Experts also say serial numbers on all the aircrafts components would make it very difficult to sell any.

It is also pointed out that it would be much easier for terrorists to steal one of the thousands of business jets and cargo planes that take to the skies every day and which would attract far less attention.

Flight MH370 hid below another plane

Keith Ledgerwood, who describes himself as a "hobby pilot and aviation enthusiast" said the plane may have flown "in the shadow" of Singapore Airlines flight 68 to avoid detection on its way over India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Experts say such a manoeuvre would have roused suspicion from the Singapore Airlines pilots and that the theory does not explain how MH370 eventually peeled off and landed without anyone noticing.

Pilot suicide

Despite previous air crash investigations concluding they were the result of pilot suicide, this possibility has received relatively little coverage in this case,

The efforts to disable tracking and communication systems would appear unnecessary under such circumstances and no notes have been found during searches of the pilots' home.


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Merkel Warns Russia As Obama Rules Out War

Putin's Shrewd Manouevre Muddy's The Waters

Updated: 2:38pm UK, Monday 17 March 2014

By Robert Nisbet, Europe Correspondent, in Brussels

You would imagine the combined economic and diplomatic heft of the world's biggest superpower and its most powerful trading bloc could force an isolated Russia to the negotiating table.

It's a testament to some shrewd manoeuvring by the government of Vladimir Putin that the EU and the US seem unable to do it.

Washington and European capitals have adopted the same language (how many diplomats from either side of the Atlantic have you heard referring to annexation as "unacceptable in the 21st century"?) and the same methods: suspending co-operation with Russia, then approving targeted sanctions, while threatening broader economic penalties.

But Moscow knows the fourth option, military confrontation, is unpalatable; so the foreign ministers of the EU's 28 member states have had the most vivid colour removed from their diplomatic palette.

That injected more rhetorical theatre at Monday's Foreign Affairs Council, because the actors can't play with all the props. William Hague refers to the Crimean referendum as a "mockery".

He even darkly intoned: "I wouldn't describe it as a new Cold War, but that'll depend on the course of events over the next few days."

In truth, the ministers already know the list of names of the 20 or so Russians and Crimeans facing asset freezes and travel bans, because their ambassadors spent the weekend compiling it, in unusually tight security.

The real test will be "Option Three", broader economic sanctions targeting Moscow: how far are those European countries prepared to go which rely on Russian money to swell their banking sectors (UK, Cyprus) or those who make billions from trade with Russia (Germany, Netherlands)?

One spokesman for a senior diplomat involved in the negotiations said that this was a "test of resolve" for the EU, to show that the short-term pain for the instigators of a trade war would be better than the long-term agony of a prolonged crisis.

There is also little doubt that Russia's response to the accusations of illegality under international law has stung European diplomats.

Moscow has accused the West of hypocrisy, referring to Kosovo, where Russia sided with Serbia as Nato jets helped ethnic Albanians seek independence from Belgrade.

The allies counter by saying the comparison is false because the ethnic Albanians were facing expulsion, or worse, from Serbian troops, whereas the ethnic Russians in Crimea have lived in relative peace under the Ukrainian flag.

But Moscow has deliberately muddied the waters. What is "international law" when recognition of Kosovo's independence by the lion's share of individual countries hasn't translated into UN membership? Why are Scots allowed to vote for independence but Crimeans aren't?

Russia's central argument: one region's vote to determine its future can be viewed very differently depending on your politics or geographical proximity.

Also, the EU's repeated assertion that Crimeans were voting at the "end of the barrel of a Russian gun" is slightly cauterised by the strength of support in favour of joining the Russian Federation, suggesting the presence of troops would have had little sway on the outcome.

So the EU and US are united in outrage but with a limited range of options, and no supranational body which can be called into help (Russia is a permanent member of the UN Security Council), the Kremlin can afford to let this play out a little while longer.


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Plane Search: Objects May Be Flight 370 Debris

A major search has taken place for two objects in the southern Indian Ocean that may be related to missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

The operation, involving four surveillance planes, was hampered by bad weather and lasted until last light. It is set to resume on Friday.

The objects were spotted by a satellite last Sunday and could potentially be debris from the Boeing 777.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said they were a "reasonable size", with one around 24 metres in length and the other around five metres.

:: Live Updates: Search For Possible Debris

Rain and cloud limited the visibility for the planes, which was unable to locate the objects.

Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion aircraft looks for Malaysian plane Two Australian Orion surveillance planes have been looking for the objects

The country's prime minister Tony Abbott described the satellite sighting, around 1,550 miles (2,500km) southwest of Perth, or four hours by plane - as "credible" and a "potentially important development".

Malaysia's transport minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, called it a "credible lead".

The objects were spotted in the far south of the southern air corridor that investigators have been scouring over the last few days, along with a corridor further north.

Satellite imagery provided to AMSA of objects that may be possible debris of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 Satellite images of the two objects

Satellite images, which show the two objects floating on or just under the surface, were taken on March 16 but it has taken time to analyse the pictures, and the objects would have moved since then.

However, more satellites are being redirected in the hope of getting higher resolution pictures.

Two Royal Australian Air Force Orion aircraft, a New Zealand Orion and a US Navy Poseidon aircraft are involved in the search.

Australia Air Force briefing on search for objects in Indian Ocean Australian pilots are briefed on the search

"The task of locating these objects will be extremely difficult and it may turn out they are not related to search for MH370," Mr Abbott warned.

"Pings", or satellite signals, from a number of large objects are believed to have been picked up by a US spotter plane.

A Norwegian merchant ship has arrived in the vicinity, and the Australian naval vessel HMAS Success, which is capable of retrieving debris, is some days away.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott briefs MPs Mr Abbott tells MPs about the sighting of two potential objects from MH370

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

The wider searches, including a northern corridor from northern Thailand to Kazakhstan, will go on until investigators are certain they have located the plane. Some 18 ships and 29 aircraft are taking part.

John Young, from the AMSA, cautioned the objects could be seaborne debris along a shipping route where containers can fall off cargo vessels, but the larger object is longer than a container.

The depth of the ocean in the latest search area is around 5,000 metres - twice as deep as the area of Atlantic Ocean where the Air France plane was found after crashing in 2009.

missing plane A US Navy Poseidon is also involved in the search

The search for the missing Malaysian plane, which had 239 people on board, has been focused on the two corridors, one of which extends towards the southern reaches of the Indian Ocean.

Military planes from Australia, the US and New Zealand have been scouring the vast area, which was halved in size to 118,000 sq miles (305,000 sq km) on Wednesday.

There has been no trace of the aircraft since it vanished from radar a short distance into a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing 12 days ago.

In Beijing, relatives of many of the 154 Chinese passengers waited anxiously for news from an AMSA news conference.

Missing Flight MH370

Sky's Jonathan Samuels, who is with the families, said: "They look exhausted. Most have slowly returned to their rooms to await developments from Australia."

Investigators believe two vital pieces of communication equipment were intentionally switched off and the aircraft deliberately diverted, potentially taking it thousands of miles off course.

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

missing plane HMAS Success is heading to the area but is some days away

Investigators are considering a number of theories about what happened to the aircraft, including hijacking, sabotage and terrorism.

However, background checks on all foreign passengers apart from three from Ukraine and Russia have yielded "no information of significance", Mr Hishammuddin said.

One theory that has gathered pace among aviation experts in recent days is that a fire in the cabin of flight MH370 may explain the mystery.

Pilot Fikri Zambi said the crew may have disabled tracking devices in response to a blaze and turned back towards the nearest airport, before being incapacitated by smoke.

The aircraft would then continue flying in auto-pilot mode, until it succumbed to the flames or ran out of fuel.


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Ukraine: Pro-Russia Forces 'Storm' Navy HQ

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 19 Maret 2014 | 20.18

Pro-Moscow forces have stormed the Ukrainian navy's headquarters in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol and raised the Russian flag in an apparently peaceful takeover.

Witnesses said several hundred members of Crimea's self-defence militia and armed men, thought to be Russian troops, forced their way on to the base and raised three Russian flags over the building.

Despite initial conflicting reports, the takeover appeared to be tense but peaceful.

"This morning they stormed the compound. They cut the gates open, but I heard no shooting," said Oleksander Balanyuk, a captain in the navy.

Tensions in the region remained high, days after Crimea voted in a referendum to break away from Ukraine and join Russia.

President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty to annex the peninsula to Russia, and other states in the region looked warily at the escalating crisis.

Armed men, believed to be Russian servicemen, stand guard by the entrance to the naval headquarters in Sevastopol Armed troops - believed to be Russian servicemen - guard the naval base

Issuing an outright warning to Moscow, US Vice President Joe Biden said during a trip to Lithuania that the US will respond to any aggression against its NATO allies.

"Russia cannot escape the fact that the world is changing and rejecting outright their behaviour," Mr Biden said, after meeting in Vilnius with Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite and Latvian President Andris Berzins.

The Baltic states, unlike Ukraine, are NATO members.

"We're in this with you, together," Mr Biden said.

Joe Biden Joe Biden's mission to Eastern Europe aimed to reassure US allies

In Sevastopol, a  Reuters witness saw around a dozen Ukrainian servicemen, unarmed and in civilian clothes, walk out of the base unarmed some 90 minutes after the pro-Russia forces entered.

Interfax Ukraine said the commander of the Ukrainian navy, Admiral Sergei Haiduk, was among those who left and was driven away by officers from Russia's FSB intelligence service.

Russia's Itar-Tass news agency reported that Alexander Vitko, commander of Russia's Black Sea Fleet which is also based in Sevastopol, had been involved in talks at the headquarters.

Ukraine's interim prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has ordered the first deputy prime minister and acting defence minister to fly to Crimea "resolve the situation" a day after Vladimir Putin signed a treaty making it part of Russia.

Vitaly Yarema and Ihor Tenyukh - who has already vowed that Ukrainian troops will not withdraw from the peninsula - are to be tasked with "ensuring the conflict does not become military in nature".

A Ukrainian serviceman leaves the naval headquarters in Sevastopol Ukrainians leaving the base were cheered by people waving Russian flags

But Crimea's prime minister Sergei Aksyonov said Ukrainian ministers would not be allowed to enter his territory.

Sky News Foreign Affairs Editor Sam Kiley said: "This is an example of the sort of incident that could trigger something much more dangerous."

Meanwhile, a US guided-missile destroyer the USS Truxtun started a one-day military exercise in the Black Sea with the Bulgarian and Romanian navy and the Russian military launched large-scale aviation exercises in western regions.

And Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he had urged his Russian counterpart in a phone call that an OSCE mission to Ukraine - which has previously been barred from entering Crimea - must be mandated within 24 hours.

Russia has hit back at Western criticism over its actions in Crimea.

A Ukrainian naval officer leaves the naval headquarters in Sevastopol A Ukrainian naval officer leaves his base in Sevastopol

The Foreign Ministry accused Western states of violating a 1994 agreement to respect Ukraine's sovereignty by "indulging a coup d'etat" that ousted President Viktor Yanukovych.

Sergei Lavrov has said sanctions - including asset freezes and travel bans - imposed by the EU and the US on key officials over its intervention are "unacceptable and will not remain without consequences".

Mr Putin said he did not want to "carve up" Ukraine but warned the West had "crossed a line" over the former Soviet country.

There was a peaceful night in Crimea after troops stormed an army base in Simferopol, killing one soldier.


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Missing Malaysia Jet: Chaos At News Conference

A news conference on the missing Malaysia Airlines plane has descended into chaos after two relatives of passengers attempted to stage a protest.

The pair were forcibly removed from Malaysian authorities' daily briefing to journalists when they tried to unfurl a banner.

Both women, thought to be related to Chinese passengers, were led away and shut in another room before being taken out of the hotel, with one being knocked over in the confusion.

While being escorted out of the hotel near Kuala Lumpur Airport, one of the women said: "We don't know how long we'll be waiting.

Chinese family members of a missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 passenger are escorted away from the media outside the media conference area at a hotel near Kuala Lumpur International Airport Family members are led away by authorities

"It's been 12 days, my loved one ... I don't know where my loved one is ... it's been 12 days, where is my son? Why are you not giving me any answers?"

The other woman, who was wearing a face mask, said: "They have followed us, taken care of us very well.

"However, we don't need to be looked after, we need to know the truth. We need to know where the plane is, we don't need someone to look after us everyday."

Chinese family members of missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 passenger, are escorted away from the media outside the media conference area at a hotel near Kuala Lumpur International Airport The woman told reporters 'we need to know where the plane is'

Sky News presenter Kay Burley was caught up in the melee as the two women were taken away.

She said: "People were being pushed, shoved, physically forced out of the way. The women were taken up an escalator and into another room."

In the news conference, Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said authorities had received more radar data, but that they were not permitted to reveal other countries' information.

He said reports from the Maldives that a "low-flying jumbo jet" had been spotted on the day the plane went missing had turned out to be false.

A Chinese family member of a missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 passenger is escorted away from the media outside the media conference area at a hotel near Kuala Lumpur International Airport Authorities did not say why they would not allow the women to speak

But he revealed that analysis of the flight simulator belonging to pilot Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah had shown some data had been deleted. 

He said investigations into the 239 people on board the plane continued, but stressed that they were all innocent until proven otherwise.

"We have received passengers' background checks from all countries apart from Ukraine and Russia," Mr Hishammuddin said.

"So far no information of significance on any passengers has been found."

It comes after Thailand's military revealed its radar may have picked up flight MH370 heading back towards Kuala Lumpur just eight minutes after it lost contact with air traffic controllers.

The search for missing flight MH370 continues A huge search operation, involving more than 20 countries, continues

They say they tracked the signal as the missing jet turned towards Butterworth and the Strait of Malacca, before it disappeared from their screens.

It took off from Kuala Lumpur at 12:40am on March 8 and its transponder, which allows air traffic controllers to identify and track it, ceased communicating at 1:20am.

The plane slipped off Malaysian civilian radar screens at 1:30am but continued to appear on its military radars until 2:15am before disappearing entirely.

Thailand's failure to quickly pass on possible information about the plane raises questions about the degree to which some countries are sharing their defence data.

When asked why it took so long to release the information, a spokesman said it raised no alarms because the signal was not heading toward Thailand and never entered Thai airspace.

Investigators will check Malaysian military radar data against the Thai data to see if they can narrow the search area.


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Missing Plane: Air France Families 'Dismayed'

By Sarah Hajibagheri, Sky News Producer

The families of the Air France flight AF447 crash victims have written a touching letter to the relatives of those on board the missing Malaysia Airlines plane, offering their support.

In the open letter, published by a German association of family members of the 228 people who were killed, they express their "sympathy and compassion in these days of utmost anxiety".

It comes as two people, believed to be relatives of a passenger on board the airliner, were forcibly removed from a news conference on the MH370 investigation at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

Sky News presenter Kay Burley, who was there, said: "People were being pushed, shoved, physically forced out of the way. The women were taken up an escalator and into another room."

Family members of a passenger onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 react as they listen to a briefing from the airline company at a hotel in Beijing Relatives of those on flight MH370 have faced an agonising wait for news

The letter sent by the relatives of the Air France victims is critical of the handling of the disappearance by authorities investigating the Malaysia Airlines plane.

"We are completely dismayed about the vague and partially contradicting information policy by the Malaysian government," the families say.

They also urge the relatives of passengers, who hail from 14 different countries, to approach their respective national governments to put pressure on the Malaysian military and civil authorities to speed up their investigations and quickly release their findings.

The letter was shared on Facebook by the Families and Friends of American Eagle Flight 4184, a group set up after a plane crash in Indiana in 1994 killed all 68 people on board.

Brazilian Navy sailors pick a piece of debris from Air France flight AF447 out of the Atlantic Ocean Debris from Air France flight AF447 was pulled from the Atlantic in 2009

But it is the Air France tragedy which has so far drawn most comparisons with the Malaysia Airlines mystery.

It has been nearly five years since the Airbus A330 took off from Rio de Janeiro, bound for Paris.

On June 1, 2009, the plane plunged into the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 228 passengers and crew on board.

Just like MH370, the jetliner disappeared from radar and a daunting search and rescue operation ensued.

Malaysia's Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein reads a statement during a news conference about the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Malaysian officials have been accused of offering limited information

Bodies and debris from the flight emerged in the days and weeks following the crash, but investigators took nearly two years to retrieve the main wreckage and black box recorders.

The final report into the disaster found the flight was doomed by a combination of ice build-up, mechanical failure and pilot error.

Aviation experts who were involved in the search for the Air France plane have arrived in Malaysia to help with the investigation.

It is hoped they might be able to help provide answers for the families of the 239 passengers and crew who, 12 days on, are still missing.

The search for missing flight MH370 continues A major search involving 26 countries is under way to locate the aircraft

Some 26 countries are searching an area larger than Australia for any sign of the aircraft.

As China joined the hunt, angry relatives of the 154 people from the country who were on the plane threatened to go on hunger strike unless they were given more information from authorities.

Investigators have not uncovered any evidence suggesting there was a plot to hijack or bring down the aircraft, although both theories remain a possibility.

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

Satellite data suggest the plane flew for at least seven hours.

The backgrounds of pilots Zaharie Ahmad Shah and Fariq Abdul Hamid are being checked, as are those of ground engineers who worked on the aircraft before it took off.


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Pistorius Trial: 'Reeva Tried To Protect Herself'

A police ballistics expert has revealed how Reeva Steenkamp covered her head to protect herself in a toilet cubicle as her boyfriend Oscar Pistorius opened fire.

Captain Christian Mangena was giving evidence on day 13 of the Paralympian's murder trial, which has now been adjourned until next week.

The initial bullet was the first of four fired by the double-amputee athlete.

Capt Mangena told the court in Pretoria that Ms Steenkamp fell back onto a magazine holder in the toilet after being hit by the first bullet.

The second bullet that was fired through the wooden door missed, he said, before ricocheting off a wall and bruising her back.

"Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius awaits the start of court proceedings. Pistorius awaits the start of day 13

However, Ms Steenkamp, 29, was hit by the third and fourth bullets - in the arm and the head.

Capt Mangena said she was crossing both hands over her head to protect herself when the third and fourth bullets struck.

One of those bullets went through Ms Steenkamp's left hand before penetrating her skull.

The policeman said he couldn't determine the order of the last two shots but revealed they left Ms Steenkamp slumped with her head on the toilet seat.

"She ended up with her head on top of the toilet seat, and the lower part of her body on the rack," Capt Mangena said.

Pistorius Promo

The ballistics expert also concluded that Pistorius was "likely" to have been on his stumps when he fired the shots and was "firing from a distance greater than 60 centimetres" but no more than three metres.

Capt Mangena claimed the type of bullets in Pistorius' gun were designed to cause maximum damage and were often used for self-defence.

"It hits the target, it opens up, it creates six talons, and these talons are sharp," he said. "It cuts through the organs of a human being."

The victim's mother, June Steenkamp, was once again in court hearing the evidence relating to her daughter's death.

Christian Mangena. Captain Christian Mangena giving evidence

In response to Capt Mangena's evidence, defence lawyer Barry Roux argued that the state was coming up with versions to "constitute premeditated murder".

Mr Roux said the defence's own ballistics experts would challenge evidence regarding the sequence of shots.

He also revealed how defence experts recovered a bullet and fragments from the toilet bowl that police missed.

The court then heard from Colonel Ian Van Der Nest, a blood spatter expert from the Forensic Science Laboratory in Pretoria.

He said Ms Steenkamp's long hair and short pants were soaked in blood.

Oscar Pistorius. Pistorius stands beside his sister Aimee during court proceedings

Col Van Der Nest told the court there was no evidence of "blunt force" inflicted by hitting or beating.

Pistorius, who won two gold medals at the Paralympics in London in 2012, is charged with premeditated murder.

He is also accused of illegally possessing ammunition, as well as two further counts related to shooting a gun in public in two separate incidents before the killing.

The athlete denies the charges and says he shot Ms Steenkamp in error after mistaking her for an intruder.

The trial has now been adjourned until Monday, when the state will begin calling its final four or five witnesses.


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Missing Plane Mystery: Faces Of Flight MH370

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 18 Maret 2014 | 20.18

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.

Missing Flight MH370

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.

Bai Xiaomo and Muktesh Mukherjee were passengers on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 Muktesh Mukherjee and his wife Xiaomo Bai

They included a famous stuntman, 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 Xiaomo Bai 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 was a passenger on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 Stuntman Ju Kun

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

Zhao Yan and Hadrien Watterlos were passengers on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH370

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 was a passenger on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH370

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

Missing Malaysia Airlines passenger Paul Weeks

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

Cathy and Bob Lawton were passengers on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH370

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 Siwan and Hu Xiaoning were passengers on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH370

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.


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