Pistorius Throws Up During 'Graphic' Evidence

Pistorius Trial: Evidence Summary

Updated: 1:26pm UK, Friday 07 March 2014

A summary of the evidence heard in the first two days of the Oscar Pistorius murder trial.

Day Five

Prosecution witness Samantha Taylor, ex-girlfriend of Oscar Pistorius, broke down in court as she told how the athlete cheated on her with Reeva Steenkamp.

Miss Taylor also told the court how Pistorius once fired a gun out of the sunroof of a car after being stopped by police.

The star's ex-lover described how Pistorius would sometimes "scream at her" and often carried a gun with him.

The court was told how Pistorius once woke Ms Taylor fearing there was an intruder in the house and got up to investigate with his gun.

Security guard Pieter Baba described the moment he saw a distressed Pistorius carrying Reeva down the stairs.

The guard said that Pistorius assured him everything "is fine" after shots were reported. 

More evidence from Ms Taylor suggested that Pistorius once feared he was being followed and waved his gun at the suspect car until it drove off near his home.

Day Four

Prosecution witness Dr Johan Stipp told the court how he went to Oscar Pistorius' residence after hearing shots fired on the night Reeva Steenkamp was killed.

He said he saw Ms Steenkamp lying on her back and Pistorius by her side, frantically trying to resuscitate her.

It was clear Ms Steenkamp was mortally wounded, he said, and Pistorius was crying and praying that she'd survive. During his evidence, Pistorius broke down in the dock, sobbing as he held his head in his hands.

Earlier, Pistorius' defence team said it would have been "impossible" for neighbours to hear screams on the night Ms Steenkamp died.

Lawyer Barry Roux said neighbour Charl Peter Johnson's claim that he heard gunshots followed by a woman screaming was incorrect.

"You cannot hear it inside your house," he said. "At any distance, she was in a locked bathroom."

Mr Johnson also claimed to have heard five or six shots on the night of the killing. But Mr Roux pointed out that in his initial notes he wrote that he "did not count the number of shots fired".

Day Three

Mr Johnson's evidence continued, and he was repeatedly challenged by Mr Roux who at one point said: "You are saying all the evidence that your wife gave us yesterday."

Mr Johnson replied that it was not unusual for two people to use the same words when describing an incident.

He mentioned some notes that he'd taken after the shooting, which are on his laptop and iPad. He was asked to end his evidence for the day and come back the next day, so the defence team had the opportunity to view his notes.

Pistorius' friend Kevin Lerena was then called, who described an incident in January last year in which Pistorius allegedly discharged a firearm by mistake while eating with friends in a restaurant.

He said the athlete then asked his friend Darren Fresco to take the blame.

The owner of the restaurant, Jason Loupis, and his wife Maria, later confirmed the incident after taking the stand.

Mrs Loupis said there was a child nearby when Pistorius' gun went off in the restaurant.

Day Two

The evidence of Ms Burger continued.

Defence lawyer Barry Roux said her evidence had been influenced by media coverage of the shooting, but she denied this.

Mr Roux said that evidence later in the trial would show that Ms Steenkamp would not have been able to scream after the final shot hit her in the head.

Ms Burger stood by her initial statement that she heard Ms Steenkamp after the final shot.

Another neighbour then took the stand for a short time, before Ms Burger's husband gave his evidence.

He told how he thought Pistorius and Ms Steenkamp were being held up in their house and said he looked at additional security measures for his own home the next day.

He backed up his wife's evidence, saying he heard screams after the final shot.

Day One

The first witness, university lecturer Michelle Burger, took the stand.

She says she woke on the night of the killing to the sound of gunshots and a woman screaming.

She described hearing "bloodcurdling screams" and four shots.

She is a key witness for the prosecution, as her evidence would appear to contradict Pistorius' claims that he thought he was shooting at an intruder.

The defence argued she is unreliable due to alleged discrepancies between her police statement and court testimony.

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Obama To Meet Ukraine PM Over Crimea Crisis

Ukrainians In Their Own Words

Updated: 3:20am UK, Sunday 09 March 2014

Three citizens of Ukraine write for Sky News about the sense of dread gripping ordinary people as their country slides towards conflict with its powerful neighbour.

:: Marina's story

"The course of life is the same in the capital of Ukraine. People go to work, visit cafes, cinemas and shopping centres. Public transport operates as normal. No special precautions need to be taken while on the streets.

"But there is a growing feeling that something is going to happen. Politics has become a part of daily life in Ukraine.  People discuss the latest news everywhere - in the streets, on public transport, in cafes, at home and at work. 

"Having lived through these past months, people have hardly had any time to realise what changes had taken place in the country. Hardly any time to mourn over people who perished on streets of Kiev.   

"At present we check news hourly. Everyone shares news, reposts important messages on social platforms, and leaves comments on news sites.

"Ukrainian men of all ages in Kiev and other cities and towns of their own free will are registering at military enlistment offices. The number is more than enough.

"We are facing an information war. The amount of misinformation, misinterpretation of events and barefaced lies from the Russian mass media is staggering and detrimental as the result.

"The news is presented in the most twisted way. It is so unbelievable that it becomes a farce. Ukrainians speak to their family and friends in Russia to try to explain what is really going on in Ukraine.

"Some months ago we thought that our worst enemy on the way to better life and a more prosperous country was the corrupted and vicious president and his environment - but it turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg.

"It has been about two weeks since it became known that Russian troops stepped on Crimean soil right after the transitional Ukrainian government was formed.

"It was almost impossible to get rid of the corrupt government, but such a great unity of people, speaking both Russian and Ukrainian from different regions of Ukraine got together and did it.

"It is obvious that Russia has its own interest in Ukraine with Crimea being the pretext. The goal is to destabilise our country, bring chaos and civil unrest and eventually prove to the world that Ukraine is incapable to hold its sovereignty."

:: Nastya's story

"I come from the eastern part of Ukraine, from a city called Sumy, which is 60km from the border with Russia.

"I speak both Russian and Ukrainian, and consider them both my native languages. Never in my life was I humiliated or abused because of speaking Russian. 

"We are used to being bilingual and 99% of the people I personally know support European values, no matter which language they speak.

"The issue of languages and nationalities is just a thing to manipulate us with during the election campaign and sadly now, to draw us into a terrible war which no one needs.

"Both of my grandfathers took part in the Second World War, fighting against German fascists. 

"They are probably turning in their graves because the people they were fighting with shoulder to shoulder against fascists, are now invading our beautiful land and calling us fascists for simply loving our country.

"It's like a bad divorce, when you don't recognise the person you've been living with all you life.

"This situation seems surreal. Germany is trying to convince Russia not to attack Ukraine. It's like a bad dream.

"It's like a bug in the system which prevents it from functioning correctly. It is beyond our understanding and our system of values.

"We are all very scared, too. For our children, our families, our future. We are praying to God to save Ukraine and our people. To make the people who make horrible decisions to come to their senses.

"We are asking the world to help us, because if the evil isn't stopped now, it will be next to impossible to stop it from spreading all over the world."

:: Ivan's story

"Right now the situation in Kiev has certainly cooled off and the main focus is on Crimea.

"During Maidan protests we were advised to avoid Maidan (Independence Square) and the centre of Kiev. Particularly the areas around the centre were very dangerous.

"There were a lot of reports of people just disappearing or being beaten up by 'Berkut' special forces. Former government forces showed their true attitude towards citizens.

"Thugs hired by the former government, people dressed in sports wear that were noticeably well-trained. We call them 'titushki'. Their purpose was to frighten, bully, or simply beat up the peaceful population of the city.

"They walked through police barriers without even a single question asked, while members of the public were not permitted in and did not get any answers as to why that was even allowed.

"As to the pro-Russian mood in the east of the country, people are very proud over there and do not like to be told what to do.

"Through lies and by playing on their feelings (many have families and relatives in Russia) they were duped into believing that Maidan protestors are fascist thugs who will take away their right to speak Russian, which is complete and utter rubbish.

"True, there are people who support partnership with Russia, but what they certainly do not support is Russia's military intervention. They hate the fact that Putin decided that we aren't capable of solving our own problems.

"The majority of people have changed their mindset and want our country to embrace other values, different to the values of a post Soviet bloc country.

"And that makes Putin go mad. He lost his grip on us - his puppet is no longer our president and, believe me, no one in southeast Ukraine or in Crimea is crying crocodile tears over him.

"I can assure you that people from both sides agree that Yanukovich is corrupt, incompetent and, frankly speaking, stupid."

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Steve Irwin's Dying Moments Revealed On Camera

The cameraman who filmed the death of Steve Irwin has revealed how the Australian "Crocodile Hunter" was stabbed "100 times" by a stingray within seconds.

Irwin, famous for his daring stunts with dangerous animals, was filming a documentary on the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland in 2006 when he died.

Justin Lyons was shooting the footage with the 44-year-old TV personality and conservationist when the pair came across an 8ft-wide stingray in chest-high waters.

Irwin and his wife Terri with an alligator in 2002

Speaking for the first time about Irwin's death, Mr Lyons told of how the final shot was to be of the flat marine fish swimming away from Irwin when it all went tragically wrong.

The pair had just left their main boat in an inflatable to find something to film when they spotted the stingray.

"I had the camera on, I thought this is going to be a great shot, and all of sudden it propped on its front and started stabbing wildly, hundreds of strikes in a few seconds," Mr Lyons told Australia's Channel Ten.

Irwin made a name for himself with his fearless animal stunts

"I panned with the camera as the stingray swam away and I didn't know it had caused any damage. It was only when I panned the camera back that I saw Steve standing in a huge pool of blood that I realised something had gone wrong."

Stingrays have several sharp and venomous barbs on their tails that they use to defend themselves when they feel threatened.

Mr Lyons denied reports that a barb had stuck in Irwin's chest and he pulled it out.

"It's a jagged barb and it went through his chest like a hot knife through butter," he said.

"He had a two-inch-wide injury over his heart with blood and fluid coming out of it and we had to get him back to the boat as fast as we can.

"I was saying to him things like 'think of your kids Steve, hang on, hang on, hang on', and he calmly looked up at me and said 'I'm dying' and that was the last thing he said."

Footage of the tragic death was later handed to Irwin's widow Terri and has never been aired.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Mexican Drug Lord Nazario Moreno Shot Dead

A notorious drug lord falsely reported dead in 2010 has been killed in a Mexican shootout.

Nazario Moreno - known as El Mas Loco, or The Craziest One - ran the brutal Knights Templar gang in the western state of Michoacan.

Moreno's body was never found after the previous government's boast in December 2010 that he had been killed in a firefight.

Upon learning he was still alive, Mexico's armed forces began a manhunt.

They found him on Sunday morning in the village of Tumbiscatio and, when Moreno refused to surrender, soldiers shot him dead.

How Sky News Online reported Moreno's first 'death' in 2010

This time the body was recovered and Moreno's fingerprints identified him.

Two weeks ago there was another fillip for the Mexican government when marines captured the country's most wanted drug baron - Joaquin 'Shorty' Guzman.

Raul Benitez, a security expert at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), said the killing was a coup for politicians in their fight against drug cartels.

A bullet-hit police car following Moreno's 2010 'death'

However, Mr Benitez says they must now take out Servando 'La Tuta' Gomez, who became the face of Knights Templar when Moreno first "died".

Also on the wanted list is Gomez's lieutenant, Enrique Plancarte.

"The government has to capture La Tuta to claim success," said Mr Benitez.

"[Moreno's death] is a success, but it's not the whole game of football. It's a goal scored in the first half. Plancarta and La Tuta are still missing."

President Enrique Pena Nieto has sent hundreds of extra troops to Michoacan and appointed a special commissioner to oversee the state after losing control to organised crime.

Moreno's fingerprints were on record due to his military service

More than 85,000 people have died in cartel-related violence since former president Felipe Calderon instigated a military crackdown in 2006.

The Knights Templar controlled much of Michoacan until local vigilante groups began to overrun its strongholds early this year.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Malaysia Airlines Plane: What Happened?

A "very sudden and very violent" event is likely to be responsible for the loss of the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777, according to aviation experts.

The aircraft was en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing when air traffic control lost contact some two hours into the flight.

No distress calls were sent from the aircraft, leading experts to assume that whatever happened to the plane occurred quickly and left the pilots little time to respond.

"Either you had a catastrophic event that tore the airplane apart, or you had a criminal act," said Scott Hamilton, the managing director of aviation consultancy Leeham Co.

"It was so quick and they didn't radio."

The plane is suspected to have suffered a sudden break-up, or a failure which caused a steep dive. Some experts say an act of terrorism may also be responsible.

William Waldock, who teaches accident investigation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona, said the absence of a distress call "suggests something very sudden and very violent happened".

One of the first indicators of what exactly occurred on Flight MH370 will be the size of the debris field.

An information message at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang

If it is large and spread out over tens of miles, then the plane likely broke apart at a high elevation. That could signal a bomb or a massive airframe failure.

If it is a smaller field, the plane probably fell from 35,000 feet intact, breaking up upon contact with the water.

Captain John M Cox, the CEO of Safety Operating Systems, said whatever took place occurred very quickly.

"We know the airplane is down. Beyond that, we don't know a whole lot," he said.

Airplane crashes typically occur during take-off and the climb away from an airport, or while coming in for a landing.

Only 9% of fatal accidents happen when a plane is at cruising altitude, according to a statistical summary of commercial jet airplane accidents done by Boeing.

Aviation expert David Learmount told Sky News the Boeing 777-222 had an "absolutely superb" safety record.

"Aviation safety now is quite extraordinarily good. It's far better than it was 20-30 years ago - I mean massively better," he said.

"That's why things like this are so surprising. They just should not happen any longer."

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Malaysia Airlines: 'Suspect' Passengers Probe

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

International criminal investigation teams are trying to establish how at least two passengers got on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

It has raised serious questions for Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia Airlines and the Chinese authorities.

Officials said there were four "suspect" passengers on board, with at least two travelling on stolen passports. 

Two men listed as passengers - Luigi Maraldi and Christian Kozel - have both confirmed they were not on board and that their passports were stolen in South East Asia.

Mr Maraldi's passport was stolen last summer, while Mr Kozel's was taken in Thailand in 2012.

Malaysia Airlines plane vanished off the south coast of Vietnam

It means two men on board were travelling under assumed identities.

Authorities are reviewing CCTV from the airport in Kuala Lumpar to try to identify the two individuals. 

Malaysian Transport Minister Hishamuddin Hussein said officials were also checking the identities of two other passengers.

"All the four names are with me," he said. "I have indicated to our intelligence agencies and I have also spoken to international intelligence agencies for assistance."

He stressed a terrorist attack was just one of the possibilities being looked at in the multi-national investigation.

The circles show the two areas the search is focusing on

"We cannot jump the gun," he added. "Our focus now is to find the plane."

Director of commercial operations at Malaysia Airlines, Hugh Dunleavy, said: "As far as we're aware, every one of the people on board that aircraft had a visa to go to China, which means those passports were in the possession of the Chinese embassy before those visas were issued."

Interpol says its database currently contains 40 million records of stolen and lost travel documents from 167 countries.

Many of those will have fallen into criminal hands, but there is currently no clear link between the stolen passport holders on flight MH370 and the aircraft's disappearance. 

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Crimea: Klitschko Condemns 'Aggressive' Russia

Ukrainians In Their Own Words

Updated: 3:20am UK, Sunday 09 March 2014

Three citizens of Ukraine write for Sky News about the sense of dread gripping ordinary people as their country slides towards conflict with its powerful neighbour.

:: Marina's story

"The course of life is the same in the capital of Ukraine. People go to work, visit cafes, cinemas and shopping centres. Public transport operates as normal. No special precautions need to be taken while on the streets.

"But there is a growing feeling that something is going to happen. Politics has become a part of daily life in Ukraine.  People discuss the latest news everywhere - in the streets, on public transport, in cafes, at home and at work. 

"Having lived through these past months, people have hardly had any time to realise what changes had taken place in the country. Hardly any time to mourn over people who perished on streets of Kiev.   

"At present we check news hourly. Everyone shares news, reposts important messages on social platforms, and leaves comments on news sites.

"Ukrainian men of all ages in Kiev and other cities and towns of their own free will are registering at military enlistment offices. The number is more than enough.

"We are facing an information war. The amount of misinformation, misinterpretation of events and barefaced lies from the Russian mass media is staggering and detrimental as the result.

"The news is presented in the most twisted way. It is so unbelievable that it becomes a farce. Ukrainians speak to their family and friends in Russia to try to explain what is really going on in Ukraine.

"Some months ago we thought that our worst enemy on the way to better life and a more prosperous country was the corrupted and vicious president and his environment - but it turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg.

"It has been about two weeks since it became known that Russian troops stepped on Crimean soil right after the transitional Ukrainian government was formed.

"It was almost impossible to get rid of the corrupt government, but such a great unity of people, speaking both Russian and Ukrainian from different regions of Ukraine got together and did it.

"It is obvious that Russia has its own interest in Ukraine with Crimea being the pretext. The goal is to destabilise our country, bring chaos and civil unrest and eventually prove to the world that Ukraine is incapable to hold its sovereignty."

:: Nastya's story

"I come from the eastern part of Ukraine, from a city called Sumy, which is 60km from the border with Russia.

"I speak both Russian and Ukrainian, and consider them both my native languages. Never in my life was I humiliated or abused because of speaking Russian. 

"We are used to being bilingual and 99% of the people I personally know support European values, no matter which language they speak.

"The issue of languages and nationalities is just a thing to manipulate us with during the election campaign and sadly now, to draw us into a terrible war which no one needs.

"Both of my grandfathers took part in the Second World War, fighting against German fascists. 

"They are probably turning in their graves because the people they were fighting with shoulder to shoulder against fascists, are now invading our beautiful land and calling us fascists for simply loving our country.

"It's like a bad divorce, when you don't recognise the person you've been living with all you life.

"This situation seems surreal. Germany is trying to convince Russia not to attack Ukraine. It's like a bad dream.

"It's like a bug in the system which prevents it from functioning correctly. It is beyond our understanding and our system of values.

"We are all very scared, too. For our children, our families, our future. We are praying to God to save Ukraine and our people. To make the people who make horrible decisions to come to their senses.

"We are asking the world to help us, because if the evil isn't stopped now, it will be next to impossible to stop it from spreading all over the world."

:: Ivan's story

"Right now the situation in Kiev has certainly cooled off and the main focus is on Crimea.

"During Maidan protests we were advised to avoid Maidan (Independence Square) and the centre of Kiev. Particularly the areas around the centre were very dangerous.

"There were a lot of reports of people just disappearing or being beaten up by 'Berkut' special forces. Former government forces showed their true attitude towards citizens.

"Thugs hired by the former government, people dressed in sports wear that were noticeably well-trained. We call them 'titushki'. Their purpose was to frighten, bully, or simply beat up the peaceful population of the city.

"They walked through police barriers without even a single question asked, while members of the public were not permitted in and did not get any answers as to why that was even allowed.

"As to the pro-Russian mood in the east of the country, people are very proud over there and do not like to be told what to do.

"Through lies and by playing on their feelings (many have families and relatives in Russia) they were duped into believing that Maidan protestors are fascist thugs who will take away their right to speak Russian, which is complete and utter rubbish.

"True, there are people who support partnership with Russia, but what they certainly do not support is Russia's military intervention. They hate the fact that Putin decided that we aren't capable of solving our own problems.

"The majority of people have changed their mindset and want our country to embrace other values, different to the values of a post Soviet bloc country.

"And that makes Putin go mad. He lost his grip on us - his puppet is no longer our president and, believe me, no one in southeast Ukraine or in Crimea is crying crocodile tears over him.

"I can assure you that people from both sides agree that Yanukovich is corrupt, incompetent and, frankly speaking, stupid."

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Malaysia Airlines: False Passports Terror Probe

Interpol says at least two passports used on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight were stolen and it is "examining additional suspect passports".

Security services are investigating whether the plane that vanished in South East Asia was destroyed in a terror attack.

The jet, carrying 239 people, disappeared off the south coast of Vietnam almost two days ago, but there is still no sign of the aircraft or any wreckage.

The circles show the two areas the search is focusing on

The search area has been widened after radar data indicated the Boeing 777-200 may have turned back.

The FBI and Boeing have joined the investigation after it was revealed four passengers may have been travelling on false passports.

Malaysia's defence and transport minister Hishamuddin Hussein told a news conference in Kuala Lumpur: "All the four names are with me."

Two passengers used passports stolen from Christian Kozel and Luigi Maraldi

He confirmed Malaysian investigators have met counterparts from the FBI, and said the operation is focusing on "the entire passenger manifest".

It emerged on Saturday that two people boarded the plane using stolen European passports.

"On the issue of the passports, I'm in touch with the international intelligence agencies," he said.

Prayers are said at Kuala Lumpur airport for the missing passengers

"At the same time our own intelligence has been activated, and of course, the counter-terrorism units ... from all the relevant countries have been informed."

Asked whether he believes the plane was hijacked, he would only say: "We are looking at all possibilities."

The two men using stolen passports reportedly bought their tickets together from a travel agency in Pattaya, Thailand, and were due to fly on to Europe from Beijing.

The two oil slicks seen off Vietnam

Flight MH370 was travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing when it vanished around two hours into the flight.

The plane disappeared from radar at 1.30am (5.30pm UK time) on Friday, about 85 miles (135km) north of the Malaysian city of Kuala Terengganu.

A huge search involving 22 aircraft and 40 ships is continuing in the vast waters of the Gulf of Thailand, between Vietnam and Malaysia.

Journalists try to interview a grieving relative in Beijing

It concentrated around the Vietnamese island resort of Phu Quoc after Vietnamese air force jets spotted two huge oil slicks.

The parallel slicks - both between 10 miles (16km) and 12 miles (19km) long and 500 metres apart - were consistent with the kind of spills caused by fuel from a crashed airliner, a Vietnamese government statement said.

The search has now widened to the sea off Malacca, on the west coast of Malaysia, after radar data indicated the plane may have turned back before disappearing.

A photo of the missing plane, seen taking off in Paris in 2011

US federal safety officials said a team of experts are heading to Asia to help in the investigation.

The team includes accident investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board, as well as technical experts from the Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing.

Earlier today, Malaysia's Civil Aviation chief Azaharudin Abdul Rahman said search teams have not found any debris from the plane.

Family members have complained of a lack of information

He said no other aircraft in the Malaysia Airlines fleet would be grounded and indicated there were "no abnormalities" in the data received from the flight.

Two-thirds of the jet's passengers were from China. The rest were from elsewhere in Asia, North America and Europe.

The plane's disappearance is especially mysterious because it happened when the plane was at cruising altitude, not during the more dangerous phases of take-off or landing.

Malaysia's Civil Aviation chief says no wreckage has yet been found

Officials are examining CCTV footage of passengers boarding the plane.

One of the passengers was listed as a 37-year-old Italian called Luigi Maraldi but he has contacted his parents to say he was not on the airliner.

He had his passport stolen in Thailand several months ago, leaving questions over who used his passport to board the plane and whether that has anything to do with the airliner's disappearance.

Another passenger used a passport belonging to Austrian citizen Christian Kozel, whose passport was stolen in Thailand two years ago.

He is listed as one of the passengers although he has been confirmed as safe and well by authorities.

Relatives are still waiting anxiously at Beijing airport for news of their loved ones.

Tech firm Freescale Semiconductor said 20 of its staff were on the plane.

In a statement it said: "Twelve are from Malaysia and eight are from China. The entire Freescale Semiconductor community is deeply saddened by this news."

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Malaysia Airlines Plane 'Crashes In Vietnam'

Nearly 240 people are feared dead after air force jets spotted two large oil slicks where a passenger plane reportedly crashed into the sea off Vietnam.

The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing when it vanished around two hours into the flight.

The two slicks - both between six miles (10km) and nine miles (15km) long - were seen by two military jets off the south coast of Vietnam.

An information screen at Kuala Lumpur International Airport

A Vietnamese government statement said they were consistent with the kind of spills caused by fuel from a crashed airliner.

Earlier, the country's state media quoted a navy official as saying Flight MH370 crashed near Tho Chu island at around 2.40am local time.

All ships in the local area have been sent to the scene to look for survivors.

Distraught relatives and friends wait at Beijing International Airport

The US Navy is helping teams from Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore search the vast waters in the Gulf of Thailand, between Malaysia and Vietnam.

Malaysia's Transport Minister Seri Hishammuddin said he was "looking at all possibilities" including a potential terror attack.

Malaysia Airlines said in a statement: "The families of all passengers on board MH370 are being informed.  

The plane is said to have crashed near Tho Chu island, in southern Vietnam

"At this stage, our search and rescue teams from Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam have failed to find evidence of any wreckage."

The plane, carrying 239 people, disappeared from radar at 1.30am (5.30pm UK time) about 85 miles (135km) north of the Malaysian city of Kuala Terengganu.

Journalist Leo Lewis, at Beijing airport, told Sky News families were waiting anxiously for news of their relatives.

He said there were "scenes of considerable distress" and "increasing irritation" because of a lack of information about their fate.

Family members have complained of a lack of information

Malcolm Moore, the Daily Telegraph's Beijing Correspondent, said the relatives have been taken by bus to a hotel in the centre of Beijing.

He told Sky News: "There has been no official confirmation (about what has happened), but it's looking increasingly grim."

The plane left Kuala Lumpur at 12.41am local time and was due to arrive in Beijing at 6.30am local time.

Flight MH370 marked in red on Beijing airport's information board

Malaysia Airlines said the flight was carrying 227 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew members.

They were from 14 countries - 152 plus one baby from China, 38 from Malaysia, 12 from Indonesia, seven from Australia, three plus one baby from the US, three from France, two from New Zealand, two from Ukraine, two from Canada, one from Russia, one from Italy, one from Taiwan, one from Netherlands, and one from Austria.

Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang has urged Malaysia to "quickly and vigorously push search and rescue work" for the missing plane, state news agency Xinhua said.

Beijing has sent two maritime rescue ships to the South China Sea to help in the search and rescue work.

Relatives of those on board await news at Beijing airport

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said: "This news has made us all very worried. We hope every one of the passengers is safe."

The aircraft was piloted by Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, a 53-year-old Malaysian with a total of 18,365 flying hours. He joined the company in 1981.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members," Malaysia Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said in a statement.

A Boeing 777 crash landed in San Francisco

The airline said it would provide "regular updates" on the situation and has set up the phone line +603 7884 1234 for concerned members of the public.

Aviation expert David Learmount told Sky News the Boeing 777-200's safety record is "absolutely superb".

He said the plane would have been travelling at cruising height (around 35,000ft) and even if both engines had failed, it would have given the pilots plenty of time to make a distress call.

The "simple solution" would be to presume there was a bomb on board, "but there's no suggestion of that," he said.

Malaysia Airlines has 15 Boeing 777-200 jets in its fleet of about 100 planes.

There has been one fatal accident involving a Boeing 777 since the jet entered service in 1995.

Last summer, an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 crash landed in San Francisco, killing three passengers.

Boeing said it was aware of reports that the Malaysia Airlines plane has gone missing and was monitoring the situation, but had no further comment.

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Pistorius: Public Opinion And Evidence Collide

Pistorius 'Fired Gun In Car And Cheated On Ex'

Updated: 7:55pm UK, Friday 07 March 2014

An ex-girlfriend of Oscar Pistorius wept as she told the court how the athlete cheated on her with Reeva Steenkamp.

It was also confirmed on Friday that the Paralympian would take the stand during the trial.

Samantha Taylor told how Pistorius once shot a bullet through a car sunroof, and on another occasion waved his weapon at a vehicle which he thought was following him.

:: Sky News' live coverage of the trial is under way, and a special highlights programme will be broadcast every weekday at 9.30pm.

Proceedings were halted twice as Ms Taylor had to compose herself during a drama-packed morning at the Pretoria court.

The evidence was heard shortly before a Pistorius family spokesperson confirmed for the first time that the athlete will, at some point, give evidence at the trial.

In another development, a security guard at the star's estate said Pistorius told him that "everything is fine" shortly after shots were reported.

"Mr Pistorius said to me 'security, everything is fine'," Pieter Baba told the court on Friday afternoon.

"That's when I realised that Mr Pistorius was crying," he added.

Earlier, Ms Taylor told how Pistorius nearly always carried a gun and recalled one night when she was awoken by the athlete who feared an intruder in the house.

The court was told how Pistorius grabbed his gun, got out of bed and went to investigate.

Ms Taylor also described occasions when Pistorius screamed at her "out of anger" and said he was often on his mobile phone when they were in bed together.

She described another time when the athlete became angry when police stopped a car he was travelling in.

The court heard that about 15 minutes after being stopped he fired his gun out of the sunroof - to "irritate the police", laughing after doing so.

He had earlier joked with the driver of the car about shooting "a robot" - South African slang for a traffic light. 

On another occasion Pistorius was followed by a white Mercedes car, the court heard.

Ms Taylor said that Pistorius leapt out of his car as he approached the security gates of his home and waved his gun at the car, which drove off. 

The court was told how Ms Taylor normally spent four nights a week at Pistorius' home. 

She wept, and the court was adjourned twice, as she said how "upset" she was about the couple's break-up and the fact that she had been cheated on.

Earlier, radiologist Johan Stipp finished giving his evidence and was questioned by defence lawyer Barry Roux.

He had described on Thursday how Pistorius knelt at Ms Steenkamp's side and struggled in vain to help her breathe by holding two fingers in her clenched mouth.

Mr Stipp said he went to Pistorius' home after hearing shots fired on the night Ms Steenkamp was killed and found "a lady lying on her back".

"I also noticed a man kneeling on her side, on the left side. I remember the first thing he said when I got there was 'I shot her, I thought she was an intruder. I shot her,'" Mr Stipp told the court.

He said he did not recognise Pistorius, and described how he tried in vain to resuscitate Ms Steenkamp.

He said Pistorius was "crying all the time" and praying that she would not die.

On top of the premeditated murder allegation, Pistorius faces a charge of illegally possessing ammunition and two further counts related to shooting a gun in public in two separate incidents before the killing.

He denies all the charges against him and maintains he shot Ms Steenkamp after mistaking her for an intruder.

The athlete could face 25 years in jail if he is found guilty by Judge Thokozile Masipa. South Africa does not have trials by jury.

The trial has been adjourned until Monday.

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