Missing Plane Hunt: Multiple Objects Spotted

Learning Lessons From Missing Flight MH370

Updated: 9:23am UK, Saturday 29 March 2014

By Ian Woods, Senior Correspondent

The small consolation that should come with every airline crash is that the knowledge gained from the tragedy should help prevent it happening again.

But if that were true, we might already know more about what happened to flight MH370.

After the Air France accident of 2009, in which 228 people died when their flight from Brazil plunged into the Atlantic, 120 representatives of the international aviation industry got together to recommend ways to make it easier to find aircraft which crash into the sea. 

None has been implemented.

They suggested that the flight data recorders - the black boxes - should have larger batteries so they would carry on transmitting a beacon for 90 rather than 30 days. 

But bigger batteries mean extra weight and extra cost for the airlines to install them.

They also suggested the recorders should be designed to break away and float to the surface, rather than sink to the sea floor along with the rest of the fuselage.

And that the frequency of the transmission should be altered to boost how far away it can be heard, beyond its current 2,000 metre maximum.

Salvage expert David Mearns, from Blue Water Recoveries, told Sky News: "If you reduce that frequency, the lower the frequency, the greater the range. 

"You go from 37.5khz , to say, 8.8khz as recommended, I think that would increase the range to over 10,000 metres.

"So that's a five times increase in your detectable range and that would help the teams out there now looking for these black boxes."

As for why the recommendations weren't acted upon? 

"It's a very big industry. It's an international industry," said Mr Mears.

"It takes a lot of time for these things to work themselves through the regulations; how they would operate, how the pilots would be trained to use them; they have to be implemented on the aircraft, so it takes years for these things to be done."

In an age when we can all track most passenger aircraft on our smartphones and computers, how can a plane still go missing? 

Most, but not all, areas of the world are now covered by the Acars ADS-B system, allowing them to be constantly tracked. Although smaller, older aircraft are not equipped.

There are new regulations being introduced around the world compelling airlines to fit them in all passenger aircraft. 

But in some places the deadline is 2020.  

Mikael Robertsson, the founder of Flightradar24.com, told Sky: "Maybe authorities in these countries don't want to rush or I guess it costs quite a lot of money for airlines to upgrade their equipment on board."

In any case, it appears the system on MH370 was switched off. 

One current 777 pilot told Sky he could not think of a good reason why he would do such a thing. 

And with so many flights criss-crossing vast expanses of water, knowing the plane's last position is crucial to a swift recovery. 

Mr Robertsson said: "I think this is something that should be discussed: How much pilots should be able to turn off, and how easy it should be to turn some systems off?"

The backgrounds of the pilots have been scrutinised to assess the likelihood of criminal or suicidal behaviour. 

Professor Robert Bor is a clinical psychologist who has studied those who fly, and was specifically asked to review an incident involving an American Jet Blue pilot who had a psychotic episode while flying from New York to Las Vegas.

Captain Clayton Osbon left the cockpit and screamed at passengers before being subdued by some of those on board. 

His co-pilot landed the plane safely in Texas. 

Prof Bor and others concluded there were no warning signs beforehand which could have prevented the incident.     

"Every year an airline pilot will have at least two formal medical checks which address not just their physical health but their mental health. Every time they are doing the job they are scrutinised by people."

Pilot suicide is not unheard of, and is considered the most likely explanation for the crash of an Indonesian SilkAir flight in 1997. 

The pilot was heavily in debt - 104 passengers and crew were killed.

Airlines may also be studying how Malaysia Airlines has handled the disaster from a public relations perspective. 

The families of the passengers have gone from grieving to protesting, angry at being kept waiting for news, furious about misinformation, and the final indignity - some of them were told the plane had crashed by text message. 

Crisis management expert Raine Marcus told Sky News: "The communications with the families didn't inspire trust from the beginning.

"If you don't build up trust and goodwill right from the beginning, that has a direct impact afterwards on communications with the families and also directly on your business."

In the months and years ahead, as details emerge of what happened to MH370, there will undoubtedly be calls for lessons to be learned.

And in the meantime millions of us will continue to fly, hoping that our flight will not be one of the very rare ones, which does not have a safe landing.

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First Gay Weddings: PM Hails 'Equal Marriage'

Prime Minister David Cameron has hailed the first gay weddings in England and Wales as sending a "powerful message" about equality in the UK.

The law changed at midnight, with a number of gay couples vying to claim the title of being among the first to be married as ceremonies took place across England and Wales.

Despite facing opposition from some in the Conservative Party about his backing for the change, Mr Cameron said the reform was necessary because "when people's love is divided by law, it is that law that needs to change".

Writing in Pink News, he said: "This weekend is an important moment for our country" because "we will at last have equal marriage in our country".

"The introduction of same-sex civil marriage says something about the sort of country we are," he added.

"It says we are a country that will continue to honour its proud traditions of respect, tolerance and equal worth. It also sends a powerful message to young people growing up who are uncertain about their sexuality.

The Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act was passed in July

"It clearly says 'you are equal' whether straight or gay. That is so important in trying to create an environment where people are no longer bullied because of their sexuality - and where they can realise their potential, whether as a great mathematician like Alan Turing, a star of stage and screen like Sir Ian McKellen or a wonderful journalist and presenter like Clare Balding."

Among the first couples set to take advantage of the legalisation were actor Andrew Wale, 49, and guesthouse owner Neil Allard, 48, who wed at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton just after midnight.

Following the ceremony in which the couple wore matching suits, Mr Wale told Sky News: "It's a wonderful feeling, it was much more emotional than I thought it was going to be and I'm just kind of happy and buzzing."

Mr Allard added: "It's exciting, it's a new step forward and it's all about love."

Andrew Wale (L) and Neil Allard said their vows in Brighton

Peter McGraith and David Cabreza, who have been together for 17 years, tied the knot at Islington Town Hall, north London, just moments after midnight struck.

Ahead of their ceremony, Mr McGraith said: "We are thrilled to be getting married. It is a mark of significant social progress in the UK that the legal distinction between gay and straight relationships has been removed.

"Very few countries afford their gay and lesbian citizens equal marriage rights and we believe that this change in law will bring hope and strength to gay men and lesbians in Nigeria, Uganda, Russia, India and elsewhere, who lack basic equality and are being criminalised for their sexual orientation."

After watching the ceremony, campaigner Peter Tatchell told Sky News there was still more to be done.

"We need to keep up the battle to insure that all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people in this country and around the world have equal human rights," he said.

Mr McGraith (L) and Mr Cabreza were wed just moments after midnight

Broadcaster Sandi Toksvig and her civil partner Debbie Toksvig renewed their vows at a public event at the Royal Festival Hall on the Southbank in London.

Same-sex couples wishing to marry had initially thought they would have to wait until the summer after the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act was passed last July.

However, they were allowed to register their intention to marry from March 13, with March 29 the first day they could get hitched.

Unlike civil partnerships, same-sex marriages will give the same legal recognition as marriage across a range of areas including pensions, inheritance, child maintenance and immigration rights.

While the change will not be enforced upon religious organisations, they will be able to opt in.

Andrea Williams from Christian Concern told Sky News the reforms had gone too far.

"We have moved all the goal posts, suddenly we don't actually know what things mean, marriage once clearly meant something; a man and a woman in an exclusive promise, in a union that is life long, for the good of children," she said.

However, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has said that the Church of England would drop its opposition now the new law has come into force.

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Missing Plane: Man At Centre Of MH370 Storm

Learning Lessons From Missing Flight MH370

Updated: 9:23am UK, Saturday 29 March 2014

By Ian Woods, Senior Correspondent

The small consolation that should come with every airline crash is that the knowledge gained from the tragedy should help prevent it happening again.

But if that were true, we might already know more about what happened to flight MH370.

After the Air France accident of 2009, in which 228 people died when their flight from Brazil plunged into the Atlantic, 120 representatives of the international aviation industry got together to recommend ways to make it easier to find aircraft which crash into the sea. 

None has been implemented.

They suggested that the flight data recorders - the black boxes - should have larger batteries so they would carry on transmitting a beacon for 90 rather than 30 days. 

But bigger batteries mean extra weight and extra cost for the airlines to install them.

They also suggested the recorders should be designed to break away and float to the surface, rather than sink to the sea floor along with the rest of the fuselage.

And that the frequency of the transmission should be altered to boost how far away it can be heard, beyond its current 2,000 metre maximum.

Salvage expert David Mearns, from Blue Water Recoveries, told Sky News: "If you reduce that frequency, the lower the frequency, the greater the range. 

"You go from 37.5khz , to say, 8.8khz as recommended, I think that would increase the range to over 10,000 metres.

"So that's a five times increase in your detectable range and that would help the teams out there now looking for these black boxes."

As for why the recommendations weren't acted upon? 

"It's a very big industry. It's an international industry," said Mr Mears.

"It takes a lot of time for these things to work themselves through the regulations; how they would operate, how the pilots would be trained to use them; they have to be implemented on the aircraft, so it takes years for these things to be done."

In an age when we can all track most passenger aircraft on our smartphones and computers, how can a plane still go missing? 

Most, but not all, areas of the world are now covered by the Acars ADS-B system, allowing them to be constantly tracked. Although smaller, older aircraft are not equipped.

There are new regulations being introduced around the world compelling airlines to fit them in all passenger aircraft. 

But in some places the deadline is 2020.  

Mikael Robertsson, the founder of Flightradar24.com, told Sky: "Maybe authorities in these countries don't want to rush or I guess it costs quite a lot of money for airlines to upgrade their equipment on board."

In any case, it appears the system on MH370 was switched off. 

One current 777 pilot told Sky he could not think of a good reason why he would do such a thing. 

And with so many flights criss-crossing vast expanses of water, knowing the plane's last position is crucial to a swift recovery. 

Mr Robertsson said: "I think this is something that should be discussed: How much pilots should be able to turn off, and how easy it should be to turn some systems off?"

The backgrounds of the pilots have been scrutinised to assess the likelihood of criminal or suicidal behaviour. 

Professor Robert Bor is a clinical psychologist who has studied those who fly, and was specifically asked to review an incident involving an American Jet Blue pilot who had a psychotic episode while flying from New York to Las Vegas.

Captain Clayton Osbon left the cockpit and screamed at passengers before being subdued by some of those on board. 

His co-pilot landed the plane safely in Texas. 

Prof Bor and others concluded there were no warning signs beforehand which could have prevented the incident.     

"Every year an airline pilot will have at least two formal medical checks which address not just their physical health but their mental health. Every time they are doing the job they are scrutinised by people."

Pilot suicide is not unheard of, and is considered the most likely explanation for the crash of an Indonesian SilkAir flight in 1997. 

The pilot was heavily in debt - 104 passengers and crew were killed.

Airlines may also be studying how Malaysia Airlines has handled the disaster from a public relations perspective. 

The families of the passengers have gone from grieving to protesting, angry at being kept waiting for news, furious about misinformation, and the final indignity - some of them were told the plane had crashed by text message. 

Crisis management expert Raine Marcus told Sky News: "The communications with the families didn't inspire trust from the beginning.

"If you don't build up trust and goodwill right from the beginning, that has a direct impact afterwards on communications with the families and also directly on your business."

In the months and years ahead, as details emerge of what happened to MH370, there will undoubtedly be calls for lessons to be learned.

And in the meantime millions of us will continue to fly, hoping that our flight will not be one of the very rare ones, which does not have a safe landing.

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United Boss Moyes Faces Plane Banner Protest

By Paul Kelso, Sports Correspondent

Supporter discontent over Manchester United's slide into mediocrity took to the skies over Old Trafford before the lunchtime kick-off against Aston Villa.

Fans demanding manager David Moyes be sacked following United's disappointing season paid £840 for a plane carrying a banner reading: "Wrong One - Moyes Out".

The message was a response to a banner inside Old Trafford on the Stretford End that reads "The Chosen One", a reference to the fact Sir Alex Ferguson personally selected Moyes as his successor.

The banner has been mocked by rival fans as United struggle post-Ferguson

Jeers could be heard inside the stadium as the "Moyes Out" banner flew overheard shortly before kick-off.

United won the match 4-1.

Asked about the banner before the match, Moyes said: "You just have to remain focused on the game - and that's what we have done.

"It is going to happen but I think, for the people who have spent money on the plane, it would have been better served by putting it into Darren Fletcher's colitis charity instead."

Sir Alex Ferguson picked David Moyes as his successor at Old Trafford

Moyes is struggling to gain the confidence of fans after a season that has set records for relative failure.

United are already guaranteed their lowest points total in the Premier League era, with automatic qualification for the Champions League looking highly unlikely.

They went out of the FA Cup in the third round for only the second time in 27 years and lost in the semi-final of the League Cup.

They are still in the Champions League, with a quarter-final against Bayern Munich at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

Moyes signs autographs for fans ahead of the match

The manner and result of that tie may yet settle Moyes' fate.

The club's American owners, the Glazer family, will give him every chance to show he is up to the job.

But with every limp performance their confidence in him, and willingness to let him spend £200m on rebuilding the squad, can only be dented.

The response of supporters to the aerial duel overhead on Saturday will be watched closely by the owners.

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Will Data Streaming Replace Black Boxes?

By Tom Cheshire, Technology Correspondent

In an era when you can stream Game Of Thrones at broadband speeds while sitting in an aircraft, the black box seems to be a dated piece of technology.

Why can't airliners also stream their critical operational data back to the ground?

The black boxes of Air France flight 447 lay 13,000 feet beneath the southern Atlantic Ocean for two years before they gave up their grim account.

The flight data recorders of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 will likely take even longer to recover.

Black boxes - which were originally introduced in the 1950s at the beginning of the jet age - already record reams of flight data each second.

The depth of the sea in the Indian Ocean search area

Critics of in-flight data streaming say to transmit that amount of information would be costly, and, given the relatively rare occurrence of planes being lost in extremely remote areas, uneconomic.

Some also argue that costly infrastructure would be needed to upgrade older planes.

"What is needed - and available - is data on demand, not all data all the time," said Richard Hadley, director of Canadian company Flyht, which makes in-flight data streaming equipment.

"The streaming function can be a background function in a system that is otherwise doing good things for an operator in normal operational circumstances."

In an emergency, the Afirs (Automated Flight Information Reporting System) streaming system made by Flyht can transmit a GPS location system back every second, and information on operational performance of a plane every four seconds.

Mr Hadley also argues that the system is easy to implement.

"There is no infrastructure investment required to globally implement aircraft triggered data transmission, and thereby no unusual cost associated with having such a capability in place on all aircraft," he said.

He said 40 operators already use the Afirs system.

On Monday, Chris McLaughlin from Inmarsat, the UK-based satellite company that tracked MH370, told Sky News a limited tracking system would cost $1 per hour of flight.

The cost of the search operation for Air France Flight 447 was at least $37m (£22.4m).

Data streaming could bring other benefits too.

The control room of UK company Inmarsat

Canadian manufacturer Bombardier's new C-Series of jets, due to enter service in 2015, will all feature live data streaming as standard and the company sees the forensic benefits as secondary to the immediate services it offers.

Live streaming offers live maintenance diagnostics, and airlines can use the rich data for flight and operations planning.

According to Ben Behm, vice-president of commercial airline programmes, streaming would be carried out using an array of technologies depending on coverage, including VHF, 3G towers on the ground and satellites.

Astraea, an ambitious UK-based attempt to create a system to fly normal aircraft from the ground, have tested the idea of a mesh network, in which planes in the air pass information between themselves and the ground.

One report into Air France Flight 447 found the Afirs system was too complex for a "short-term solution", but recommended a simpler form of live data streaming in the short and medium-term.

The report noted that the "additional cost of such messages represents only a small fraction of the total costs of communications for any transatlantic flight".

The final definitive BEA Air France report also suggested implementing a basic system by 2018.

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Missing Malaysia Jet Search Area Narrowed

The search area for missing flight MH370 has been narrowed by officials, as Malaysian Airlines defended its treatment of grief-stricken relatives.

The international operation to find the Malaysia Airlines plane will now focus on the southern tip of the southern flight corridor the plane is thought to have followed.

Officials say the search - which involves some 26 countries - has been called off in the northern corridor of the Indian Ocean.

Malaysia's acting transport minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, gave an update today on the search in a news conference at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

He said the search operation will concentrate on 469,407 square miles inside the southern part of the southern corridor.

Protests have been taking place outside China's Malaysian embassy

It comes amid criticism from the relatives of those on board the flight and protests at the Malaysian embassy in Beijing.

China has demanded Malaysia turn over the satellite data used to conclude that the plane crashed into the ocean, killing all 239 people on board.

Dozens of angry relatives of Chinese passengers clashed with police in Beijing after Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak confirmed that the plane had crashed.

The protesters shouted slogans including "the Malaysian government are murderers" and "return our relatives".

Scuffles broke out as uniformed security personnel attempted to block some of the relatives from reaching reporters, who were being kept in a designated area.

Sky's Jonathan Samuels in Beijing said there were distressing scenes as relatives accused authorities of lying to them.

"What's extraordinary about this is that these sorts of demonstrations don't usually happen in China," he said.

"The families may have made a point of sorts, but they still believe the Malaysian authorities are lying to them."

A high-level delegation will return to Beijing today to meet with frustrated relatives.

Malaysia Airlines is under mounting pressure over its handling of the search.

Chief executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya has said it is "not correct" to say the airline abandoned relatives.

Bad weather off the western coast of Australia is hampering the search

He also defended the airline's decision to send text messages to relatives of passengers informing them the plane had been lost.

"Our sole and only motivation last night was to ensure that in the incredibly short amount of time available to us, the families heard the tragic news before the world did," he said.

"We know that while there have been an increasing number of apparent leads, definitive identification of any piece of debris is still missing. It is impossible to predict how long this will take.

"But after 17 days, the announcement made last night and shared with the families is the reality which we must now accept."

He said he will decide later on whether he will resign over the handling of the search operation, saying it was a "personal decision" for later.

Grieving relatives have expressed their anger in Beijing

He has insisted the airline is doing its best to treat relatives with care and dignity.

"My heart breaks to think of the unimaginable pain suffered by all the families. There are no words which can ease that pain.

"Everyone in the Malaysia Airlines family is praying for the 239 souls on MH370 and for their loved ones on this dark day. We extend our prayers and sincere condolences."

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) earlier called off the hunt for wreckage from MH370 for the day due to gale force winds, rain and big waves.

"AMSA has undertaken a risk assessment and determined that the current weather conditions would make any air and sea search activities hazardous and pose a risk to crew," it said.

"Therefore, AMSA has suspended all sea and air search operations for today due to these weather conditions."

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Student Deportation Blocked By Airline

By Joe Tidy, Sky News Reporter

A 19-year-old student threatened with being deported to her native Mauritius has gained a last-minute reprieve after an airline refused to take her.

The deportation team had taken Yashika Bageerathi to Gatwick Airport to be put on a plane when she was returned to a detention centre.

It appears at present to be a temporary reprieve after British Airways declined to accept her on the flight according to her local MP David Burrowes, who represents Enfield, Southgate.

He has made representations to the Home Office to delay her deportation, and he said these had to be considered before she could be removed.

Yashika is being taken from Yarl's Wood Detention Centre

He added: "The Home Office will now consider all the options: whether she should be removed, all the circumstances and whether to consider her as part of her family rather than cutting her off from her family."

He described the decision to remove the student alone as "unfair and disproportionate" and said she should be able to continue her studies.

Despite the uncertainty, Mr Burrowes said it was "very welcome news and the right decision" not to send her back.

Miss Bageerathi came to the UK from Mauritius in 2011 on a tourist visa to escape domestic violence.

Since applying for asylum, her application has been treated separately from her mother, brother and sister as she is considered an adult, and has been rejected.

A security team arrived at Yarl's Wood Detention Centre this morning and told her she would be put on a flight at 2pm.

The family's other applications are still being considered.

On Sunday, a protest march was held to the Home Office by dozens of school friends, teachers and neighbours.

An online petition by the students calling on Immigration Minister James Brokenshire and Home Secretary Theresa May to stop the deportation and allow the student to complete her A-levels collected nearly 23,000 signatures.

Model Cara Delevingne also made a plea on Twitter to Mrs May not to send the aspiring maths teacher back.

And on Monday, barristers took an injunction to the High Court asking for her to be allowed to at least finish her A Levels and be with her family, but the case was rejected.

Yashika's school principal Lynne Dawes said there was relief she had not been deported.

Her mother Sowbhagyawatee Bageerathi said: "I am happy they decided to send her back to me."

Before the removal was halted Ms Dawes said she was terrified for the student, telling Sky News: "I have spoken to her this morning from the detention centre and she is scared.

"We are not being allowed to see her and are all very worried for her as she is completely on her own.

"We've written to Home Secretary and not heard anything back.

"We just want to halt this removal until Yashika can do her A-Levels and we want her to be kept with her family wherever that is."

A Home Office spokesman said: "The UK has a proud history of granting asylum to those who need it and we consider every application on its individual merits.

"We do not routinely comment on individual cases."

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Pistorius Trial Hears Messages From 'Baba'

Only four out of more than 1,700 messages exchanged between Oscar Pistorius and his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp were of them arguing, the athlete's murder trial has heard.

Texts and WhatsApp messages have been extracted from their phones and were pored over in court for a second day.

Defence lawyer Barry Roux said in spite of their arguments, the couple were exchanging "crosses, baby, things like that". In one message, the runner referred to her as "Baba", while she called him "Ozzy".

In another, Ms Steenkamp said to her boyfriend: "You are a very special person. You deserve to be looked after."

A picture Ms Steenkamp sent to Oscar Pistorius

Pistorius had tears running down his cheeks while the messages were read out. Ms Steenkamp's mother June also sobbed.

Emotional exchanges between the pair were read out on Monday. In one of them Ms Steenkamp texted Pistorius to say "I am sometimes scared of you". This was sent just weeks before she died.

Sky's Special Correspondent Alex Crawford said of Tuesday's proceedings: "Roux is working very hard at painting this picture of South Africa's Romeo and Juliet, the star-crossed lovers in a WhatsApp age."

Texts exchanged between the pair

Under questioning from chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel, police IT expert Captain Francois Moller said there were no long, loving messages. This was a contrast Mr Nel tried to make with the texts of them arguing.

The court also heard communications data extracted from Pistorius' phone showed he was online an hour before Ms Steenkamp was shot. In his bail application, Pistorius said the pair had gone to sleep around 10pm.

There was activity on Ms Steenkamp's phone 11 hours after she died, records showed.

But the hearing was told incoming emails, updates or open websites could all give the impression of internet activity.

One of the messages between the lovers shown in court on Monday

Phone records also showed Pistorius made a flurry of calls after the shooting. The first was to estate manager Johan Stander at 3.19am, followed by the ambulance service a minute later. He then rang security.

The court heard there were five calls between Pistorius and Ms Steenkamp on the afternoon before she died - February 13. All of the conversations lasted less than five minutes.

Forensic expert Colonel Johannes Vermeulen returned to face more questions, and stood by his claim Pistorius was on his stumps when he knocked down a locked toilet door to reach Ms Steenkamp.

Pistorius said he put his prosthetic legs on, and his lawyer Mr Roux said he would present evidence that there was a third mark on the door consistent with this.

June Steenkamp (left) at a previous hearing

The trial has been adjourned until Friday so the athlete's defence team can consult with unused prosecution witnesses they might want to call.

Speaking outside afterwards, Pistorius said: "It's a tough time. We've still got a lot of stuff ahead of us."

Pistorius is accused of the premeditated murder of Ms Steenkamp, but says he shot her by mistake after mistaking her for an intruder.

He is also accused 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 of the charges.

The trial is expected to last until the middle of May.

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Black Box Key To Missing Malaysia Jet Probe

New data analysis has led Malaysia Airlines to conclude that flight MH370 came down in the sea - but the data alone cannot reveal why it did so.

Key to finding out what caused the Beijing-bound plane to end up in the Indian Ocean are the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data log, both located inside its black box.

Australian and Chinese authorities located several objects that might be debris in the southern Indian Ocean in the 24 hours before Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak told the world that all those on board had been lost.

But the exact site of the crash has not yet been identified, and there is now a race against time to find the box before its locator beacon runs out of power.

A ground controller guides an Australian plane to a halt in Perth

Experts say that if it is not recovered, the cause of the crash may never be known.

Colonel Paul Edwards MBE, a former Army Aviation chief of staff, told Sky News that strong currents and high waves would make it difficult to find the precise point of impact.

"It's a huge challenge. First you have to locate the debris from the accident in currents which are swirling all over the place and in high seas," he said.

Wreckage from the plane may have drifted a long way from the original site, he added.

The black box could be attached to a large piece of debris from the plane, or it may have become detached and sunk to the sea floor.

Finding it as quickly as possible is crucial, as its locator beacon - which sends signals telling searchers where it is - may lose power after about 30 days.

The United States has sent a "Towed Pinger Locator" to the region, which is pulled behind a vessel at slow speeds.

It has a highly sensitive listening capability and can detect "pings" from a black box emitted at a depth of 20,000ft (6,000m).

A Japanese aircraft prepares to take off from RAAF Base Pearce in Perth

The sea in the southern Indian Ocean is up to 13,000ft deep - well inside the range at which depth the Boeing 777's black box recorder is designed to work.

Philip Baum, editor-in-chief at Aviation Security International, said that while the ocean was deep, the sea floor was relatively flat, which should help efforts to find it.

"We need to find out what brought about the incident in the first place and the black box is absolutely critical," he told Sky News.

"You could say that unless you find a significant piece of wreckage that indicates an explosion brought the plane down, then the black box is going to be the only way to determine what occurred."

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Malaysia Plane 'Crashed Into Indian Ocean'

Satellite data has confirmed that Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 crashed into the southern Indian Ocean.

The Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak held a news conference today confirming that all those on the flight have been lost.

He said satellite data provided by a UK company, Inmarsat, showed the plane's last recorded position was in the middle of the Indian Ocean, west of Perth.

"This is a remote location, far from any possible landing sites," Mr Razak said.

"It is therefore with deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that, according to this new data, flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean."

Sky's Jonathan Samuels in Beijing said there were "very, very distressing" scenes as relatives were told the news.

"Some people were in tears, others are helping those struggling and a woman is screaming in absolute anguish. It's very tough to watch," he said.

Malaysia Airlines told relatives they should "assume beyond any reasonable doubt" that all those on the plane have been lost.

The text message sent to relatives by Malaysia Airlines

"Malaysia Airlines deeply regrets that we have to assume beyond any reasonable doubt that MH370 has been lost and that none of those on board survived," the airline said in a text message to relatives.

"As you will hear in the next hour from Malaysia's Prime Minister, we must now accept all evidence suggests the plane went down in the Southern Indian Ocean."

The flight vanished from civilian radar screens less than an hour after take-off from Kuala Lumpur on March 8 with 239 people on board.

No confirmed sighting of the plane has been made since, but debris has been found in remote waters off Australia which might be part of the missing plane.

The confirmation came after Sky sources said families of those on-board will be taken from Beijing to Australia.

An Australian navy ship is close to finding possible debris from the plane after a number of sightings of floating objects some 1550 miles west of Perth.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said the entire crew of HMAS Success is keeping a lookout for the objects.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott told parliament: "I caution ... that we don't know whether any of these objects are from MH370, they could be flotsam.

A Japanese search aircraft prepares to take off in Perth

"Nevertheless, we are hopeful that we can recover these objects soon and they will take us a step closer to resolving this tragic mystery."

The objects are separate from several "suspicious" floating objects sighted by a Chinese search plane earlier today.

The crew of the military Ilyushin-76 aircraft saw "white and square" objects dispersed over several miles in the southern Indian Ocean.

They included two "relatively big" objects and several smaller ones.

The objects cited by the Chinese were seen near an area identified by satellite imagery as containing possible debris from the missing airliner.

The US Navy has also announced it is sending one of its high-tech black box detectors to the southern Indian Ocean.

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Relatives Scream As They Are Told News By Text

Relatives of the 239 people on the doomed Malaysia Airlines plane screamed in anguish as they were told the jet had crashed - by text message.

Sky's Jonathan Samuels, in Beijing, said there were "very, very distressing" scenes as Malaysia Airlines sent them the text.

"Some people were in tears, others are helping those struggling and a woman is screaming in absolute anguish. It's very tough to watch," he said.

Relatives had to be helped away after watching the news conference

The text message said: "Malaysia Airlines deeply regrets that we have to assume beyond any reasonable doubt that MH370 has been lost and that none of those on board survived.

"As you will hear in the next hour from Malaysia's Prime Minister, we must now accept all evidence suggests the plane went down in the Southern Indian Ocean."

Malaysia Airlines stressed they did not only inform relatives by text message but informed them "via all channels".

TV pictures showed distressed families being helped away amid chaotic scenes in the Lido Hotel in Beijing.

Families had gathered at the Lido Hotel In Beijing to learn the jet's fate

Paramedics treated some people who were overcome by grief.

Relatives were told the jet's fate around 30 minutes before Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak told a news conference the plane had crashed.

UK satellite data confirmed flight MH370 crashed into the southern Indian Ocean.

The flight vanished from civilian radar screens less than an hour after take-off from Kuala Lumpur on March 8.

No confirmed sighting of the plane has been made, but debris found in remote waters off Australia might be from the missing plane.

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Reeva Text To Pistorius: 'I'm Scared Of You'

Reeva Steenkamp texted Oscar Pistorius to say "I am sometimes scared of you" just weeks before she died, the athlete's trial has heard.

An emotional message from Ms Steenkamp on January 27 last year accuses Pistorius of picking on her "incessantly" and denies flirting with her friend's husband at an engagement party.

It also accuses the athlete of being "nasty" and throwing tantrums in front of people.

"I'm scared of you sometimes and how you snap at me and how you act to me," says Ms Steenkamp.

She tells Pistorius the pair have a "double standard relationship" where he is "quick to act, cold and off-ish when you are unhappy".

Pistorius apologises for his behaviour in one message

Police IT expert Captain Francois Moller told the trial he had extracted text and WhatsApp messages from the phones of both Ms Steenkamp and Oscar Pistorius.

In a message displayed on court monitors, Pistorius admits he is "tired and sick" but says it is not an excuse for his jealous behaviour.

He accuses Ms Steenkamp of ignoring him while she spoke to another man and touched his arm.

Ms Steenkamp also complained Pistorius got upset if she ever mentions something about an ex-boyfriend, while "every five seconds I hear how you dated another chick".

This February 8 message says Pistorius does not treat her like a lady

"I just want to be loved and to love. Maybe we cannot do that for each other," she says.

A separate message from Pistorius also mentions Ms Steenkamp smoking "weed" and refers to her as "Angel", while she calls him "Baba".

Captain Moller told the trial in Pretoria he had "jailbroken" the mobile phones to access pages of messages between the pair.

He said there were also many normal and "loving conversations" between the couple.

More messages are expected to be revealed when the trial continues on Tuesday.

Earlier, the court heard from Pistorius' neighbour Annette Stipp, who said she woke at around 3am on Valentine's Day last year, the day Ms Steenkamp was killed.

She said she heard three sounds which sounded like gunshots and moments later heard a woman's "terrified, terrified screaming".

She then heard a man and woman screaming at the same time, before a second set of shots, and then silence.

Reeva Steenkamp was 29 when she was shot dead last year

Mrs Stipp recalled telling her husband: "It sounds like a family murder. Why else would a woman scream like that?"

The lights in Pistorius' bathroom were on from the moment she first woke up, Mrs Stipp told the court.

She said the screams did not sound muffled or like they were coming from an enclosed space.

The defence tried to discredit Mrs Stipp's evidence when, under tough questioning, she admitted an inaccuracy in her signed police statement.

She told the court she had not seen a male figure walking in Pistorius' bathroom, despite initially saying she had.

"This is not first time that it appears her memory has failed her," said defence lawyer Kenny Oldwadge.

The scene in court at the start of the trial's fourth week

He also suggested the second set of gunshots Mrs Stipp described was in fact the sound of a cricket bat as Pistorius smashed down the bathroom door.

Paralympic star Pistorius is accused of the premeditated murder of his girlfriend but says he shot her by mistake because he thought she was an intruder.

He is also accused 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.

The prosecution's case is expected to finish this week and Pistorius is likely to be the first witness for the defence.

Originally expected to last for three weeks or so, the trial has now been extended until the middle of May.

Both sides agreed to an extension after just 18 of 107 possible witnesses were heard in the first three weeks,

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Plane Mystery: Pilot's Simulator 'Key'

The pilot of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane invested vast amounts of time and money in an ultra-realistic flight simulator that is being pored over by investigators trying to solve the mystery of the jet's disappearance.

Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah spent thousands of hours in the virtual cockpit of the machine playing flying games and boosting its capabilities.

The state-of-the-art setup is a key part of the investigation into flight MH370, which has been missing for more than two weeks.

Flight MH370 pilots Fariq Abdul Hamid and Zaharie Ahmad Shah

There is no evidence Mr Zaharie was responsible for the loss of the jet, and it is not uncommon for pilots to enjoy flying so much they have simulators at home.

In a post on an online message board in 2012 he posted a picture of his finished simulator, calling it "awesome" and adding it was his "passion".

The simulator was seized from the 53-year-old's home west of Kuala Lumpur by police last week, and its capabilities are extraordinary.

Mr Zaharie's simulator setup included a motion controller, which made the chair pitch and turn like in a real cockpit in order to simulate the climbs, descents and banked turns of a real plane.

There was also a centre pedestal, where aircraft controls are located, and an overhead panel.

The pair pass through airport security before the flight

The software would have allowed him to practise landing at more than 33,000 airports, on aircraft carriers, oil rigs, frigates and helipads on top of buildings.

Mr Zaharie would also have been able to use the internet to fly with friends and simulate "a lot of malfunctions, emergencies, go-arounds, return-to-base or divert with fairly exact procedures", said Naoya Fujiwara, a flight simulator expert from Japan.

Mr Fujiwara added he could have simulated weather conditions and even downloaded real weather, wind and temperature information from a professional server.

One thing he could not have simulated was evading radar. There has been speculation the jet could have flown as low as 5,000ft using "terrain masking" to try to avoid radar, claims Malaysian authorities have rejected.

Mr Zaharie's home in Kuala Lumpur

Investigators are looking at the games he was running, including Microsoft's "Flight Simulator" series and the latest "X-plane" title.

"Looking through the flight logs in these simulator games is a key part of the investigation," an official with direct knowledge of the investigation said.

"X-plane 10 was interesting to investigators because it was the latest thing Zaharie bought. Also it is the most advanced out there and had all sorts of emergency and combat scenarios."

A family photo of Malaysia Airlines pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah

The authorities in the country have also asked the FBI for help with memory recovery after discovering some data was deleted from the simulator on February 3.

Given the large amount of memory computers have, it is unclear why this happened. It could have been part of a regular maintenance routine or to help improve the simulator's performance, other users say.

The exact cost of Mr Zaharie's simulator is not known, but a rough estimate puts the sum at several thousands of pounds.

Costs vary on the parts used. A replica Boeing-737 seat from Flight Simulator Centre, a website which sells simulators, costs almost £3,000 ($5,000). An overhead panel listed on another website costs £400 ($800).

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Shereka Marsh Named As Teen Shooting Victim

Police in east London are investigating the shooting of a teenage girl.

The 15-year-old, named locally as Shereka Marsh, is thought to have been shot accidentally at a birthday party at a house in Hackney on Saturday afternoon.

Ambulance crews were called to an address in Eastway but Shereka was pronounced dead at the scene.

A police cordon near the terraced house where the shooting happened

Three boys - two aged 16 and a 15-year-old - were arrested nearby and taken to an east London police station where they remain in custody.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said a post-mortem was being held and that detectives from the Met's Homicide and Major Crime Command were investigating.

Tributes have been paid to the victim on Twitter and Facebook.

A Facebook page called R.I.P. Shereka had more than 5,000 likes by lunchtime.

Azmina Bhamji commented on the page: "The good die young.. Another angel up in heaven, she's up there smiling at everyone, rest in peace princess."

Jessica Leonard posted: "Rest in peace beautiful Shereka you will be missed loads and we all miss you loads already."

Kerrease Jan Baptiste commented: "Shereka is going to be the brightest star in the sky."

The person who set up the page posted that Shereka was "Loved By Everyone", and described her as a "Beautiful Angel".

Police officers have been standing guard outside the terraced house where the shooting happened.

The street, which backs on to Wick Woodland, was closed to allow detectives to carry out their inquiries.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Russia Troop Build-Up 'Sizeable And Ready' - Nato

The Russian military force on Ukraine's eastern border is "very, very sizeable and very, very ready", according to Nato's top military commander.

General Philip Breedlove said he was worried they could make a move for Moldova's breakaway Transdniestria region.

"There is absolutely sufficient force postured on the eastern border of Ukraine to run to Transdniestria if the decision was made to do that and that is very worrisome," said Nato's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe.

Transdniestria, a narrow strip of land to Ukraine's southwest, already has a Russian military presence and most people there favour a union with the country.

General Breedlove is worried about the size of Russian troop build-up

Russian troops violently flushed out the remaining pockets of Ukrainian military influence in Crimea on Saturday, smashing armoured vehicles through the walls of Belbek airforce base in a swift takeover.

President Putin last week signed papers making Crimea part of Russia at a ceremony in Moscow, and most experts agree there is no way of winning back the region.

Transdniestria is a thin sliver of land in east Moldova (pictured in blue)

Speaking to Sky News, Ukraine's Ambassador to the UK, Volodymyr Khandogiy, said European powers had not done enough to help his country.

"The US is more resolute in their actions and words. We appreciate what Europe is doing (but) we would have liked a more aggressive approach," said Mr Khandogiy.

"If I'm asked if Europe has done enough I would say no."

Foreign Secretary William Hague has also warned Russia it is not simply facing "short-term pain" of limited sanctions, but long-term "isolation and stagnation" following its landgrab in Crimea.

In an article for The Sunday Telegraph, he wrote: "The European Commission are working now on more far-reaching economic measures that will be imposed if Russia takes further steps to undermine Ukraine."

Armed men seized the navy ship Slavutich

He said Britain and its allies had "never given up on diplomacy or sought a path of permanent confrontation with Russia".

"But nor should European nations run scared before bullying behaviour," he added.

Mr Hague said it was now necessary to "contemplate a new state of relations with Russia that is very different to the last 20 years".

Russia took control of several Ukrainian military bases on Saturday, in a territory which it now firmly considers its own.

Several hundred protesters raised the Russian flag after storming an airforce base in the western Crimean town of Novofedorivka while pro-Kremlin forces watched.

Armoured carriers smashed their way into the airbase near Sevastopol

In the city of Sevastopol, armed men seized control of the Slavutich, one of the last navy ships in Crimea still flying Ukraine's flag.

But the most dramatic episode saw Russian special forces break into the nearby Belbek air base, which has long been the pride of Ukraine's air force.

Sky News Chief Correspondent Stuart Ramsay was inside the sprawling compound as the attack took place.

"They came through the walls in armoured personnel carriers," he said, adding that the forces were "all balaclaved" and wore "slightly different uniforms to regular Russian soldiers".

Ramsay also heard "big explosions" which he said were probably blast bombs to disorientate the Ukrainian troops, who were then made to line up on a parade ground.

The base is in a key strategic position on Crimea's Black Sea coast

He said the Ukrainians were "massively outnumbered and outgunned" by the Russians, with just small arms and a few machine guns.

Ukraine's defence ministry later confirmed its men had left the base and said a journalist and a Ukrainian soldier had been wounded during the takeover.

Sky's Foreign Affairs Editor Sam Kiley said the base was an important capture for the Russians.

The Ukrainian troops were 'outnumbered'

"It is a base that is home to a significant number, possibly a third, of the main combat aircraft of the Ukrainian air force - the MIG-29s - and their support aircraft and the structures that go with them," he said.

"If you look at that and the blockage of the Ukrainian Navy in the shared port of Sevastopol in Crimea, what you see here is the Russians doing two things.

"The first is to seize territory that they now lay claim to and the second is to cripple the Ukrainian armed forces.

"That is extremely important to them if they want to move into the Ukrainian eastern provinces where there are a predominance of Russian speakers."

The Foreign Office has extended its travel warnings and is advising against all but essential travel to Kharkiv, Donetsk and Lugansk due to increased tension in eastern Ukraine.

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Missing Plane: French Satellite Spots 'Debris'

A French satellite has spotted potential objects floating in the sea in the southern search corridor of the Indian Ocean.

The images were immediately relayed to the rescue co-ordination centre in Australia, where civilian and military aircraft have been carrying out sweeps of the area looking for signs of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane.

It is the third possible sighting of debris in the area. On Saturday, the Chinese government released a satellite image showing a large floating object.

A fourth day of searches proved unsuccessful on Sunday

That object, measuring 74ft (22.5m) by 43ft (13m), was photographed on Tuesday just 75 miles from where two other potential pieces of debris were spotted by an Australian satellite.

China has said further analysis is needed to determine if this is related to the plane.

A statement from Malaysia's acting transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein said: "This morning, Malaysia received new satellite images from the French authorities showing potential objects in the vicinity of the southern corridor.

A Chinese satellite spotted this potential debris on Saturday

"Malaysia immediately relayed these images to the Australian rescue co-ordination centre.

"Australia, China and France have now released satellite images that show potential objects, which may be related to MH370, in the vicinity of the southern corridor.

"All this information has been forwarded to Australia, as the lead country in the area of concern."

Eight aircraft, based at an air base north of Perth in Australia, were involved in a fruitless fourth day of searching for the debris on Sunday in a zone around 1,550 miles southwest of the coast.

Two objects spotted by an Australian satellite last Sunday

A statement from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said the search area - which extends 1,553 miles from Perth - was affected by sea fog.

Volunteers from the State Emergency Service (SES) were on board civil aircraft as observers. The search will resume on Monday.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott had earlier spoke of the "increasing hope" of finding out what happened to MH370.

The southern corridor and the area of ocean being searched

He said: "It's still too early to be definite, but obviously we have now had a number of very credible leads and there is increasing hope, no more than hope, no more than hope, that we might be on the road to discovering what did happen to this ill-fated aircraft."

The authority said the search operation had been split into two areas, with a total of eight aircraft involved in an operation that covers 22,800 sq miles (59,000 sq km).

The wing of a Boeing 777-200ER is approximately 88ft (27m) long and 45ft (14m) wide at its base, according to estimates taken from scale drawings.

The fuselage is 208ft (63.7m) long and 20ft (6.2m) wide.

Malaysian authorities held a six-hour briefing in Beijing with relatives of passengers on board the flight.

Bad weather has threatened the operation after a cyclone warning was declared for Tropical Cyclone Gillian, which is forecast to move into the southern search corridor.

A cold front is also predicted to move through the region later on Sunday, which could bring clouds and wind.

The Malaysia Airline flight disappeared from air traffic control screens in the early hours of March 8 with 239 people on board.

Investigators believe it was deliberately diverted by someone on board shortly after leaving Malaysian air space.

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