Ukraine Monitoring Mission Will Stop 'Bandits'

Russia has agreed to civilian observers monitoring the political and security situation in Ukraine, claiming it will help stamp out "ultra-radical tendencies" in the country.

However, Russia said it was barring them from the recently-annexed region of Crimea.

The country also hit back at the widening of sanctions, calling them "divorced from reality" and said it reserved the right to impose sanctions of its own.

The 57 member countries of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) have agreed an initial deployment of 100 monitors to regions in the east, south and west of Ukraine.

They will spend six months in the country and 400 more could be added "as necessary and according to the situation", diplomats said.

Western countries have been pushing hard for an observer mission as a way of preventing an escalation of tensions in Ukraine following Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

Russia had blocked the plan on previous occasions.

Pro-Russia supporters celebrate the annexation in Simferopol, Crimea

OSCE vice-chairperson Thomas Greminger welcomed the decision as a "very meaningful contribution to de-escalate the situation in Ukraine".

But, in a statement on Saturday, Russia's Foreign Ministry made it clear Crimea is a 'no-go area' for the observers.

It said: "The mission's mandate reflects the new political and legal realities and does not apply to Crimea and Sevastopol, which became a part of Russia."

"Russia hopes that the objective and impartial work of the international observers will help to overcome the internal Ukrainian crisis, stop rampant nationalist banditry, eradicate ultra-radical tendencies."

US ambassador to the OSCE, Daniel Baer, said he remained optimistic that the mission would have access throughout Ukraine, including Crimea.

Mr Baer said OSCE teams would start deploying within 24 hours.

Moscow celebrates the annexation of Crimea with a fireworks display

Prime Minister David Cameron and other EU leaders have imposed sanctions on 12 more people to punish Moscow for its takeover of the Ukrainian territory.

There are now 33 Ukrainians and Russians on the list.

"It's a pity that the European Council made a decision that is divorced from reality," said Russia's Foreign Ministry in a statement on its website.

"We believe it is time to return to the platform of pragmatic cooperation that reflects the interests of our countries.

"However, of course, the Russian side reserves itself the right to give a comparable answer to the actions taken."

The EU also agreed to step up moves to reduce the bloc's reliance on Russian energy.

Mr Cameron said EU members needed to do more to develop their own reserves, as well as their ability to use gas from overseas producers, including the US.

The Prime Minister said: "Our message to Russia is clear: choose the path to diplomacy and de-escalation or face increasing isolation and tighter and tighter sanctions."

Sanctions against Russia's ultra-rich are still on the table, says the PM

Mr Cameron also refused to rule out further sanctions against several oligarchs, including Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's foreign affairs minister said that a political association agreement signed between the European Union and Ukraine was the choice of the Ukrainian people.

Andrii Deshchytsia said the agreement had been on the table for years.

The highly symbolic piece of paper is part of the same EU deal that sparked Ukraine's political crisis when then-President Viktor Yanukovych rejected it in November and chose a bailout from Russia instead.

At the Kremlin on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed parliamentary legislation incorporating Crimea into Russia and hailed it as a "remarkable event".

As the crisis goes on, US President Barack Obama heads to Europe on Monday for a six-day trip.

He will visit The Hague for a nuclear security summit and a meeting of the G7, then to Brussels for a summit of European leaders and a meeting with the Nato secretary general.

He will also be going to Rome and the Vatican to meet Pope Francis, before leaving the continent to head to Saudi Arabia.

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Pope Tells Mafia: Repent Or Prepare For Hell

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Pope shakes hands with victims' families as he leaves the church

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

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

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

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

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

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Missing Plane: China Spots Large Object In Sea

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

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

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

The China image was taken two days after two, below, captured by Australia

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

The search operation of the ocean south west of Perth in western Australia involving six aircraft on Saturday failed to locate any sign of debris spotted by a satellite last week.

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

Mr Hussein said: "A cyclone warning has been declared for Tropical Cyclone Gillian, which is located in the southern corridor. Very strong winds and rough seas are expected there today.

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

Relatives react angrily during a meeting with Malaysian officials in Beijng

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Putin Mocks Sanctions For Russians Over Crimea

Faces Caught In The Middle Of US-Russia Spat

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Missing Malaysian Jet: Debris 'May Have Sunk'

A search for two large objects that may be from the missing Malaysia Airlines jet has concluded for the day.

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

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

HMS Echo is heading towards the region

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

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

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

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

RAAF AP-3C Orion pilot Adams speaks to the press in Perth upon his return

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

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

"It may have slipped to the bottom."

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

Britain's HMS Success will arrive in the area tomorrow and HMS Echo is also on its way and David Cameron told his Malaysian counterpart that Britain stands ready to help with whatever specialist support they can offer.

Malaysia's Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein at today's briefing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Muslims perform a prayer for passengers at a mosque in Putrajaya, Malaysia

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

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

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

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

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

A message board of support at a shopping centre in Damansara, Malaysia

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

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

They were spotted by a satellite last Sunday and could potentially be debris from flight MH370, one of which is thought to be 24 metres in length and the other about five metres.

The sightings have been deemed "credible" and a "potentially important development" by authorities - as the search for the passenger plane enters its 14th day.

Relatives of those on board wait for news at a hotel in Beijing

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

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

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

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

Satellite images show objects which may be debris from the plane

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

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

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

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

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Flight MH370: Latest Developments At A Glance

The search for possible debris of missing flight MH370 has entered its second day.

This is what we know:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Missing Plane: Two Objects Are 'Credible Lead'

A major search is taking place to try and find two objects in the remote southern Indian Ocean which may be related to missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

They were spotted by a satellite a few days ago and could potentially be debris from the Boeing 777.

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

:: Live Updates: Search For Possible Debris

Four aircraft are involved in the search for the objects. An Australian plane has so far been unable to locate them and rain and cloud has limited the visibility.

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

Two Australian Orion surveillance planes are looking for the objects

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

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

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

The satellite images of the two objects

However, more satellite images are being taken of the area.

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

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

Australian pilots are briefed on the search

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

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

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

Mr Abbott tellsMPs about the sighting of two potential objects from MH370

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

The ocean there was around 5,000 metres deep, and My Young added visibility was poor and may hamper efforts to find the objects.

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

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

A US Navy Poseidon is also involved in the search

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Missing Plane: Could A Fire Explain Mystery?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The search operation covers massive swathes of land and sea

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

Hijack

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

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

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

Theft

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

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

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

Flight MH370 hid below another plane

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

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

Pilot suicide

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

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

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Missing Plane Families 'Let Down' By Officials

Missing Plane: Air France Families' Sympathy

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

By Sarah Hajibagheri, Sky News Producer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Missing Plane: Air France Families 'Dismayed'

By Sarah Hajibagheri, Sky News Producer

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

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

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

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

Relatives of those on flight MH370 have faced an agonising wait for news

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

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

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

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

Debris from Air France flight AF447 was pulled from the Atlantic in 2009

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

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

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

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

Malaysian officials have been accused of offering limited information

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

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

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

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

A major search involving 26 countries is under way to locate the aircraft

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Ukraine: Pro-Russia Forces 'Storm' Navy HQ

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

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

There were conflicting reports about the level of violence involved in the incident, with Interfax reporting that Ukrainian troops were injured after the gates were rammed as the assault began.

But a Ukrainian naval spokesman told Reuters there had been no violence and several men in plain clothes - believed to be from the "self-defence" forces - were in talks with servicemen on the base.

Armed troops - believed to be Russian servicemen - guard the naval base

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

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

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

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

Ukrainians leaving the base were cheered by people waving Russian flags

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

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

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

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

A Ukrainian naval officer leaves his base in Sevastopol

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

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

Russia's Foreign Ministry hit back at criticism over its actions in Crimea, accusing western states of violating a 1994 agreement to respect Ukraine's sovereignty by "indulging a coup d'etat" that ousted President Viktor Yanukovych.

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

His response came after Russian President Vladimir Putin defended a referendum in which Crimeans voted overwhelmingly to join Moscow, insisting the poll was legal.

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

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

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Missing Malaysia Jet: Chaos At News Conference

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

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

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

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

Family members are led away by authorities

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

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

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

The woman told reporters 'we need to know where the plane is'

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

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

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

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

Authorities did not say why they would not allow the women to speak

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

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

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

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

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

A huge search operation, involving more than 20 countries, continues

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Ukrainians 'Will Fight War Against Russia'

West Targets Putin's Senior Aides

Updated: 7:54pm UK, Monday 17 March 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor, Moscow

He had roared out his displeasure: There would be "severe costs" over Russia's invasion of the Crimea.

Then America's president bleated.

Meanwhile in Europe foreign ministers did what they often do at a time of crisis, they reached for the paperwork.

The result of this two-pronged attack must have left the targets of their displeasure, 11 named by Russia and 21 as yet unnamed by Brussels, feeling as if they had been savaged by a teddy.

While Russian troops armed with the latest surface-to-surface missiles tore up the earth on the borders with Ukraine, and more were securing the Crimea's widely condemned secession, the West went one up from sending a strongly-worded letter of complaint.

Visa bans and assets seizures are to be imposed by Washington and London. The people picked out for this treatment are close to Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

They include Vladislav Surkov, a senior aide to Putin. Sergey Glazyev is a member of Russian Academy of Science. He's a former minister and a founder of the Rodina Party.

Valentina Matviyenko is the highest-ranking female politician in Russia, the former governor of Saint Petersburg and the current chairman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation.

Dmitry Rogozin is Russia's deputy Prime Minister. Elena Mizulina is a member of the Duma has been a leading light of efforts to instil "family values", which include campaigning against gay rights.

They are all Putin's political intimates. But few are thought to be holders of vast fortunes in overseas bank accounts.

Rogozin tweeted: "@BarackObama, what should do those who have neither accounts nor property abroad? Or U didn't think about it?)".

Others in the two "hit lists" agreed.

Mr Putin is unlikely to be rattled. Nor will he be, according to Dr Andrei Piontkovsky, a senior fellow at the Russian Academy of Sciences, until those much closer to him are hit in their pockets.

"Sanctions should not hit 140 million Russians. They should be targeted at 140 oligarchs. The corrupt businessmen who have profited from Putin's rule should he hit so that they create friction for him, they start asking what the hell he is up to and telling him to stop," he said.

This may yet happen. But it's puzzling as to why it was that Mr Putin's wealthiest intimates were sanctioned before those who are mere political functionaries of the Kremlin, men and women who reflect and carry out his views, not who shape them.

It may be that the oligarchs are too big to bash. After all the City thrives on Russian capital, London's estate agents suckle at their gilded cashpoints and public schools do a passable job at turning their offspring into acceptable Sloanes.

But one should, perhaps, give Washington and Brussels some credit for a little wisdom.

The West's relationship with Russia is being reset, reluctantly. If it must be done, though, Foreign Secretary William Hague hinted as much, then it will take time.

He said after the council of ministers meeting that Europe had begun to rethink its dependency on Russian fuel.

Such moves require finding new markets and delivery systems. The US has yet to finish building its natural gas export terminal, for example.

Other economic shifts will be less perceptible. Europe will want to keep Russia as an export market - but restrict its access to strategic technologies.

Economic integration has not limited Russian aggression, it has enabled it. Unpicking that conundrum without starting a war is going to take some doing.

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Missing Plane: More Satellites Scan For MH370

Satellite and radar surveillance is being stepped up in the hunt for flight MH370 as investigation into the missing plane enters its 11th day.

At a news conference Malaysia's Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the air and surface search area was being expanded and that other countries had been asked to examine radar data.

China has started using satellites to scan for the jet after signals sent from the plane suggested its last position could be anywhere along two arcs stretching from Central Asia to the southern reaches of the Indian Ocean. 

Mr Hishammuddin revealed the search area in these areas totals nearly three million square miles (7.7 million square km) - an area equivalent to the size of Australia.

Messages of support for family members at Kualar Lumpur airport

Twenty-six countries are now involved in the search. Mr Hishammuddin said two more of its ships had been deployed to the south corridor.

Deep-ocean surveillance capabilities are also being deployed which could locate the aircraft's black box flight recorder assuming it had crashed into the sea.

Some families of passengers have threatened to go on a hunger strike, as their desperate wait for news continues.

The threat from relatives waiting in Beijing came as it emerged two-thirds of those on flight MH370 have been cleared of any links to terrorism, according to officials.

Some 239 passengers were on board flight MH370 when it vanished

"Relatives are very unsatisfied. So you hear them saying 'hunger strike'," Wen Wancheng, whose son was aboard the missing flight, told reporters at the Beijing hotel where families are gathered.

During today's news conference a representative of Malaysia Airlines said they were doing all they could to look after family members and that care assistants had been provided.

Background checks on all 154 Chinese passengers have not uncovered any evidence suggesting a plot to hijack or bring down the aircraft, Huang Huikang, the Chinese ambassador to Malaysia, said.

It appears to discount one theory that Uighur separatists - the group blamed for an attack in Beijing's Tiananmen Square last October and the massacre at Kunming railway station earlier this month - might have been involved in the plane's disappearance.

Mr Hamid and Mr Zaharie were at the controls of the Boeing 777

There has been no trace of the Boeing 777 since it disappeared less than one hour into its flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.

The aircraft's tracking devices were deliberately switched off, allowing it to travel almost undetected.

Satellite data suggests the plane flew for at least seven hours and could have ended up anywhere from central Asia to the southern reaches of the Indian Ocean.

It has prompted an unprecedented search involving teams from some 26 countries, who are scouring huge swathes of land and ocean for any sign of the aircraft.

Mr Huang said searches are now under way in China - part of which crosses a northern corridor across which the plane may have flown.

Meanwhile, investigators continue to probe the background of pilots Zaharie Ahmad Shah and Fariq Abdul Hamid, as well as ground engineers who worked on the aircraft before it took off.

The homes of both pilots have been searched and a flight simulator belonging to Mr Zaharie seized.

It is believed Mr Hamid made the last communication from the aircraft, calmly telling air traffic controllers as the plane passed into Vietnamese air space: "All right, good night."

Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, who is expected to provide an update on the search at a news conference later, said: "The fact that there was no distress signal, no ransom notes, no parties claiming responsibility, there is always hope."

Malaysia's former transport minister Ong Tee Keat told Sky News the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) - a UN body - should take on the investigation to ensure there are no cover-ups or withholding of information.

He said he was not alleging a cover-up, but said transparency is needed.

He also said better coordination is needed among Malaysian government agencies and between countries to help find the plane.

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Putin Says Crimea Vote 'Quite Convincing'

Russian President Vladimir Putin has received a standing ovation in parliament after defending Crimea's breakaway vote to join Moscow.

To regular applause, he pointed out that 82% of Crimea residents turned out for Sunday's referendum, and more than 96% of them voted to join Russia.

He said the vote was "quite convincing" and was held "in full accordance with democratic procedures and international legal norms".

"The (Crimean) issue has a vital importance, a historic importance for all of us," he said.

Mr Putin's speech came after he approved a draft bill for Crimea's annexation, and coincided with a mass rally, celebrating ties between Russia and Crimea, in the city's Red Square.

Mr Putin also thanked Ukraine's soldiers for "not staining themselves in blood in Crimea".

He said Crimea's future was decided without a shot being fired because it was "practically impossible to fight the will of people."

Western leaders say Crimea's vote was illegal and have refused to recognise its decision to join Russia.

The EU and US have imposed travel bans and asset freezes on senior Moscow officials, and British Prime Minister David Cameron said "there will be further consequences" if Russia takes further action to destabilise Ukraine.

As tensions continue to grow, one of Ukraine's top politicians told Sky News his country is ready to fight if Russian soldiers cross the border from Crimea into mainland Ukraine.

Serhiy Taruta, governor of the eastern city of Donetsk, warned: "We're going to have a war. Our people will take up arms and they will protect our country."

Under the Russian decree, which could be finalised as early as Friday, Crimea will ditch Ukraine's currency, the Hryvnia, and adopt the Rouble within a month.

It is also due to move time zones - adopting Moscow time, which is two hours ahead of Kiev - on March 30.

The peninsular is also offering Crimean soldiers the chance to join the Russian army.

Ukraine has already called up 20,000 reserve troops and a further 20,000 from its newly-formed National Guard to protect the mainland against any Russian movement across its eastern border.

Huge tank traps have been placed at checkpoints and a 60-mile trench has been dug along the border as defensive preparations gather pace.

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Oscar Pistorius Trial Hears From Gun Supplier

A firearms supplier has told the Oscar Pistorius murder trial that the athlete had a "great love and enthusiasm" for guns.

Firearms training academy manager Sean Rens told the court he met the double-amputee runner in 2012 and that Pistorius asked to be provided with a revolver.

Mr Rens said Pistorius was familiar with rules for using guns and had filled out a questionnaire when applying for new permits.

He said Pistorius told him of one occasion when he had feared intruders were in his home and he had drawn a weapon.

He went into "code red" or "combat mode" after hearing a noise in his house but it turned out to be from the tumble dryer, Mr Rens said.

Pistorius had tweeted about the incident in November 2012, saying: "Nothing like getting home to hear the washing machine on and thinking its an intruder to go into full combat recon mode into the pantry!"

The tweet has since been deleted from his Twitter account.

Mr Rens said that after buying a Smith and Wesson 500 from him, Pistorius put in a further order for four more guns - two shotguns, a LM6 civilian assault rifle and two revolvers, including a .38 special.

The athlete's sister Aimee spoke with June Steenkamp in court

However, the order was cancelled around a month after Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead, the court heard. 

At the start of the day Ms Steenkamp's mother June  - attending for the first time since the opening day - appeared to acknowledge the athlete and spoke to his sister Aimee in the courtroom.

She left court before evidence from police photographer Bennie van Staden, who discussed pictures taken at the scene - including graphic images of her daughter's injuries.

The court was shown photographs of Pistorius' bloodied prosthetic leg

Mr van Staden said he was called to the house at 4.50am on February 14, 2013 where he took photographs of the victim, of Mr Pistorius in a garage and of rooms in the house.

He told the court the date and time was visible in his pictures and rejected claims from the defence that the timeline of his work was unclear.

He also explained how he marked out certain objects in the bathroom with cones and moved a towel and other items for visibility.

Smears of blood were visible on a signed cricket bat in the house

The court was shown photographs of Mr Pistorius' bloodied prosthetic leg and of unexplained damage to the main bedroom door in the house.

Photographs were also taken of blood spots on the bedroom wall, above one of the bedside tables, and of bullet casings in the passage leading from the bedroom to the bathroom, the court heard.

Sky's Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt, who has been in court, said: "Why all this is there, we haven't been offered an explanation, but it begins to build up a picture of the prosecution case, that there was an argument before the shooting."

Police pictures showed the scene in the athlete's bedroom

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

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

The athlete denies the charges and says he shot Ms Steenkamp, 29, by mistake after mistaking her for an intruder.

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:: Watch a special Sky News programme on the trial at 9.30pm, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Ukraine Calls Up Troops After Crimea Vote

Ukraine's parliament has approved a partial mobilisation of troops following Crimea's referendum supporting a union with Russia.

It said 20,000 troops reserve troops were being called up, plus 20,000 more from the newly-formed National Guard.

Crimea's regional assembly has already formally applied to join Russia and announced the nationalisation of all Ukrainian state property, including the disbanding of military bases on the peninsula.

"The republic of Crimea appeals to the United Nations and to all countries of the world to recognise it as an independent state," read a document by the Crimean assembly on Monday.

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

Nearly 97% of voters said they wanted to break away from Ukraine but Western powers have called the referendum a "sham" and against international law.

Foreign Secretary William Hague warned this morning of "long term costs and consequences for Russia" as European ministers prepare to punish Russian and Crimean officials with travel bans and asset freezes.

America has restated its rejection of the referendum, branding Russia's actions "dangerous and destabilising".

Russian President Vladimir Putin insists the vote is legal and is set to address the issue at the Russian parliament on Tuesday.

Crimea wasted no time following the landslide vote - officials are expected to fly to Moscow later on Monday to discuss joining its powerful neighbour.

It also wants Ukrainian military outposts in the region disbanded, but the government in Kiev said they are staying put.

"Those (troops) who want to live here? No problem. Those who want to swear allegiance we will examine," said Crimea's assembly chief Volodymyr Konstantynov.

Thousands turned out in Simferopol and Sevastopol to celebrate the vote

Sky News' Nick Martin, at an army base near Crimean capital Simferopol, said it was a tense time for the solders and their families.

"There are many Ukrainian soldiers inside, pretty much surrounded by Russian soldiers - no one really knows how this will work.

He said many practical questions are also hanging over Crimea, such as moving to the Russian currency, the payment of salaries and the supply of gas and electricity.

Ukrainian troops in Kiev - thousands more are now on alert

Thousands of people had gathered in Crimean capital Simferopol ahead of the referendum result, waving Russian flags as patriotic songs played and fireworks lit up the sky.

People also turned out to celebrate in Sevastopol, where the Russian navy's Black Sea Fleet is based.

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

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

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

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

Kiev has accused "Kremlin agents" of now trying to stoke violence in Russian-speaking cities such as Donetsk.

It has urged people not to be provoked into retaliating because clashes could be used by Moscow as an excuse for further interventions.

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