Ukraine: Nato Planes To Monitor Russian Military

Crimea Crisis: A Ukrainian Voice From Kiev

Updated: 1:48pm UK, Monday 10 March 2014

We Ukrainians are shocked at the blatant and cynical lies Russian President Vladimir Putin and his propaganda war machine are spouting.

In terms of the legitimacy of our government - it is an interim government, and on May 25 a new president will be elected by the will of Ukrainian citizens. The future president will appoint ministers.

The corrupt, criminal regime could not be tolerated any more.

It was not some fascist coup that removed President Viktor Yanukovych.

It was a pan-Ukrainian uprising carried out by students, farmers, teachers, blue- and white-collar workers, entrepreneurs, pensioners, medics, war veterans and even pupils.

Activists came from all corners of Ukraine, including eastern and southern Ukraine and Crimea.

Our former president was and still is Mr Putin's puppet.

He acted in Russian interests and was preparing Ukraine for a "soft invasion".

He continued the contract for a Russian fleet in Crimea, ravaged our military forces and brought a halt to our military industry.

One of Mr Putin's biggest lies is his claim neo-fascists are running amok, looting and killing everyone.

I have walked through the streets of Kiev many times, including the central districts late in the evening and I am yet to see one of Mr Putin's fictitious balaclava-clad thugs robbing somebody or starting a fire or trying to kill a pro-Russian supporter.

The irony is Kiev has a lion's share of Russian-speaking residents.

The Russian Government is intentionally using the terms "Russian speaker", "ethnic Russian" and "Russian citizen" to confuse the situation.

There are only a handful of Russian citizens in Ukraine - some 17% of Ukrainian citizens (including Crimea) are ethnic Russians and almost half of the country speak Russian. That is the legacy of three-and-a-half centuries of a co-existence of two peoples.

But if half of Ukraine speaks Russian it doesn't mean they want to be under Russian rule. On the contrary, the majority in eastern Ukraine are strongly against annexing to the Russian Federation.

The very principle of "protecting Russian speakers" is a very crooked one.

Maybe Ukraine should invade Moscow because there are up to two million ethnic Ukrainians living there?

Maybe Mexico should annex California since there are lot of Mexican living there, or France should invade Canada due to Quebec tensions?

While the crisis continues, Ukrainians try to go about their daily lives and it is business as usual for most.

People go to work in the morning, pay their taxes, public services function normally, shops and banks are open (near Maidan Square in Kiev as well), bills are paid and so on.

Couples go on walks in the evenings. Cinemas and theatres are visited as usual. Some people may think about stocking food, but supermarkets are full of food, there is absolutely no panic-buying.

Nevertheless, the psychological impact of the crisis on people is evident - and there remains a tension in the air following last month's revolution.

Everybody talks about looming war. There's no panic, but the anxiety is everywhere.

Men contemplate the possibility of being called to active duty, while women cry when they think of their sons, husbands and brothers going to war.

Our morale is high. We are a strong freedom-loving and valorous people. We are determined to defend ourselves.

Recent events have shown cameras are a more powerful weapon in the 21st century than Kalashnikovs.

Russia is using every trick in the book to provoke Ukraine and to justify military aggression.

In southern and eastern regions (and in Crimea itself) there are thousands of Russian and Russian-hired agent-provocateurs - thugs to stir up tension and give the impression that those regions are eager to be under Russian control.

There are also a lot of actors: one day you see them as indigenous Kharkiv citizens protesting against the repression of Russian-speaking people, and the next, you see them in Odessa where they are local women telling of the Ukrainian persecution of Russians.

There are also lots of transported Russian Cossacks in Crimea that are extremely aggressive.

These so-called Cossacks have nothing to do with real Ukrainian Cossacks and are Mr Putin's "Einsatzgruppe".

We saw them in action when they whipped members of Russian protest group Pussy Riot in Sochi.

In addition, Serbian Chetniks have joined these Russian Cossacks to patrol Crimea.

These young boys and men without insignia have been sent by their blood-thirsty government intentionally as cannon fodder to be killed by Ukrainian militaries.

But Ukraine is a very peaceful country and hasn't fallen for this provocation.

These unmarked soldiers have told locals that they were woken up in the middle of the night, had their IDs and mobile phones taken away and transported to Crimea. Even their own parents are not aware of where their sons are.

We Ukrainians do hope the US and Europe will help us militarily if all-out war breaks out.

We will fight till our last breath, but Russia is too powerful. We will not win without the West's help.

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

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Ukraine: 'Intimidation' Ahead Of Crimea Vote

By Nick Martin, Sky News Correspondent, in Simferopol

Men dressed in police uniforms are said to have snatched and torn passports belonging to pro-Ukrainians amid allegations of voter intimidation in Crimea.

The Mayor of the Crimean capital, Simferopol, has told Sky News gangs of men have reportedly demanded documents from anyone suspected of intending to vote against Crimea becoming part of Russia in a referendum on March 16.

One man, who did not want to be named, said he was approached by policemen who demanded to see his passport.

He told Sky News: "On the way to work, I was stopped by two policemen.

"They asked see my documents. I showed them a copy of my passport and they wanted me to go to the police station. I refused. They don't want us to vote in this referendum.

"In my district, I saw groups of men, some dressed in uniforms, going from house to house checking passports. Some were torn up."

Deputy Mayor Glazkov i'Lya

Anyone wanting to vote in the referendum will have to show their passports as proof of identification and any attempt to sway the outcome will be seen by both sides as hugely controversial.

Hundreds of people called the local administrative offices in Simferopol complaining of harassment, said Deputy Mayor Glazkov i'Lya.

"The situation is that some people approached our citizens.

"They were asked to show their documents, then they just took them and ran away. Some passports were torn. Some people said the men were wearing police uniforms.

"This is provocation. It's not a joke. They think they can stop the referendum then they're wrong. The referendum will go ahead."

The Crimean Tatar leader Refat Chubarov said he would be pushing to boycott Sunday's referendum, claiming the Kremlin will "rig the vote".

"The result has already been decided by Moscow."

Military installations have been taken over by pro-Russian forces

The allegations come on a day of continued tensions in Crimea.

Armed men moved into a Ukrainian naval post in Backchisaray and fired shots into the air, according to a Ukrainian defence minister.

Vladislav Seleznyov said on Facebook that 10 "unidentified armed men" drove into the compound in two minibuses and demanded 10 trucks from Ukrainian personnel.

Thirty-six volunteer soldiers in the region swore an oath of allegiance in front of Crimea's pro-Russian Prime Minister Sergei Aksyonov, pledging to "defend the people of Crimea".

UDAR party leader Vitaly Klitschko was pelted with eggs and apples by Pro-Russia demonstrators at a rally in Kharkiv.

Pro-Russian forces have taken over military installations across Crimea in under a week, although Moscow has denied the uniformed units are theirs - a claim ridiculed by Ukraine and the West.

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

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Ukraine: Yanukovych Says He Is Still President

Ukraine: 'Intimidation' Ahead Of Crimea Vote

Updated: 9:25am UK, Tuesday 11 March 2014

By Nick Martin, Sky News Correspondent, in Simferopol

Men dressed in police uniforms are said to have snatched and torn passports belonging to pro-Ukrainians amid allegations of voter intimidation in Crimea.

The Mayor of the Crimean capital, Simferopol, has told Sky News gangs of men have reportedly demanded documents from anyone suspected of intending to vote against Crimea becoming part of Russia in a referendum on March 16.

One man, who did not want to be named, said he was approached by policemen who demanded to see his passport.

He told Sky News: "On the way to work, I was stopped by two policemen.

"They asked see my documents. I showed them a copy of my passport and they wanted me to go to the police station. I refused. They don't want us to vote in this referendum.

"In my district, I saw groups of men, some dressed in uniforms, going from house to house checking passports. Some were torn up."

Anyone wanting to vote in the referendum will have to show their passports as proof of identification and any attempt to sway the outcome will be seen by both sides as hugely controversial.

Hundreds of people called the local administrative offices in Simferopol complaining of harassment, said Deputy Mayor Glazkov i'Lya.

"The situation is that some people approached our citizens.

"They were asked to show their documents, then they just took them and ran away. Some passports were torn. Some people said the men were wearing police uniforms.

"This is provocation. It's not a joke. They think they can stop the referendum then they're wrong. The referendum will go ahead."

The Crimean Tatar leader Refat Chubarov said he would be pushing to boycott Sunday's referendum, claiming the Kremlin will "rig the vote".

"The result has already been decided by Moscow."

The allegations come on a day of continued tensions in Crimea.

Armed men moved into a Ukrainian naval post in Backchisaray and fired shots into the air, according to a Ukrainian defence minister.

Vladislav Seleznyov said on Facebook that 10 "unidentified armed men" drove into the compound in two minibuses and demanded 10 trucks from Ukrainian personnel.

Thirty-six volunteer soldiers in the region swore an oath of allegiance in front of Crimea's pro-Russian Prime Minister Sergei Aksyonov, pledging to "defend the people of Crimea".

UDAR party leader Vitaly Klitschko was pelted with eggs and apples by Pro-Russia demonstrators at a rally in Kharkiv.

Pro-Russian forces have taken over military installations across Crimea in under a week, although Moscow has denied the uniformed units are theirs - a claim ridiculed by Ukraine and the West.

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

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Ukraine: Rival Rallies As Putin Defends Vote

Clashes have broken out between tens of thousands of pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian protesters at rival rallies across Ukraine, as Moscow continues to cement its control over Crimea.

In the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, pro-Russians gathered at Lenin Square holding flags and singing Russian songs to support the autonomous republic's upcoming referendum on joining Russia.

According to local media reports, scuffles then broke out, with claims that "whip-wielding Cossacks" had attacked their opponents.

In the eastern city of Luhansk, people who gathered in the main square to mark the 200th birth anniversary of Ukraine's national poet Taras Shevchenko were reportedly attacked by pro-Russia protesters.

Chanting "Russia! Russia!" the demonstrators then broke through a police barricade and took over the local government building, where they raised the Russian flag and demanded a citywide referendum on joining Russia, reports said.

A woman in the city claimed her son had been beaten up by pro-Russian demonstrators as they moved into the square carrying Russian flags.

In the eastern city of Donetsk, a rally in support of an undivided Ukraine was called off as hundreds of pro-Russian demonstrators disrupted the construction of the stage.

Riot police then asked people to leave the square to avoid further trouble.

Pro-Russian activists beat a pro-Ukrainian supporter in Sevastopol

The referendum, to be held on Sunday, will ask Crimeans whether they would like to remain part of Ukraine or join Russia. It has been denounced by the new Ukrainian government, which has vowed not to give up a "single centimetre" of territory.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has defended the breakaway move by pro-Moscow authorities in Crimea, despite warnings by the West that it is illegal.

According to the Kremlin, he told Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a phone call that "the steps taken by the legitimate leadership of Crimea are based on the norms of international law and aim to ensure the legal interests of the population of the peninsula".

But Chancellor Merkel said the referendum violated both Ukraine's constitution and international law.

However, Mr Putin also said he wanted to find a "diplomatic solution" to the crisis, and agreed the need to de-escalate tensions in Ukraine.

Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke to US President Barack Obama and said all sides needed to act with calm and that "political and diplomatic routes must be used to resolve the crisis", according to China's foreign ministry.

Meanwhile, video footage has emerged which appears to show pro-Russian forces firing on a Ukrainian military aircraft.

And there are signs Russia is flexing its economic as well as its military muscle, with reports it is likely to increase the price Ukraine pays for its gas supplies, having previously agreed to cut it.

Foreign observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe have also been turned away from the region after warning shots were fired as they approached.

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

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Steve Irwin's Dying Moments Revealed On Camera

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

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

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

Irwin and his wife Terri with an alligator in 2002

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

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

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

Irwin made a name for himself with his fearless animal stunts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Pistorius Throws Up During 'Graphic' Evidence

Pistorius Trial: Evidence Summary

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

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

Day Five

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Day Four

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Day Three

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Day Two

The evidence of Ms Burger continued.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Day One

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

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

She described hearing "bloodcurdling screams" and four shots.

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

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

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Crimea: Klitschko Condemns 'Aggressive' Russia

Ukrainians In Their Own Words

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

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

:: Marina's story

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

:: Nastya's story

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

:: Ivan's story

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Malaysia Airlines: 'Suspect' Passengers Probe

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

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

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

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

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

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

Malaysia Airlines plane vanished off the south coast of Vietnam

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

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

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

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

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

The circles show the two areas the search is focusing on

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

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

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

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

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

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Malaysia Airlines: False Passports Terror Probe

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

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

The circles show the two areas the search is focusing on

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

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

Two passengers used passports stolen from Christian Kozel and Luigi Maraldi

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

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

Prayers are said at Kuala Lumpur airport for the missing passengers

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

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

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

The two oil slicks seen off Vietnam

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

The two men using stolen passports reportedly bought their tickets together from a travel agency in Pattaya, Thailand.

They were due to fly on to Europe from Beijing, meaning they did not have to apply for a Chinese visa and undergo further checks.

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

Journalists try to interview a grieving relative in Beijing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Family members have complained of a lack of information

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

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

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

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

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

Officials are examining CCTV footage of passengers boarding the plane after it emerged two passengers had been travelling on stolen passports.

The airline listed one of the passengers as a 37-year-old Italian called Luigi Maraldi. He has contacted his parents in Italy to say he was not on the airliner.

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

Another passenger used a passport belonging to Austrian citizen Christian Kozel. He is listed as one of the passengers although he has been confirmed as safe and well by authorities.

His passport was stolen in Thailand two years ago.

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

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

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Obama Hails West's 'Unified' Stance On Crimea

Putin Loses An Ally But Gains A Territory

Updated: 2:19pm UK, Friday 07 March 2014

By Ian Woods, Senior News Correspondent

Vladimir Putin can sit back and enjoy the show in Sochi after a very satisfactory week.

In between the Winter Olympics and Paralympics, he has lost an ally but gained a territory, and he has no plans to give it back no matter how loudly other world leaders protest.

The Russian President is in a strong position and he knows it. 

On March 16, there will be a referendum in Crimea which will almost certainly produce an overwhelming vote in favour of a union in Russia. 

It will give a semblance of legitimacy to a land grab orchestrated by the Kremlin, but carried out by a military force that the Russians claim they don't control. 

The territory, which was gifted to Ukraine in 1954 by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, will be returned to Moscow rule. 

Crimea continued to be governed by Moscow until 1991 when the Soviet Union broke apart, and has always retained a strong ethnic Russian identity.

The interim Ukrainian government protests that the referendum is unconstitutional and that any secession has to be approved by the country as a whole. 

But Mr Putin points out that the crisis began with an "unconstitutional coup d'etat" which removed the elected Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, so those in Kiev are hardly playing by the rulebook. 

Mr Putin is still giving his former neighbour Mr Yanukovych refuge, but knows that he is a spent political force.

Another lengthy telephone conversation between Mr Putin and President Obama merely demonstrated the gulf between them.

The US may have gone further than the EU in coming up with a package of economic sanctions, but it does not appear to have had any impact on Mr Putin. 

On the contrary, he is already trying to move on. 

The Kremlin's version of the conversation quoted President Putin stressing the "paramount importance of Russian-US relations for ensuring stability and security in the world".

"These relations should not be sacrificed due to disagreements on individual international issues even if they are very significant," he is also quoted as saying.

In other words, let's agree to differ on Ukraine, with no hard feelings.

The West fears that if it accepts what appears to be a fait accompli in Crimea, it could encourage the Kremlin to encourage a similar breakaway in other Russian-dominated areas of Eastern Ukraine such as Donetsk. 

Crimea could prove to be a slippery slope. 

As he watches the Winter Paralympic Games in Sochi, Mr Putin can award himself a gold medal for boldness - and for keeping a straight face as he told the world that the military forces in Crimea had nothing to do with him.

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