Ukraine: Russian Forces Remain, Says Nato

Russian armed forces are continuing to keep a presence near Ukraine's border, according to Nato.

Primorko-Akhtarsk Air Base. Pic: DigitalGlobe

The organisation's top military commander in Europe, General Philip Breedlove, has released a set of commercial satellite photographs which reportedly shows Russian warplanes, combat helicopters, armour, artillery and a probable airborne or special forces brigade deployed in various locations.

The bases are in southern Russia - east of the Ukraine-Russian border - near Kuzminka, Belgorod, Yeysk, and Novocherkassk, east of the Sea of Azov.

Belgorod. Pic: DigitalGlobe

The content of the photographs, which commercial provider DigitalGlobe said were taken on March 22, has not yet been independently verified.

An alleged Russian artillery battalion. Pic: DigitalGlobe

According to General Breedlove, possible countermoves to the Russian military threat against Ukraine could include sending US troops to alliance nations in eastern Europe who felt at risk.

Probable airborne or Spetznaz (special forces) brigade. Pic: DigitalGlobe

Russian troops in March took control of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula after local citizens - the majority of whom are ethnic Russians - voted in a referendum to secede and join Russia.

Military tanks and infantry fighting vehicles. Pic: DigitalGlobe

The US and other Western countries have accused Moscow of massing troops on Ukraine's border to maintain the pressure on the government in Kiev, and possibly for military use.

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Athens Bomb Fails To Dent Greek Bond Sale

Greece has tapped the bond markets for the first time since its bailout in 2010, as deep anger remains over severe austerity in the debt-ridden nation.

A bomb blast outside a Bank of Greece building preceded the debt sale.

The device detonated in a car before dawn but there were no injuries and it was unclear whether the attack was related to the sale of the five-year bonds, which raised a better-than-initially-expected €3bn and marked a milestone in its return from financial rescue.

The Greek deputy prime minister Evangelos Venizelos said it was over eight-times oversubscribed.

Source: Reuters

He described the sale as a "huge success" while the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Christine Lagarde saw it as "an indication that Greece is heading in the right direction."

The yield - the effective interest rate - was confirmed at 4.95%, lower than fellow bailout nation Ireland's 5.9% five-year yield on its market return in July 2012.

The bombing followed a 24-hour public sector strike in Greece - the latest protest in a string of often violent demonstrations against the continuing austerity demanded of it by its international bailout lenders, including the IMF.

The latest anti-austerity protests were held in Athens on Wednesday

German chancellor Angela Merkel - a hate figure among unions in Greece because of her demands for deeper spending cuts in the country - is due in the Greek capital for talks on Friday.

Despite Greek bonds being rated as 'junk' by major ratings agencies, the success of the sale followed a steep decline in the country's borrowing costs from the darkest days of the eurozone crisis.

It marked progress in the Greek recovery programme but analysts also pointed to growing investor demand for riskier credits after the  latest US Federal Reserve minutes confirmed little pressure for a rise in interest rates before mid-2015.

Ishaq Siddiqi, market strategist at ETX Capital, said the sale marked the start of an uphill battle to regain credibility.

"The move by Greece at first to return to the bond markets appears to be opportunistic and somewhat symbolic as the country clearly wants to be able to raise its own funds to reduce its dependency on the Troika (its international creditors).

"Progress is slowly being made in the country's economy, but I stress, very slowly with the country mostly being helped out by the wider-recovery in the euro zone which is filtering in.

"Greece still has a debt/GDP ratio somewhere around 170%, still much higher than the IMF's (International Monetary Fund's) target of 120% for the country and, of course, the stubbornly high and frightening unemployment rate of 27.5% - the highest in the euro zone. 

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'If Reeva Had Spoken I Would Not Have Fired'

Oscar Pistorius has told a court he fired his weapon "by accident" after hearing a noise in his bathroom and thinking he was about to be attacked by an intruder.

The court in Pretoria heard the athlete say he fired four shots in quick succession after hearing someone inside the bathroom.

Fighting back tears, the 27-year-old said: "When I heard a noise, I didn't have time to think and I fired my weapon. It was an accident.

"If Reeva had come out or she had spoken to me I wouldn't have fired. The noise coming from the bathroom made me pull the trigger."

Pistorius had been in a relationship with Reeva Steenkamp for four months

During a second day of cross-examination, prosecutor Gerrie Nel claimed Pistorius' version of events on the night of February 13 last year "is a lie" and the barrister accused him of "adapting" events to suit his account.

The double amputee recounted waking up during the night and getting out of bed to close the doors to a balcony, shut the curtains and move fans into the room.

Miss Steenkamp is then thought to have got out of bed, but the athlete said he was unable to see her because he had his back turned and the room was dark.

Pistorius also said a duvet and fan in images shown to the court had been moved by police officers after Miss Steenkamp's death.

Mr Nel portrayed him as selfish and prone to tantrums during the couple's four-month relationship. He also questioned him about text messages sent by Miss Steenkamp which claimed she was "scared" of his reactions.

Text messages between the couple have been shown in court

He read from one message which said: "'I've been upset with you for two days now... I'm scared of you sometimes'. Why would she be scared of you?"

Pistorius replied: "I think she's scared of the feelings that she had for me, she says 'I'm scared of you sometimes and how you snap at me and how you will react to me'.

"I never shouted or screamed at her. It hurt her feelings about the way I would react."

Mr Nel accused the athlete of "picking on" Miss Steenkamp, claimed Pistorius "did not care enough" to tell Miss Steenkamp he loved her and insisted their relationship was focused on "me, Oscar".

The athlete also told the court he was "terribly sorry" he had taken his girlfriend's life after he was asked why he had not apologised in person to her family.

He said: "I am terribly sorry that I took the life of their daughter. I didn't think they would want to see me."

Pistorius was accused of blaming his legal team for not questioning claims made by witnesses and was asked a series of questions over his handling of firearms and ammunition.

He has admitted a handgun went off in a restaurant while in his possession, and told the court he carried his gun everywhere and usually had a bullet in the chamber.

The court heard Pistorius had ammunition belonging to his father in the safe at his home, for which he did not have a licence. He also had an extra magazine in his bedside drawer, which was found when he was arrested, and usually carried his gun with him at all times for safety reasons.

Pistorius denies premeditated murder and illegally possessing ammunition and two further counts related to shooting a gun in public in separate incidents prior to the killing.

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British Nuclear Sub Joins Missing Plane Hunt

The nuclear submarine HMS Tireless is on its way to the area where possible signals from the black box recorder of the missing flight MH370 have been detected, Sky sources say.

The ship HMS Echo arrived in the search zone in the Indian Ocean a few hours ago and will help the Australian naval ship Ocean Shield, which detected four previous pings, and Haixun 01, a Chinese ship.

After dropping sound-locating buoys into the ocean, an Australian Navy P-3 Orion aircraft detected another potential signal on Thursday afternoon in the same area pings were heard on Saturday.

Angus Houston, who is in charge of the operation, confirmed the surveillance plane had picked up the "possible signal".

A map showing the two of the search areas

"The acoustic data will require further analysis overnight but shows potential of being from a made-made source," he said.

If confirmed, it will be the fifth signal to have been recorded by search teams, following on from detections on Tuesday and Saturday that have allowed search teams to narrow down the area they are looking in.

They are searching an area of the southern Indian Ocean 1,670km (1,040 miles) from Perth after the plane went missing en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8.

The Haixun 01 vessel initially reported some acoustic signals south of where the Ocean Shield sounds were detected on Saturday.

The first four pings were heard in the smaller zone being searched

But the signals heard by the Chinese ship were not believed to have occurred again.

The Australian Navy has been dropping the buoys in a pattern across the area where the Ocean Shield heard the pings.

Attached to each is a hydrophone listening device which dangles about 300m (1,000ft) below the surface.

Search aircraft, like the Orion, undertook at least 30 flights on Thursday

Australian Navy Commodore Peter Leavy said the hope was that the buoys would be able to pinpoint the source of the signals.

But experts say time is running out as pingers on black boxes are designed to emit signals for no more than 30 days.

Hopes that they may be tracked down in time rose on Thursday after an Australian government document circulated among agencies involved in the search said the pingers could continue for up to 10 more days.

Mr Houston on Wednesday expressed "optimism" about the ongoing search operation.

ADV Ocean Shield is towing a "Pinger Locator"

"I'm now optimistic that we will find the aircraft, or what is left of the aircraft, in the not too distant future," he said.

"But we haven't found it yet, because this is a very challenging business."

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Major Hunt After Three-Year-Old Girl Snatched

A three-year-old girl has been snatched in an Australian town, prompting a major police hunt.

Chloe Campbell went missing at around 7am local time on Thursday morning from a home in Childers, Queensland.

She is described as white, with light brown shoulder-length hair and around 3ft 3in (1m) tall.

Police, who have issued a child abduction alert, say she was wearing orange shorts and a yellow shirt with butterflies and bees on the front.

Her father, Garth Campbell, told Australian Associated Press that Chloe, who normally sleeps in the living room, had vanished along with her sleeping bag and stuffed, blue toy dog.

He said a window was open and that there was an adult-sized footprint on the family's car outside.

"I don't think there's any possible way she's wandered off," he said.

"She wouldn't leave the yard by herself."

He added that they normally closed the windows at night, but that one of the must have failed to lock properly.

"That's why we are blaming ourselves," he said.

"I think it's got to be someone who knows me, in how they got in, where she sleeps. They knew she was sleeping in front of the TV."

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Two More Signals Picked Up In Plane Hunt

Search Chief's Manner Says MH370 Found

Updated: 2:10pm UK, Wednesday 09 April 2014

Retired Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston is a military man, and military men deal in certainties.

He won't commit himself to say they have found the plane. Not yet. Not until he sees some wreckage for his own eyes.

"How confident are you?" he was asked by an Australian reporter. "50%, 70%, 90%?"

He laughed it off. He wouldn't be drawn. Of course he wouldn't. He's a military man. Certainties, certainties, certainties, remember?

There's no "we think we've found it". In his way of thinking, you've either found it or you haven't.

But they have found it, and he knows it.

You only need to read his demeanour and body posture in the press conferences, and how he has relaxed in recent days.

And he's absolutely right not to commit himself. Because he wouldn't just be making a judgement without the full facts, he would be sealing the fate of the 239 people who were on that plane, and he would be telling the families that any remaining hope was now lost.

He will have to do that at some point, in the coming days I suspect, but only when he is ready, only when he is sure.

And that's right.

I think his media management has been top notch.

He has answered all the many detailed questions the media have asked, and built trust.

But there is one thing that has me wondering...

"We're being transparent, we're hiding nothing," he said as he left the podium at the end of a recent press conference.

Well, I don't quite believe him. There was something that led them to that spot in the Indian Ocean, some clue, some intelligence, something that meant Ocean Shield heard the first pings on the very day the black box batteries were due to start weakening.

Sure, Inmarsat has been recalculating its data and narrowing down the search area, but that alone can't be enough.

They have found the plane's black box, potentially 14,700 ft (4,500m) below the Ocean in the middle of nowhere, and not a single piece of wreckage has been picked up to guide them.

Something told them to look there...

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Twenty Students Stabbed Outside High School

A suspect has been taken into custody after 20 students were stabbed at a high school near Pittsburgh.

Dan Stevens, emergency management spokesman at Westmoreland County, said four people were thought to have been seriously injured when a student with a knife stabbed or slashed others.

The attack took place at around 7.20am at Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville, around 15 miles east of Pittsburgh.

Several helicopters were seen flying injured people to nearby hospitals.

Dr Chris Kaufman, at Forbes Regional Medical Center, said two of the victims were undergoing surgery and another also suffered life-threatening injuries. They are expected to survive.

All three of them were stabbed in the torso, abdomen, chest, or back.

Mr Stevens said some of those injured suffered cuts and scrapes as they attempted to flee the scene.

Twelve victims have been sent to four different hospitals.

The school posted on its website: "A critical incident has occurred at the high school.

"All elementary schools are cancelled, the middle school and high school students are secure."

The suspect, a male student, was taken into custody and is being questioned.

The high school was locked down and students were kept there as officials double-checked the premises.

One student told the television WTAE he saw "students holding their stomachs, bleeding."

The student added they are not sure how the assailant was stopped, but a fire alarm was activated and "as soon as we heard the fire alarm was pulled we went outside".

Morris Hundley said his 14-year-old daughter Morriah called him in tears. He rushed to the school still wearing his slippers, hoping for more information.

"My first thoughts were I think we need to home school now that this has happened," he said.

"The words can't describe how I feel. I'm just thinking of the victims."

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Ukraine Hands Separatists 48-Hour Deadline

Ukraine has said it is prepared to forcibly remove pro-Russian separatists from eastern government buildings to end the crisis within the next 48 hours.

Interim Interior Minister Arsen Avakov told protesters they must either take part in negotiations or face the use of force.

Mr Avakov said: "For those who want dialogue, we propose talks and a political solution. For the minority who want conflict they will get a forceful answer from the Ukrainian authorities."

He said the government's anti-terrorist operation was ready to carry out "all planned actions at any moment," adding that the ultimatum will bring the standoff to an end within two days.

Pro-Russian separatists have occupied state buildings in the eastern cities of Luhansk and Donetsk since Sunday.

The SBU says negotiations with separatists in Luhansk are ongoing

They also stormed a building in the eastern city of Kharkiv but were promptly removed by police.

On Wednesday activists In Luhansk reinforced their barricades around a local headquarters of Ukraine's Security Service (the SBU). 

However police denied earlier reports that hostages had been held inside the building. 

The SBU said activists armed with explosives and weapons were holding at least 60 people against their will after storming the headquarters on Sunday. 

It has since said 56 people have been released, although it did not specify whether they were among the 60 initially thought to have been taken.

The protesters fiercely denied the allegations.

Pro-Moscow separatists in Ukraine's east, which has a large ethnic Russian population, are calling for a vote on joining the Russian Federation.

Several eastern cities appear to be following in the footsteps of Crimea

In Donetsk, protesters inside the regional authority building have already declared a separatist republic.

The latest unrest strongly echoes the build-up to Russia's annexation of Crimea which came after voters overwhelmingly backed referendum on leaving Ukraine.

Many in the east are suspicious of the new Western-friendly interim government which replaced Ukraine's Kremlin-allied President Viktor Yanukovych following mass protests in February.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to protect ethnic Russians, prompting concern he may be planning to expand Russia's military control beyond Crimea.

Ukraine and the United States have gone as far as to suggest Russia may be orchestrating violence in the east in order to justify further military intervention.

Mr Kerry has warned that Russian agents could be behind recent unrest

According to Nato up to 40,000 Russian troops are currently massed along the Ukrainian border.

However Russia has repeatedly denied claims it is planning to invade.

In a statement on Wednesday the Russian Foreign Ministry said: "The United States and Ukraine have no reason to be worried.

"Russia has stated many times that it is not carrying out any unusual or unplanned activity on its territory near the border with Ukraine that would be of military significance."

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has confirmed she will attend a meeting next week with Ukraine's acting Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry.

It will be the first direct meeting between all four key players in the crisis.

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Why Is MH370 Search Chief So Optimistic?

Retired Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston is a military man, and military men deal in certainties.

He won't commit himself to say they have found the plane. Not yet. Not until he sees some wreckage for his own eyes.

"How confident are you?" he was asked by an Australian reporter. "50%, 70%, 90%?"

He laughed it off. He wouldn't be drawn. Of course he wouldn't. He's a military man. Certainties, certainties, certainties, remember?

There's no "we think we've found it". In his way of thinking, you've either found it or you haven't.

But they have found it, and he knows it.

You only need to read his demeanour and body posture in the press conferences, and how he has relaxed in recent days.

Crews are searching the southern Indian Ocean

And he's absolutely right not to commit himself. Because he wouldn't just be making a judgement without the full facts, he would be sealing the fate of the 239 people who were on that plane, and he would be telling the families that any remaining hope was now lost.

He will have to do that at some point, in the coming days I suspect, but only when he is ready, only when he is sure.

And that's right.

I think his media management has been top notch.

He has answered all the many detailed questions the media have asked, and built trust.

But there is one thing that has me wondering...

"We're being transparent, we're hiding nothing," he said as he left the podium at the end of a recent press conference.

Mr Houston has appeared more relaxed in recent days

Well, I don't quite believe him. There was something that led them to that spot in the Indian Ocean, some clue, some intelligence, something that meant Ocean Shield heard the first pings on the very day the black box batteries were due to start weakening.

Sure, Inmarsat has been recalculating its data and narrowing down the search area, but that alone can't be enough.

They have found the plane's black box, potentially 14,700 ft (4,500m) below the Ocean in the middle of nowhere, and not a single piece of wreckage has been picked up to guide them.

Something told them to look there...

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Pistorius: Angry Clashes Over Grisly Photo

Oscar Pistorius was repeatedly branded a liar today amid angry clashes with a prosecutor over a gruesome picture of Reeva Steenkamp's bloodied head.

Pistorius raised his voice and refused to look at the photograph after barrister Gerrie Nel said Reeva's head had "exploded like a watermelon".

As Pistorius sobbed in the dock, Mr Nel referred to a Sky News video showing Pistorius shooting and hitting a watermelon on a firing range.

Pistorius arrives for the trial today

"You know that the same happened to Reeva's head - it exploded," Mr Nel said.

There were gasps in court and some in the public gallery were forced to leave as a picture of Reeva's wounded head was beamed on screens across the courtroom.

As the picture was shown in court, the barrister continued: "Have a look. I know you don't want to because you don't want to take responsibility. Take a look."

Appearing to lose his composure, Pistorius replied: "I will not look at a picture. I touched her head that night. I know how it felt.

A photograph of Reeva Steenkamp with a head injury was shown to the court

"I am taking responsibility, by standing here today - I am not looking at that picture."

The photograph showed a side view of Miss Steenkamp's bloodied head, with her eyes closed.

Mr Nel said: "It's time that you look at it."

Judge Thokozile Masipais eventually asked for the picture to be taken down and ruled that the line of questioning was inappropriate, as Pistorius was forced to take a break.

Earlier, Pistorius shook in the dock as Mr Nel asked: "You killed Reeva Steenkamp, didn't you?"

Pistorius said: "I did, I made a terrible mistake."

Mr Nel replied: "Won't you take responsibility? Take responsibility - say 'I shot and killed Reeva Steenkamp'."

Again and again, Mr Nel accused Pistorius of lying to the court, something the athlete repeatedly denied.

During one heated exchange Mr Nel said: "But Reeva does not have a life any more because of what you have done.

"So please tell the truth, rather than think of the implications for you."

On another occasion, as Mr Nel grew more impatient, Pistorius sobbed: "I am fighting for my life."

Pistorius began today's evidence by describing how he carried the model down the stairs of his home after finding her slumped on the toilet.

"She was sitting with her weight on top of the toilet bowl. I checked to see if she was breathing and she wasn't," he told the court.

June Steenkamp, Reeva's mother, watches today's proceedings

"I pulled her weight on to me and I sat there crying for some time. I felt her head on my shoulder and I could feel the blood running down me. 

"I thought I felt her breathing. I could see her arm was broken.

"I was trying to pick Reeva up. I could see she was still breathing. She was struggling to breathe." 

Pistorius said that he rang 911 and also security - but did not remember either call clearly.

"After I got off the phone with 911, I ran downstairs to open the front door. I could barely pick Reeva up. I opened the front door," he said.

Pistorius said Miss Steenkamp died in his arms

"I ran back up to my room. I went back to the bathroom and tried to pick up Reeva.

"I got to the second flight of stairs. I was shouting and screaming for help in getting her to the hospital."

Pistorius said he was told to put Miss Steenkamp down as neighbours said an ambulance was on its way.

"I just sat there and waited for the ambulance to arrive," he said.

"I had my fingers in her mouth to help her breathe. I had my hand on her hip to try and stop the bleeding.

"Reeva had already died when I was holding her so I knew there was nothing the ambulance could do.

Pistorius has broken down several times since the start of the trial

"Then the paramedic came to me and said she would like to inform me that Reeva had passed.

"The paramedic asked me if there was some form of ID. I went to get Reeva's handbag."

Pistorius said that police officers then arrived and checked the house to see if anyone else was there.

"I asked the policeman if I could wash my hands because the smell of the blood was making me throw up. I washed my hands and face," he said.

The athlete was later taken to the police station and arrested over the death. Afterwards he was taken to hospital where doctors conducted tests on him.

Sky's Alex Crawford and Jeremy Thompson with a South African newspaper

Asked by his barrister whether he intended to kill his girlfriend, Pistorius responded: "I did not intend to kill Reeva or anyone else for that matter." 

Later, under cross examination, Pistorius was asked about what he meant by "accidently" firing his gun at the toilet door.

"Did your gun go off accidently, yes or no, just answer the question?" Mr Nel said.

Again raising his voice, Pistorius replied: "When I fired my firearm I believed someone was coming out of the bathroom to attack me.

"I thought someone was coming out to attack me." 

Mr Nel asked: "Why are you emotional now the questions are difficult?", to which Pistorius answered: "My life is on the line."

For the second time, Judge Masipais jumped in to stop Mr Nel, explaining that it was unfair to imply that Pistorius had intentionally become emotional. 

Pistorius denies premeditated murder and illegally possessing ammunition and two further counts related to shooting a gun in public in separate incidents prior to the killing.

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Nasdaq 'Tech Wreck' Cuts Web Giants' Value

Is Tech Stock Slide A New Dot Com Bubble?

Updated: 1:37pm UK, Tuesday 08 April 2014

By Tom Cheshire, Technology Correspondent

Ouch: Tech stocks are taking a beating.

Let me bombard you with some bad figures.

Companies including Twitter, Amazon, Facebook, LinkedIn and Netflix have lost at least 20% of their value from their 2014 high.

Between them, Facebook and Google have lost £28.5bn in their market capitalisation.

The recent stock market flotation of King.com - the makers of Candy Crush - was the worst IPO debut this year.

On the other side of the world, Samsung cut its January to March profit forecast by 4.3%, and dropped the price of its new flagship S5 phone.

Meanwhile, Chinese internet giant Tencent has lost a fifth of its value.

Is this a new technology bubble - and is it bursting?

Technology stocks are still well below the valuations at the height of the first bubble in 2000.

The internet has become part of everyone's lives, rather than an early adopter's toy: 479 million people were online in June 2001; today, around three billion are.

The companies going to IPO are not offering vague promises, but solid profits: King.com had pure profit of $568m (£340m) in 2014.

And sure, Twitter might not make a profit yet - but neither did Facebook and Google when they had their IPOs.

Now both companies earn more money than they know what to do with.

That may have pushed prices higher.

The supermarket sweeps of Facebook and Google - spending billions on companies like Whatsapp, Oculus Rift and Nest - certainly drove up prices, but both Silicon Valley giants could easily afford the cost.

Investors have to be more circumspect.

What we're seeing is a re-adjustment - one which has been due for a while.

King.com is an extremely well-run gaming company, but probably did not warrant a $7bn (£4.2bn) valuation.

Investors in stocks like Amazon and Netflix were waiting and hoping on higher earnings reports: when these were published in February and March, they've been shifting their money to less expensively valued companies.

But this is good news. Investors are treating tech like proper stocks, rather than the magic beans they did back in 2000.

Technology analysts Oppenheimer & Co actually say that, as a result, the sector is now an opportunity.

This is a bump, rather than a bubble.

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Hunt For MH370 'Pings' Delays Sub Launch

China Trying To Scoop Malaysia In MH370 Search

Updated: 3:31pm UK, Monday 07 April 2014

By Alistair Bunkall, Sky News Defence Correspondent

The authorities are, quite rightly, not publicly concluding that they've found the plane; but reading between the lines, there are clear signs that they believe this is it.

Tony Abbott, the Australian PM, phoned his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak this morning to tell him what ADV Ocean Shield had heard overnight.

That is a sign of how significant this development is. The two leaders wouldn't speak in person were it being treated as a routine update.

And the wheels are now fully in motion to fly the relatives to Perth, maybe in the coming days. The Malaysians are compiling a list of the next of kin. Again, a demonstration of how seriously this news is being treated.

No-one has mentioned the Chinese. At least not voluntarily. It was a tweet from Chinese state-run media that got everyone's hopes up on Saturday evening. Much was made of their find. Pictures from Chinese journalists on board showed Chinese sailors listening to a signal with the correct frequency.

The news took all of us by surprise.

The head of the search operation Angus Houston kept his nerve. By rights China's news should have been relayed to the world by him or the Malaysians. That would have been the protocol.

A mea culpa: I accused the Australians of losing control of the media strategy.

In some respects I was right, this was not how they wanted the news to break.  The Chinese had gone rogue.

But I should have given Angus Houston the benefit of the doubt. He has been extremely impressive since taking control of the situation and I think he knew exactly what he was going on over the weekend.

Behind the scenes he was learning about Ocean Shield's discovery.

On Sunday morning, in between a flurry of questions about the Chinese discovery, he mentioned that Ocean Shield had had an "acoustic event" but details were sketchy. Few of us gave it much thought: all eyes were on the Chinese discovery and HMS Echo steaming towards the area. That was the real discovery. Or so we thought.

Clearly, even to me, the two didn't match up. Either one of them had heard the black box, or neither of them. Given their distance from each other, it couldn't be both of them.

Patiently, Houston waited until Ocean Shield was sure about what it had heard, and only then was it announced as a major development.

In their respective press conferences today, Australia and Malaysia have declined to criticise the Chinese but the way they've answered questions about them, short and to the point, says much.

China has shown frustration with the Malaysians in particular throughout this past month. They first questioned and then demanded the Inmarsat data be handed over. They allowed their nationals to protest outside the Malaysian Embassy in Beijing. Things like don't happen without the state turning a blind eye at the very least.

And the breakthroughs were being made by companies in other countries: the British firm Inmarsat, the French company Airbus, Boeing from the US.

But I think they've also been frustrated with their own inability to find the plane. This was a chance to demonstrate the ability of their technology to the world. A chance to reassure their own people that China is superior.

A chance to say, "don't worry, we've got it; if anyone is going to solve this global mystery, we will".

They haven't managed to.

There were 154 Chinese nationals on board MH370 and clearly Beijing has a right to play a major role in the search, but more than once by various senior people I have been told how they are not operating as team players. There are clearly two separate search operations going on and that isn't helpful.

It might be a race to find the black box but it isn't a competition.

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Oscar Pistorius Describes Night Of Shooting

Oscar Pistorius broke down in court today as he described shooting dead his girlfriend thinking she was an intruder.

In dramatic scenes, Pistorius described finding his girlfriend's body in the toilet of his home - wailing in court: "She was everything."

Pistorius leaves the court after the evidence today

His sister Aimee and one of his lawyers then rushed through the courtroom to his side - before the judge was forced to halt proceedings.

The athlete's emotional breakdown failed to move June Steenkamp, Reeva's mother, who stared, stony-faced at the defendant, as he was consoled by family and friends.

Sky's Alex Crawford, who was at the court, described the wailing as "like animal sounds" coming from the athlete.   

"He was consoled by his sister, but he continued making these loud wailing noises - it was very emotional," Crawford said.

Earlier, the athlete took his prosthetic legs off in court to to relive the moments leading to, during and after the shooting on Valentine's Day last year. 

He described how he begged Reeva to call the police and grabbed his gun in the darkness after thinking he had heard an intruder in the bathroom of his home.

He told the court that just hours before he shot Reeva dead she had been doing yoga at the foot of his bed, stopping from time to time to kiss him affectionately.

Pistorius recounted the events of the evening in fine detail as he sought to persuade the judge that Reeva's death was a terrible mistake.

Arnold Pistorius, Oscar's uncle, wipes away tears during today's evidence

He began by explaining how Reeva had cooked him dinner and the pair ate about 7pm.

After dinner they sat at the dining room table and "chatted about our days".

"Just before 8pm I came into my room and I opened the balcony doors - it was very humid," he told the court.

"I drew the curtains around the fans. They were blackout curtains.

"At that point Reeva came into the room and I took my drink and I put it down on the bedside table.

"I locked the bedroom door and I put the cricket bat about 2cm from the door. I put the cricket bat on the floor so the door would be blocked by the cricket bat.

"I took my prosthetic legs off, so they could air. I put them as close to the door as I could. I climbed onto the bed.

"Reeva jumped on the bed and we were chatting. I was texting my cousin - Reeva was on a social media application. She was showing me pictures of cars and things that she liked."

Pistorius then called his cousin and Reeva got out of bed and started doing yoga at the foot of the bed. 

"Every now and then, Reeva would get up and give me a kiss. Reeva then walked to the bathroom," Pistorius said.

"She called me to come and brush my teeth. She went back to the bedroom. When I came back she was lying in the middle of the bed."

Pistorius said that he fell asleep between 9 and 10pm.

His voice quaking, Pistorius continued: "I woke up in the early hours of February 14.

June Steenkamp sits stony-faced through today's evidence

"It was extremely warm. I sat up in bed. I noticed that the fans were still running and the door was still open. Reeva was still awake. She rolled over to me and said 'Can't you sleep my baba?'.

"I said 'no I can't, not tonight'."

Pistorius said he then locked the sliding doors of the room.

"I came into the room. The only bit of light was a little LED light. I could see a pair of jeans on the floor. I picked them up and was going to place them over the lights.

"At this point I heard a window open in the bathroom.

"My lady, that's the moment everything changed. I thought there was a burglar gaining entry into my home.

"I think initially I just froze. I heard a noise and I interpreted it as someone climbing into the bathroom.

Aimee Pistorius, Oscar's sister breaks down in court

"I immediately thought someone could be there any moment and the first thing that ran through my mind was that I needed to arm myself, to protect Reeva and I - that I needed to get my gun."

Pistorius continued: "I ran and grabbed my firearm. When I got before the passage wall, I was scared that the person could have been in a closet space.

"I had my firearm extended in front of me. I whispered to Reeva to get down and phone the police.

"I was overcome by fear. I screamed at the person to get out. I screamed at Reeva. I was constantly aware this person could come at me at any time. I did not have my legs on. Just before I got to the bathroom, I stopped shouting."

At this point, the court was adjourned for five minutes for Pistorius to remove his prosthetic legs and demonstrate the difficulty he had moving without them.

He went on: "I heard the toilet door slam. It confirmed there was someone inside the bathroom at that time.

"I thought the intruders were going to come out, or were in the bathroom. I was not screaming or shouting at that time.

"I approached this entrance to the bathroom. I was walking with my left hand to the closets. I had my pistol in my right hand. I peered into the bathroom. 

A bucket was placed in the dock in case Pistorius was sick again

"I was not able to walk with as much mobility on the tiled surfaces. I had my pistol raised to my eye.

"There were no lights in the bathroom. As I slowly peered into the bathroom I could see the window was open.

"I had my back against the wall, using my hand as balance, scuffling along the left hand side wall.

"I wasn't sure if the people were in the toilets or on a ladder they had used to gain access or around the corner at that point.

"I saw there was no-one around the corner waiting to attack me. At this point I started screaming for Reeva to call the police. I stood there for some time - I'm not sure for how long.

"I wasn't sure if someone was going to come out of the toilet to shoot me, or off the ladder and attack me.

"Then I heard a noise from inside the toilet which I perceived to be someone coming out of the toilet and before I knew it I had fired four shots at the door. My ears were ringing. I could not hear anything.

Oscar Pistorius arrives at court today

"I kept on screaming for Reeva to call police. I shouted for Reeva. At some point I decided to walk back to the room. 

"At this point it had not occurred to me that it could be Reeva. I was talking to Reeva but no-one was talking to me." 

Pistorius began sobbing as he said: "I got on the bed and put my hand down. I could not feel anything. At that point I thought maybe she had got down on the floor like I had told her to.

"It was at that point it dawned on me it could be Reeva. I made way back up the passage. I was mixed with emotions.

"I did not want to believe it could be Reeva inside the toilet. I was panicked. I was screaming and shouting the whole time and crying out.

"I have never screamed or cried like this before. I was crying out for Reeva. I was crying for the Lord to help me.

"I ran back to the bathroom door. I hit it with the cricket bat. At that point I wanted to just look inside and see if it was Reeva.

Oscar Pistorius wept in court yesterday before giving evidence

"I tried to open the door from the inside. I flung the door open and I sat over Reeva and I cried. I don't know how long I was there for."

Pistorius then began crying uncontrollably as he wailed: "She was everything." 

Earlier in his evidence, Pistorius said he had bought Reeva a bracelet from a designer that she liked for Valentine's Day, which he planned to give her.

He said that Reeva had wrapped a present for him on the evening of the shooting but he was told he was only allowed to open it the following day.

"On August 8 last year, on Reeva's birthday, I opened it, it was a photo frame, with four photos of her and I and the card that she wrote....," he sobbed.

Aimee Pistorius consoled the athlete after he broke down

Pistorius was too upset to continue with the description.   

Earlier, the 27-year-old was "dripping with tears" as he described the start of their relationship and read out a series of instant messaging texts. 

In one of the texts read out in court by Pistorius, Reeva denies being a "flirt" and in another she denies being a "stripper and a ho".

Reeva also sent Pistorius a message saying: "I'm scared of you sometimes and how you snap at me and how you will act towards me."

In a reply to Reeva, Pistorius admitted to feeling "jealous and insecure".

Describing a fight at an engagement party he told the court: "I just think it was a bad hour in our relationship."

The athlete's voice faltered as he read a series of loving messages where they traded affectionate pet names.

Pistorius said meeting Reeva Steenkamp was a 'blessing'

The pet names included "amazballs", "baba", "boo", "angel" and "babycakes".

One text from Reeva to Pistorius read: "I only have eyes for you." In another she wrote: "I want to kiss you and feel your arms around my neck."

He denies premeditated murder and illegally possessing ammunition and two further counts related to shooting a gun in public in separate incidents prior to the killing.

Yesterday, Pistorius slumped on the floor of the dock after testifying for most of the day, unable to continue because he was too exhausted.

He wept and trembled his way through his first day of defence evidence, describing how panic attacks had left him hiding in cupboards since the shooting.

The court is sitting for its 18th day in the trial

He  told the court he woke "smelling blood", was unable to sleep and was on anti-depressants and sedatives.  

Yesterday morning, Pistorius cried as he turned towards Reeva's mother June and apologised for all the hurt he had caused her.

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Ukraine: Pro-Russian Activists 'Take Hostages'

Pro-Russian separatists have planted explosives in a Ukrainian government building and are holding about 60 people, officials say.

Ukraine's state security service (the SBU) said the activists were using explosives and weapons to hold dozens of people in an SBU building in the eastern city of Luhansk.

In a statement the organisation said: "The anti-terror group of the security services of Ukraine .. has established that the criminals have mined the building ... and are holding around 60 people, threatening them with weapons and explosives". 

The pro-Russian separatists stormed the building on Sunday and have continued to occupy it, despite police efforts to remove them.

More follows...

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Ireland and Britain Have A 'Fresh Canvas'

Ireland's President has hailed progress in relations with Britain, telling members of both Houses of Parliament the two countries have a "fresh canvas to sketch out our shared hopes" after centuries of fraught ties.

The Queen wore sky blue cashmere and green feather flowers in her hat

Michael D Higgins - a veteran left-wing politician, poet and human rights activist - said it was impossible to "wipe the slate clean" about the past, but relations between the two countries were good.

He was speaking to members of both Houses of Parliament, a first for an Irish head of state.

In a wide-ranging address, Mr Higgins hailed the transformation of relations between Britain and Ireland, from doubt to trust and mutual respect.

The two nations should take pride in the peace that has been built in Northern Ireland, he said.

"I am conscious that I am in the company here of many distinguished parliamentarians who have made their own individual contributions to the journey we have travelled together.

"I acknowledge them and I salute them, as I acknowledge and salute all those who have selflessly worked to build concord between our peoples.

I celebrate our warm friendship and I look forward with confidence to a future in which that friendship can grow even more resolute and more productive."

Earlier President Higgins and his wife Sabina met the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle.

The couple travelled to Windsor with Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall who had greeted the visitors at the Irish Embassy in London.

Watched over by Queen Victoria, the Irish tricolour and the Union flag

The two heads of state have already met informally but President Higgins' official welcome includes all the traditional pomp and circumstance.

He took part in a ceremonial carriage procession through the streets of Windsor which were decked out in Union flags and Irish tricolours.

After the guests were honoured with two separate gun salutes, the Queen and president entered the castle in the Australian State Coach, before Mr Higgins and Prince Philip inspected troops.

Major Andrew Seddon, captain of the Queen's Company Grenadier Guards, invited Mr Higgins to inspect the guard of honour, speaking to him in Irish.

The Irish Guards was represented by the regimental band as the troops are currently on peacekeeping duties in Cyprus.

The Queen and Prince Philip escort their visitors from Ireland

Mr Higgins presented a new ceremonial red coat to its regimental mascot, an Irish wolfhound called Domhnall of Shantamon.

Later today he is due to address members of both Houses of Parliament and attend a state banquet.

The guest list includes the British and Irish Prime Ministers and the First and Deputy First Ministers of Northern Ireland.

It will be the second time Her Majesty has shaken hands with Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness, a former IRA leader.

The historic visit comes three years after the Queen became the first British monarch to visit the Republic of Ireland.

Irish Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore said: "It is becoming a model relationship between two neighbouring countries. We are very close, respectful neighbours and I think the relationship we are building and working on is one that, given our very complex history, many people throughout the world will be able to draw some inspiration from."

The Queen spoke in Irish and commemorated those who had fought for freedom during her ground-breaking tour.

President Higgins will reciprocate by honouring Britain's war dead at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey.

The head of state, a former arts and culture minister, will attend an Irish concert in the Royal Albert Hall.

Professor Deirdre Heenan, who serves on the president's Council of State, said: "It's about promoting good relations but it's also about saying to the world that we're actually more interested in our commonality, our common love of culture, politics and our common economic interests rather than the focus which would generally have been what divides us."

Michael D Higgins is Ireland's ninth president, having succeeded President Mary McAleese when she left office in November 2011.

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Pistorius Slumps In Dock After Giving Evidence

Oscar Pistorius apologised to the family of Reeva Steenkamp today before slumping in the dock unable to continue with his evidence.

Pistorius wept and trembled his way through his first day of testimony, describing how panic attacks had left him hiding in cupboards since the shooting.

He woke "smelling blood", was unable to sleep and was on anti-depressants and sedatives, he told the court. 

Stoney-faced: June Steenkamp, Reeva's mother, hears the apology

And in dramatic scenes in Pretoria, the day ended early with Pistorius sitting on the floor of the dock with his psychologist wiping away tears and stroking his face.

The athlete's family formed a protective shield around him as he composed himself before eventually leaving the building.

Reporting from the court, Sky's Alex Crawford said: "The psychologist was comforting him - like a mother would do to a child."

Moments earlier, the court hearing had been adjourned for the day after Judge Thokozile Masipa agreed that Pistorius was "exhausted", having not slept. 

This morning, Pistorius cried as he turned towards Reeva's mother June and apologised for all the hurt he had caused her. 

His voice cracking, he said: "I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to Reeva's family, to those of you who knew her who are here today, to her friends.

"There hasn't been a moment since this tragedy happened that I haven't thought about your family."

Pistorius shook as he described panic attacks and nightmares, while Ms Steenkamp's relatives listened intently in the public gallery.

Members of Pistorius's family - including his brother and sister - also wept as the athlete gave evidence during an emotion-charged morning.  

Almost inaudible at times, the Paralympian was asked to speak up by the judge so that the court could hear him.

Oscar Pistorius' brother Carl Pistorius reacts during his trial

Continuing to address June Steenkamp, he said: "I wake up every morning and you're the first people I think of. The first people I pray for.

"I can't imagine the pain and the sorrow and the emptiness that I've caused you and your family.

"I was simply trying to protect Reeva. I can promise you that when she went to bed that night she felt loved.

"I have tried to put my words on paper many, many times to write to you but no words would ever suffice."

June Steenkamp did no show any emotion as the defendant made the apology. 

Pistorius said he was taking anti-depressant medicine and that he has sometimes woken up in terror, suffering from panic attacks.

"I have terrible nightmares about things that happened that night," he said.

Pistorius was led from the court 'heaving and retching'

"I wake up and I can smell blood and I wake up to being terrified. I hear a noise and I wake up in a complete state of terror, to the point that I would rather not sleep." 

He described how, on one occasion, he woke in panic and had to ring a family member for help.

"I climbed into a cupboard and I phoned my sister to come and sit by me, which she did for a while," he said.

Reeva Steenkamp was killed on Valentine's Day last year

He described how important his Christian religion had been to him as he struggled to come to terms with the death of his girlfriend.

"When I met Reeva - I always wanted to have a girlfriend who was Christian," Pistorius said.

"She would pray for me at night. We would pray before we would eat.

"It is what has got me through this last year - I have been struggling a lot." 

He later outlined the story of his Paralympian success - describing how he had overcome disadvantages to excel in athletics.

Pistorius arrives at the court in Pretoria

He also told how he and his family had been the victim of several break-ins and other criminal activity.

On one occasion he was shot at and also followed home.

Pistorius told the court that on another occasion he helped a man who was being beaten with rocks on the highway.

The court was told that Pistorius drew his firearm and called the emergency services but was later assaulted after receiving threats.

He suffered a black eye and stitches in his head. 

Before taking to the stand the Paralympian "heaved and retched" as he prepared to explain for the first time in public how and why he killed his girlfriend.

His testimony may take several days and he can expect a gruelling cross-examination from state prosecutor Gerrie Nel.

Earlier this morning, the athlete bent down in the dock, plugging his ears with his fingers, as more details about Ms Steenkamp's death were revealed in court.

He was also seen hunched and weeping before the first witness of the defence case - pathologist Professor Jan Botha - was called.

Then, before the mid-morning break, he was led from the court in a distressed state, as he prepared himself to give evidence. 

Sky's Alex Crawford, reporting from the court, said that Pistorius was "literally heaving, retching" before the mid-morning break.

He was escorted out of the court amid "audible sobs", by his psychologist and family members.  

Professor Botha was allowed to testify first, and ahead of Pistorius, in an agreement with prosecutors because of a family illness.

Contradicting the state's account, Professor Botha said Ms Steenkamp may not have had a chance to scream when she was being shot.

The pathologist testified that if the athlete fired his 9mm pistol in two quick bursts, as Pistorius claims he did, his girlfriend probably didn't have time to cry out.

The testimony contradicts prosecutors' claims that Ms Steenkamp screamed during the gunshots and that the athlete therefore must have known he was firing at her.

Professor Botha said that Ms Reevekamp was first shot in the hip, then in the arm, with the third bullet hitting her hand and the fourth her head.

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China Trying To Scoop Malaysia In MH370 Race

MH370 Search Teams Face 'Underwater Alps'

Updated: 3:25pm UK, Monday 07 April 2014

Confirmation that the Ocean Shield vessel has picked up pings consistent with a plane's black box flight recorders has sparked hope of a breathrough in the hunt for MH370.

But while Malaysia's transport minister spoke of his hope of progress "in days, if not hours" the retired Australian defence chief in charge of the operation has warned that "we are talking about a long operation here".

Sky News experts, maritime explorer Jock Wishart and radar specialist Professor David Stupples, from City University, have been looking at what comes next for searchers working on "the most difficult search in human history".

Which set of signals detected is more likely to be MH370?

Search teams will be keen to investigate the pings detected by the Ocean Shield, but if they are to be thorough, they can not ignore the signals picked up 300 nautical miles away by Chinese ship, the Haixun 01.

They will be hoping to confirm that the 37.5kHz frequency transmissions do lead them to an aircraft's flight recorders.

Prof Stupples said the most recent discovery appeared to be most credible as it had been detected by the more advanced pinger locator on board the Ocean Shield.

He said: "The Chinese were using handheld devices which they would put over the side of a RIB and they received just two or three pings and with the sensitivity of those pieces of equipment it could be that they were just picking up some noise.

"It could be the signal - I'm not dismissing that. But it's probably noise.

The Australian ship was picking up a much more sustained collection of pings, but it was only a few over a two hour period, which means that if it is the black box they were picking up, it is quite some way away.

The Next Steps

Mr Wishart said it would be "incredible" if search teams have managed to track down the black boxes in a search area of some 90,000 square miles of the Indian Ocean.

Royal Australian Air Force aircraft which can drop sonobuoy listening devices have been sent to the area, where the Royal Navy's HMS Echo will also be key.

He said: "Luckily we've got HMS Echo down there, which is a very sophisticated bit of kit and she will do that. I would guess then, if that proves to be not valid, then they will want to move Echo back up North.

"Echo carries items on board which are much more helpful in terms of helping to locate any wreckage there may be, so that would be my next move."

Prof Stupples said: "What they will need to do is get a few more triangulations on these pingers to get the search down to the haystack itself. They've got to get it down to a much smaller area.

"Then they'll send down something like Bluefin - a device controlled from the ship above that will navigate along the sea bed.

"It has sideways-looking sonar, so it will be looking out for wreckage."

Little has been said about the nuclear-powered submarine HMS Tireless but it is understood to have been operating in the search area.

While it can not dive to the same depth as the Bluefin-21 autonomous underwater vehicle, it has incredibly sophisticated sonar equipment which can help with the search for wreckage.

How Long To Recover The Black Boxes?

Mr Wishart said robotic underwater craft could be used to help recover the black boxes if they are confirmed to be at the current search location - which could be 4,500m below the surface.

He said any search could be hampered by sea conditions, which could be treacherous as winter in the southern hemisphere approaches.

The jagged terrain and pressure deep under the surface will also be a challenge for searchers.

Mr Wishart said: "It's the underwater Pennines - maybe even the underwater Alps in terms of some of the stuff you've got down there."

However the search is conducted, he said: "We're not looking at days."

Will The Black Box Recorders Solve The MH370 Mystery?

The flight data recorder should hold up to 15 hours of information from the flight. That would cover the crucial period after contact was lost with air traffic control 38 minutes into the flight and the plane appeared to change course.

But the plane's voice recorder may hold only as little as two hours of information, which could mean that any conversations at that time are lost.

Prof Stupples said: "Everything the plane was doing will be recorded on those data recorders.

"The voice recorder will only have two hours or maybe three and if nothing was being said, nothing will be on that tape.

Are There Lessons For Future Air Travel?

Both Sky News experts agree that the aviation industry needs to look at automatic tracking devices for planes.

Mr Wishart said: "In a world where you can put automatic trackers on cars, it's nonsense that we don't have automatic trackers on planes - something that is completely free of human interference and linked by satellite.

"If that had been the case here, this mystery could have been solved in hours."

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Missing Plane: MH370 Team Detect Two Signals

Teams searching for missing flight MH370 believe they may have detected the plane's black box flight recorders after a ship picked up signals in the southern Indian Ocean.

The Australian defence vessel Ocean Shield picked up signals twice, around 370 miles north of where two signals were detected by a Chinese ship on Saturday.

Crucially, there were two distinct pinger returns - suggesting transmissions from a flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder on a Boeing 777 jet.

Angus Houston, the former Australian defence chief heading the search, said the information was "the most promising lead" in the search so far.

But he warned it could be days before authorities confirm if the signals are from the Malaysia Airlines flight, which vanished on March 8 with 239 people on board.

Malaysian acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said he was "cautiously hopeful that there will be a positive development in the next few days, if not hours".

Search teams are involved in a race against time as the batteries on the plane's flight recorders could run out at any moment, meaning the signals would no longer be emitted.

Mr Houston said the Ocean Shield detected the sounds on two occasions over a period totalling more than two-and-a-half hours.

He said: "Clearly this is a most promising lead, and probably in the search so far, it's the probably the best information that we have had.

"This would be consistent with transmissions from both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder."

Stressing the need for further confirmation, he said: "I am much more optimistic than I was a week ago."

A screen shows the data fed back from the pinger locator deep under the sea

But he added: "We are talking about a long operation here and we have yet to find the aircraft."

Search co-ordinators stressed the signals were picked up in very deep water - 4,500 metres - which is at the limit of underwater search equipment being used.

The position of the sound needed to be further pinpointed, and then an underwater drone could be sent down to investigate, Mr Houston said.

He went on: "It could take some days before the information is available to establish whether these detections can be confirmed as being from MH370.

A map shows where signals were picked up in recent days by search ships

"In very deep oceanic water, nothing happens fast.

"I would want more confirmation before we say this is it. Without wreckage, we can't say it's definitely here. We've got to go down and have a look and hopefully we'll find it somewhere in the area that we narrowed to."

The latest development in the search effort came as the British navy ship HMS Echo joined the hunt. The vessel carries sophisticated sound-locating equipment.

No wreckage from the plane has been found during the month-long search, despite a number of debris sightings.

Divers help as the pinger locator is deployed from the ADV Ocean Shield

Malaysian officials concluded - based on satellite data from several countries - that the aircraft crashed into the southern Indian Ocean to the west of Perth.

Investigators have not established why the plane lost contact with air traffic controllers and appeared to divert so far from its intended route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

The backgrounds of passengers, crew and both pilots have been investigated, while terrorism and hijack have also been considered as possible explanations for the plane's disappearance.

The families of those on board have been frustrated by the huge international search operation, accusing the Malaysian authorities of mismanagement and holding back information. 

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Missing MH370: Facing 'The Underwater Alps'

Confirmation that the Ocean Shield vessel has picked up pings consistent with a plane's black box flight recorders has sparked hope of a breathrough in the hunt for MH370.

But while Malaysia's transport minister spoke of his hope of progress "in days, if not hours" the retired Australian defence chief in charge of the operation has warned that "we are talking about a long operation here".

Sky News experts, maritime explorer Jock Wishart and radar specialist Professor David Stupples, from City University, have been looking at what comes next for searchers working on "the most difficult search in human history".

Which set of signals detected is more likely to be MH370?

Search teams will be keen to investigate the pings detected by the Ocean Shield, but if they are to be thorough, they can not ignore the signals picked up 300 nautical miles away by Chinese ship, the Haixun 01.

They will be hoping to confirm that the 37.5kHz frequency transmissions do lead them to an aircraft's flight recorders.

Prof Stupples said the most recent discovery appeared to be most credible as it had been detected by the more advanced pinger locator on board the Ocean Shield.

Advanced equipment on the Ocean Shield appears key to the breakthrough

He said: "The Chinese were using handheld devices which they would put over the side of a RIB and they received just two or three pings and with the sensitivity of those pieces of equipment it could be that they were just picking up some noise.

"It could be the signal - I'm not dismissing that. But it's probably noise.

The Australian ship was picking up a much more sustained collection of pings, but it was only a few over a two hour period, which means that if it is the black box they were picking up, it is quite some way away.

The Next Steps

Mr Wishart said it would be "incredible" if search teams have managed to track down the black boxes in a search area of some 90,000 square miles of the Indian Ocean.

Royal Australian Air Force aircraft which can drop sonobuoy listening devices have been sent to the area, where the Royal Navy's HMS Echo will also be key.

He said: "Luckily we've got HMS Echo down there, which is a very sophisticated bit of kit and she will do that. I would guess then, if that proves to be not valid, then they will want to move Echo back up North.

"Echo carries items on board which are much more helpful in terms of helping to locate any wreckage there may be, so that would be my next move."

The Bluefin-21 underwater drone could be used in the black box search

Prof Stupples said: "What they will need to do is get a few more triangulations on these pingers to get the search down to the haystack itself. They've got to get it down to a much smaller area.

"Then they'll send down something like Bluefin - a device controlled from the ship above that will navigate along the sea bed.

"It has sideways-looking sonar, so it will be looking out for wreckage."

Little has been said about the nuclear-powered submarine HMS Tireless but it is understood to have been operating in the search area.

While it can not dive to the same depth as the Bluefin-21 autonomous underwater vehicle, it has incredibly sophisticated sonar equipment which can help with the search for wreckage.

How Long To Recover The Black Boxes?

Mr Wishart said robotic underwater craft could be used to help recover the black boxes if they are confirmed to be at the current search location - which could be 4,500m below the surface.

He said any search could be hampered by sea conditions, which could be treacherous as winter in the southern hemisphere approaches.

HMS Tireless is understood to have been involved in the search

The jagged terrain and pressure deep under the surface will also be a challenge for searchers.

Mr Wishart said: "It's the underwater Pennines - maybe even the underwater Alps in terms of some of the stuff you've got down there."

However the search is conducted, he said: "We're not looking at days."

Will The Black Box Recorders Solve The MH370 Mystery?

The flight data recorder should hold up to 15 hours of information from the flight. That would cover the crucial period after contact was lost with air traffic control 38 minutes into the flight and the plane appeared to change course.

The elusive black box recorders could reveal what happened to flight MH370

But the plane's voice recorder may hold only as little as two hours of information, which could mean that any conversations at that time are lost.

Prof Stupples said: "Everything the plane was doing will be recorded on those data recorders.

"The voice recorder will only have two hours or maybe three and if nothing was being said, nothing will be on that tape.

Are There Lessons For Future Air Travel?

Both Sky News experts agree that the aviation industry needs to look at automatic tracking devices for planes.

Mr Wishart said: "In a world where you can put automatic trackers on cars, it's nonsense that we don't have automatic trackers on planes - something that is completely free of human interference and linked by satellite.

"If that had been the case here, this mystery could have been solved in hours."

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