Missing Plane Search: The Race Against Time

The search for flight MH370 has intensified again today in a bid to find the plane's black box recorders before their batteries run out.

Up to 10 military planes, three civilian jets and 11 ships are scouring more than 1,000 square miles of sea off the west coast of Australia.

Today's hunt will take in three large patches of the southern Indian Ocean, some 2,000km, 2,300km and 1,800km northwest of Perth.

Green shows areas to be searched today, grey is areas already searched

Dozens of flights by a multi-national taskforce have so far failed to turn up any trace of the plane, which was carrying 239 people when it vanished from radar on March 8.

Experts say the underwater phase of the hunt has reached a "desperate" stage with limited chance of success.

Marine salvage and radar experts laid out the scale of the challenge facing search teams, after Australian Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston announced plans to use black box pinger locators deep in the southern Indian Ocean.

Speaking on Sky News, radar expert Professor David Stupples said the pinger locators would be able to cover just 150 square miles a day, in an overall search area of around 87,000 square miles.

Marine salvage expert John Noble told Sky's Ian Woods the latest phase suggested authorities were getting "desperate" in their search for the plane.

He said: "It's a desperate last-minute move because they know the pinger is going to run out within the next few days and if they don't give it a go now they'll never find it using these techniques."

As the extensive search wears on, Malaysia's opposition leader has accused the government of deliberately concealing information about the missing plane.

In an interview with Sky News, Anwar Ibrahim, who personally knew the pilot of the missing plane, cast doubt on official accounts coming from Malaysian authorities.

A pinger locator can detect signals from the flight recorder

The hunt for wreckage is relying on the plane's black box recorders emitting pings that can be detected by equipment on board the ships.

But the battery-powered recorders stop transmitting about 30 days after a crash.

With the clock ticking down since MH370 went missing more than four weeks ago, Mr Houston acknowledged time is running out for search crews.

He said: "The locater beacon will last about a month before it ceases its transmissions - so we're now getting pretty close to the time when it might expire."  

Locating the data recorders and wreckage after the devices stop working is possible, but incredibly difficult.

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Patients 'At Risk' From Overworked Doctors

One of Britain's most senior doctors has warned that lives are being put at risk because hospital medics are under constant "strain and stress".

The President of the Royal College of Physicians, Sir Richard Thompson, attacked ministers over NHS budget cuts that he says are threatening the standard of care because doctors are "missing symptoms".

He claimed some doctors are facing caseloads during one shift of up to 70 patients - far more than the maximum 20 regarded as necessary for proper care.

And he said worrying numbers of hospitals, especially smaller ones, face "serious" gaps in their medical rotas.

In an interview with the Guardian, Sir Richard said: "You try standing on your feet for seven hours trying to be on the ball, thinking of the various complications, being nice to patients, for seven hours. It's absolutely destructive.

"Not everyone has 70, but most people are looking after well over 20.

"If you've got over 20 it becomes impossible. The care gets thinner and thinner. It means the consultant can't see the patient as much or indeed as early as they should do, so obviously the standard of care is going to fall."

Sir Richard claims doctors are missing patients' vital signs

Sir Richard accused the coalition of cutting the NHS budget despite repeated pledges, including from David Cameron, to protect it from the austerity programme.

"In spite of what weasly words people at the top say, money's been taken out of the NHS," he said, citing the £2.8bn that has been given to social care in the past three years.

As a result, he claimed: "The NHS is under-doctored, under-nursed, under-bedded and under-funded. There are too few doctors to do the increasingly large job to a high standard, and safely, and compassionately."

A Department of Health spokesman responded by saying: "Patient safety and care is a priority for the Government and it is right that we have high expectations for our NHS.

"While the NHS is one of the safest, most efficient healthcare systems in the world we should never shy away from trying to improve standards for patients."

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Missing Plane: Race To Find MH370 Black Box

Australian authorities have said they are launching the underwater hunt for the black box from missing flight MH370.

Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston told a news conference: "The Australian Navy and the Royal Navy have today commenced a sub-surface search for emissions from the black box pinger from Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

"Using the towed pinger from the US Navy on Australian defence vessel Ocean Shield and a similar capability on HMS Echo, the two ships will search a single 240km (149 miles) track converging on each other."

A pinger locator can detect signals from the flight recorder

As the extensive search wears on, Malaysia's opposition leader has accused the government of deliberately concealing information about the missing plane.

Anwar Ibrahim, who personally knew the pilot of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777, called for an international committee to take over the Malaysian-led operation, saying "the integrity of the whole nation is at stake".

The hunt for wreckage in the southern Indian Ocean is relying on the plane's black box recorders emitting pings that can be detected by equipment on board the ships.

A pinger locator being towed by Australia's Ocean Shield vessel

But the battery-powered recorders stop transmitting about 30 days after a crash.

With the clock ticking down since MH370 went missing on March 8,  Mr Houston acknowledged time is running out for search crews.

Mr Houston said: "The locater beacon will last about a month before it ceases its transmissions - so we're now getting pretty close to the time when it might expire."  

Locating the data recorders and wreckage after the devices stop working is possible, but incredibly difficult.

The area the ships are searching was chosen based on hourly satellite pings the aircraft gave off after it vanished from radar on its route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.

That information, combined with data on the estimated speed and performance of the aircraft, had led them to that specific part of the ocean, Mr Houston said.

Because the US Navy's pinger locator can pick up black box signals up to a depth of 6,100m (20,000ft), it should be able to hear the devices even if they are lying in the deepest part of the search zone - about 5,800m (19,000 ft) below the surface - if it gets within range of the black boxes.

But the task for search teams is hampered by the size of the search area and the fact the pinger locator must be dragged slowly through the water at just one to five knots, or one to six miles per hour.

Finding floating wreckage is key to narrowing the search area, as officials can then use data on ocean currents to try and backtrack to the spot where the Boeing 777 entered the water - and where the data recorders may be.

Ships with helicopters on board have been helping with the search

Despite weeks of fruitless searching, Mr Houston said he hadn't given up hope something would be found.

"I think there's still a great possibility of finding something on the surface," he said. "There's lots of things in aircraft that float."

The search area has shifted each day, as the investigative team continues to analyse available radar and satellite data while factoring in where any debris may have drifted due to ocean currents and weather.

Mr Houston said: "I think we've probably got to the end of the process of analysis. And my expectation is that we're into a situation where the data we've got is the data we've got and we'll proceed on the basis of that."

He said it was unlikely that any additional pinger locators would join the search any time soon as they are in limited supply.

For relatives of passengers on flight MH370, the agonising wait goes on

Although Australia is coordinating the ocean search, the investigation into the plane's disappearance ultimately remains Malaysia's responsibility.

Australia, the US, Britain and China have all agreed to be "accredited representatives" of the investigation.

Four Australian investigators are in Kuala Lumpur to help with the investigation and ensure that information on the aircraft's likely flight path is fed back to search crews. 

The two countries are still working out who will be in charge of the analysis of any wreckage and flight recorders that may be found, Mr Houston said.

On Thursday, the HMS Echo reported one alert as it searched for sonic transmissions from the missing plane's flight data recorder, but it was quickly discounted as a false alarm, the search coordination centre said.

False alerts can come from animals such as whales, or interference from shipping noise.

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Missing Plane: Malaysia 'Concealing Information'

Malaysia Plane Mystery 'May Never Be Solved'

Updated: 2:01pm UK, Wednesday 02 April 2014

A Royal Navy submarine has joined the search for flight MH370 in the Indian Ocean - as Malaysia's police chief said the investigation was focusing on the pilots and cabin crew.

Khalid Abu Bakar said criminal investigations were continuing to focus on four possibilities: hijacking, sabotage and personal or psychological problems of those on board.

He said all 227 passengers had been "cleared" of any possible involvement.

Though authorities had not ruled out the possibility the jet may have suffered mechanical problems, the evidence suggested the aircraft was deliberately diverted from its planned flight path, he said.

Mr Bakar also warned the cause of the tragedy may never come to light.

"We have to clear every little thing," he said.

"At the end of the investigations, we may not even know the real cause. We may not even know the reason for this incident."

The cargo and the food served on the plane are also being looked at to eliminate possible sabotage, he added.

As the clock counts down on the battery life of the black box's locator beacon, the search has been bolstered by British submarine HMS Tireless, which has now arrived in the Indian Ocean.

The Trafalgar Class submarine is expected to try to detect the all-important device, which could hold the key to unravelling the mystery.

Royal Navy survey ship HMS Echo is also due to join the international search operation later. Nine planes and nine other ships are also still involved in the hunt 930 miles west of Perth, Western Australia.

A defence source said: "A Royal Navy Trafalgar Class submarine has recently arrived in the area and is conducting search operations for the flight recorders.

"HMS Tireless holds advanced search capabilities, but the task in hand remains a tall order and the search area is immense."

Flight MH370 went missing on March 8 with 239 people on board. The aircraft took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, bound for Beijing.

The three-week search operation has repeatedly shifted its focus as experts analyse radar and satellite data on the plane's movements.

Relatives of the passengers were meeting airline and Malaysian government representatives at a closed-doors meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.

Family members have repeatedly accused the authorities of lying to them and holding back information.

Multiple sightings of possible debris have so far failed to turn up any sign of the aircraft, which investigators say - beyond reasonable doubt - went down in the Indian Ocean.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott called the disappearance "one of the great mysteries of our time" and again promised to continue the hunt for as long as needed.

The Australian premier is also set to meet Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in Perth later.

"We owe it to the world, we owe it to those families to do whatever we reasonably can get to the bottom of this," Mr Abbot said.

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Air Pollution Levels Soar In England And Wales

Air quality is expected to plummet to its lowest possible level in parts of the UK today, as the country continues to feel the effects of desert sandstorms.

The elderly, people with lung problems and adults with heart conditions have been told to avoid strenuous physical activity, as plumes of dust blown in from the Sahara and deposited by rain send air pollution soaring.

London and the South East, including parts of East Anglia, Kent and Essex, are expected to be worst hit.

However, high pollution levels are expected to spread across much of England and Wales during the course of the day.

The bright red colour shows the dust heading towards the UK

A spokesman for the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the effects will be felt anywhere south of a line stretching from Merseyside to The Wash.

It will be the second day in a row the country has been hit by heightened smog levels.

On Tuesday, Defra recorded "high" to "very high" air pollution levels across East Anglia, parts of southeast England and around the Humber.

The agency spokesman told Sky News: "The high level of air pollution this week is due to a combination of local emissions, light winds, pollution from the continent and dust blown over from the Sahara."

Speckles of 'Sahara dust' on a car windscreen in London

Many in the country have woken up over the last few days to see a thin level of red sand coating cars and streets.

The Met Office said: "A large amount of sand and dust was swept up by storm winds in the desert, around 2,000 miles away in northwest Africa.

"The airborne particles were blown north to the UK, where they combined with our warm air and were deposited during showers."

Paul Hutcheon, of the Met Office, added: "We usually see this happen several times a year when big dust storms in the Sahara coincide with southerly winds to bring that dust here.

"More dust rain is possible during showers expected later this week."

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), air pollution is the world's most serious environmental health risk.

It found pollution, ranging from cooking fires to car fumes, was linked to seven million deaths in 2012 - roughly one in eight.

The biggest pollution-related killers were heart disease, stroke, pulmonary disease and lung cancer, the WHO said.

Rising smog levels are linked to dust blown from the Sahara

England is not the only place to be hit by increased smog levels recently.

Last month, Paris imposed a day-long driving ban after pollution particles in the air exceeded safe levels for five straight days.

Air quality is expected to return to higher levels by the weekend.

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Chile Earthquake Triggers Tsunami: Five Dead

A tsunami has been triggered after a powerful 8.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Chile, with five people reported dead.

The Chilean navy says some areas in the north of the country were hit by waves 45 minutes after the quake was felt at 6.46pm (10.46pm BST) on Tuesday.

Waves measuring up to seven feet have been reported and a mass evacuation is under way as Chile's president Michelle Bachelet declared a state of emergency and northern parts of the country disaster zones.

Fires have broken out in Iquique

The tsunami alert will remain in place for Chile and Peru until at least 9.30am BST, officials have said.

Chile's Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo said four men and one woman had died either from heart attacks or being crushed. Several others have been seriously injured.

Politicians in Chile have ordered the "preventative evacuation" of hundreds of thousands of people from coastal areas, but this is being hampered by landslides which have blocked roads.

Terrified residents have flooded the streets desperate to reach higher ground.

The quake occured 62 miles (99km) northwest of Iquique

Chilean journalist Jorge Garreton told Sky News: "Northern Chile has been expecting an earthquake. There were a number of exercises in the recent past. People know where they have to go to the safety zones.

"The northern cities are low-lying so they have to go up to the mountains. They have been advised not to take vehicles but to walk."

The huge tremor occurred 62 miles (99km) northwest of the mining town of Iquique, near the Peruvian border.

Several fires have broken out in Iquique, while 300 inmates escaped from a women's prison amid the chaos, dozens of whom have been recaptured.

Chilean TV shows geological data from the magnitude-8.2 tremor

Thousands of homes have lost power and the government is sending in troops to prevent looting.

Mr Penailillo added: "We have taken action to ensure public order in the case of Iquique, where we've had a massive escape of more than 300 female prisoners from the Iquique jail, so that the armed forces and police can coordinate and provide tranquillity and security to the residents."

The tsunami warning initially placed the entire Pacific Coast of Latin America on alert but has now been downgraded to just Chile and Peru.

"An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines near the epicentre within minutes and more distant coastlines within hours," the US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) said.

Residents of Chile's northern coastline evacuating

The quake happened just 12.5 miles (20.1 km) below the seabed - making it feel even more powerful.

The tremor shook buildings in parts of the nearby nations of Bolivia and Peru.

At least eight strong aftershocks followed in the first few hours, including a 6.2 tremor.

More aftershocks and even a larger quake cannot be ruled out, according to seismologist Mario Pardo at the University of Chile.

The area has been rocked by several quakes in the last two weeks. A 6.7 magnitude quake on March 16 prompted more than 100,000 people to briefly evacuate low-lying areas.

Residents prepare to evacuate to higher ground

US officials say there is no imminent threat of a tsunami along the coasts of Hawaii, Alaska, California, Oregon or Washington.

An 8.8 magnitude quake caused a tsunami that killed more than 500 people in Chile in February 2010.

Sky News's Greg Milam said: "They learnt a lot of lessons from the quake in 2010 about the need not only of getting the warnings out but also about giving people somewhere to go.

"They won't have supplies sitting in the shelters day by day but they will have capabilities to get those supplies there.

"There was an evacuation a couple of weeks ago. There was no tsunami on that occasion but that would have been a wake-up call, as the earthquakes here over the past few weeks have been a wake-up call about the need to be prepared."

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