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."

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Russian Expats Eye Future Of Crimea From US

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."

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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 South East Asia.

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. 

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Pistorius: Public Opinion And Evidence Collide

Pistorius 'Fired Gun In Car And Cheated On Ex'

Updated: 7:55pm UK, Friday 07 March 2014

An ex-girlfriend of Oscar Pistorius wept as she told the court how the athlete cheated on her with Reeva Steenkamp.

It was also confirmed on Friday that the Paralympian would take the stand during the trial.

Samantha Taylor told how Pistorius once shot a bullet through a car sunroof, and on another occasion waved his weapon at a vehicle which he thought was following him.

:: Sky News' live coverage of the trial is under way, and a special highlights programme will be broadcast every weekday at 9.30pm.

Proceedings were halted twice as Ms Taylor had to compose herself during a drama-packed morning at the Pretoria court.

The evidence was heard shortly before a Pistorius family spokesperson confirmed for the first time that the athlete will, at some point, give evidence at the trial.

In another development, a security guard at the star's estate said Pistorius told him that "everything is fine" shortly after shots were reported.

"Mr Pistorius said to me 'security, everything is fine'," Pieter Baba told the court on Friday afternoon.

"That's when I realised that Mr Pistorius was crying," he added.

Earlier, Ms Taylor told how Pistorius nearly always carried a gun and recalled one night when she was awoken by the athlete who feared an intruder in the house.

The court was told how Pistorius grabbed his gun, got out of bed and went to investigate.

Ms Taylor also described occasions when Pistorius screamed at her "out of anger" and said he was often on his mobile phone when they were in bed together.

She described another time when the athlete became angry when police stopped a car he was travelling in.

The court heard that about 15 minutes after being stopped he fired his gun out of the sunroof - to "irritate the police", laughing after doing so.

He had earlier joked with the driver of the car about shooting "a robot" - South African slang for a traffic light. 

On another occasion Pistorius was followed by a white Mercedes car, the court heard.

Ms Taylor said that Pistorius leapt out of his car as he approached the security gates of his home and waved his gun at the car, which drove off. 

The court was told how Ms Taylor normally spent four nights a week at Pistorius' home. 

She wept, and the court was adjourned twice, as she said how "upset" she was about the couple's break-up and the fact that she had been cheated on.

Earlier, radiologist Johan Stipp finished giving his evidence and was questioned by defence lawyer Barry Roux.

He had described on Thursday how Pistorius knelt at Ms Steenkamp's side and struggled in vain to help her breathe by holding two fingers in her clenched mouth.

Mr Stipp said he went to Pistorius' home after hearing shots fired on the night Ms Steenkamp was killed and found "a lady lying on her back".

"I also noticed a man kneeling on her side, on the left side. I remember the first thing he said when I got there was 'I shot her, I thought she was an intruder. I shot her,'" Mr Stipp told the court.

He said he did not recognise Pistorius, and described how he tried in vain to resuscitate Ms Steenkamp.

He said Pistorius was "crying all the time" and praying that she would not die.

On top of the premeditated murder allegation, Pistorius faces a charge of illegally possessing ammunition and two further counts related to shooting a gun in public in two separate incidents before the killing.

He denies all the charges against him and maintains he shot Ms Steenkamp after mistaking her for an intruder.

The athlete could face 25 years in jail if he is found guilty by Judge Thokozile Masipa. South Africa does not have trials by jury.

The trial has been adjourned until Monday.

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Dreamliner 787s: Discovery Of Cracked Wings

Boeing's 787 Dreamliner has suffered another production problem after cracks were found in the wings of some aircraft.

The company said the hairline cracks were discovered in planes currently under construction, adding that none of the 122 jets already in service were affected.

Boeing spokesman Doug Alder said: "We are confident that the condition does not exist in the in-service fleet.

"We understand the issue and what must be done to correct it, and are completing inspections of potentially affected airplanes."

About 40 aircraft could be affected by the cracks, the company said.

The cracks are expected to take between one and two weeks to repair.

The Dreamliner has suffered some teething problems since entering service in 2011, three years behind schedule.

Last year, lithium-ion batteries overheated on two Dreamliners, prompting regulators to ground the fleet for more than three months.

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Clinton's 'Unfinished Business' On Women's Day

Hillary Clinton has called achieving equality for women and girls "the great unfinished business of the 21st century" as the world marks International Women's Day.

During a speech at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the former US Secretary of State urged UN member states to include gender equality at the forefront of new goals to promote development.

She said: "When women succeed the world succeeds.

"When women and girls thrive, entire societies thrive. Just as women's rights are human rights, women's progress is human progress."

Mrs Clinton said the goals must ensure women everywhere have the right to find a job, to own and inherit property, to have a valid and legal identity, to have gender parity in primary and secondary education and help end violence against women and child brides.

She stressed there can be no progress "without safeguarding women's reproductive health and rights", saying the platform agreed to by 179 countries at the 1994 UN population conference in Cairo ensuring such rights "must be the starting point for work today".

"If we get it right, we can put the world on the path to less poverty and more prosperity, less inequality and more opportunity," Mrs Clinton added.

Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka, head of UN Women, drew applause from representatives of the 193 UN member states when she echoed Mrs Clinton, declaring: "The 21st century offers an opportunity for a big leap forward - not baby steps. We've done baby steps."

"The face of poverty is that of a woman," she added. "The majority of the world's poor and illiterate are women and girls."

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also made "a special appeal to the men and boys of the world" to join the conversation about women's rights including reproductive rights, women's empowerment and ending violence against women.

"Where men and women have equal rights, societies prosper," he said. "Equality for women is progress for all."

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North Korean Women Reveal Emotional Struggle

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

In a television studio in a suburb of the South Korean capital, Seoul, an unusual show is being filmed.

Sky News has been given rare behind-the-scenes access to a primetime TV programme called Now On My Way To Meet You.

It is part chat show, part talent contest, and it is curious because the contestants are all female defectors from North Korea.

Nearly 70% of people to escape North Korea are female. Their gender increases their chances of successfully completing the long journey, one which all defectors take, through China, southeast Asia and eventually to South Korea.

Women are more likely to make it, first because many are not tied into a job in North Korea from which they will be missed, but also because they are more likely to pick up underground work as they travel through China - often, tragically, in prostitution or forced labour.

In the make-up room, we are introduced to the North Korean contestants preparing for their appearance on the TV show.

Contestants take photos of each other before the show starts

There is hum of excitement. The women, most of whom are in their twenties, compare their scripts and take "selfies" of each other.

Each of them now has a new life in South Korea. They have taken advantage of a pledge by the government in Seoul to provide passports, housing and rehabilitation to all North Korean defectors.

The TV show is another avenue through which they can put their past behind them, but we quickly discover it takes very little to bring it all back.

One of the contestants is Lee SoonShil. She was once a nurse in the North Korean military. We meet her in the make-up room where she begins by explaining how hard it was to escape.

"I crossed over to China nine times between 1997 and 2007," she says. "I was caught every time. The last time I crossed over was when my baby was two."

Mrs Lee then begins to cry. She and her baby daughter were separated and sold on their escape across the border to China.

Lee SoonShil, a military nurse, tried to defect nine times before making it

Mrs Lee was forced into farm labour and other work which she chooses not to elaborate on. Tragically, she has no idea where her daughter went. It is hard to listen to.

"She's my child, I gave birth to her," Mrs Lee says, crying.

"I don't know where she is or if she is dead or alive. My life is dominated by my loss for her. I am dying to see her. I want to find her."

On the studio floor, the defectors have gathered on one side of the set. On the other side are three South Korean celebrities who draw in the viewers.

Kim Young Chul is a well-known South Korean comedian and a regular contributor to the show.

He explains the programme allows the North Koreans the chance to talk about their past lives. But he says it is an education for the South Korean viewers.

"I didn't know much about North Korea to be honest, you know. I read some newspapers and books, that's all I had, but when I worked with them I learnt lots of North Korean things," he says.

A woman impersonates the delivery of a North Korean newsreader

"Sometimes when I work with the defectors, I feel so sad and I cry several times when I hear about their really sad stories."

We watch the filming of the show. There is a mixture of humour and tears. Highbrow talk of politics is mixed with the difficulties of how to find a husband in South Korea.

There is singing, dancing and even a chance for the women to laugh at the cruel regime they have escaped. One of the women impersonates the stern delivery of a North Korean newsreader.

Mrs Lee has wiped away her tears from the make-up room and we watch as she laughs on set with the others. 

"I find consolation by the fact that my daughter is in China," she said.

"At least she wouldn't starve to death like she would if she had lived in the DPRK (North Korea). If I'd left her in DPRK, I would have gone crazy with the thought she would starve to death."

Behind Mrs Lee's make-up and on-set laughter, she is clearly extremely fragile.

Her motivation to talk to us and to appear on the TV show seems to be simple: it is that sliver of hope that her daughter, who would now be eight, might just be watching somewhere and might somehow recognise the mother she lost.

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Venezuela: 'Empty Pot' Protesters Hit Streets

Protesters pushed back riot police as thousands of people armed with cooking pots took to the streets of Caracas to demonstrate against Venezuela's government.

The protest, which fell on International Women's Day, consisted mostly of female demonstrators who noisily clanged their cookware to show their discontent over shortages of basic goods and insecurity they say has become a part of daily life.

"There is nothing, nothing, nothing," read a placard carried by one protester fed up with stores that habitually run out of provisions, despite Venezuela's vast oil wealth.

Thousands of angry protesters confronted the lines of riot police

By midday, more than 2,000 demonstrators had assembled in the capital Caracas, with many more expected.

The rally was called by the country's most prominent opposition leader, two-time presidential election runner-up Henrique Capriles, who lost to Maduro by a whisker in April 2013 elections.

For more than a month, demonstrators have complained about chronic shortages of food staples like bread, sugar, milk and butter.

Protesters, many of them women, banged pots to show their discontent

Venezuelans are also seething over rampant violent crime and the arrests of protesters.

At least 20 people have now died since protests first erupted, giving Maduro his biggest test since succeeding late leader Hugo Chavez almost a year ago.

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Malaysia Airlines Plane: What Happened?

A "very sudden and very violent" event is likely to be responsible for the loss of the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777, according to aviation experts.

The aircraft was en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing when air traffic control lost contact some two hours into the flight.

No distress calls were sent from the aircraft, leading experts to assume that whatever happened to the plane occurred quickly and left the pilots little time to respond.

"Either you had a catastrophic event that tore the airplane apart, or you had a criminal act," said Scott Hamilton, the managing director of aviation consultancy Leeham Co.

"It was so quick and they didn't radio."

The plane is suspected to have suffered a sudden break-up, or a failure which caused a steep dive. Some experts say an act of terrorism may also be responsible.

William Waldock, who teaches accident investigation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona, said the absence of a distress call "suggests something very sudden and very violent happened".

One of the first indicators of what exactly occurred on Flight MH370 will be the size of the debris field.

An information message at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang

If it is large and spread out over tens of miles, then the plane likely broke apart at a high elevation. That could signal a bomb or a massive airframe failure.

If it is a smaller field, the plane probably fell from 35,000 feet intact, breaking up upon contact with the water.

Captain John M Cox, the CEO of Safety Operating Systems, said whatever took place occurred very quickly.

"We know the airplane is down. Beyond that, we don't know a whole lot," he said.

Airplane crashes typically occur during take-off and the climb away from an airport, or while coming in for a landing.

Only 9% of fatal accidents happen when a plane is at cruising altitude, according to a statistical summary of commercial jet airplane accidents done by Boeing.

Aviation expert David Learmount told Sky News the Boeing 777-222 had an "absolutely superb" safety record.

"Aviation safety now is quite extraordinarily good. It's far better than it was 20-30 years ago - I mean massively better," he said.

"That's why things like this are so surprising. They just should not happen any longer."

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Malaysia Airlines: Suspected Fragments Found

Suspected fragments from the missing Malaysia Airlines plane carrying 239 people have been found off Vietnam.

The Vietnamese navy said objects, one thought to be an aircraft door, were spotted by a rescue plane off the country's south coast.

Security services are investigating whether the Boeing 777-200 was destroyed in a terror attack.

Floating debris spotted by a search and rescue team

Interpol said at least two passports used on the flight were stolen and it is "examining additional suspect passports".

The international police agency said it was of "great concern" that passengers were able to board the plane using stolen passports, and no checks were made against its database.

Flight MH370 disappeared two days ago off Vietnam's south coast.

Two passengers used passports stolen from Christian Kozel and Luigi Maraldi

The search area has been widened after radar data indicated the plane 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.

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

Prayers are said at Kuala Lumpur airport for the missing passengers

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

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

They bought their tickets together and paid for them in Thai baht, Sky News has learned, and were due to fly on to Europe from Beijing.

The tickets bought using the stolen passports

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

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.

The circles show the two areas the search is focusing on

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.

The two oil slicks seen off Vietnam

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.

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

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.

Family members have complained of a lack of information

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.

Officials are examining CCTV footage of passengers boarding the plane.

One of the passengers was listed as a 37-year-old Italian called Luigi Maraldi but he has contacted his parents 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.

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

Another passenger used a passport belonging to Austrian citizen Christian Kozel, whose passport was stolen in Thailand two years ago.

He is listed as one of the passengers although he has been confirmed as safe and well by authorities.

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

Tech firm Freescale Semiconductor said 20 of its staff were on the plane.

In a statement it said: "Twelve are from Malaysia and eight are from China. The entire Freescale Semiconductor community is deeply saddened by this news."

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