Oscar Pistorius: The Virtual Judge And Jury

By Emma Hurd, Africa Correspondent

A single judge will ultimately decide Oscar Pistorius's fate, but out in the realm of social media there is a vast "virtual jury" following every moment of the televised trial.

Instant verdicts are being posted every second in cyberspace and the fierce cross-examination of the athlete in the witness box has provoked the biggest reaction yet.

"I can't believe they just showed that, that is too much," was just one of many outraged tweets after the screening in court - and on TV - of a graphic picture of Reeva Steenkamp's head wound. 

Moments earlier, prosecutor Gerrie Nel had shown a video obtained by Sky News of Pistorius at a gun range blasting apart a watermelon and urged the athlete to make the connection between the two.  

As Pistorius wept in the witness box, refusing to stare at the grisly image on the TV screen in front of him, the debate over Mr Nel's tactics raged on. 

"Oh no, poor Oscar, I can't believe he has to see this," was typical of the reactions of those who felt sympathy for the athlete. "What is wrong with Gerrie Nel? He is heartless," was another response on a South African-run Facebook page dedicated to following the trial. 

But many of those tweeting and posting declared it was justified to show the effects of the bullets fired by Pistorius and that Mr Nel was "doing his job" and trying to "do his best for Reeva".

"Seeing the graphic picture of Reeva's head just made this case real for me," another South African tweeted.

The social media chatter is far from a scientific poll of how the trial is going, with many of those posting comments apparently determined to stick to their opinions of Pistorius's innocence or guilt regardless of the flow of evidence in court. 

What is more interesting is the perception of the "fairness" or otherwise of the proceedings and the assessment of the skills of the key players. 

During the prosecution evidence, when the athlete's defence advocate Barry Roux was leading aggressive cross examinations, his abilities were widely admired and even joked about on spoof namesake Twitter accounts. Now the attention has switched to the equally combative Gerrie Nel. 

Even Judge Thokozile Masipa has not been immune to the stream of comment, with some tweeters trying to detect even a hint of the way she might be leaning by the tone and timing of her interventions in court. She is above being influenced by the verdicts of the "virtual jury" but the #OscarPistorius trial will probably continue long after her own ruling comes.

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Missing Plane: Search Narrowed In MH370 Hunt

Why Is MH370 Search Chief So Optimistic?

Updated: 8:05am UK, Thursday 10 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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Oscar Pistorius Defends Reeva Relationship

Oscar Pistorius has been questioned over his relationship with Reeva Steenkamp during a second day of cross-examination.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel questioned him over "angry" text messages between him and his girlfriend and said the phrase "I love you" never appeared in either of their phone correspondence to each other.

But the 27-year-old insisted his relationship was open and trusting with Ms Steenkamp and said he did not write text messages showing his feelings because he preferred to talk to her.

The athlete also told the court in Pretoria 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."

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.

More follows...

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Toyota In Global Recall Of 6 Million Vehicles

Toyota has issued a global recall of millions of vehicles because of safety issues.

The Japanese company said the announcement covers three issues affecting RAV4, Hilux, Yaris and Urban Cruiser models.

A total of 35,124 UK-registered vehicles are affected by the recall.

The carmaker said: "Worldwide, there have been no reports of any accidents or injuries relating to these issues.

"Toyota is conducting the recalls according to Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) code of practice."

The firm said it would provide a "prompt inspection and repair programme" without charge to owners.

Customers can check if their vehicle is affected by using a registration number look-up function on its website.

It said a spiral cable assembly issue had been identified on airbag modules of some RAV4 and Hilux vehicles.

There is a risk that when the steering wheel is turned damage may occur to the circuitry.

"If connectivity is lost, the airbag warning light will illuminate on the instrument panel and the driver's airbag may be deactivated," Toyota said.

The RAV4 and Hilux vehicles were manufactured between June 2004 and December 2010.

The world's largest carmaker also found a fault in the seat adjustment rail for Yaris and Urban Cruisers could fail after repeated usage.

Toyota's Prius Hybrids were recalled last February

It said: "Should the spring break, the seat may not lock into its adjusted position, and could move in the event of a crash."

The affected Yaris and Urban Cruiser models were built between January 2005 and August 2010, covering 10,339 UK-registered cars.

Toyota said there was a potential fault in the tilt or telescopic steering column of some second generation Yaris and Urban Cruisers.

It said: "Toyota is aware that the weld which connects the steering column bracket to the instrument panel on some Yaris and Urban Cruiser models might break when the steering wheel is repeatedly turned with full force.

"The driver may hear an abnormal noise from the bracket area and if the vehicle continues to be driven, it is possible that the bracket will fail, causing the steering column to tilt out of position. However, the driver will not lose steering control."

The potential steering issue affected 1,293 UK cars built between September 2005 and February 2009.

The company said: "Vehicle owners will be contacted by Toyota within the coming weeks by post or telephone and asked to make an appointment to bring their car to their nearest Toyota Centre, in accordance with DVSA guidelines."

Tokyo-listed shares for the company were down more than 3% on the Nikkei after the news was announced on Wednesday.

Some of the affected vehicles were made in France, with the majority built in Japan.

Toyota was once renowned for impeccable build quality but that reputation has been hit in recent years.

In 2012, it recalled more than 3 million vehicles over safety issues and last February 1.9 million Prius Hybrids were recalled.

The Toyota announcement is the latest in a series of high-profile recalls to hit the sector.

General Motors recently recalled more than 2.4 million North American vehicles over ignition switch issues - with its CEO grilled by politicians in Washington DC - while the world's second biggest carmaker, Volkswagen, recalled 2.6m vehicles late last year.

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Pistorius: I Tried To Stop Reeva Bleeding

Oscar Pistorius has described the moment he found Reeva Sttenkamp after shooting her and said he tried to stop her bleeding.

Speaking of the moments after discovering her body in the toilet, Pistorius said he initially thought she did not have a pulse - but then felt her breathing.  

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

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

"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.

"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 Reeva down as neighbours told him that an ambulance was on its way.

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

"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."

Oscar Pistorius said Reeva died in his arms

Yesterday, Pistorius wept uncontrollably in the dock as he described shooting dead his girlfriend, claiming he though she was an intruder.

The court case was halted for the day because the 27-year-old Paralympian was unable to continue giving evidence, wailing in court: "She was everything."

Today, if time allows, he faces cross-examination from prosecuting barrister Gerrie Nel - who is known as the "pit bull" in South Africa.

Mr Nel is famed for securing the conviction, for corruption, of the country's former police commissioner, Jackie Selebi.

Selebi's defence crumbled during a marathon eight days of cross examination.

This morning, Pistorius continued being questioned by his defence barrister, Barry Roux .

In dramatic scenes yesterday afternoon, Pistorius described finding his girlfriend's body in the toilet of his home after pulling the trigger of his gun four times.

Pistorius collapsed into tears and was consoled by his sister Aimee and one of his lawyers who rushed through the courtroom to his side.

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, 29, 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.

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.

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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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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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Pistorius: 'I Was Besotted With Reeva'

Oscar Pistorius has told how he was "besotted" with Reeva Steenkamp after the pair began to date.

The 27-year-old sounded close to tears again as he gave evidence for the second day at his murder trial in Pretoria, South Africa.

Describing the start of their relationship Pistorius told the court how they began dating at a sports award ceremony.

Oscar Pistorius wept in court yesterday before giving evidence

He said: "I really didn't think that she would go with me (...) I phoned her and she said she would go with me. 

"After the evening we sat speaking until 2 or 3 in the morning. She was a fantastic date."

Pistorius said he believed that he was "more into" Reeva than she was into him.

 "I was very keen on Reeva. I was besotted with her," he said.

Pistorius is expected to field questions all day and describe events relating to the death of his girlfriend.

June Steenkamp sat stony-faced through the evidence yesterday

Pistorius shot Ms Steenkamp, 29, dead in the bathroom of his home but denies murder, claiming that he thought the model was an intruder.  

He also denies 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.

Pistorius said meeting Reeva Steenkamp was a 'blessing'

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.

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

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.

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

Yesterday 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."

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Pistorius In Court For Defence Evidence

Oscar Pistorius has arrived at court in South Africa for the start of his defence case against a murder charge.

The athlete is expected to take the stand this week to explain how and why he shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

It is understood he will not be the first witness for the defence. Instead, pathologist Theo Botha will be first up today - due to undisclosed "personal reasons".

Ms Steenkamp was shot dead on Valentine's Day last year

When Pistorius takes the stand, it will be the first time he speaks publicly about what happened that night.

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

The prosecution has wrapped up its case and both sides have agreed to an extension of the trial until mid-May.

The court has heard the couple had a difficult relationship

Just 18 of 107 possible witnesses were heard during the first three weeks of the trial, which is being held in Pretoria.

During the prosecution's case, the court heard about text messages Ms Steenkamp sent to Pistorius, in which she wrote: "I am sometimes scared of you."

An emotional message from Ms Steenkamp sent on January 27 last year accused Pistorius of picking on her "incessantly".

The Paralympian is accused of the premeditated murder of Ms Steenkamp, but says he mistook her for an intruder and shot her by mistake.

He is also accused of illegally possessing ammunition and two further counts related to shooting a gun in public in separate incidents prior to the killing.

The 27-year-old denies all the charges against him.

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Ukraine: Pro-Russians Storm Govt Offices

Masked pro-Russian demonstrators have stormed government buildings in three major cities in eastern Ukraine.

Dozens of people armed with sticks and rocks broke through police lines during a pro-Russian rally to surge into a regional government office in Donetsk, roughly 80 kilometres (50 miles) west of the Russian border

Some of the protesters were chanting "Donetsk is a Russian city" as they climbed to the roof, where they waved the Russian flag.

They then threw firecrackers at around 200 police officers surrounding the building.

Government buildings were also seized in Lugansk and Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city.

Ukraine's Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov has cancelled a trip to Lithuania to deal with the latest violence. He has called an emergency meeting of security chiefs in Ukraine's capital Kiev.

Separatist protesters unfurled the Russian flag during the demonstration

Several eastern cities have seen regular protests since former Ukrainian president and Kremlin ally Viktor Yanukovych was ousted in February.

A subsequent referendum which saw Crimea secede Ukraine and join the Russian Federation has led to calls for similar referenda across the region, where half of the residents are ethnic Russians.

Sunday's protest in Donetsk attracted some 2,000 people.

Many, waving Russian flags, shouted "Give us a referendum" and "NATO go home".

In Lugansk several men broke down the doors of the regional government building while others pelted its windows with stones and eggs.

A smoke grenade and firebomb were also set off. Police responded with tear gas. 

Eastern Ukraine was the heartland of President Yanukovych's support

Protesters were calling for the release of 15 pro-Russian activists who were arrested earlier this week.

Police said they were planning to seize the city's main administration building with the use of "arms and explosives".

Similar unrest was also reported in Kharkiv, less than an hour's drive from the Russian border.

Western countries and Ukraine's interim government fear that growing unrest in the east could prompt Russian President Vladimir Putin to send troops to the region to follow through with his promise to protect its ethnic Russian population.

The US says Russia has already massed about 40,000 soldiers near the eastern border of Ukraine.

However, Russia denies that it plans to expand its military presence beyond Crimea.

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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.

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."

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.

If a signal is pinpointed, search teams can send down an underwater drone

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.

"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."

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

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.

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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MH370: Has China Cracked 'Mission Impossible'?

Experts say Chinese search crews will have overcome an "impossible situation" if they recover the black box from the missing Malaysia Airlines plane.

Chinese state media claims a signal has been discovered by the country's Haixun 01 vessel 1,000 miles northwest of Perth.

The signal is said to have a frequency of 37.5kHz per second - the same as that emitted by black-box devices.

Oceanographer Dr Simon Boxall, from Southampton University, told Sky News it would be a remarkable achievement.

"If it proves this is potentially from the pinger on the black box then we've gone from pretty much an impossible situation to locate this flight and the wreckage on the seabed to a situation where it's very feasible," he said.

"It would mean we've gone from an area of 85,000 square miles down to an area of 10 square miles.

"Because the signal is so weak on this locator, it can't be more than two or three miles away.

"Even if the seabed is fairly mountainous or there are issues on the sea floor, it's within the capability of 21st century technology to recover this black box if the signal proves to be from the aircraft.

"The search area would be doable but it could take months."

Dr Boxall says the next step is to confirm the signal is from MH370.

This would be done using a combination of side scan sonar and camera equipment attached to an ROV (remotely operated underwater vehicle).

If they confirm the presence of a black box, the operation will enter its recovery phase.

This could be hampered by weather, with relatively calm seas required for a whole day to allow the ROV to reach the seabed.

"You shouldn't underestimate the size of this task - it's not easy," said Dr Boxall.

The location of objects spotted in the southern corridor

"But you go to something that will happen, rather than something that may never happen.

"Possibly when they do that some of the mysteries of what happened to MH370 might be answered."

Another question is which country will lead any verification and recovery, as the signal has been found in international waters.

But Dr Boxall warns there is a long way to go before this becomes an issue.

"Without showing scepticism, it's interesting that this has happened four weeks after the event and it's happened at the point when people are saying, incorrectly, that the black box is going to run out in two hours," he said.

"The black box has a design transition of about 30 days. It could go on for longer, it could have been damaged in the crash itself.

"The ocean is full of noise. Both equipment we use as scientists or natural noises.

"The argument is that there's nothing else out there that will transit at 37.5kHz but we also know the signal was very intermittent, which we would sort of expect - but how intermittent?

"Because this is all second-hand information, then until this data has been looked at by the Australians, I'm afraid to say my scepticism will remain."

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Afghan Election: Obama Hails 'Critical' Vote

The Front Runners In Afghanistan's Elections

Updated: 1:29pm UK, Saturday 05 April 2014

Here is a guide to the leading contenders in the Afghan elections.

Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai

Known in Afghanistan as Doctor Ashraf Ghani, the American-trained anthropologist returned to his home country after the Taliban were ousted.

He had previously spent more than 25 years abroad during the turbulent years when Afghanistan came under Soviet control, descended into civil war and then was taken over by the Taliban.

During that period he worked for the United Nations and World Bank in the US, Denmark and in south and east Asia.

On his return he held various government posts, including finance minister.

He went on to take part in the disputed 2009 presidential election campaign when he won 4% of the vote, but was beaten by Hamid Karzai.

Mr Ghani is among the strongest backers of a disputed security deal which will keep US troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014.

But he has provoked controversy by picking ethnic Uzbek former warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum as a running mate.

Zalmai Rassoul

A relative of Afghanistan's former royal family, Zalmai Rassoul is seen as an establishment figure.

Although originally a doctor, he became involved in politics when representing the deposed king in 1998 on a body that played a key role in the future transition of the country after the end of the Soviet period.

He held roles in national security before being made Hamid Karzai's foreign minister, often accompanying the president on trips abroad.

Critics say that, if elected, Mr Rassoul would lack the strength and independence to make a break from the old administration, which many have accused of corruption.

But a number of foreign correspondents have said that despite serving for more than a decade in government, he remains untainted by the allegations that have dogged Mr Karzai's tenure in power.

He is comfortable dealing with those at home and abroad, speaking Dari, Pashto, English, French and Italian, among other languages.

He is also the only leading candidate with a woman as one of his vice-presidential running mates. 

Abdullah Abdullah

A former ophthalmologist-turned-fighter against Soviet forces in the 1980s, Mr Abdullah dropped out of a run-off against Mr Karzai in the 2009 election, saying he was concerned about electoral fraud.

He rose to take roles in government in the post-Taliban period having previously been an adviser to Ahmad Shah Masood, a leader in the Northern Alliance.

But he was abruptly dismissed from his role as Afghanistan's foreign minister in 2006 - a role he had previously held in the Northern Alliance when it fought alongside the American-led invasion of the country following the 9/11 attacks.

Mr Abdullah's base of support is the ethnic Tajik community whose rights and cause, although he is half-Pashtun, he has championed.

He spent some of the period during the Soviet-backed regime in Pakistan.

He took part in the 2009 election after registering as an independent candidate.

Other candidates are:

Abdul Rasul Sayyaf: A former warlord with ties to al Qaeda. An MP in the new parliament.

Mohammad Daud Sultanzoy: A former pilot and talk show host who is known for encouraging women to vote.

Qutbuddin Hilal: Former deputy prime minister with links to controversial mujahideen figure Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.

Gul Agha Sherzai: Another former mujahideen member but later governor of two Afghan provinces during Mr Karzai's time.

Hedayat Amin Arsala: A prominent economist and politician who has held several high-ranking government posts.

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Missing Plane: Three Acoustic Signals Detected

Chinese and Australian ships searching for missing flight MH370 have picked up separate acoustic signals in different parts of the southern Indian Ocean and are trying to verify if one could be from the plane's black box recorders.

Retired Australian Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, head of the international search, earlier said Chinese patrol vessel Haixun 01 picked up two "acoustic events" some 1,000 miles (1,600km) northwest of Perth.

The first was a faint signal. The second was picked up around 1.2 miles (2km) away and lasted for 90 seconds, he said.

They had a "ping" of 37.5kHz frequency - the same emitted by black box flight recorders.

The location where the signal was detected

More planes and ships were sent to assist in that area, but in the meantime Australia's HMAS Ocean Shield had reported a separate "acoustic event" some 345 miles (555km) away.

The Ocean Shield is carrying sophisticated US Navy equipment designed to pick up signals sent from the black boxes.

A Chinese air force plane also spotted a number of white floating objects in the area, said Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

Mr Houston stressed that investigators are still a "long way" from concluding the signals are from the Boeing 777 carrying 239 people.

But he said they are "an important and encouraging lead" and show "some promise and require a full investigation".

The Malaysia Airlines plane vanished on March 8

Earlier, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott told reporters in Tokyo: "This is the most difficult search in human history.

"We are searching for an aircraft which is at the bottom of a very deep ocean and it is a very, very wide search area.

"We need to be very careful about coming to hard and fast conclusions too soon."

Anish Patel, president of Dukane Seacom, the company that made the black box locator, told Reuters: "The 37.5kHz is the specific frequency that these locator pingers operate on.

Hishammuddin Hussein at a news conference in Malaysia on Saturday

"It's a very unique frequency, typically not found in background ocean noise," such as whales or other marine mammals, he added.

A dozen planes and 13 ships are scouring three areas about 1,240 miles (2,000 km) northwest of Perth.

Malaysia said on Saturday it had launched a formal investigation into the plane's disappearance that would include experts from Britain, Australia, the US, China and France.

The country's acting transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein said it would be made up of three groups.

The first would examine maintenance records, structures and systems.

The second would study flight recorders, operations and meteorology.

The third, a "medical and human factors" group, would look into psychology, pathology and survival.

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