Do Not Get Sick, Top Doctor Warns Patients

One of Britain's most senior doctors has warned people not to get ill because the situation in the NHS is so bad.

Sir Richard Thompson, President of the Royal College of Physicians, told Sky News a funding crisis is putting doctors under so much pressure it is putting patients at risk.

When asked where things were headed, Sir Richard said: "I'd rather not think about it. It's already (a) tremendous strain. When people ask me what's going to happen I say don't get ill."

He also warned the health service is "underfunded by billions".

Sir Richard told Sunrise the NHS is "between a rock and a hard place", having to cope with an increasing population at the same time there is a shortage of doctors and nurses.

"The workload is going up at the same time money is being taken out of the NHS," he said, adding some smaller hospitals were already under "tremendous strain" to try and keep going.

"Because nurses and doctors are rushed they know that they can't produce good care."

Sir Richard claims doctors are missing patients' vital signs

Sir Richard added: "If you're not able to give an optimum time to looking after patients, the right number of staff looking after them, there must be some damage."

In an earlier interview with the Guardian, 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.

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 accused the coalition of cutting the NHS budget despite repeated pledges, including from Prime Minister 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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Afghanistan Goes To The Polls In Historic Vote

The Front Runners In Afghanistan's Elections

Updated: 11:09am 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 Karzai's tenure in power.

He is at 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 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 Karzai's time.

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

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Malaysia: We're Not Behind Plane Disappearance

Malaysia's transport minister has denied "extraordinary" claims the country was complicit in the disappearance of flight MH370.

In an interview with Sky News on Friday, Mayalsia's main opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said the investigation had been "clearly suspect" and alleged "complicity by authorities on the ground".

But speaking at a press conference on Saturday, acting transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein said: "Let me touch on some unfounded allegations made against Malaysia.

"These allegations include the extraordinary assertion that Malaysian authorities were somehow complicit in what happened to MH370.

"I would like to state for the record that these allegations are completely untrue.

"As I've said before, the search for MH370 should be above politics, and so I call on all Malaysians to unite, to stand by our armed forces as they work in difficult conditions thousands of miles from home, and to support all those who are working tirelessly in the search for MH370."

HMS Tireless has entered the search area

The comments come as the British nuclear submarine HMS Tireless entered the search area.

It is expected to play a crucial role in the quest to find the plane's black box, which could hold the key to solving the mystery of what happened.

"I spoke via telephone to the British Secretary of State for Defence, Philip Hammond, regarding the nuclear submarine HMS Tireless," said Mr Hussein.

"I hereby confirm the submarine is now in the search area and helping in the search operation."

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

Saturday's search area

The hunt was taking place in three large patches of the southern Indian Ocean, some 2,000km, 2,300km and 1,800km northwest of Perth.

As the search operation heads towards its second month, Mr Hussein revealed a new investigation team would be established.

The team will include experts from Australia, the US, China, France and the UK, and will be split into three sections.

One section will focus on maintenance, records, structures and systems; the second will look at flight recorders, operations and meteorology; the third is to examine psychology, pathology and survival factors.

"The search operation has been difficult, challenging and complex but despite all of this our determination remains undiminished," Mr Hussein added.

"We will continue to search with the same level of vigour and intensity. We owe this to the families of those on board and to the wider world."

More follows...

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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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Missing Plane: Race To Find MH370 Black Box

The latest underwater phase of the search for missing flight MH370 is a "desperate move" with limited chance of success, experts have claimed.

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

A pinger locator can detect signals from the flight recorder

Marine salvage expert John Noble told Sky's Ian Woods the latest phase of the search 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."

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.

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

"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."

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 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 on March 8,  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.

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.

Ships with helicopters on board have been helping with the search

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.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Tireless is assisting with the search and has powerful equipment that could detect a black box at up to 10 miles away - but it can only operate to a depth of around 400m.

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.

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

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.

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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Schumacher Showing 'Moments Of Awakening'

Formula One ace Michael Schumacher is showing "moments of consciousness and awakening," according to his agent.

The 45-year-old has been in an induced coma since suffering a serious head injury in a skiing accident in the French Alps ski resort of Meribel in December.

"Michael is making progress on his way. He shows moments of consciousness and awakening," Sabine Kehm said in a statement.

"We are on his side during his long and difficult fight, together with the team of the hospital in Grenoble, and we keep remaining confident," the statement continued.

Earlier this week, Ms Kehm told German newspaper Bild: "There are signs that give us encouragement."

The paper also quoted her as denying reports Shumacher's family are building a special medical facility to help care for him at their home.

Schumacher was reportedly travelling at speeds of up to 60mph when the accident happened, and is thought to have been saved by his skiing helmet, which split on impact.

The racing legend's chief doctor said last week that it was unlikely he would ever fully recover from the accident.

Doctor Gary Hartstein wrote on his blog: "As time goes on, it becomes less and less likely that Michael will emerge to any significant extent."

Schumacher left motor racing last year after a disappointing three-year comeback following an earlier retirement from Ferrari at the end of 2006.

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Shark Takes Swimmer Near Australia Beach

Rescue crews are searching for the remains of a keen swimmer who was dragged away by a shark off a popular beach in Australia.

Christine Armstrong was attacked as she attempted to swim the 1,970ft (600m) stretch between the wharf and beach near the village of Tathra, 210 miles (340km) south of Sydney.

The 63-year-old was part of a group who met at the beach every morning to swim out to the wharf and back.

The beach close to where Mrs Armstrong was taken

Mrs Armstrong's family said she had been swimming at the beach for 14 years and had been a trainer at the local volunteer lifeguard club.

"Swimming brought her much joy and many friends," they said in a statement.

"She will be sadly missed by all who loved her, especially by Rob, her husband of 44 years."

A helicopter and boat are being used in the search for her remains.

The species of the shark involved in the attack is not known at this stage.

A search team looks for her remains

The Tathra Wharf to Waves - a swim from the wharf to the beach and back - is an annual event that attracts hundreds of swimmers every summer.

Sharks are common off Australia's coast, but the country has averaged fewer than two fatal attacks per year in recent decades.

Two men were killed in attacks off the east and west coasts within the space of a week in November - the only deaths in 2013.

On Wednesday police found the remains of a 38-year-old man who was reported missing last week after going diving south of the west coast city of Perth.

The remains had shark bites, but police said it is not clear whether the man had been bitten before or after he died.

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Nigella Lawson Stopped From Boarding US Flight

Nigella Lawson has been stopped from boarding a flight to the United States after her court confession that she has taken cocaine.

The television chef was due to fly from Heathrow to Los Angeles at the weekend but was turned away.

Lawson had earlier tweeted about going on holiday and posted a photo of a sunhat and some mustard.

"Packing for my holiday! #essentials," she wrote.

During the December fraud trial of the 54-year-old and her ex-husband Charles Saatchi's personal assistants, she admitted to taking the class A drug.

The court heard that she took it with her late husband John Diamond when he was terminally ill with cancer and in 2010 when she claimed she was being "subjected to intimate terrorism" by Mr Saatchi.

Police reviewed the allegations of drug use made during the trial but Scotland Yard said no further action would be taken.

Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo were acquitted in December

A witness told the Daily Mail that the self-styled 'domestic goddess' attempted to board a British Airways flight from London on Sunday morning but was turned away.

"She didn't seem to say much but she did not look happy," the onlooker said.

"She could not get on the flight so she had to turn around and leave."

The US has a strict visa policy and authorities are able to ban anyone who has committed a drugs offence even if they have not been convicted.

However, Lawson has visited America, where she has a successful career, since her court appearance.

The mother-of-two appeared on US TV show Good Morning America to promote her show The Taste but also spoke at length about the trial of Elisabetta and Francesca Grillo, who were acquitted.

British Airways would not comment on the incident and told Sky News: "Due to data protection laws, we cannot comment on individual customers."

The US Embassy has also not responded to a request for a comment.

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Smog Creeps Over UK As Pollution Hits Level 10

Air pollution has reached the highest possible level in some parts of the country, with "very high" readings reported in London and Kent.

High levels of smog are also forecast for East Anglia, the Midlands, Lincolnshire, the Wirral and the north coast of Wales and a health warning remains in force for millions of vulnerable people.

The elderly, people with asthma and those with lung and heart conditions are being told to take precautions, with forecasters warning the smog will not clear until Friday.

Sky News Correspondent Lisa Dowd, at the Acute Medical Unit in Solihull, near Birmingham, said the clinic had seen a "slight increase" in the number of people coming in with respiratory problems possibly linked to the poor air quality.

Forecast for April 3, 4 and 5. Purple/reds are highest levels. Pic: Defra

Karen Lytton, who was among the patients admitted, said: "The breathing problems I suffer with have been getting worse.

"It's been getting harder to get about. Normally I'd be able to walk to the shops but yesterday I had to catch a taxi instead."

Parts of England are experiencing the highest level of air pollution ever recorded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), in part due to dust from the Sahara.

Level 10 readings were reported at monitoring sites in Harrow, northwest London, and Rochester, Kent.

A view of London's Canary Wharf on Wednesday

Tests by an independent monitoring company in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, revealed there were 130 micrograms of particulates - very fine particles, primarily from diesel-powered car and industry - in every cubic metre of air.

That figure is more than six times higher than normal and two and half times the European limit of 50 micrograms.

The plummeting air quality - caused by a cocktail of dust from the Sahara desert, domestic pollution and European emissions, coupled with low southeasterly winds - has led charities and health bodies to warn of possible health risks.

Sotiris Vardoulakis, of Public Health England, advised adults and children with lung problems, as well as adults with heart conditions, to consider reducing strenuous physical exercise, especially outdoors.

Some commuters have taken to wearing face masks

"Anyone experiencing discomfort such as sore eyes, coughing or sore throat should also consider reducing activity," he said.

The UK's 3.6 million asthmatics have also been advised to use their blue reliever inhalers more often to prevent attacks.

Saharan dust gets blown over to Britain several times a year, with the latest episode caused by a large wind storm in North Africa.

Cars in some areas of the country have been covered with speckles of the dust.

The World Health Organisation estimates seven million premature deaths annually are linked to air pollution.

The UK is not the only place to be hit by increased smog levels.

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

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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.

However, unlike the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud of 2010, which caused airports across Europe to shut down amid fears dust could cause engine damage, air traffic controllers said they were "not aware" of any likely disruption to flights.

A spokesman for 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."

Forecaster Paul Hutcheon 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.

Rising smog levels are linked to dust blown from the Sahara

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

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 Declares Quake-Hit Areas 'Disaster Zones'

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

The Chilean navy said 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 were reported and a mass evacuation 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 was in place for Chile and Peru for several hours, before it was called off by officials.

Chile's Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo said those killed had either died from heart attacks or from being crushed. Several others have been seriously injured.

Politicians in Chile ordered the "preventative evacuation" of hundreds of thousands of people from coastal areas which was hampered by landslides which had blocked roads.

Terrified residents flooded the streets desperate to reach higher ground, while schools were used as shelters.

The quake occurred 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 broke out in Iquique, while 300 inmates escaped from a women's prison amid the chaos, dozens of whom were recaptured.

Chilean TV shows geological data from the magnitude-8.2 tremor

Thousands of homes lost power and the government sent 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 was later 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 could not be ruled out, said 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 said there was no imminent threat of a tsunami along the coasts of Hawaii, Alaska, California, Oregon or Washington.

However, Indonesia said a small tsunami "will possibly affect several areas" including Java, Bali, Sulawesi and Borneo, and warned people to steer clear of beaches.

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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Nato Chief: Russia Ready To Invade Ukraine

Nato's top military commander says Russia is ready to invade Ukraine and could "accomplish its objectives" in three to five days.

Nato's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, US Air Force General Philip Breedlove, said the organisation had spotted signs of movement by a very small part of the Russian force overnight but no indication that it was returning to barracks.

Gen Breedlove said the situation is "incredibly concerning" as Russia has all the forces it needs on Ukraine's border if it decides to carry out an "incursion" into the country.

Nato foreign ministers meeting in Brussels have asked the general to draw up a package including land, air and sea reinforcements to reassure nervous allies in eastern Europe by April 15.

His comments came as Nato suspended all practical cooperation with Moscow in protest at its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

Russia has responded by accusing the alliance of reverting to the language of the Cold War and said neither side would gain from the move.

A Russian soldier directs a tank after its arrival in Crimea

"The language of the statements rather resembles the verbal jousting of the Cold War era," Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement.

He said the move sparked a sense of deja vu - referring to Russia's five-day war with Georgia in 2008, when Nato withdrew cooperation but later resumed it of its own accord.

Mr Lukashevich said: "It is hard to imagine who will gain from the suspension of cooperation between Russia and Nato on countering modern threats and challenges to international and European security, in particular in areas such as the fight against terrorism, piracy and natural and man-made disasters.

"In any case, it will certainly not be Russia or Nato member states."

The diplomatic row comes a day after Russia signalled it would pull back some troops massing on the Ukraine border.

The German government said President Vladimir Putin had assured Chancellor Angela Merkel that he had "ordered a partial withdrawal" of military forces.

Western fears of a new incursion into eastern or southern Ukraine by Moscow have been growing since last week, when a build-up of Russian troops along the border was seen.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Russian troops gathering on the border were concealing their positions and establishing supply lines that could be used in a prolonged deployment, according to officials briefed on the latest US intelligence.

The assessments prompted concerns that Russia is preparing to invade Ukraine without warning, rather than carrying out military exercises as it has claimed.

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Pupil Dies After School Wall Collapses

A schoolgirl has died after a wall collapsed onto her at an Edinburgh school.

Police were called to the accident at Liberton High School shortly before 10am.

Ambulance staff treated the girl at the scene, but she was pronounced dead.

Her name will not be released until next of kin have been informed.

A spokesman for Police Scotland said: "Police in Edinburgh responded to Liberton High School after a wall within the building collapsed, injuring a female pupil at 10am.

"She was treated by ambulance staff on the scene, but was pronounced dead."

He added: "Inquiries into the full circumstances surrounding this incident are on-going and we are working alongside our relevant partner agencies."

A spokesman for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: "Firefighters assisted ambulance personnel to remove a female casualty from a collapsed structure but sadly she was pronounced dead at the scene.

"Thoughts are with the family at this difficult time."

A spokesman for Edinburgh City Council said: "A pupil at Liberton High School has sadly died following an incident at the school.

"Senior education staff and health and safety officers from the council are at the school providing support to staff and pupils."

Edinburgh Southern SNP MSP Jim Eadie, whose constituency covers the school, said: "I am deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic incident, and the thoughts of the entire community are with the family and friends of this young girl."

Edinburgh City Council has previously been prosecuted for "serious safety failings" at the same school.

The authority was fined £8,000 in February after a girl was seriously injured when she fell more than 16 feet as teachers tried to free her from a broken lift.

The student, then aged 15, needed to be kept in hospital suffering with three fractured vertebrae, bruising over her lower back, and a sprained wrist.

The council was fined at Edinburgh Sheriff Court after pleading guilty to breaching Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, according to the Health and Safety Executive.

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Full Transcript Of Last Contact With MH370

The official transcript of the final conversations between the control tower and Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is released:

MAS 370 (Kuala Lumpur to Beijing)

PILOT-ATC RADIOTELEPHONY TRANSCRIPT

Departure from KLIA: 8 March 2014

ATC DELIVERY

12:25:53 MAS 370 Delivery MAS 370 Good Morning

12:26:02 ATC MAS 370 Standby and Malaysia Six is cleared to Frankfurt via AGOSA Alpha Departure six thousand feet squawk two one zero six

12:26:19 ATC ... MAS 370 request level

12:26:21 MAS 370 MAS 370 we are ready requesting flight level three five zero to Beijing

12:26:39 ATC MAS 370 is cleared to Beijing via PIBOS A Departure Six Thousand Feet squawk two one five seven

12:26:45 MAS 370 Beijing PIBOS A Six Thousand Squawk two one five seven, MAS 370 Thank You

12:26:53 ATC MAS 370 Welcome over to ground

12:26:55 MAS 370 Good Day

LUMPUR GROUND

12:27:27 MAS 370 Ground MAS370 Good morning Charlie One Requesting push and start

12:27:34 ATC MAS370 Lumpur Ground Morning Push back and start approved Runway 32 Right Exit via Sierra 4.

12:27:40 MAS 370 Push back and start approved 32 Right Exit via Sierra 4 POB 239 Mike Romeo Oscar

12:27:45 ATC Copied

12:32:13 MAS 370 MAS377 request taxi.

12:32:26 ATC MAS37..... (garbled) ... standard route. Hold short Bravo

12:32:30 MAS 370 Ground, MAS370. You are unreadable. Say again.

12:32:38 ATC MAS370 taxi to holding point Alfa 11 Runway 32 Right via standard route. Hold short of Bravo.

12:32:42 MAS 370 Alfa 11 Standard route Hold short Bravo MAS370.

12:35:53 ATC MAS 370 Tower

12:36:19 ATC (garbled) ... Tower ... (garbled)

MAS 370 1188 MAS370 Thank you

LUMPUR TOWER

12:36:30 MAS 370 Tower MAS370 Morning

12:36:38 ATC MAS370 good morning. Lumpur Tower. Holding point..[garbled]..10 32 Right

12:36:50 MAS 370 Alfa 10 MAS370

12:38:43 ATC 370 line up 32 Right Alfa 10. MAS 370 Line up 32 Right Alfa 10 MAS370.

12:40:38 ATC 370 32 Right Cleared for take-off. Good night.

MAS 370 32 Right Cleared for take-off MAS370. Thank you Bye.

LUMPUR APPROACH

12:42:05 MAS 370 Departure Malaysian Three Seven Zero

12:42:10 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero selamat pagi identified. Climb flight level one eight zero cancel SID turn right direct to IGARI

12:42:48 MAS 370 Okay level one eight zero direct IGARI Malaysian one err Three Seven Zero

12:42:52 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero contact Lumpur Radar One Three Two Six good night MAS 370 Night One Three Two Six Malaysian Three Seven Zero

LUMPUR RADAR (AREA)

12:46:51 MAS 370 Lumpur Control Malaysian Three Seven Zero

12:46:51 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero Lumpur radar Good Morning climb flight level two five zero

12:46:54 MAS370 Morning level two five zero Malaysian Three Seven Zero

12:50:06 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero climb flight level three five zero

12:50:09 MAS370 Flight level three five zero Malaysian Three Seven Zero

01:01:14 MAS370 Malaysian Three Seven Zero maintaining level three five zero

01:01:19 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero

01:07:55 MAS370 Malaysian...Three Seven Zero maintaining level three five zero

01:08:00 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero

01:19:24 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero contact Ho Chi Minh 120 decimal 9 Good Night

01:19:29 MAS370 Good Night Malaysian Three Seven Zero

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Missing Plane: Pilots' Conversations Revealed

Full Transcript Of Last Contact With MH370

Updated: 11:02am UK, Tuesday 01 April 2014

The official transcript of the final conversations between the control tower and Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is released:

MAS 370 (Kuala Lumpur to Beijing)

PILOT-ATC RADIOTELEPHONY TRANSCRIPT

Departure from KLIA: 8 March 2014

ATC DELIVERY

12:25:53 MAS 370 Delivery MAS 370 Good Morning

12:26:02 ATC MAS 370 Standby and Malaysia Six is cleared to Frankfurt via AGOSA Alpha Departure six thousand feet squawk two one zero six

12:26:19 ATC ... MAS 370 request level

12:26:21 MAS 370 MAS 370 we are ready requesting flight level three five zero to Beijing

12:26:39 ATC MAS 370 is cleared to Beijing via PIBOS A Departure Six Thousand Feet squawk two one five seven

12:26:45 MAS 370 Beijing PIBOS A Six Thousand Squawk two one five seven, MAS 370 Thank You

12:26:53 ATC MAS 370 Welcome over to ground

12:26:55 MAS 370 Good Day

LUMPUR GROUND

12:27:27 MAS 370 Ground MAS370 Good morning Charlie One Requesting push and start

12:27:34 ATC MAS370 Lumpur Ground Morning Push back and start approved Runway 32 Right Exit via Sierra 4.

12:27:40 MAS 370 Push back and start approved 32 Right Exit via Sierra 4 POB 239 Mike Romeo Oscar

12:27:45 ATC Copied

12:32:13 MAS 370 MAS377 request taxi.

12:32:26 ATC MAS37..... (garbled) ... standard route. Hold short Bravo

12:32:30 MAS 370 Ground, MAS370. You are unreadable. Say again.

12:32:38 ATC MAS370 taxi to holding point Alfa 11 Runway 32 Right via standard route. Hold short of Bravo.

12:32:42 MAS 370 Alfa 11 Standard route Hold short Bravo MAS370.

12:35:53 ATC MAS 370 Tower

12:36:19 ATC (garbled) ... Tower ... (garbled)

MAS 370 1188 MAS370 Thank you

LUMPUR TOWER

12:36:30 MAS 370 Tower MAS370 Morning

12:36:38 ATC MAS370 good morning. Lumpur Tower. Holding point..[garbled]..10 32 Right

12:36:50 MAS 370 Alfa 10 MAS370

12:38:43 ATC 370 line up 32 Right Alfa 10. MAS 370 Line up 32 Right Alfa 10 MAS370.

12:40:38 ATC 370 32 Right Cleared for take-off. Good night.

MAS 370 32 Right Cleared for take-off MAS370. Thank you Bye.

LUMPUR APPROACH

12:42:05 MAS 370 Departure Malaysian Three Seven Zero

12:42:10 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero selamat pagi identified. Climb flight level one eight zero cancel SID turn right direct to IGARI

12:42:48 MAS 370 Okay level one eight zero direct IGARI Malaysian one err Three Seven Zero

12:42:52 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero contact Lumpur Radar One Three Two Six good night MAS 370 Night One Three Two Six Malaysian Three Seven Zero

LUMPUR RADAR (AREA)

12:46:51 MAS 370 Lumpur Control Malaysian Three Seven Zero

12:46:51 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero Lumpur radar Good Morning climb flight level two five zero

12:46:54 MAS370 Morning level two five zero Malaysian Three Seven Zero

12:50:06 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero climb flight level three five zero

12:50:09 MAS370 Flight level three five zero Malaysian Three Seven Zero

01:01:14 MAS370 Malaysian Three Seven Zero maintaining level three five zero

01:01:19 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero

01:07:55 MAS370 Malaysian...Three Seven Zero maintaining level three five zero

01:08:00 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero

01:19:24 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero contact Ho Chi Minh 120 decimal 9 Good Night

01:19:29 MAS370 Good Night Malaysian Three Seven Zero

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Police Shooting Video Sparks Violent Protests

Officers in riot gear have clashed with demonstrators in Albuquerque after video emerged of police shooting dead a homeless man.

Police fired tear gas, charged at protesters and made several arrests after the 10-hour demonstration in the New Mexico city on Sunday. 

Albuquerque's mayor, Richard Berry, said the protest had turned from peaceful into "mayhem".

"We respected their rights to protest obviously," Mr Berry said, "but what it appears we have at this time is individuals who weren't connected necessarily with the original protest.

The mayor said the demonstration turned into 'mayhem'

"They've taken it far beyond a normal protest."

The protesters blocked traffic, tried to get on freeways and shouted anti-police slogans.

Gas canisters were thrown outside police headquarters, while rocks were hurled at officers, with at least one injured, according to news reports.

People are angry over Albuquerque police's involvement in 37 shootings, 23 of them fatal, since 2010.

One shooting in particular, that of homeless camper James Boyd in the city's foothills, has outraged citizens.

The protest began during the day and lasted for about 10 hours

The March 16 incident was captured on video and followed a long stand-off.

Police released the video, taken from a helmet camera, and insisted the shooting was justified.

They said they wanted Mr Boyd to move and stop illegally camping in an open space, but he refused to comply and threatened police.

The FBI has opened an investigation.

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Climate Change: 'We're All Sitting Ducks'

Flooding, droughts, heatwaves and wildfires will pose a massive threat to humans in the future as climate change worsens, a major United Nations report has warned.

The report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said the impact of global warming was already being felt and would increase with every additional degree that temperatures rose.

The world is in "an era of man-made climate change" and has already seen impacts of global warming on every continent and across the oceans, the report said.

IPCC chair Rajendra Pachauri said: "Nobody on this planet is going to be untouched by the impacts of climate change."

Experts are warning that in many cases, people are ill-prepared to cope with the risks of a changing climate.

Greenland is threatened by melting Arctic ice

The document, unveiled in Yokohama in Japan after a five-day meeting, gives the starkest warning yet by the IPCC of extreme consequences from climate change, and delves into greater detail than ever before into the impact at regional level.

The White House said it is taking the report as a call for action, with Secretary of State John Kerry saying: "Waiting is truly unaffordable. The costs of inaction are catastrophic."

Climate change could massively impact on world food production. Source: WRI

Food security will be hit by reduced yields in wheat, rice and maize crops, while climate change will also exacerbate existing health problems, and lead to more heatwave-related deaths, malnutrition and disease, the report said.

Increasing numbers of people are set to be displaced by extreme weather events, and the impacts of rising temperatures could contribute to a greater risk of violent conflicts by worsening problems such as poverty.

The report's publication has renewed calls from scientists and campaigners for action to cut greenhouse gases and to help vulnerable people adapt to "already-unavoidable impacts of climate change".

Air pollution in Beijing

Vicente Barros, co-chair of the IPCC study, from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, said: "We live in an era of man-made climate change.

"In many cases, we are not prepared for the climate-related risks that we already face. Investments in better preparation can pay dividends both for the present and for the future."

Princeton University professor Michael Oppenheimer, one of the main authors of the 32-volume report, warned: "We're all sitting ducks."

Risk of coastal and inland flooding in UK 'is set to increase'

Professor Sam Fankhauser, of the London School of Economics, who is a contributing author to the report, said: "In the UK and the rest of northern Europe, we will need to cope with increasing risks from coastal and inland flooding, heatwaves and droughts.

"The UK and all rich countries must also provide significant support to help poor countries, which are particularly vulnerable, to cope with the impacts of climate change."

The report is the second chapter of the fifth assessment by the IPCC, set up in 1988 to provide neutral, science-based guidance to governments.

Wildfires are projected to be an even bigger threat

The last overview, published in 2007, unleashed a wave of political action that strived but failed to forge a worldwide treaty on climate change in Copenhagen in 2009.

The latest report builds on previous IPCC forecasts that global temperatures will rise 0.3-4.8C (0.5-8.6F) this century, on top of roughly 0.7C since the Industrial Revolution.

Seas will rise by 26-82cm (10-32in) by 2100, it is predicted.

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Missing Malaysia Plane: 'Truth Will Prevail'

The "truth will prevail" in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane, the country's transport minister has pledged.

Hishammuddin Hussein made the promise during the latest news conference on the mystery of flight MH370.

He said analysis had revealed five objects retrieved from the Indian Ocean on Saturday were not from the Boeing missing 777.

But when asked to clarify the pilots' last words before contact was lost with the aircraft and whether it had performed a sharp left turn, Mr Hussein said such matters were still a focus for investigators.

"Can I just give you an assurance?," he said.

"All these inquiries are already in place and the truth will prevail and will be out there.

"So basically, if you're asking questions which are part and parcel of investigations, talking about transcripts, you must be fair to us because only those who are doing the investigations can give us the ok.

"There comes a time when this can be shared with the public ... We are not hiding anything, we're just following the procedure that has been set."

He said the search area now covered  254,000 sq km of the Indian Ocean.

And he added that the deployment of deep-sea and recovery assets was being discussed with other countries as the search effort moved into a more complex phase.

It came after a statement by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who said the "extraordinarily difficult" search would go on for as long as possible.

Mr Abbott said the "best brains in the world" were trying to solve the mystery, with 10 aircraft and 10 ships now searching the ocean 1,200 miles (2,000km) off the western coast of Australia for debris from the plane.

The aircraft was travelling from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia to the Chinese capital Beijing more than three weeks ago, when it vanished with 239 people on board. 

Speaking at Pearce Base in Perth, which is home for the search teams scouring the southern Indian Ocean, Mr Abbott said crews were "well, well short" of any point where they would scale back their efforts.

"If this mystery is solvable, we will solve it," he said.

More follows...

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Missing Plane: Busiest Day Yet In MH370 Search

Learning Lessons From Missing Flight MH370

Updated: 9:23am UK, Saturday 29 March 2014

By Ian Woods, Senior Correspondent

The small consolation that should come with every airline crash is that the knowledge gained from the tragedy should help prevent it happening again.

But if that were true, we might already know more about what happened to flight MH370.

After the Air France accident of 2009, in which 228 people died when their flight from Brazil plunged into the Atlantic, 120 representatives of the international aviation industry got together to recommend ways to make it easier to find aircraft which crash into the sea. 

None has been implemented.

They suggested that the flight data recorders - the black boxes - should have larger batteries so they would carry on transmitting a beacon for 90 rather than 30 days. 

But bigger batteries mean extra weight and extra cost for the airlines to install them.

They also suggested the recorders should be designed to break away and float to the surface, rather than sink to the sea floor along with the rest of the fuselage.

And that the frequency of the transmission should be altered to boost how far away it can be heard, beyond its current 2,000 metre maximum.

Salvage expert David Mearns, from Blue Water Recoveries, told Sky News: "If you reduce that frequency, the lower the frequency, the greater the range. 

"You go from 37.5khz , to say, 8.8khz as recommended, I think that would increase the range to over 10,000 metres.

"So that's a five times increase in your detectable range and that would help the teams out there now looking for these black boxes."

As for why the recommendations weren't acted upon? 

"It's a very big industry. It's an international industry," said Mr Mears.

"It takes a lot of time for these things to work themselves through the regulations; how they would operate, how the pilots would be trained to use them; they have to be implemented on the aircraft, so it takes years for these things to be done."

In an age when we can all track most passenger aircraft on our smartphones and computers, how can a plane still go missing? 

Most, but not all, areas of the world are now covered by the Acars ADS-B system, allowing them to be constantly tracked. Although smaller, older aircraft are not equipped.

There are new regulations being introduced around the world compelling airlines to fit them in all passenger aircraft. 

But in some places the deadline is 2020.  

Mikael Robertsson, the founder of Flightradar24.com, told Sky: "Maybe authorities in these countries don't want to rush or I guess it costs quite a lot of money for airlines to upgrade their equipment on board."

In any case, it appears the system on MH370 was switched off. 

One current 777 pilot told Sky he could not think of a good reason why he would do such a thing. 

And with so many flights criss-crossing vast expanses of water, knowing the plane's last position is crucial to a swift recovery. 

Mr Robertsson said: "I think this is something that should be discussed: How much pilots should be able to turn off, and how easy it should be to turn some systems off?"

The backgrounds of the pilots have been scrutinised to assess the likelihood of criminal or suicidal behaviour. 

Professor Robert Bor is a clinical psychologist who has studied those who fly, and was specifically asked to review an incident involving an American Jet Blue pilot who had a psychotic episode while flying from New York to Las Vegas.

Captain Clayton Osbon left the cockpit and screamed at passengers before being subdued by some of those on board. 

His co-pilot landed the plane safely in Texas. 

Prof Bor and others concluded there were no warning signs beforehand which could have prevented the incident.     

"Every year an airline pilot will have at least two formal medical checks which address not just their physical health but their mental health. Every time they are doing the job they are scrutinised by people."

Pilot suicide is not unheard of, and is considered the most likely explanation for the crash of an Indonesian SilkAir flight in 1997. 

The pilot was heavily in debt - 104 passengers and crew were killed.

Airlines may also be studying how Malaysia Airlines has handled the disaster from a public relations perspective. 

The families of the passengers have gone from grieving to protesting, angry at being kept waiting for news, furious about misinformation, and the final indignity - some of them were told the plane had crashed by text message. 

Crisis management expert Raine Marcus told Sky News: "The communications with the families didn't inspire trust from the beginning.

"If you don't build up trust and goodwill right from the beginning, that has a direct impact afterwards on communications with the families and also directly on your business."

In the months and years ahead, as details emerge of what happened to MH370, there will undoubtedly be calls for lessons to be learned.

And in the meantime millions of us will continue to fly, hoping that our flight will not be one of the very rare ones, which does not have a safe landing.

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Missing Plane Families Demand Malaysia Apology

Learning Lessons From Missing Flight MH370

Updated: 9:23am UK, Saturday 29 March 2014

By Ian Woods, Senior Correspondent

The small consolation that should come with every airline crash is that the knowledge gained from the tragedy should help prevent it happening again.

But if that were true, we might already know more about what happened to flight MH370.

After the Air France accident of 2009, in which 228 people died when their flight from Brazil plunged into the Atlantic, 120 representatives of the international aviation industry got together to recommend ways to make it easier to find aircraft which crash into the sea. 

None has been implemented.

They suggested that the flight data recorders - the black boxes - should have larger batteries so they would carry on transmitting a beacon for 90 rather than 30 days. 

But bigger batteries mean extra weight and extra cost for the airlines to install them.

They also suggested the recorders should be designed to break away and float to the surface, rather than sink to the sea floor along with the rest of the fuselage.

And that the frequency of the transmission should be altered to boost how far away it can be heard, beyond its current 2,000 metre maximum.

Salvage expert David Mearns, from Blue Water Recoveries, told Sky News: "If you reduce that frequency, the lower the frequency, the greater the range. 

"You go from 37.5khz , to say, 8.8khz as recommended, I think that would increase the range to over 10,000 metres.

"So that's a five times increase in your detectable range and that would help the teams out there now looking for these black boxes."

As for why the recommendations weren't acted upon? 

"It's a very big industry. It's an international industry," said Mr Mears.

"It takes a lot of time for these things to work themselves through the regulations; how they would operate, how the pilots would be trained to use them; they have to be implemented on the aircraft, so it takes years for these things to be done."

In an age when we can all track most passenger aircraft on our smartphones and computers, how can a plane still go missing? 

Most, but not all, areas of the world are now covered by the Acars ADS-B system, allowing them to be constantly tracked. Although smaller, older aircraft are not equipped.

There are new regulations being introduced around the world compelling airlines to fit them in all passenger aircraft. 

But in some places the deadline is 2020.  

Mikael Robertsson, the founder of Flightradar24.com, told Sky: "Maybe authorities in these countries don't want to rush or I guess it costs quite a lot of money for airlines to upgrade their equipment on board."

In any case, it appears the system on MH370 was switched off. 

One current 777 pilot told Sky he could not think of a good reason why he would do such a thing. 

And with so many flights criss-crossing vast expanses of water, knowing the plane's last position is crucial to a swift recovery. 

Mr Robertsson said: "I think this is something that should be discussed: How much pilots should be able to turn off, and how easy it should be to turn some systems off?"

The backgrounds of the pilots have been scrutinised to assess the likelihood of criminal or suicidal behaviour. 

Professor Robert Bor is a clinical psychologist who has studied those who fly, and was specifically asked to review an incident involving an American Jet Blue pilot who had a psychotic episode while flying from New York to Las Vegas.

Captain Clayton Osbon left the cockpit and screamed at passengers before being subdued by some of those on board. 

His co-pilot landed the plane safely in Texas. 

Prof Bor and others concluded there were no warning signs beforehand which could have prevented the incident.     

"Every year an airline pilot will have at least two formal medical checks which address not just their physical health but their mental health. Every time they are doing the job they are scrutinised by people."

Pilot suicide is not unheard of, and is considered the most likely explanation for the crash of an Indonesian SilkAir flight in 1997. 

The pilot was heavily in debt - 104 passengers and crew were killed.

Airlines may also be studying how Malaysia Airlines has handled the disaster from a public relations perspective. 

The families of the passengers have gone from grieving to protesting, angry at being kept waiting for news, furious about misinformation, and the final indignity - some of them were told the plane had crashed by text message. 

Crisis management expert Raine Marcus told Sky News: "The communications with the families didn't inspire trust from the beginning.

"If you don't build up trust and goodwill right from the beginning, that has a direct impact afterwards on communications with the families and also directly on your business."

In the months and years ahead, as details emerge of what happened to MH370, there will undoubtedly be calls for lessons to be learned.

And in the meantime millions of us will continue to fly, hoping that our flight will not be one of the very rare ones, which does not have a safe landing.

18.26 | 0 komentar | Read More

Student's Deportation To Mauritius Halted

Student Yashika Bageerathi, who had been facing deportation to Mauritius without her family today, will not be removed as planned.

The 19-year-old had been told she would be flown back at 5pm on Mother's Day.

Sky News' Clare Fallon said Miss Bageerathi was informed she would not be on the Sunday flight from Heathrow, late on Saturday night, but was not told the reason why.

People protest against the removal of Miss Bageerathi

Lawyers were due to make a last-ditch legal bid to prevent the deportation on Sunday.

Ahead of the latest development, Miss Bageerathi told Sky News: "I just want to be with my mum right now and celebrate Mother's Day as we do every year because I know she is very special to me."

There has been a growing campaign against her deportation led by her school, and backed by MP David Burrowes, who represents Enfield Southgate.

More than 40 people gathered outside Parliament on Saturday afternoon to protest over her removal, and on online petition has received almost 155,000 signatures.

Shadow Immigration Minister David Hanson has also said he would be contacting the Home Office to call for a review of the decision.

Miss Bageerathi came to the UK in 2011 with her mother and two younger siblings to escape alleged physical abuse by a relative, and claimed asylum in the summer of 2013.

She had been attending the Oasis Academy Hadley school, where she was described as a first-class student, until she was detained at Yarl's Wood on March 19.

Home Secretary Theresa May has said it would not be appropriate to "interfere" with the case.

More follows...

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