MH370: Hunt Resumes For Plane's Black Box

The hunt for missing flight MH370 has resumed as authorities race to identify further signals which could point to the location of the plane's black box recorder.

The search operation is seeking to determine the black box's exact resting place in the southern Indian Ocean before the device's beacons fade.

The Australian defence vessel Ocean Shield will today carry out "focused sweeps" of the search area with a towed pinger locator in an attempt to pick up more signals.

Today's operation covers an area of 15,982 square miles, some 1,450 miles northwest of Perth.

A message for family members seen in Kuala Lumpur

Nine military aircraft, one civil plane and 14 ships will assist in the search, according to the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC).

"Today, Australian defence vessel Ocean Shield continues more focused sweeps with the towed pinger locator to try and locate further signals related to the aircraft's black boxes," JACC said.

"This work continues in an effort to narrow the underwater search area for when the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle is deployed."

Ocean Shield has already picked up four signals linked to aircraft black boxes, with the first two revealed to be consistent with signals from aircraft flight recorders.

The beacons on the plane's flight data and cockpit voice recorders only have a normal battery lifespan of around 30 days.

The renewed search comes after Australia's prime minister said searchers were "very confident" that signals detected in the Indian Ocean are from the plane's black box.

A relative beside a banner dedicated to passengers at Lido Hotel in Beijing

Tony Abbott told reporters during a visit to China that authorities have "very much narrowed down the search area".

"We are very confident that the signals that we are detecting are from the black box," he said.

"Nevertheless, we're getting into the stage where the signal from what we are very confident is the black box is starting to fade.

"We are hoping to get as much information as we can before the signal finally expires."

The Malaysia Airlines plane went missing on March 8 with 239 people on board.

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Interrogation Pokes Holes In Pistorius Defence

By Emma Hurd, Sky Correspondent, in Pretoria

After a weekend of respite, Oscar Pistorius will return to the witness box on Monday to face more questions under cross-examination in his murder trial.

His account of the shooting that left his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp dead has already been challenged in three days of tough interrogation.

This has exposed some of the weaknesses in his defence and posed questions that could prove crucial to judge Thokozile Masipa's eventual verdict.

:: Where was Reeva?

The crucial issue of why the athlete failed to realise his girlfriend was not in the bed when he went with his gun to investigate a noise coming from the bathroom was the focus of many of prosecutor Gerrie Nel's questions.

Oscar Pistorius said he had spoken to Reeva Steenkamp in the bedroom and asked her to call the police when he heard what he thought was an intruder.

Gerrie Nel has appeared incredulous at some of Pistorius' evidence

He said he was "fixated on the noise" and did not think it was strange that she had not replied.

Mr Nel insisted that it was "unreasonable" to believe that, given that Ms Steenkamp was in the toilet, she would not have shouted out to the runner who had been screaming "at intruders" just metres away.

The prosecution also pressed the athlete on whether he had heard Ms Steenkamp screaming when he fired shots into the toilet door.

The runner said he was sure she had not screamed but was forced to admit that he might not have heard her because of the sound of the shots.

:: Did he intend to shoot?

The issue of intent is vital in a murder trial and the prosecution has attempted to show Oscar Pistorius shot to kill that night - whoever he thought he was firing at.

The athlete insisted he "fired out of fear" after hearing a noise from the toilet. His said he did not have time to think and that it was "a mistake".

The prosecution repeatedly stressed that Pistorius approached the toilet with his gun held out and the safety catch off ready to shoot, even "wanting to shoot".

He knew someone might be in the small, enclosed space of the toilet, Mr Nel claimed, and the shooting was a deliberate act.

:: Why did he go towards the threat?

Another difficult moment for Oscar Pistorius came when Gerrie Nel asked him why he went towards the danger of the noise in the bathroom.

The athlete could not explain why - if he thought there was an intruder - he had not taken Reeva Steenkamp and escaped out into the safety of the rest of the house through the bedroom door.

Pistorius admitted he had to walk right past the exit from the bedroom to get to the bathroom.

"It is my personality not to run away," he insisted, while re-iterating that he wanted to protect Ms Steenkamp.

The prosecution has declared his whole defence "a lie".

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Kate and William Wow The Crowds In Cambridge

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

Cambridge, New Zealand, has a population of about 18,000 people and 15,000 of them turned out to cheer and wave at the Duke and Duchess who share their town's title.

Amid sunshine and showers William and Kate, dressed in an emerald green dress, greeted fans after paying their respects at a memorial to the town's war dead.

Kate later confessed to one well-wisher that her green Erdem outfit was a "bit bright" for William.

During a walkabout Kate's eyes lit up when she spotted a baby boy in the crowd. He responded with a prolonged yawn, much to the amusement of his family and the laughing Duchess.

The couple are on a 19-day tour which will also take them to Australia

Also in the crowd was Pam McCaroll, who had brought with her a small statuette of Kate cradling Prince George as a newborn baby.

She said: "She said to me 'where did you get that!' and I told her I collected memorabilia. She laughed and I shook her hand."

Kate's solo engagement took her to a children's hospice

Earlier the couple went their separate ways, the Duke to an aeronautical company and the Duchess to a children's hospice, Rainbow Place in Hamilton.

As well as caring for terminally sick children the centre also offers help to youngsters who are grieving for a parent or have a parent with a serious illness.

Sat at a tiny table, Kate had a play tea party with six-year-old Bailey Rupe, whose mother has breast cancer.

She asked the little girl: "Are you having tea? Can I sit with you? How is mummy doing?

Prince George has some growing to do before he can take his gift for a spin

"Do you find it difficult sometimes? Yes, I'm sure you do, but you're a very brave little girl."

Bailey said afterwards: "I was excited to meet a real princess and it made me feel like a princess for the day too."

One cheeky youngster asked Kate if even royalty have to eat their vegetables.

"Yes I do. I have to eat all my vegetables and so does George," she replied.

She later joined William in opening a new velodrome in Cambridge.

After meeting members of New Zealand's sporting elite including world and Olympic champions in cycling, rowing and canoeing, the couple were presented with a gift for their son.

Prince George has been given a mini bike, complete with helmet and Lycra cycling shirt with his name on the back.

John Struthers, 76, founder of the bike firm Avanti, made the presentation and said about the royal couple: "They are very, very thrilled, he was really appreciative of it.

"It gives two-year-olds independence and freedom to take their first big step in life. She was looking forward to the time when George will be able to ride it."

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Little Girl's Wish List Before Going Blind

By Nick Lester, Sky News Online

A little girl who is going blind has drawn up a wish list of things she would like to see before losing her sight completely.

Six-year-old Molly Bent has been diagnosed with the degenerative eye disease Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), for which there is no treatment or cure.

Despite her condition getting progressively worse, her mum, Eve, 26, says she takes it "in her stride".

Seeing the penguins at the zoo was on Molly's wish list

Among the "bucket list" of things the youngster said she would like to do before her eyes get "too poorly" include trips to the zoo, aquarium, museums, and Legoland.

But top of her list is Disneyland.

Following her diagnosis in December, Mrs Bent said: "We were obviously quite upset about it.

"We sort of said 'right we can't dwell on this. Let's turn it around. Let's do everything we can do, while we can do it'."

The trips have been organised before Molly's eyes become "too poorly"

What started out as a charity run by her husband Chris, 27, and a group of friends, has grown into a fund-raising drive to fulfill Molly's wish list, which has so far reached £3,500.

Mrs Bent said: "It's beyond belief. We are so overwhelmed with all the kindness of people."

The family, who live in Manchester, are currently on a holiday in Blackpool provided by Trewan Sands Children's Trust, where Molly has been enjoying horse-riding and swimming.

Tests every three months have shown that Molly's sight is deteriorating.

Playing in puddles on long walks is also fun

Mrs Bent said: "She has very little peripheral vision. She knows it's getting worse."

But she added: "She's so resilient. She knows what's happening. She know's she's struggling and she just takes it in her stride."

RP is a genetic condition, which Molly's uncle also suffers from, and her sister Charlotte, five, and brother Samuel, two, are regularly tested for the disease.

To contribute to Making Molly's Memories go to www.gofundme.com/makingmollysmemories

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London Hammer Attack Woman Loses Left Eye

One of the victims of a hammer attack in a London hotel has lost her left eye and has severe brain injuries, police have said.

Doctors have assessed she has just 5% brain function and she remains in a critical condition.

The woman was one of three sisters attacked at the four-star Cumberland Hotel, near Oxford Street, in the early hours of last Sunday.

The victims, who were on a family holiday from the United Arab Emirates, are still in hospital - although two of the women are in a less serious condition.

One sister has two fractures to her skull, a fracture to her cheekbone and a broken left arm and a fracture to her cheekbone.

The third victim has a fractured skull and a ruptured eardrum.

Philip Spence, 32, appeared in court on Saturday charged with three counts of attempted murder and was remanded in custody.

Spence, of Hounslow, also faces a count of aggravated burglary.

Three other people have been charged in connection with the attack.

Thomas Efremi, 56, of Islington, north London, is charged with handling stolen goods and fraud by false representation.

James Moss, 33, of Finsbury Park, north London, is charged with receiving stolen goods.

They were both remanded in custody and will next appear in court with Spence on April 17.

Carly Baker, 31, of Finsbury Park, north London, is also accused of handling stolen goods and has been bailed to appear at Southwark Crown Court on April 15.

A fifth person, aged 34, has also been bailed pending further inquiries.

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Pakistan Baby Attempted Murder Charge Dropped

Charges of attempted murder against a nine-month-old boy in Pakistan for allegedly throwing rocks at gas workers have been thrown out by a judge.

Musa Khan appeared in court in the city of Lahore, sitting on his grandfather's lap and drinking from a bottle of milk.

Police had accused the youngster and other members of his family of attacking officers, bailiffs, and gas company staff when they arrived to disconnect supplies of households who had not paid their bills.

However, the boy's grandfather, Muhammad Yassen, said: "He does not even know how to pick up his milk bottle properly. How can he stone the police?"

Speaking at the hearing, defence lawyer Irfan Sadiq said: "Police told the court that the nomination of Musa in the case of attacking police and gas company officials was a human error and Musa is not required."

The baby's grandfather and his three sons are still charged.

Pictures taken at an earlier court hearing of Musa screaming as he was being fingerprinted provoked a public outcry and prompted calls for an inquiry.

Critics claimed it exposed the "incompetence" of the police force.

The charges against Musa were in contradiction with Pakistan's minimum age of criminal responsibility, which is 12 except for terrorism cases.

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Osborne Jail Threat For Offshore Tax Evaders

Wealthy people who stash money in offshore accounts to evade paying tax could be sent to jail, the government has said.

Chancellor George Osborne said new proposals could mean that people who hide their cash overseas could face criminal charges even if they did not intend to evade tax.

Mr Osborne, who is consulting on the new powers, said there would be "no safe haven" for anyone who cheats the Exchequer.

It comes after concerns that some wealthy people are costing the government millions of pounds a year by keeping money away from the glare of UK authorities.

HM Revenue & Customs will have the power to prosecute people who do not declare their foreign income, regardless of whether they intend to avoid payment.

Previously, in order to earn a conviction with a jail sentence, prosecutors had to show that individuals intended to avoid paying tax on foreign income.

Mr Osborne, who has been at the International Monetary Fund meeting in Washington, told the Financial Times: "We are changing the balance of the law so the burden of proof falls on those who are hiding their money offshore and we don't have to prove that they intended to do so."

He added: "It is totally unacceptable for people not to pay the tax that is due and the message will be clear now with this new criminal offence that if you're evading tax offshore, there is no safe haven."

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has been criticised for not prosecuting enough tax evaders.

Sky News' Ecomonics Editor Ed Conway said there has been much international discussion about what can be done to clamp down on people who hide money overseas.

David Cameron has previously announced a crackdown on so-called shell companies to help combat tax evasion and corruption.

The new criminal offence and sanctions are expected to come into effect next year, but many are expected to contribute to the consultation before that can happen.

The announcement was greeted by dismay from some, with critics suggesting the law could result in people being jailed when they were genuinely ignorant of the law.

Bill Dowdell, head of tax at Deloitte, told The Times: "It's horrifying. People should not be put in prison unless you can prove intent.

"I'm shocked to find that an offence which could lead to a prison sentence could be decided on a strict-liability basis."

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Miliband: Israeli Settlements Threaten Peace

By Tom Rayner, Middle East Reporter, West Bank

Ed Miliband has said the continued construction of Israeli settlements on the West Bank poses a "mortal threat" to the peace process and the hope of reaching a two-state solution.

Mr Miliband made the comment during a visit to the Bedouin community of Khan Al Ahmar, which is facing the prospect of displacement to make way for the expansion of a Jewish settlement.

The Labour leader said: "What I've seen today is the expansion of Israeli settlements on the Palestinian West Bank. It is not only wrong and illegal, but represents a mortal threat to a two-state solution and to a successful outcome from the process.

"There are challenges on all sides, and there have to be compromises and courageous steps on all sides. But I'm clear about the dangers that the growth of settlements represents."

Jewish settlements in the West Bank are one of the central issues in the faltering negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, coordinated by US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Mr Miliband is on a three-day tour of Israel and the West Bank

The British government and much of the international community regard them as illegal under international law, and view their growth as damaging to the geographical viability of any future Palestinian State.

Mr Miliband said he believed the Jewish community in Britain had a role to play in asking questions about the implications of the settlements for Israel's long-term future.

He said: "There is concern, it's been expressed to me by members of the Jewish community in Britain, about the growth of settlements and the dangers it represents for Israel.

"It's really important to say this, and I say this as a friend of Israel, a supporter of Israel, as someone who believes that Israel is a homeland for the Jewish people, but in order to get the security that Israel needs, we need that successful outcome to the negotiations, and to get that successful outcome to the negotiations we need to the two state solution ... that's why the issue of the expansion of settlements is such an issue - and it's right that we talk about it."

During his visit to the Khan Al Amar village, the Labour leader was given a tour of a school building constructed from car tyres, held a meeting with representatives of the community and played football with local children.

He then went to Ramallah, the administrative capital of the Palestinian Authority, to hold a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Mr Kerry is brokering peace talks with Mr Netanyahu (right) and Mr Abbas

The three-day visit to Israel and the West Bank, which has involved events in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and in the southern Israeli city of Sderot, is the first major foreign tour that Mr Miliband has undertaken since becoming leader of the Labour Party.

On Thursday, during a question and answer session with Israeli students at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Mr Miliband said he felt a "deep sense of gratitude" for the "sanctuary" that it had provided his grandmother and other members of his family after they fled Nazi Europe.

When pushed by students on whether he considered himself a 'Zionist' he said: "For me, Israel is the homeland for the Jewish people, and the reason I put it in those terms is because it is not just a theoretical idea for me, it's my family's experience. That's the way I like to talk about it."

He also held a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which Mr Miliband claims the Israeli leader made clear he remained fully committed to reaching a two-state solution.

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Scotland 'Should Determine Its Own Future'

By Niall Paterson, Scotland Correspondent

Alex Salmond has used his final party conference speech before the country's independence referendum to urge voters north of the border to "put Scotland's future in Scotland's hands".

As the nationalist party, committed to fulfilling an 80-year pledge to gain Scotland its independence from the United Kingdom, continues to reduce the gap in the polls ahead of September's referendum, he insisted the vote is not about him.

"This referendum is not about this party, or this First Minister, or even the wider Yes campaign," he told delegates in Aberdeen.

"It's about putting Scotland's future in Scotland's hands.

"Our party is hugely popular, and we are currently five, 10 and 15 points ahead in polls for Westminster, Europe and Holyrood respectively.

"But a Yes vote in September is not a vote for me, or for an SNP government in 2016.

"It's a vote for a government in Scotland that the people of Scotland choose, pursuing policies the people of Scotland support."

The speech, much like the campaign, made much of the fact that Scots have voted in a way at significant variance with the overall result of recent general elections.

The First Minister's speech went down well among the party faithful

He said: "I tell you what (the government of an independent Scotland) won't be. It won't be a government led by a party with just a single MP in Scotland.

"A government dismantling our welfare state. Determined to privatise public services.

"In an independent Scotland we can give this guarantee: The era of unelected Tory governments handing out punishment to the poor and the disabled will be gone and gone for good."

Results vary, but the Yes campaign is still significantly behind the No vote in all major polls, although the margin has narrowed in recent months.

And despite the fact the Yes campaign has yet even to come close to a majority in said polls, the SNP leader in Westminster remains upbeat, with five months of campaigning to go.

"When people are able to contrast the Yes case with the No case and understand the momentum is going in the direction of the Yes case, I'm confident we will get a Yes result," Angus Robertson MP told Sky News.

"It might surprise some people in the bunkers of Whitehall and Westminster when it does, but when they wake up they will realise this is about Scotland governing itself like so many other places have decided to do over recent decades.

"We will have excellent relations with our friends on these islands.

"But we will always have a government that we actually elect making better decisions for people who life here - regardless of where they are from."

Given their lead in the polls it's unsurprising that the Better Together camp remains positive, despite considerable media and public opinion branding their campaign negative.

Asked whether it was easier for people to enthuse about independence rather than maintaining the status quo, Lewis Macdonald, a Labour member of the Scottish Parliament, told Sky News: "It's important to say there's a lot to be enthusiastic about.

"The union has worked very, very well for many generations and it's delivered us many benefits. But this isn't about change versus the status quo. This is about devolution, the kind of change that people in Scotland have wanted for a long time.

"It's a referendum that will be decided by the judgement people make at the end of the day. I think many people have made up their minds, some still have to choose.

"My expectation is that those people who still have to make up their mind will come to the same conclusion as those who have already made up their mind.

"At the moment, and for as long as I can remember the split has basically been two to one for remaining in the UK. I expect that the undecideds will come down in much the same kind of split.

"But only time will tell."

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Ukraine: Gunmen Storm Two Security Buildings

Kiev Faces 'Difficult Decisions' Over Protests

Updated: 11:04pm UK, Thursday 10 April 2014

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent, in Donetsk

Support for the protests in Donetsk, Ukraine, depends largely on the question you ask.

This may seem like a blindingly obvious point, but the immediate demands are not quite what they seemed.

The self-appointed People's Council of Deputies, in session inside the occupied administration building, told Sky News they want a referendum on the region's sovereignty, not on joining Russia.

The council's leader insisted they have had no official contact with the Russian government so far, although they have just voted unanimously to create a foreign affairs committee, to make exactly that possible.

And he did go on to say Russian peacekeeping troops could help to secure a referendum here.

Another deputy told us joining Russia would be "like coming home", but it would not be on the ballot paper.

Outside, we were surrounded by a crowd of people, demanding to know which channel we were working for (there are deep suspicions here about Western media, and even more so Ukrainian TV).

Satisfied that we were from the Moscow bureau, and that our producer and cameraman are Russian and therefore apparently not susceptible to 'Western lies', they started showing us their passports - to prove that they are Ukrainian, not hired Russian stooges as has been claimed.

Many feel passionately about what is happening here, but by no means all dream of joining Russia.

Over and over they told us they want sovereignty and federalisation - they see Russia as potential guarantors, and protection from the fascists and extremists they believe control the government in Kiev.

Forced to choose, one woman told us, between Russia and the EU, she would of course vote for Russia, but she would prefer an autonomous region in Eastern Ukraine.

In the city centre, away from the protests around the administration building and the watchful eyes of the "self-defence" volunteers patrolling outside, we spoke to a variety of people to try to gauge opinion.

Of 20 people asked, all but one supported federalisation. Support for joining Russia is less emphatic, but still preferable to the majority over the new government in Kiev.

The Kremlin strategists seem to have assessed the mood astutely - protesters shown on state-controlled TV channels in Russia are being described as "supporters of federalism" now, not separatists or pro-Russian.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has talked several times about the appetite for federalism in Ukraine.

Of course, an autonomous, sovereign eastern Ukraine, would also be open to overtures from Moscow, and likely easily persuaded to remain within its sphere of influence.

If that region went on to join the Russian Federation in time, so be it, but if at least then would not move towards the EU, that would still be a form of victory for the Kremlin.

It's a precarious situation for the government in Kiev and there are difficult decisions ahead.

Crack down on the protests in the east and risk galvanising a broader uprising against an administration many already associate with extremists and fascists, and give Russia the pretext it needs to show Russian lives are in danger and it must act to protect them.

Accede to demands for a referendum and risk losing the east, and the country's economic backbone, to Russia's influence, and perhaps ultimately to Russia itself.

Refuse to recognise any referendum that does take place (not a successful tactic in Crimea) or hope that turnout is too low to validate it, or the self-appointed people's councils are unable to organise it - none of which are really much of a plan.

Meanwhile Russia's military continues to mass on the border - nothing for the US or Ukraine to worry about, they insisted earlier this week, which will have reassured no-one.

The protests here are not huge, but the emotions that sparked them run deep, and it is difficult to see an easy way out.

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