Uganda Police Raid US Project Helping Gays

Police in Uganda have raided the offices of a US-funded project which provides health advice to homosexuals.

The move came after a controversial law, condemned as draconian by the West, threatened those engaging in gay sex with life imprisonment.

The bill passed through the Ugandan parliament in December after its architects agreed to drop a death penalty clause.

The Makerere University Walter Reed Project in the capital Kampala announced it had suspended its operations after one of its Ugandan staff was briefly held by police.

In a statement it said: "We are working with police to understand the circumstances under which this person was detained.

"Until we have greater clarity as to the legal basis for the police action, the operations of the programme are temporarily suspended to ensure the safety of staff and the integrity of the programme."

Anti-gay activists in Kampala march in support of the harsh new measures

Police said they had been following the suspect after receiving reports he was involved in "gay-related activities".

Spokesman Ibn Ssekumbi said: "For some time we have been following an individual whom we learnt has been conducting promotion and training activities related to homosexuality."

A US State Department official said the health project conducts important research into Ebola, Marburg disease and HIV. One of the project's aims is to develop vaccines for these diseases.

Ugandan gay activists say many homosexuals have been forced to flee their  homes in the weeks since the law came into force, apparently to escape angry mobs.

Some are reported to have been evicted by landlords who found out they were gay.

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni says homosexuality is "criminal"

In response, the US, one of the country's biggest sources of aid and other Western donors have halted or redirected around $118m (£71m) in aid .

Despite the criticism and calls for the law to be scrapped, it is popular among many Ugandans.

President Yoweri Museveni has accused the West of seeking to impose "social imperialism" on Africa and told a rally that Uganda could live without humanitarian aid.

He said gay people deserved to be severely punished as homosexuality was "criminal" and "cruel".

Uganda now has some of the toughest anti-gay laws on a continent where 37 states ban homosexuality.

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Afghanistan Goes To The Polls In Historic Vote

By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent

An historic day for Afghanistan - an election to decide a new president and for the first time in the country's history there is to be a democratic transition of power.

Just how long the process will take is the key.

As polling stations opened, across the country 12 million people are eligible to vote, although in some of the most insecure areas, like Helmand, where threats from the Taliban are highest the turnout will likely be small.

One vote over 50% would put a new man in office in the first round, although many suspect it will likely go to a second round of two candidates in May.

Despite threats from the Taliban to attack anyone taking part, there have been huge numbers at rallies for the next would be leader.

Ashraf Ghani, ex-finance minister and recognised honest broker, was greeted with near hysteria as he closed his campaign in the capital.

The election takes place amid tight security in face of Taliban threats

He is part of the past for sure but he has worked hard on the youth and women vote and also, controversially, joined up with the former warlord, Abdul Rashid Dostum, to bring in crucial votes from Afghanistan's northern regions.

"This hand is clean of blood and this hand is clean of corruption," he said, symbolically raising his arms.

He added: "I do have a youth agenda as chancellor of the Kabul university, I'm the only one who has engaged with the youth, and as you've seen I've thanked them for accepting me in their ranks."

Abdullah Abdullah, former foreign minister then de-facto leader of the opposition to President Karzai, who beat him to the top job last time round, says he is confident of winning.

But as he finished his campaign in a low-key late-night press conference at his heavily guarded Kabul home, he warned of the potential for fraud and interference from the departing president.

Twelve million people are eligible to vote

He said: "There is no doubt there are those concerns and that's why I'm emphasising a lot on the institutions and on the government of Afghanistan, and also on the public to be aware of this and the importance of this.

"That will be a recipe for disaster not only for the international community but first and foremost for the people of Afghanistan."

He added that he expects to win in the first round if there is no ballot stuffing like there was in 2009.

The whole election takes place in the midst of huge security concerns.

Hundreds of thousands of police and army are on duty across the country, while tens of thousands of election monitors and party workers are watching for violence and fraud.

A big day for Afghanistan as the world watches on.

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Russia Holds Ukrainian 'Terror Suspects'

Russia has detained 25 Ukrainians it suspects of planning terror attacks in the country, according to reports.

But the security service in Kiev has dismissed the claims as "nonsense".

The arrests come after an inquiry by the Ukrainian authorities indicated Moscow had a role in the deadly violence during anti-government protests in Kiev earlier this year, which left more than 100 dead.

It said Russian security staff had assisted the previous regime during the unrest.

The suggestion of involvement by the Kremlin was likely to further increase tensions between the neighbouring countries, after Russia seized control of the southern Crimea region.

An inquiry by authorities in Kiev blamed riot police for killing protesters

Russia has denied any involvement in the unrest in Kiev.

Konstantin Dolgov, a Russian Foreign Ministry official, said: "We caution against forming hasty and politicised conclusions based on material and hypotheses that have 'suddenly' surfaced."

The detention of the group, which the Russian security service are calling "members of ultra-nationalist movements", will be widely seen as Moscow's response.

The investigation by the authorities in Kiev into the deaths of more than 100 protesters during unrest in February, concluded the killings were carried out by the feared Berkut riot police.

It also accused ousted President Viktor Yanukovych of being involved in drawing up the plans, which saw police snipers shoot dead dozens of demonstrators.

A memorial to those who died during the violence in February

The deaths following three months of largely peaceful demonstrations over Mr Yanukovych's decision to seek closer ties with Russia rather than the EU, led the key Kremlin ally to flee.

His departure and installation of a new pro-Western government, paved the way for Moscow to seize control of the southern region of Crimea, which has a majority Russian-speaking population.

Airlines have now been warned to avoid the airspace over Crimea after Russia said it intended to take over air traffic control covering the peninsula.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said there were "serious risks to the safety of international civil flights".

Earlier, Russia summoned the German ambassador to Moscow over remarks made by the country's finance minister.

The Crimea crisis has strained East-West relations

Wolfgang Schaeuble said Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region were reminiscent of Adolf Hitler's aggression in 1938 that led to the annexation of German-speaking regions of Czechoslovakia.

In a statement, the Kremlin said: "We consider such pseudo-historical references by the German minister provocative.

"The comparisons by him are a gross manipulation of historic facts."

The stand-off over Crimea has caused the worst East-West crisis since the ending of the Cold War.

President Barack Obama has signed a law providing $1bn in loan guarantees to Ukraine, which also imposes sanctions on Russia.

Meanwhile, Russia has hiked gas prices by Ukraine by 80%, piling financial pressure on its neighbour and triggering criticism by the White House.

A Russian diplomat said the US needed to "calm down" and accept the annexation of Crimea.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said: "What can one advise our US colleagues to do? Spend more time in the open, practice yoga, stick to food-combining diets, maybe watch some comedy sketch shows on TV."

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'Malaysia Concealing Missing Jet 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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Malaysia Plane Probe Focuses On Crew And Pilots

Full Transcript Of Last Contact With MH370

Updated: 12:36pm UK, Tuesday 01 April 2014

A transcript of the final conversations between the control tower and Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has been 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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Fort Hood: Four Dead In Base Shooting

Four people are dead after a US soldier opened fire at Fort Hood in Texas - five years after a shooter killed 13 people at the military base.

The soldier, who was being treated for psychiatric problems including depression and anxiety, is among the dead after shooting himself in the head.

Sixteen others have been injured, Lieutenant General Mark Milley told a press conference.

All those hit by the soldier's recently purchased 45-calibre semi-automatic weapon were in the military. The gun had not been registered at the base.

Lieutenant General Mark Milley at Fort Hood

"At approximately 4pm a soldier fired shots at individuals," said Lt Gen Milley, the base's commanding officer.

"Within 15 minutes first responders for the military police and emergency services responded to the scene.

"It is believed he walked into one of the unit buildings, opened fire, got into a vehicle, fired from the vehicle, got out of the vehicle and opened fire again in another building.

"A military police officer responded. He was approaching her at about 20 feet. He put his hands up, then reached under his jacket. He pulled out his gun, she pulled out her weapon, she then engaged and he put the weapon to his head."

The soldier, who served four months in Iraq in 2011, was under review for possible post-traumatic stress disorder. He was married and had a family.

Fort Hood is home to 45,000 soldiers and 9,000 civilians

"We do not know a motive," Lt Gen Milley added.

"There are some initial reports there may have been an argument in one of the unit areas.

"At this time there is no indication this incident is related to terrorism, although we are not ruling anything out."

The gunman's identity will not be released until his next-of-kin have been informed.

The soldier arrived at Fort Hood in February.

A Twitter alert posted by Fort Hood to implement a lockdown

President Barack Obama said he was "heartbroken" that the base - where 13 people died in a shooting in 2009 - had suffered again.

"I want to assure everyone we are going to get to the bottom of what happened," said Mr Obama.

"Any shooting is troubling. Obviously this reopens the pain of what happened at Fort Hood five years ago. We know these families; we know their incredible service to this country and the sacrifices they make.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire community and we're going to do everything we can to make sure the community at Fort Hood has what it needs to deal with the current situation and any potential aftermath.

"We're heartbroken that something like this might have happened again."

Poilce arrive at the scene

The condition of those wounded in the attack ranges from "stable to quite critical".

All-clear sirens have now sounded at Fort Hood after several hours of lockdown. Personnel had been told to take shelter and stay away from doors and windows.

Sky's Amanda Walker said: "It's a huge military base. Around 45,000 soldiers are based there and 9,000 civilians.

"We don't know how the gunman got into the base.

"It is absolutely astonishing this has happened again at a secure military base that has had a terrible history with the previous shooting."

Patients have been flown to hospital

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel called the shootings a "terrible tragedy".

The base endured a shooting five years ago, which left 13 people dead and 30 injured.

Asked whether security improvements made since the tragedy have been adequate, Mr Hagel said: "Obviously when we have these kinds of tragedies on our bases, something's not working."

Major Nidal Hasan faces the death sentence following the 2009 shooting

Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Hasan faces the death penalty for the 2009 killing spree.

In statements to the judge the American-born Muslim suggested he believed the attack was justified as a jihad against the US military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The base is the biggest in the US, covering 340 square miles.

More follows...

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Ukraine: Putin Orders 'Partial Withdrawal'

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a "partial withdrawal" of troops from Ukraine's eastern border in an attempt to de-escalate tensions in the region.

Mr Putin told German Chancellor Angela Merkel about his move in a phone call on Monday afternoon.

The pair also discussed "further possible steps to stabilise the situation in Ukraine and Transdniestria (a breakaway Russian-speaking region of Moldova)," said Mrs Merkel's spokesman.

Russia's annexation of Crimea in southern Ukraine has sparked the biggest crisis in relations between the East and West since the end of the Cold War.

Ukrainian National Guard forces take part in military exercises near Kiev

Moscow has what Western leaders estimate are tens of thousands of troops massed near Ukraine's eastern border.

The Russian defence ministry said it was pulling back a battalion from the 15th motorised infantry brigade, but it was not clear if this was linked to a wider troop withdrawal.

There are fears Russia may try to seize more ex-Soviet states, and that Transdniestria may become the next Crimea.

On Sunday, the US announced it was giving Moldova $10m (£6.1m) to strengthen security on its border with Ukraine and Transdniestria.

US Assistant Secretary of State meets Moldova's President Nicolae Timofti

Moscow claims Moldova's capital Chisinau and Ukraine's new government have blockaded Transdniestria.

A Kremlin spokesman said: "The Russian leader spoke of the need to take effective measures aimed at removing the de facto external blockade of this region and at searching for a fair and comprehensive solution to the Transdniestria issue."

Meanwhile, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has announced plans to turn Crimea into a special economic zone, during a visit to the region where he chaired a government meeting.

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Guinea Facing 'Unprecedented Ebola Epidemic'

Doctors Without Borders has said an Ebola outbreak in Guinea has become an "unprecedented epidemic", as neighbouring Liberia confirms its first cases.

In a statement, the charity, also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said the geographic scale of the epidemic was unmatched.

MSF coordinator Mariano Lugli said: "We are facing an epidemic of a magnitude never before seen in terms of the distribution of cases in the country."

Mr Lugli said previous outbreaks handled by MSF were "much more geographically contained and involved more remote locations."

Macenta was one of the first towns in Guinea to report the virus

He added: "This geographical spread is worrisome because it will greatly complicate the tasks of the organisations working to control the epidemic."

Guinea's health ministry has reported 122 suspected cases, with at least 78 deaths linked to the virus. Of those there are 22 laboratory confirmed cases.

Liberia also confirmed its first cases overnight on Sunday.

One of two women who tested positive for the virus has died, while the other, her sister, has been isolated in a medical centre outside the capital Monrovia.

Sierra Leone is investigating five suspected cases, although none have yet been confirmed.

Aid workers are transporting tons of medical equipment to affected areas

The flesh-eating virus was initially focused on Guinea's remote south-east. However, it took authorities six weeks to identify suspected cases, giving it time to spread to the country's heavily-populated capital and beyond. 

There is no known treatment or vaccine for Ebola which, depending on the strain, has a fatality rate of up to 90%.

The outbreak has spread panic among other countries in the region. 

Senegal has closed its border with Guinea and suspended weekly markets near the border to prevent the virus travelling further.

Sierra Leone has introduced a screening process on its border with Guinea, while regional airline Gambia Bird has delayed the launch of services to Guinea's capital. 

MSF has sent dozens of aid workers into Guinea in an attempt to prevent a further spread.

It said a total of 60 people, experienced in working on haemorrhagic fever, will be in the country by the end of the week.

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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.

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

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."

Sao Paolo, Brazil, has been hit by drought

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 help increase the 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".

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."

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

Professor Sam Fankhauser, of the London School of Economics and 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.

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 new 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.

It 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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Ukraine: US-Russia Talks Fail To Break Deadlock

Russia Feeling The Pinch Of Western Sanctions

Updated: 11:11pm UK, Friday 28 March 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

Russia's foreign minister came close to quoting Marx, not Karl, Groucho, in his reaction to the blackballing of Russia from the G8 community of rich nations by the remaining members of the G7.

"The G8 is an informal club, with no formal membership, so no one can be expelled from it. If our western partners believe that such format is no longer needed, so be it," said Sergei Lavrov.

"We aren't clinging to that format and we won't see a big problem if there are no such meetings for a year, or a year-and-half."

So there.

Well, not quite.

Russia may be trying to shrug off the limited sanctions the international community imposed in response to the Crimean annexation – but the cat-like claws of asset freezes and visa bans are already digging into the Russian economic body.

Andrei Klepach, Russia's deputy economics minister, has been an Eeyore ever since the Crimean adventure got under way.

This week he warned that capital flows out of Russia for the first quarter of this year were likely to soar to $70 billion (£42.4bn) - that's $7bn more than the total outflow from Russia last year.

He had already warned of declining growth, pressure on the Rouble and growing inflation.

"Capital outflow was already significant before this, and, of course, growing tensions and cooling relations make it even worse," said Klepach.

He hasn't joined the triumphalist parades and Soviet-style Putin praise parties which have gummed up local TV channels since the Crimea was taken from Ukraine.

Putin's move on the Peninsula might have been a strategic plan. Or a visceral response to the revolution in Kiev which seemed to drag the country, finally, away from the Russian sphere of influence.

He may have calculated on the loyalty of the oligarchs closest to him. Some of whom have, indeed, said they see the sanctions imposed on them as a badge of honour.

But investors want money, not medals.

So already, according to the Financial Times, companies which left profits in Russia to be used for future investment are now repatriating them fast.

They are fearful that their assets could be confined to Russia if a trade war breaks out in earnest.

Russia's economic position has also been weakened with China.

Putin has been looking to expand trade with the Asian giant - and especially to secure a deal to supply it with more oil and gas.

He's expecting, perhaps, to ink such an agreement in May.

But it had been negotiated before the West decided to start seeking alternatives to Russian gas, which supplies around a third of Europe's needs.

Now the Chinese can drive a harder bargain because they are not an additional buyer - but an alternative one of Russian fossil fuels.

Vladimir Putin's foreign minister may agree with Groucho's principal that "I don't care to belong to any club that will have me as a member".

But in the long term, Russia's economy will cool as it presses its face against the G7 club window.

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Missing Plane Hunt: Multiple Objects Spotted

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: Chinese Families Fly To Malaysia

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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