Good news ! Malaysia Airlines Offers 20% Off on All Seats and Flights

Malaysia Airlines Domestic Fair (MADF) Offers 20% Off on All Seats and Flights to Boost Domestic Tourism

KLIA, 22 September 2020 - As the local tourism scene continues to show positive signs of revival and road to recovery, Malaysia Airlines is proud to introduce the Malaysia Airlines Domestic Fair (MADF) 2020 invading the online space from 23 to 30 September 2020.

This promotion offers savings of 20% for all Economy Class tickets to all domestic destinations in Malaysia. Passengers get to enjoy this discount for immediate travel until 30 June 2021 via the airline’s official website or mobile app.

For more significant savings, purchases via the Malaysia Airlines’ Mobile App entitles passengers to an additional 5% discount on top of the tickets on offer.

More details

Grab the offer now !

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Breaking News: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Website Was Hacked!

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has confirmed that their Domain Name System (DNS) has been compromised where users are re-directed to a hacker website when users access their website.

On Monday morning, The Malaysia Airlines (MAS) website was apparently hacked by a group calling itself "Cyber Caliphate".

“At this stage, Malaysia Airlines’ web servers are intact.

“The airline has resolved the issue with its service provider and the system is expected to be fully recovered within 22 hours,” said MAS in a press statement.

They have reported to CyberSecurity Malaysia and the Ministry of Transport on the matter and also assured customers and clients that this temporary glitch does not affect their bookings and their user data is secure.

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Breaking News: #MH370 Malaysia Airlines missing flight : Updated: 1930/26March2014

MH370 Live Report: 122 objects found in Southern Indian Ocean

DAY 19:

[6:14pm]: Highlights from today's press conference:

- New satellite images have spotted 122 objects - between one and 23 metres in length - in a 400 sq kilometre debris field. Some appear to be bright which could indicate that they were solid material.
- Australia has divided search area into east and west, 12 planes will search both areas
- On Malaysia’s image getting hit by international media, Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said attention would fall on Malaysia as there have been no debris linked to MH370 yet. He said Malaysia has done an ‘admirable job’ coordinating 26 countries during the events of the past 17 days. “I think history will judge us well”.
- On engagement with families in China, Hishammuddin said MAS has done everything to support the next of kin and will continue to engage with them, saying Malaysians and people of other nationalities have lost their loved ones as well.
- On the fire that broke out in a Malindo Air plane, Malindo Airlines chief executive Chandran Ramamurthy explains: At 7,000 ft, the aircraft captain realised the fire detection system triggered and immediately diverted the plane to Subang Airport. In 10 minutes, the plane was successfully diverted.

*Malaysia Airlines will hold its own press conference tomorrow.

[4.50pm]: The Malaysian military initially assumed that a jet detected on its radar on March 8 was ordered to turn back by the air traffic controllers, deputy defence minister Abdul Rahim Bakri told Parliament. Read it here.
[3.30pm]: Tony Abbot says Australia owes it 'to an anxious world to do everything we can' to solve the riddle surrounding flight MH370. Full story.
[2.40pm]: British tabloid Daily Mail quoted an industry expert as saying that the plane had spent 23 minutes at up to 45,000 feet – way above its maximum altitude – and rendered everyone unconscious from the lack of oxygen. Read it.
[12:30pm]: Investigators are now poring over satellite data to find out whether MH370 was deliberately flown to the Indian Ocean, or was it a result of autopilot control. Story here.

Countries are growing suspicious of China's motives in the MH370 search, that China may be using the tragedy to spy on them. There has been a pushback against China's participation. Story here.

Families of MH370 passengers are believed to have hired a leading global law firm to sue the MH370 plane manufacturer, The Boeing Co, and 'one other company'. Story here. 

[8.40AM]: The hunt for wreckage of flight MH370 resumes after the weather gradually improves, with China's polar supply ship Xue Long and and Korean planes joining the search covering a vast stretch of the Indian Ocean, off western Australia. Gale force winds, rain and choppy waves prevented any sorties being flown yesterday but 12 aircraft to be on air today. Story here.

- In another development, The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the recovery of MH370 and its black box is going to be a Herculean task as geologists believe the debris from the aircraft could be lying above a giant undersea chain of volcanoes whose complex terrain has barely been charted. Read here.

Source: Yahoo News

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Breaking News: #MH370 PM confirms MH370 ended in Southern Indian Ocean

MH370 Live Report: Too soon to launch undersea search for MH370

DAY 17:

[11:36pm]: French investigators today said it was too soon to consider launching undersea searches for the remains of MH370. Full story here.

Malaysia Airlines vowed that the ongoing search for the plane and an intensive investigation into its fate "will continue, as we seek answers to the questions which remain". Full story here.

[11:27pm]: "God loves you more daddy....God loves them more."

The daughter of MH370 Chief Steward Andrew Nari tweeted the above, as the Prime Minister announced the sad news minutes ago. Full story here.

[11:03pm]: Relatives of the passengers on MH370 have been called to an emergency meeting with the company and charter flights are being arranged for Australia, Sky News reported. Full story here.

[10:03pm]: The Prime Minister, Najib Razak has confirmed that MAS flight MH370 ended in the Southern Indian Ocean, according to new data from INMARSAT and AAIB.
- Based on new analysis, INMARSAT and AAIB also concluded that MH370 flew along the Southern Corridor. The last position was in the middle of the Indian Ocean, west of Perth.
- No further details were furnished during the press conference, and another press conference will be called tomorrow with further details.

Full statement here.

Malaysia Airlines has also released a statement:

On behalf of all of us at Malaysia Airlines and all Malaysians, our prayers go out to all the loved ones of the 226 passengers and of our 13 friends and colleagues at this enormously painful time.

Full statement here.

This is the text alert Malaysia Airlines sent to the families of the MH370 passengers before PM Najib's official announcement today:

What we know as of Day 17, Monday, 24 March 2014:

Search operations:

1. PM Najib Razak announced that INMARSAT and AAIB confirms that MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean.
Two objects - one circular and another rectangular- were seen by Australian counterparts.
Chinese aircrew have spotted "suspicious objects" in the southern Indian Ocean.
The US Navy is sending a black box locator to the search area in the southern Indian Ocean.
2. Pallet and belts were spotted in the Indian Ocean.
3. Chinese satellites have spotted objects floating in the southern search area.
4. Two objects possibly related to MH370 have been spotted on Australian satellite imagery. Largest object sighted is 24 metres.

On-going investigations:

1. Transcripts of the communication between MH370 and air control is “ not accurate”.
2. Communications satellites picked up faint electronic pulses ("pings") from MH370 for hours after it went missing.
3. Police are investigating the matter from four angles: hijacking, sabotage, psychological problems, and personal problems among passengers and crew.
4. The PM said that the plane movement was consistent with "deliberate action" by someone on the plane.

5. Flight simulator:
- Data log was deleted from the pilot’s flight simulator on Feb 3, forensic work is being done to retrieve data.
- A flight simulator was taken from the home of MH370's pilot and is being examined by the police.

6. Pilots:
Police have questioned more than 100 people including families of both pilot and co-pilot.
- No red flags in pilot and co-pilot backgrounds
- Last words from cockpit - ‘Alright, good night’ believed to be said by the co-pilot at 1.19am.
- MAS: The pilot and co-pilot did not ask to fly together, ands flew as assigned by the roster.
- The flight was piloted by Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, 53, with total flying hours of 18,365 hours.
- First officer, Fariq Ab.Hamid, 27, has a total flying hours of 2,763 hours.

7. Plane:
- No additional waypoint on MH370’s flight plan. Normal route to Beijing.
- Plane was carrying three to four tonnes of mangosteen and 200kg of Li-Ion batteries, packaged according to guidelines.
- The B777-200 aircraft that operated MH207 had undergone maintenance 12 days before the flight. There were no issues.
- The aircraft was carrying 7.5 hours of fuel at the time of its disappearance (2.40am, March 8).

About the passengers:

1. Malaysia Airlines has retired the missing jetliner's flight code as a sign of respect to the 239 passengers and crew.
5. MH370 Full passenger list here .

Editors's note: The public may contact +603 7884 1234. Next-of-kin may head to the Support Facility Building at KLIA's South Support Zone. For directions, call 03 8787 1269.

Source: Yahoo News

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Breaking News: #MH370 Malaysia Airlines missing flight : Updated: 1930/24March2014

#PrayForMH370 Live Updates: Two objects spotted, retrieval within hours

DAY 17 

[6:05pm]: Highlights from today’s press conference from PWTC:

- Two orange-coloured objects seen in southern corridor but no confirmation on its link to MH370. Yesterday, 18,500 sq nautical miles searched.
- MAS CEO: Plane carried 200kgs of lithium-ion batteries that were packaged according to international guidelines and fruits. Cargo manifest is with investigation team. Australia has to request cargo list from the investigation team.
- Minister Hishammuddin Hussein confirmed that the plane was carrying wooden pallets, but no verification that the wooden pallet found was indeed from MH370.
- Police have questioned more than 100 people including families of both pilot and co-pilot.
- On diversion of another MAS flight to Incheon, MAS CEO says it was a ‘a technical problem with the generator’. “It’s not a safety issue, but a technical one that the aircraft had”.
- Hisham: Not discounting human element in the disappearance of the plane.
- MAS says co-pilot moved from a lower fleet to a B777. He passed the first five flights and was flying on MH370 with the pilot - a B777 examiner- on his sixth flight.

[5:11pm]: A U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon, the most advanced search aircraft in the world, had been unable to find objects spotted earlier on Monday by a Chinese aircraft. Full story here.

[4.11pm]: China's Foreign Ministry said it could not confirm that objects spotted by a its military aircraft earlier today were connected to the missing jetliner. Read.

[1.10pm]: Chinese aircrew have spotted "suspicious objects" in the southern Indian Ocean in the search for the vanished Malaysia Airlines plane the official Xinhua news agency said. Read in full.

[12.34pm]: The US Navy is sending a black box locator to the search area in the southern Indian Ocean, in a move they call a 'precautionary measure' in case the field of debris is confirmed. Full story here.

[12:13pm]: Malaysia Airlines confirms that a separate flight -  MH066 from Kuala Lumpur to Incheon on Sunday (March 23) - was diverted to Hong Kong due to an inoperative aircraft generator which supplies normal electrical power. However electrical power continued to be supplied by the Auxiliary Power Unit. The aircraft was then diverted to Hong Kong for rectification and landed uneventfully. Details. 

Read the full statement.

[8.50am]: Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said in an interview with ABC Radio that the new lead in the widened hunt for MH370 was promising, but cautioned that the search in the remote icy southern Indian Ocean remained difficult.  Story here.

Search teams scouring the remote Southern India Ocean for MH370 have been hampered by low visibility as cloud and fog descended over parts of the area, The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) reported. An Australian Air Force Lieutenant told the Australian daily that heavy cloud reduced his crew's ability, which he said was 'completely' engulfed in cloud at times, even at its lowest altitude.More here.

Source: Yahoo News

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Breaking News: #MH370 Malaysia Airlines missing flight : Updated: 1930/22March2014

#PrayForMH370 Live Updates: Malaysia looking into possibility of deep ocean salvage

UPDATE Day 15 [6.24pm]: Highlights from today’s press conference:

- Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein to speak to US Secretary of Defence tonight to request use of remotely-operated vehicles for possibility of deep ocean salvage.
- No information yet from Australians on the object spotted in Indian Ocean. Search and rescue to continue in southern and northern corridor and will be ‘long-haul’. Hishammuddin Hussein says the ‘most sophisticated’ planes are being deployed.
- Information on the pilot’s simulator has been sent to international authorities to verify.
- China, Japan and UK have deployed assets. UK has offered specialist search and investigative help to be given once more information comes in.
- Kazakhstan has not seen any sign of MH370. Malaysia is waiting for permission for Kazakhstan to be used as a ‘staging point’ for search operations.
- Background checks on Ukrainian passengers clear. International intelligence confirms there is nothing unusual in passenger manifest.
- MAS says small batteries were on cargo, but packaged and stored according to international aviation guidelines. Batteries not listed as  ‘dangerous goods’ by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
- Last night’s briefing in KL to update family members was well attended by all relatives. Constructive and frank discussion, but not all questions were answered.
- Families in Beijing met with high-level Malaysian government team for three hours.

Full statement here.

UPDATE [5.30pm]: Australian radars have failed to pick up any sign of the missing plane and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (ASMA) is now replanning a 'visual search' with skilled observers. Full story.

UPDATE [1.23pm]: Three Chinese warships and an icebreaker wil join the search for possible pieces of the missing plane in the southern Indian Ocean. Full report.
UPDATE [11.41am]: Australia resumes search for possible wreckage from the missing Malaysian jetliner in a remote, storm-swept stretch of the Indian Ocean. Story here.

Source: Yahoo News

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Breaking News: #MH370 Malaysia Airlines missing flight : Updated: 1930/21March2014

#PrayForMH370 Live Updates: Malaysia looking into possibility of deep ocean salvage

UPDATE [6.24pm]: Highlights from today’s press conference:

- Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein to speak to US Secretary of Defence tonight to request use of remotely-operated vehicles for possibility of deep ocean salvage.
- No information yet from Australians on the object spotted in Indian Ocean. Search and rescue to continue in southern and northern corridor and will be ‘long-haul’. Hishammuddin Hussein says the ‘most sophisticated’ planes are being deployed.
- Information on the pilot’s simulator has been sent to international authorities to verify.
- China, Japan and UK have deployed assets. UK has offered specialist search and investigative help to be given once more information comes in.
- Kazakhstan has not seen any sign of MH370. Malaysia is waiting for permission for Kazakhstan to be used as a ‘staging point’ for search operations.
- Background checks on Ukrainian passengers clear. International intelligence confirms there is nothing unusual in passenger manifest.
- MAS says small batteries were on cargo, but packaged and stored according to international aviation guidelines. Batteries not listed as  ‘dangerous goods’ by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
- Last night’s briefing in KL to update family members was well attended by all relatives. Constructive and frank discussion, but not all questions were answered.
- Families in Beijing met with high-level Malaysian government team for three hours.

Full statement here.

UPDATE [5.30pm]: Australian radars have failed to pick up any sign of the missing plane and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (ASMA) is now replanning a 'visual search' with skilled observers. Full story.

UPDATE [1.23pm]: Three Chinese warships and an icebreaker wil join the search for possible pieces of the missing plane in the southern Indian Ocean. Full report.
UPDATE [11.41am]: Australia resumes search for possible wreckage from the missing Malaysian jetliner in a remote, storm-swept stretch of the Indian Ocean. Story here.
- The Wall Street Journal reported that finding flight MH370 could take months even if the debris shown in satellite images in the southern Indian Ocean is part of the missing plane.  Full story here.

Source: Yahoo News

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Breaking News: #MH370 Malaysia Airlines missing flight : Updated: 1930/20March2014

#PrayForMH370 Live Updates: Planes haven't found debris, rain & clouds limiting visibility

UPDATE [6.04pm]: The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has not found any debris yet, due to rain and clouds limiting visibility in the search area. Read in full.

Salient points from the 5.30pm press conference, headed by acting Transport Minister, Hishammuddin Hussein:

- The sightings of the two objects possibly related to the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in the Indian Ocean, while credible, is not confirmed, said acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.
- Malaysia will look into sonar technology and submarines if search time exceeds 30 days. Minister Hishammuddin Hussein says Malaysian submarines do not have that technology and help will be sought from limited few who have.
- Hishammuddin insists that there have been no reluctance from Australian authorities in helping search operations. Operations will continue overnight to verify objects spotted in Indian Ocean.
- On whether it could take years to conclude, Hishammuddin said that if the debris is confirmed to be that of MH370, then comparisons will be made to Air France crash - which took two years - because conditions of Indian Ocean similar to that of the Atlantic Ocean.
- MAS chief executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya regrets the handling of family members yesterday. Says Chinese families have been given updates two to three times a day, the same update given to the press. High level team leaving to Beijing this evening.
- Representatives from Malaysian government spoke to families in KL yesterday. Chinese ambassador will lead a briefing today for Chinese families in KL. Similar briefing for other families.

Full statement here.

UPDATE [4.44pm]: Commander William Marks, spokesman for the US Navy's 7th Fleet, was quoted as saying that the radar hits of “significant size” - indicating something below the search area in the southern Indian Ocean - were not connected to missing flight MH370. Read in full.

The New Straits Times meanwhile, reported that the Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion aircraft has reached the search scene.

UPDATE [2.42pm]: PM Najib Razak meets Malaysian Chief of Defence Force after call with Australian PM.

UPDATE [1.13pm]: Largest object sighted is 24 metres, with a second, smaller object also spotted, Australian authorities said. Details. 
John Young, general manager of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said debris has been spotted on satellite imagery 2260km off the coast of Western Australia. Watch the video.

Meanwhile, minister Hishammuddin Hussein confirms 'new lead' and is meeting with Australian delegation to verify. Full story.

UPDATE [11.33am]: Two objects possibly related to MH370 have been spotted on Australian satellite imagery and an air force aircraft was diverted to the area, according to the Australian prime minister. Full story here.

UPDATE [9.40am]:  Data from the multiple "handshakes" between the Inmarsat satellite and  flight MH370 could help plot the aircraft's last known location before it disappeared, The Washington Post reported. Full story here.

- The disappearance of a Malaysian plane has prompted calls for in-flight streaming of black box data over remote areas.  Full story here.

Source: Yahoo News

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Breaking News: #MH370 Malaysia Airlines missing flight : Updated: 1930/19March2014

#PrayForMH370 Live Updates: Flight simulator logs were cleared on 3rd Feb

UPDATE [5.53pm]: Highlights from today’s press conference:
- Data log deleted from the pilot’s flight simulator on Feb 3, forensic work is being done to retrieve data. All remain innocent until proven guilty.
- All 26 countries have verbally agreed to assist operation. Malaysia has written to all formally.
- Confirmed received radar data from other countries but cannot reveal as it is ‘sensitive’.
- In Maldives sightings, Malaysia’s Chief of Defence Forces has contacted counterpart in Maldives. Sightings confirmed untrue.
- No additional waypoint on MH370’s flight plan. Normal route to Beijing.
- All passengers, crew and ground staff being investigated.
- High-level team to go to Beijing to brief family on search and rescue. Team includes representatives from PM’s Office, Foreign Affairs Ministry, DCA and MAS. 

Full statement here.

UPDATE [4.05pm]: Thai radar picked up an "unknown aircraft" minutes after flight MH370 last transmitted its location but officials failed to report the findings earlier as the plane was not considered a threat. Full story here.

Why didn't the passengers of MH370 try to use their cellphones to contact someone on the ground? Telecommunications experts share their knowledge and offer possible answers to this question. Full story here.

UPDATE [11.28am, 19 Mar]: A former pilot suggested that there may have been a fire on board, the smoke from which would have short-circuited the electronics (including the transponder) and caused the pilots to pass out. He adds that the Captain may have tried to save the plane by setting a course to Langkawi, which explains the turn-back. Full story here.

Another Australian pilot and aviation expert offers insights into another possible explanation, where the plane may have undergone decompression due to an explosion on board, causing the pilots to lose consciousness before completing the redirection of the autopilot. Full story here.

Source: Yahoo News

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Breaking News: #MH370 Malaysia Airlines missing flight : Updated: 1930/18March2014

#PrayForMH370 Live Updates: Search area is now 2.2 mil square nautical miles

UPDATE [6.24pm]: Highlights from today's press conference:

- MAS says aircraft transponder switched off at 1.21am
- Search area is now a massive 2.2 mil square nautical miles (7.5mil sq km, about the size of Australia), all countries requested to relook radar and satellite data to narrow search area.

- Minister Hishamuddin Hussein confirmed that primary radar data from other countries shared but did not mention which countries.
- Malaysian military radar to be upgraded later because "interest of the passengers and plane has been placed above national security".

- MAS says it has given sufficient information and care to all the family members in Beijing and will look into any threat of a ‘hunger strike’ among them immediately.

- Hishammuddin rejected claims that Malaysia was a ‘den for terrorists’, calling them baseless allegations.

- Foreign Minister Anifah Aman says there is no need to contact Iran, as thorough investigation (on the two Iranian passengers) has already been conducted by Malaysia.

- On whether Anwar Ibrahim will be called in for investigations (over links between him and the pilot), Hishamuddin said ‘we did not bring this up’ and names the UK’s Daily Mail and CNN for bringing up the issue of politics. ‘This issue is above politics,” he said.

There was also a bizarre question from a foreign reporter asking Hishammuddin to confirm if he was PM Najib Razak's cousin and if he was protected. This was his answer: "I can confirm here that I am Najib’s cousin and I don’t know what i’m supposed to be protected from!".

UPDATE [2.22pm]: Australia has sharply reduced its search for the missing jetliner as strong currents and high seas make the task more daunting. Read it here.
UPDATE [11:11am]: Police investigations into the pilot and co-pilot of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have not turned up any red flags in their backgrounds, according to the The Wall Street Journal. Full story here.

Source: Yahoo News

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Breaking News: #MH370 Malaysia Airlines missing flight : Updated: 1930/17March2014

#PrayForMH370 Live Updates: Navy and Air Force assets to be deployed to southern corridor: Govt

UPDATE [6.32pm]: Salient points from press conference at 5.30pm:
- Last words from cockpit - ‘Alright, good night’ was said by the co-pilot.
- Last ACARS transmission at 1.07am. Next signal due 30 minutes later but did not happen. ACARS could have been switched off between this time.
- Plane was carrying three to four tonnes of mangosteen in cargo, no hazardous cargo.
- On a news report that plane flew at 5,000 feet to avoid radar, MAS says ‘it did not come from us’.
- Pilots flew as assigned by roster, no swap.
- Two Malaysian ships and a helicopter have been deployed.
- MAS now on ‘code tango’ - a heightened security code that looks at all possible security shortcomings.
- Defence and Acting Transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein denied that Malaysia was not working closely with the FBI, saying he has been working with them ‘since day one’.
- Why only two corridors? Calculations done based on minimum and maximum speed of plane. On the northern corridor plane could have reached laos at minimum speed or the edge of the caspian sea at maximum speed.
On the southern corridor, plane could have reached east of Sumatra at minimum speed and south of the Indian Ocean at maximum speed.

DCA chief: Six handshakes (pings) were received by geo satellite on top of Indian Ocean. Only information available is the time of the pings, but no coordinates.

UPDATE [2.44pm]: Highlights from a press statement by the Transport Ministry this afternoon:
- The  Royal Malaysian Navy and the Royal Malaysian Air Force have deployed their assets to the southern corridor (Indonesia to southern Indian ocean).
- The Foreign Affairs Ministry has sent diplomatic notes to all countries along the northern and southern corridors requesting for:  1) Radar and satellite information
  2) Land, sea and aerial search operations
  3) Search and rescue action plans for relevant countries
  4) Details of any information required from Malaysia
- Police are investigating crew and passengers of MH370 as well as all ground staff handling the aircraft; cops have re-assembled simulator taken from pilot's home.
- French investigators have arrived to share their knowledge from the search for Air France flight 447, which crashed in 2009.
- Countries involved in search and rescue are: Malaysia, Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Turkmenistan, UAE, UK, US, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. 

Read the full statement here.
UPDATE [1.57pm]: Police are investigating a flight engineer who was among the passengers on the missing MH370 plane, as they focus on the pilots and anyone else on board who had technical flying knowledge. Full story.
UPDATE [12.50pm]: The last words from the cockpit of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 - "all right, good night" - were uttered after someone on board had already begun disabling one of the plane's automatic tracking systems, a senior Malaysian official said. Read it here.
UPDATE [10.49am]: The New Straits Times reported that the Boeing 777-200ER dropped 5,000 feet (1,500m) to evade commercial radar detection. Full report.

Source: Yahoo News

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Breaking News: #MH370 Malaysia Airlines missing flight : Updated: 1930/16March2014

LATEST UPDATES from press conference chaired by Malaysia Acting Transport Minister, Hishammuddin Hussein (6:00pm, Sunday 16 March 2014):

- The search for MH370 has become "even more difficult", with the search area expanded to include large tracts of land across 11 countries and oceans.
- The number of countries involved has increased from 14 to 25. Full story here.
- Malaysia's Foreign Ministry has requested support from over 22 countries, including: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, China, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia & Australia. For more on the difficulty of the search, go here.- This support would be in the form of general satellite data, radar playback and provisions for ground, sea and aerial search and rescue.
- Both northern & southern corridors are being treated with equal importance.
- According to Malaysia Airlines, the pilot and co-pilot did not ask to fly together.
- The MH370 aircraf was subjected to Boeing's mandatory maintenance program, fully serviced and fit to fly.
- Malaysia Airlines says the plane departed with its planned fuel load with nothing extra.
- The cargo manifest has also been investigated and no hazardous materials were found to be onboard.

- Malaysian police says not all background checks on passengers have been completed as some countries have yet to respond. Full story here.

UPDATE (4:00pm)
A press statement by the Ministry of Transport was released on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's Facebook page at about 2:40pm, 16 March 2014. It gives the official word on the status of the MH370 investigations. Read the full text here.

New York Times reports that investigators are puzzled why Malaysian military took no action over unidentified blip on their radar screens that was later said to be the missing flight MH370, Story here.

Malaysian spotters fight turbulence, nausea and mental strain while scanning an endless expanse of water find Flight 370. Read what they have to go through here.

India says the plane could not have flown over its airspace—which casts doubts on the theory that it went toward the north corridor between Turkmenistan and Kazakstan Story here.

India puts on hold its search for the missing plane on Malaysian instructions, with a review of search operations with more than a dozen countries scheduled for later today in KL. Story here.

Also, friends of the main pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah say it’s impossible he could be involved in a terrorist attempt given what they know of him. What they say about him here.

Police have searched both pilots’ homes. Full story here.

Read the analysis on how MH370 has highlighted key gaps in air defense in general here.

Putrajaya rejected Interpol's help in finding MH370, a senior Western law enforcement official told ABC News. Full story here.

A UK tabloid speculates that the pilot of MH370 may have hijacked the plane as a political protest against Anwar's conviction. Find out what's the theory here.

The Bangkok Post reports that the Thai Navy will cease the search after Najib's media statement about ceasing search operations in the South China Sea. Full story here.

BREAKING (3:05pm): Salient points from the Prime Minister's statement given at the press conference:
1. New data shows last confirmed location was Saturday, 8 March at 8.11AM which indicate how far the plane has flown.
2. Based on new satellite communication data, we can say with a high degree of certainty that the Aircraft Communications, Addressing and Reporting System or ACARS, was disabled just before the aircraft reached the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia.
3. Shortly aftewards, near the border between Malaysia and Vietnamese air traffic control, the aircraft transponder was switched off.
4. From this point onwards, the Royal Malaysian Air Force’s primary radar showed that an aircraft, believed to be (but not confirmed to be) MH370, did indeed turn back.
5. It then flew back over Peninsular Malaysia, before turning northwest into the Straits of Malacca, up until the point at which it left military primary radar coverage.
6. The PM also said that plane movement was consistent with "deliberate action" by someone on the plane.
7. There will be refocused investigation into the crew and passengers on board.
8. Despite news reports that investigators concluded it was a hijacking, PM Najib said "I wish to be very clear we are still investigating all possibilities as to what caused MH370 to deviate from its original flight path." Hijacking is not ruled out, however.
9. Based on the direction in which the plane flew, the plane could have headed in one of two possible corridors:
- Northern corridor: border of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan to Northern Thailand.
- Southern corridor: From Indonesia to Southern Indian Ocean.
9. Operations in the South China Sea will be ended and deployment of assets will be reassessed.
10. Malaysia Airlines is informing families of the passengers of the new developments.
11. "The search has entered a new phase... We hope this new information will bring us one step closer to finding the plane."

Source: Yahoo News

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Breaking News: #MH370 Malaysia Airlines missing flight : Updated: 1930/15March2014

BREAKING (3:05pm): Salient points from the Prime Minister's statement given at the press conference:

1. New data shows last confirmed location was Saturday, 8 March at 8.11AM which indicate how far the plane has flown.
2. Based on new satellite communication data, we can say with a high degree of certainty that the Aircraft Communications, Addressing and Reporting System or ACARS, was disabled just before the aircraft reached the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia.
3. Shortly aftewards, near the border between Malaysia and Vietnamese air traffic control, the aircraft transponder was switched off.
4. From this point onwards, the Royal Malaysian Air Force’s primary radar showed that an aircraft, believed to be (but not confirmed to be) MH370, did indeed turn back.
5. It then flew back over Peninsular Malaysia, before turning northwest into the Straits of Malacca, up until the point at which it left military primary radar coverage.
6. The PM also said that plane movement was consistent with "deliberate action" by someone on the plane.
7. There will be refocused investigation into the crew and passengers on board.
8. Despite news reports that investigators concluded it was a hijacking, PM Najib said "I wish to be very clear we are still investigating all possibilities as to what caused MH370 to deviate from its original flight path." Hijacking is not ruled out, however.
9. Based on the direction in which the plane flew, the plane could have headed in one of two possible corridors:
- Northern corridor: border of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan to Northern Thailand.
- Southern corridor: From Indonesia to Southern Indian Ocean.
9. Operations in the South China Sea will be ended and deployment of assets will be reassessed.
10. Malaysia Airlines is informing families of the passengers of the new developments.
11. "The search has entered a new phase... We hope this new information will bring us one step closer to finding the plane."

Full transcript here .

UPDATE [12:55pm, 15 Mar]: A Malaysian government official involved in the investigation says investigators have concluded that one or more people with significant flying experience hijacked the missing Malaysia Airlines jet, switched off communication devices and steered it off-course. Storyhere.

Prime Minister Najib Razak's twitter account has announced that the PM will be making a press statement at 1:30pm.

CNN reports that classified intelligence analysis says it is likely that MH370 crashed in the bay of Bengal or the Indian ocean, and gives a highly detailed description of the plane's flight path after it disappeared. Details here.

Over 2.3 million people worldwide are searching for MH370, scanning thousands of satellite images on their PCs in a crowdsourcing effort. Story here.

source: Yahoo News

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Breaking News: #MH370 Malaysia Airlines missing flight : Updated: 1820/14March2014

#PrayForMH370 Live Updates: Data shows plane was heading to Andaman Islands

UPDATE [6.00pm]: The press conference has just ended. Here are some key highlights:

• The authorities have investigated two oil slicks at the South China Sea two days ago. One oil slick has a tiny hint of jet fuel, but they can't confirm it belongs to MH370. No debris was found
• Acting Transport Minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, denied reports that MH370 kept flying after it lost contact, with Rolls Royce and Boeing confirming that they have not received any flight data.
• Authorities are still unable to confirm that the plane made a turn-back: "Though there is information, it’s not 100 per cent that it’s MH370. That has not changed.”
• The UK investigation team and representatives from Roll Royce will be arriving tonight to assist investigations.
• Authorities can't confirm if transponder was deliberately switched off: “There’s no confirmation on the signal. We are still investigating the possibility,” says Hishammuddin.
• Hishamuddin has continued to deny that the police have searched the houses of Malaysia Airlines crew.
• On extending their search area to the Indian Ocean, Hishamuddin said: "Together with our international partners, we are pushing further east into the South China Sea and further into the Indian Ocean."
• Hishamuddin also confirmed that they are working very closely with the U.S. team: "They indicated they were studying the possibility of satellite communication. Whatever they have and will share with us."

UPDATE [4.50pm]: Sources close to the ongoing investigation revealed that military radar-tracking evidence suggests that the missing jetliner was deliberately flown towards the Andaman Islands. Full story here.

UPDATE [3.47pm]: The best information about the missing flight MH370 is probably in the hands of American officials who are in Malaysia assisting the investigation but they are keeping mum, the New York Times reported. Full story.

UPDATE [1.56pm]: Several family members of Chinese passengers on board a missing Malaysian airliner have requested to speak directly with Malaysian leaders via teleconference. Story here.

UPDATE [12.13pm]: The US believes that the shutdown of two communications systems on missing flight MH370 could have been deliberate. Full story.

UPDATE [10.28am] : A crisis management expert has pointed to rumours and speculation from social media as a hindrance for Malaysian authorities investigating the disappearance of flight MH370. Read it here.

UPDATE [8:17am]:  US officials believe that the shutdown of two communication systems happened separately on missing MH370. One source revealed, it is an indication that the plane did not come out of the sky because of a catastrophic failure. Another source said that the data reporting system and transponder was shut down at 1.07am and 1.21am, respectively.

UPDATE [5.05am]: US officials revealed that flight MH370 continued to "ping" a satellite for four hours after it dropped off of the radar. The officials stated that the number of pings would indicate how long the plane stayed aloft. Full story here.

UPDATE [2:04am]: Communications satellites picked up faint electronic pulses ("pings") from MH370 after it went missing on Saturday, but the signals gave no indication about where the stray jet was heading nor its technical condition. Full story here.

A new search area may be opened in the Indian Ocean, says the White House. "We are consulting with international partners about the appropriate assets to deploy." Full story here.

UPDATE [1.30am]: U.S. officials have an "indication" that the missing jetliner may have crashed in the Indian Ocean. Naval ship USS Kidd was dispatched to the area to begin searching in the next 24 hours. Full story here.

Source: Yahoo News

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