China, Australia step up efforts in MH370 search

[Germanicus]

BEIJING - Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and his Australian counterpart, Tony Abbott, agreed to continue to make all-out efforts to search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in a phone conversation on Wednesday.

Abbott updated the Chinese premier with the latest developments in the search and rescue mission, as well as the ongoing investigation.

Li appreciated what the Australian side has done in searching for the missing plane.
"The search is now faced with even more complexities and hardships," Li said, adding that he expected the two sides to continue doing all they can instead of slacking off or even giving up, Li said.


To join the multinational search, China has already sent more than 10 ships and many aircraft to relocate, recover and review suspicious items spotted via airborne observation, said Li.

Abbott, for his part, spoke highly of China's input, saying his country is willing to work with China, Malaysia and others in bettering their communications and cooperation, and will step up its search efforts to the best of its ability.


The Australian prime minister also told Li that he is looking forward to the upcoming annual gatherings of the Boao Forum for Asia in China's southern Province of Hainan, saying he expected to exchange views on how to promote Australia-China ties.


Australia is ready to work with China to speed up their talks over a bilateral trade agreement so as to deepen cooperation, he added.


In response, Li said his Australian counterpart has been committed to boosting a strategic partnership between the two sides since taking office, adding that Beijing highly values its relations with Canberra.


The Chinese premier also said that he believes Abbott's China visit next week, as well as their talks, will inject fresh impetus into the development of bilateral ties.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2...t_17401227.htm

How do you like that? We are getting mad props from Premier Li. $#@! yeah!

I am very happy to hear that the bilateral trade agreement between Australia and China is to be fast tracked.

Australia and China are tight. So tight. We are best buds. We love Chinese people and China. They think we are ok.

Tony Abbott is doing a much better job as PM than I expected. Go Tony Abbott!

edit- So why do we have US Marines in Australia again? What is the point of them? To protect us from our best friend China? (:

USA should save some cash and call the Marines here is Australia home. How the hell can you afford them? Also, what exactly do they do? For their money that US taxpayers must pay them. To sit in Australia for no reason at all. What a waste of US taxpayer money. Do you guys really want me to be protected that bad? Are you guys really so concerned for my safety?



Things are going great. And they are only getting better. Not for USA though. Things will only get worse for USA for a very long long time. USA has peaked. It is all downhill from here.

[Green Arrow]

I don't see the point anymore. They're all dead.

[Germanicus]

I don't see the point anymore. They're all dead.

Who? Nobody has nuked USA yet.

[Germanicus]

Oh, the passengers.. (: Sorry, I just woke up.

[Germanicus]

This post was edited by HailChina! at 2014-4-3 02:59

I was proud to read that Chinese Premier Li has appreciated the efforts of Australia in the search for MH370. I would like for China to see Australia as a nation that China can count on when help is needed. Premier Li said - "The search is now faced with even more complexities and hardships," Li said, adding that he expected the two sides to continue doing all they can instead of slacking off or even giving up, Li said.

''If this mystery is solvable, we will solve it" - Australian Prime Minister/Tony Abbott

Australia has stepped up as leader of the search for the missing Malaysian Aircraft. It is certainly not our responsibility to be taking on such massive costs to our taxpayers but Australians are always happy to help where we can. Even if we cannot afford it.

I feel that Tony Abbott has done a admirable job of managing the responsibility of taking leadership of the search. Australia would be under a great deal of pressure from the US side to do what they want but also from nations here in the Asia Pacific. The international cooperation and the acknowledgement of that cooperation by Aussie leadership in Military and Government has been a positive that we can take from the tragedy. to see nations like USA, China, Japan and others come together under Australian leadership has been a beautiful thing.

Unlike many on the US side, our PM Tony Abbott has not been critical of Malaysia in any way. We do not be rude, insulting and offensive to our neighbours and it would be helpful if people in the US media would stop calling Malaysians "Third World". Americans are not impressing anyone with their insults and unfair hysterics.

''I think that Prime Minister Najib Razak was perfectly entitled to come to that conclusion and I think once that conclusion had been arrived at, it was his duty to make that conclusion public.''

Australia has taken charge of the situation because of where the debris is thought to be which is off the coast of Western Australia. We are closer than any other nation and we always stand ready to help. Australia has not taken leadership of this situation to grandstand or to show any other nation up.

Today Tony Abbott spoke about transitioning to a situation where the Malaysian Government takes on more responsibility of the search and some of the cost involved. We Aussies understand that Malaysia does not have the capabilities that we Australians do and our help was needed. Now it is time for Malaysia to assume some of the responsibility.

''In a humanitarian cause the nations of this region can come together to work for the betterment of humanity, to work to try to resolve this extraordinary mystery," Mr Abbott said.

I agree with these words. The nations of this region, the Asia Pacific, can come together to work for the betterment of humanity. Tony Abbott has done a very good job of leading this effort and I applaud him. And like Abbott said - If there is a solution, we Australians will solve it. With China now helping us in a major way a solution is much closer. It is great to see China and Australia working so closely on such an important mission. I do not mean to sound unsympathetic to the victims families or anyone but if one positive can be taken from this terrible tragedy it is the cooperation within the Asia Pacific and beyond. It is a great thing to see so many nations working together and with China and Australia taking the lead we have thee best chance of solving this mystery.

[waltky]

Debris 'almost certainly' from MH370...

MH370: Mauritius and South Africa debris 'almost certainly' from missing plane
Thu, 12 May 2016 - Two pieces of aircraft debris found on beaches in Mauritius and South Africa almost certainly came from Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, officials say.

It is the latest development in efforts to solve the mystery of the aircraft, which went missing in March 2014. The plane, flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, had 239 people on board when it vanished. It is presumed to have crashed into the sea after veering off course. Three ships are searching a 120,000 sq km area of the southern Indian Ocean but have so far found no trace of the plane. Five pieces of debris have been confirmed as definitely or probably from the plane. Each was found thousands of miles from the search zone, though within the area models of ocean currents have indicated debris could wash up.

MH370-linked debris

1. A section of wing called a flaperon, found on Reunion Island in July 2015 - confirmed as debris in September 2015

2. Horizontal stabilizer from tail section, found in Mozambique in December 2015

3. Stabilizer panel with "No Step" stencil, found in Mozambique in February 2016

4. Engine cowling bearing Rolls-Royce logo, found in March 2016 in Mossel Bay, South Africa

5. Fragment of interior door panel found in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius in March 2016

Missing Malaysia Airlines MH370

All the debris is being examined in Australia by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) and other experts. They use manufacturing marks on the pieces as well as samples of marine ecology like barnacles to help confirm whether they are likely to have come from the missing Boeing 777. Speaking on Thursday, Malaysia's Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said the team had "confirmed that both pieces of debris from South Africa and Rodrigues Island are almost certainly from MH370".

The ATSB also said both sections were "almost certainly" from 9M-MRO, which is the plane's registration. No other 777 has ever crashed in the southern hemisphere, and none has reported missing pieces. The ocean search, involving Australia, Malaysia and China, has scoured more than 105,000 sq km of seafloor so far, much of it areas which have never been explored before. But the countries have agreed that in the absence of "credible new information" the search will end by the middle of the year.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-36273194

See also:

Baby joy for couple who lost kids in MH17
Thu, 12 May 2016 - An Australian couple whose three children died when Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine have a new daughter.

Anthony Maslin and Marite Norris lost their children Mo, Evie and Otis, along with Ms Norris's father Nick Morris, when the flight came down in eastern Ukraine in July 2014. The Perth couple described the birth of Violet May Maslin as an "amazing gift". "Violet's birth is a testament to our belief that love is stronger than hate," they said in a statement. "We still live with pain, but Violet, and the knowledge that all four kids are with us always, brings light to our darkness. "As Martin Luther King said, 'Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that'."

Violet May Maslin, daughter of Anthony Maslin and Marite Norris

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down as it flew over conflict-hit Ukraine from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. Mr Maslin and Ms Norris had stayed in Amsterdam while their children, aged eight, 10 and 12, flew back to Australia with their grandfather. A total of 298 passengers and crew were killed, including 80 children in total.

The flight was hit by a Russian-made Buk surface-to-air missile. Western officials and Ukraine's government blame Russian-backed rebels for shooting down the plane. But Russian authorities have consistently denied responsibility, instead blaming Ukrainian government forces.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-36263707

[waltky]

Debris found is confirmed from missing MH370...

MH370 search: Tanzania debris 'part of missing plane'
Thu, 15 Sep 2016 - A large item of debris found off the coast of Tanzania belongs to the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, Australian investigators confirm.

The fragment, said to be the inboard section of the right, outboard flap of the plane, was recovered in June. MH370, flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, had 239 people on board when it vanished in March 2014. The Boeing 777 is presumed to have crashed into the southern Indian Ocean after veering off course. The piece is now being examined for any evidence that may indicate how the flap was operating at the time of separation from the wing, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said in a report.

Airplane debris found off the coast of Tanzania found in June 2016

This could help throw light on whether the plane was being flown when it came down in the sea. The part numbers and a date stamp on the piece, recovered on Pemba island, helped the investigation. In addition to the Boeing part number, the report said, the identification stamps had an "OL" number, both unique identifiers to part construction. The Italian part manufacturer then recovered build records for those numbers, confirming that they belonged to the missing plane.

New clues: By Richard Westcott, BBC Transport Correspondent

Very slowly, the clues are piling up. All these pieces that keep washing ashore could eventually help to build a picture of the plane's final moments. Scroll down the Australian investigators' report and you find this, important paragraph: "At the time of writing, the flap section was being examined for any evidence of interaction with mechanisms, supports and surrounding components (such as the flaperon, which abuts the inboard end of the outboard flap) that may indicate the state of flap operation at the time of separation from the wing." In plain English, it means that this piece MIGHT just help them work out if the flaps were extended when the plane hit the water. If they were, it COULD indicate that the aircraft was being flown by someone at the end. Flaps never extend automatically. So that starts to suggest a deliberate act. Equally, if the flaps weren't extended, it points more to an accident. To be clear though, none of this will give anything close to definitive answer. It's just a little clue as to what happened.

A number of other pieces of debris, some confirmed to have come from MH370, have been found in recent months off the coast of neighbouring Mozambique and Madagascar. They include a section of the wing called a flaperon, found on Reunion Island, and a horizontal stabilizer from the tail section and a stabilizer panel with a "No Step" stencil discovered in Mozambique. All the debris are believed to have been driven westwards from the presumed crash site on ocean currents. Australia has been leading the search for the missing aircraft, using underwater drones and sonar equipment deployed from specialist ships. The search, also involving Malaysia and China, has led to more than 105,000 sq km (40,500 sq miles) of the 120,000 sq km search zone being scoured so far. But countries have agreed that in the absence of "credible new information" the search is expected to end later this year.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-37377514

[waltky]

Prob'ly ran out of fuel an' spiraled into the sea...

MH370 debris found, newfound parts suggest plane on 'death dive'
Sep 17, 2016 - New theories surfaced that the plane's demise was plotted on purpose as newly confirmed parts of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 were found on an island.

A new discovery from the demised flight of MH370 has raised another theory that the pilot of the missing plane did some high speed 'death dive' into the vast ocean on purpose. Newly founded debris has been confirmed to be a part of the aircraft as well. According to The Star, confirmed parts of the missing MH370 plane were found on Pemba island near the Tanzanian coast.

Malaysia. Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing carrying 239 onboard was reported missing after the crew failed to check in as scheduled while flying over the sea between Malaysia and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, according to published reports.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) and the MH370 Safety Investigation Team concluded that the discovered debris belongs to the airplane since the appearance, dimensions, constructions and the numbers printed on the debris matched the inboard section of Boeing 777 outboard flap. Yahoo! 7 News reports that the analyzation of the jet wing's flap that has been found in the Tanzanian coast suggests that the plane plunged at a high speed into the southern Indian ocean on purpose. This is despite the fact that the aircraft carried 239 passengers and airline crew on board.

In line with this, pilot Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah was heartbroken while on the flight. Daily Mail has cited that the father of three broke up with his wife Faizah Hanun. This is after his wife found out that Shah is having an affair with Fatima Pardi, a married woman who was believed to broke up with the pilot the time of the plane's disappearance. Pardi has been interrogated by the FBI Investigators and Malaysian police to confirm if she and the pilot have separated before the tragedy, by which the woman refused to answer. Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 mysteriously disappeared after its March 8, 2014, departure, while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, China. Until now, the airplane is yet to be found despite a massive research and investigation in the southern Indian ocean where it is believed to have met its demise.

http://www.hngn.com/articles/206407/...death-dive.htm

[waltky]

Wing Part Found on Mauritius Confirmed to Be From Missing MH370...

Missing MH370: Wing Part Found on Mauritius Confirmed to Be From Jet
Oct 7 2016 — A piece of an aircraft wing found on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius has been identified as belonging to missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, Malaysian and Australian officials said Friday.

The piece of wing flap was found in May and subsequently analyzed by experts at the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which is heading up the search for the plane in a remote stretch of ocean off Australia's west coast. Investigators used a part number found on the debris to link it to the missing Boeing 777, the agency said in a statement. Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai also confirmed the identification.

A trailing edge section of a Boeing 777 from Flight MH370, according to a report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

Several pieces of wreckage from the plane have washed ashore on coastlines around the Indian Ocean since the aircraft vanished with 239 people on board during a flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing on March 8, 2014. So far, none of the debris has helped narrow down the precise location of the main underwater wreckage. Investigators need to find that in order to locate the flight data recorders that could help explain why the plane veered so far off-course.

Search crews are expected to finish their sweep of the 46,000 square mile search zone in the Indian Ocean by December. Oceanographers have been analyzing wing flaps found in Tanzania and on the French island of La Reunion to see if they might be able to identify a potential new search area through drift modeling. But any new search would require more funding; Malaysia, Australia and China said in July that the $160 million hunt will be suspended once the current stretch of ocean is exhausted unless new evidence emerges that would pinpoint a specific location of the aircraft.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/mis...be-jet-n661541

[waltky]

ROV to be Used in Search for Missing Flight MH370...

Underwater Drone to be Used in Search for Missing Flight MH370
October 19, 2016 - Australia says an underwater drone will be used in the continuing deep sea search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.

Australia’s Transportation Safety Bureau said Wednesday it will fit one of the ships involved in the deep-sea sonar search with a special drone that will be used to investigate several pieces of debris identified in previous explorations as having some “man-made properties.” "The ROV (remotely operated vehicle) will be tasked to reacquire and investigate, through video imaging, a range of sonar contacts which have been identified during previous deep tow operations," the ATSB said in a statement. "Winter weather conditions have, until now, prevented the safe deployment of the ROV, but now sea states are improving."

Havila Harmony, one of three ships scouring the southern Indian Ocean for the remains of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

The search will take place off Australia’s western coast, where officials say they’ve found more than 20 so-called sonar contacts that require further examination. The Malaysia Airlines flight vanished more than two years ago on March 8, 2014, while travelling to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur. There were 239 people aboard. Despite a massive search effort conducted off the Australian coastline where investigators believe the plane crashed, there has been no sign of the plane or the passengers aboard.

The search of a 120,000-square-kilometer area where the plane is suspected to have gone down is scheduled to be completed by January or February, Australian transportation officials said Wednesday. When that search area is completely cleared, the governments of China, Malaysia and Australia agreed to permanently suspend the effort, unless “credible new information” arises.

http://www.voanews.com/a/underwater-...0/3557404.html