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Friday, February 28, 2014

Obama Warns Russia Not to Intervene in Crimea



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Sections Home Search Skip to content Skip to navigationEurope|Obama Warns Russia Not to Intervene in Crimeahttp://nyti.ms/NBvdY0See next articlesSee previous articlesContinue reading the main story Video

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Obama Makes Statement on Ukraine

The president spoke about the "very fluid" situation in Ukraine.

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WASHINGTON As Ukrainian leaders accused Russia of carrying out an armed invasion in the Crimea region, President Obama on Friday warned Russia not to intervene militarily, saying the United States would stand with the world to condemn a violation of Ukraines sovereignty.

There will be costs, Mr. Obama declared in a brief statement from the White House. He said the United States government was deeply concerned by reports of military movements taken by the Russian Federation inside Ukraine.

He said any intervention militarily in Ukraine would be deeply destabilizing and would represent a profound interference in the Ukrainian peoples right to determine their own future.

Earlier, at the United Nations, the Ukrainian ambassador, Yuriy A. Sergeyev, said that Russian troops had taken control of two airports in Crimea and that the Russian Navy was blocking the Ukrainian Coast Guard.

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Armed men of uncertain allegiance took up positions at two airports in Simferopol, the regional capital of Crimea, an area with stronger historical ties to Russia than to Ukraines central government in Kiev.

Photo

Armed men patrolled the street outside Simferopols airport in the Crimea region of Ukraine on Friday. Credit Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times

Although there were no confrontations or bloodshed by evening, the appearance of a large number of masked men with assault rifles unnerved residents and travelers, who were buffeted by warnings from Kiev of military meddling by Moscow and statements from the deposed Ukrainian president, Viktor F. Yanukovych, that the country had been taken over by fascists and bandits.

In Simferopol, men dressed in camouflage and carrying assault rifles moved into position at the international airport and a second airfield nearby. Their military uniforms bore no insignia, and it was not clear who they were or who was commanding them. They declined to answer questions.

Ukrainian International, Ukraines biggest airline, said on Friday that it had canceled flights into and out of the Crimea region because the airspace had been closed.

Moscow denied that its forces had moved into Crimea and attributed the presence of troops there to internal political processes in Ukraine, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry. It said it had not violated agreements not to intervene in Ukrainian affairs.

Armored personnel carriers with Russian markings appeared on roads Friday outside Simferopol, sometimes alone but at other times in long columns of military vehicles. It was unclear whether the movements signaled a Russian push to occupy the city, a show of strength aimed at cowing far less numerous Ukrainian forces in the region, or simply a routine rotation of Russian hardware.

Russia has many military facilities in Crimea, the most important of which is the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet, in Sevastopol. Its military vehicles regularly move around the peninsula, but Fridays activity was more intense than usual, according to local residents.

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There were no immediate signs of panic in Simferopol, which has a large ethnic Russian population and has generally supported Moscows line that Kiev, 400 miles to the north, has been overrun by fascists who pose a grave threat to the interests of Ukraines Russian speakers.

The only visible military presence in the center of the city consisted of unidentified gunmen who seized the regional Parliament building and a government office complex this week. But Simferopol swirled with rumors, all unconfirmed, that Russian troops had seized Crimeas main television station, the central post office and other strategic locations. Residents also exchanged information, apparently more grounded in reality, about sightings of Russian military transport planes landing at airports.

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This is an open but unannounced aggression by the Russian Federation against the territory of Ukraine, said Refat Chubarov, the leader of Crimeas indigenous population of Tatars, a Muslim Turkic people, and a strong advocate of the regions remaining part of Ukrainian territory. He said Russian military helicopters had flouted Ukrainian sovereignty by flying into Crimea without permission.

In Kiev, the speaker of Parliament, Oleksandr V. Turchynov, who is now the acting president of Ukraine, convened a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council to discuss the situation in Crimea.

Announcing the meeting in Parliament, Mr. Turchynov said, Terrorists with automatic weapons, judged by our special services to be professional soldiers, tried to take control of the airport in Crimea.

Mr. Yanukovych, in a news conference on Friday in Rostov-on-Don, in southern Russia not far from Crimea, said the region should remain part of Ukraine, despite its historic, linguistic and cultural ties to Russia. I think that everything that has happened in Crimea is a natural reaction to the gangster coup that happened in Kiev, he said.

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CCTV Shows Crimean Parliament Takeover

Footage from security cameras showed the moment armed men seized Simferopols Parliament building in Ukraines Crimea region.

He added, People of Crimea dont want to submit and they will not submit to Bandera thugs, referring to a World War II-era nationalist leader, Stepan Bandera, who was vilified by the Soviet Union.

Secretary of State John Kerry spoke on Friday with the Russian foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, about the appearance of the armed men at the airports. We raised the issue of the airports, raised the issue of armored vehicles, raised the issue of personnel in various places, Mr. Kerry told reporters in Washington.

Mr. Lavrov asserted that Russia would respect the sovereignty of Ukraine, Mr. Kerry said. But Mr. Kerry said that he had told his Russia counterpart that it is important for everybody to be extremely careful not to inflame the situation.

At the Simferopol airport, the armed men set up positions around a central administrative building, but they did not appear to enter the terminals. There were no roadblocks or checkpoints on the roads leading to the airport or on the grounds of the airport.

After nightfall, Petro Poroshenko, a billionaire member of Parliament, said outside the airport building that he had come to Crimea to negotiate with the regional Parliament on behalf of the national government in Kiev. He said his mission was to do everything not to allow an escalation of violence and to stress to the Crimeans that they were fellow Ukrainians and that Ukraine must not be divided.

He referred to the soldiers standing behind him as foreign and more than once gestured toward them with distaste. What I cannot accept is the presence here of foreign troops, he said. We cannot accept the danger for Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity.

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Striped areas indicate

provinces with significant

Russian-speaking populations.

Meanwhile, another confrontation was underway at a second airport, called Belbek, that is used for military and some civilian flights.

In a post on his Facebook page, the interior minister, Arsen Avakov, said units believed to be affiliated with the Russian military had blocked access to the airport overnight, with some Ukrainian military personnel and border guards inside. Mr. Avakov wrote that the men blocking the airport were also wearing camouflage uniforms with no identifying insignia, but he added, They do not hide their affiliation.

Mr. Avakov said that the airport was not functioning and that there is no armed conflict yet.

At the international airport, Mr. Avakov said, the Ukrainian authorities confronted the armed men and told them, You soldiers have no right to be located here. The uniformed men responded curtly, We do not have instructions to negotiate with you, he said.

Tension is building, Mr. Avakov wrote, adding: I regard what is happening as an armed invasion and occupation in violation of all international treaties and norms. This is a direct provoking of armed bloodshed on the territory of a sovereign state.

Igor K. Tresilaty, who identified himself as assistant to the general director at the international airport, said Friday that the soldiers were remaining in common areas outside the airport, in the restaurant and in parking lots. He said he did not know who they were and expressed no curiosity about them, saying only that they looked professional.

Photo

An unidentified armed man patrolled in front of the airport in Simferopol, Ukraine, on Friday. Credit Ivan Sekretarev/Associated PressContinue reading the main story

Theyre walking around, but we, nor the police, cant have any complaint against them because theyre not violating anything, theyre not touching anyone, Mr. Tresilaty said.

Russias Black Sea Fleet denied that its forces were involved in the deployment at one of the airports. But the national Parliament in Kiev appealed to Russia to stop moves that show signs of undermining national sovereignty in Ukraine, Reuters reported, and it urged the United States and Britain to honor commitments made in the early 1990s to protect the countrys territorial integrity.

Parliament also called on the United Nations Security Council to debate the issue, apparently seeking to broaden the dispute.

The rapid-fire developments came a day after a well-orchestrated power grab by pro-Russian forces played out across Simferopol: Armed militants took control of government buildings; crowds filled the streets, chanting Russia, Russia; and legislators called for a vote to redefine relations with Ukraine. The region is currently autonomous, meaning it has greater local control over its affairs.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Crimea, a tinderbox of ethnic, political and religious divisions, has had repeated outbursts of pro-Russia fervor that all ultimately fizzled. But the events Thursday and Friday, coupled with the fragile state of Ukraines new and barely functioning central government, represented a much more serious challenge to the territorial integrity of the country and an already unsettled geopolitical balance between Russia and the West.

The situation here matches in some ways ones that previously played out in areas like Abkhazia and South Ossetia, where largely pro-Russia populations broke away from Georgia, a former Soviet republic like Ukraine, to effectively become Russian protectorates.

The pace of developments, set largely by well-organized pro-Russia groups that marched through Simferopol in military-style formations, has perhaps outrun even Moscows capacity for geopolitical machinations. Having mobilized its air and ground forces around Ukraine on Wednesday for previously unannounced military exercises in western Russia, Moscow has raised expectations among its most zealous supporters that it will intervene to support their cause.

But any open military intervention would risk plunging Crimea, a vital outpost for the Russian Navy, into bloody chaos and also undermine security inside Russia, particularly in heavily Muslim areas.

Michael D. Shear reported from Washington, and Andrew Higgins from Simferopol, Ukraine. Reporting was contributed by Patrick Reevell from Simferopol; David M. Herszenhorn and Andrew E. Kramer from Kiev, Ukraine; Steven Lee Myers from Rostov-on-Don, Russia; Andrew Roth from Moscow; Alan Cowell from London; Somini Sengupta from the United Nations; and Michael R. Gordon from Washington.

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Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/01/world/europe/ukraine.html



Thursday, February 6, 2014

Russia mocks US envoy for meeting Pussy Riot; Power retorts



NEW YORK Wed Feb 5, 2014 10:09pm EST

1 of 2. Russian punk rock band Pussy Riot members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (R) and Maria Alyokhina hold a news conference in New York February 4, 2014.

Credit: Reuters/Shannon Stapleton

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power on Wednesday discussed "disturbing" trends in Russia with members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot, prompting Moscow's U.N. envoy to ask if she was joining the group.

Power, who was well known for her own human rights activism before she joined the first administration of U.S. President Barack Obama after his 2008 election, met with Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina. The pair are due to speak at an all-star concert in the New York borough of Brooklyn on Wednesday night.

Power and the two band members discussed "the disturbing trend in (Russia) of legislation, prosecutions and government actions aimed at suppressing dissent and pressuring groups that advocate for fundamental human rights and basic government accountability," Power's deputy spokesman Kurtis Cooper said.

The meeting took place at the U.S. mission to the United Nations.

The case of Pussy Riot sparked a global outcry. In 2012 Tolokonnikova, 24, and Alyokhina, 25, were convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred after storming Moscow's biggest Orthodox cathedral and beseeching the Virgin Mary to rid Russia of President Vladimir Putin.

After nearly two years behind bars, Putin granted the pair amnesty in December.

When asked about Power's roughly half-hour meeting with the Pussy Riot members, Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin responded: "She has not joined the band?"

"I would expect her to invite them to perform at the National Cathedral in Washington," he said. "Maybe they could arrange a world tour for them, you know."

"St Peter's Cathedral in Rome, then maybe in Mecca in Saudi Arabia, ending up with a gala concert at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. So if Ambassador Power fell short I would be disappointed," Churkin said.

Power struck back at Churkin on Twitter on Wednesday night, saying she would be honored to go on tour with Pussy Riot because they speak up and stand up for human rights, asking the her Russian counterpart: "Will you join us?"

"I can't sing, but if Pussy Riot will have me, Ambassador Churkin, I say our first concert is for Russia's political prisoners," Power wrote, suggesting that performance should be at Moscow's Matrosskaya Tishina prison.

Russia's leadership has not attempted to hide its annoyance when Washington criticizes Moscow for its human rights record. The Russian Federation has in turn accused the United States of rights abuses at home.

(Reporting by Louis Charbonneau and Michelle Nichols; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Eric Walsh)

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Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/06/us-usa-russia-pussyriot-un-idUSBREA1428020140206



Thursday, March 20, 2014

Missing Plane MH370: Maldives Island Residents Report 'Low Flying Jet'



  • A woman, center, is carried out by security officials after she tried to protest before a press conference regarding a missing Malaysia Airlines plane at a hotel in Sepang, Malaysia, Wednesday, March 19, 2014. New radar data from Thailand gave Malaysian investigators more potential clues Wednesday for how to retrace the course of the missing Malaysian airliner, while a massive multinational search unfolded in an area the size of Australia. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

  • Malaysia Airlines Flight Disappears

    A Chinese relative of a passenger aboard a missing Malaysia Airlines plane is carried out by security officials as she protests before a press conference at a hotel in Sepang, Malaysia, Wednesday, March 19, 2014. New radar data from Thailand gave Malaysian investigators more potential clues Wednesday for how to retrace the course of the missing Malaysian airliner, while a massive multinational search unfolded in an area the size of Australia. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

  • Malaysia Airlines Flight Disappears

    A Chinese relative of a passenger aboard a missing Malaysia Airlines plane is carried out by security officials as she protests before a press conference at a hotel in Sepang, Malaysia, Wednesday, March 19, 2014. New radar data from Thailand gave Malaysian investigators more potential clues Wednesday for how to retrace the course of the missing Malaysian airliner, while a massive multinational search unfolded in an area the size of Australia. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

  • Malaysia Airlines Flight Disappears

    Relatives of Chinese passengers aboard missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 attend a daily briefing meeting with managers of Malaysia Airlines at a hotel ballroom in Beijing, China, Wednesday, March 19, 2014. Search crews from 26 countries are looking for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which vanished early March 8 with 239 people aboard en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Frustration is growing among relatives of those on the plane at the lack of progress in the search. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan)

  • Malaysia Airlines Flight Disappears

    An elderly woman, one of the relatives of Chinese passengers aboard missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, covers her face out of frustration as she leaves a hotel ballroom after a daily briefing meeting with managers of Malaysia Airlines in Beijing, China, Wednesday, March 19, 2014. Search crews from 26 countries are looking for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which vanished early March 8 with 239 people aboard en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Frustration is growing among relatives of those on the plane at the lack of progress in the search. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan)

  • Malaysia Airlines Flight Disappears

    A woman pushes her baby cart in front of the messages board for passengers aboard a missing Malaysia Airlines plane at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, Wednesday, March 19, 2014. New radar data from Thailand gave Malaysian investigators more potential clues Wednesday for how to retrace the course of the missing Malaysian airliner, while a massive multinational search unfolded in an area the size of Australia. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

  • Focus Shifts To Crew And Passengers In Missing Malaysian Airliner Investigation

    KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - MARCH 17: A tourist ties up her well wish card dedicated to the flight MH370, March 17, 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The search area for Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 has increased again to include both land and water from Kazakhstan to the southern Indian Ocean following reports the airliner flew for several hours after last contact. The missing aircraft disappeared one week ago carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew on route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. All passengers and crew are currently under investigation and 22 countries are involved in the search. (Photo by Rahman Roslan/Getty Images)

  • Focus Shifts To Crew And Passengers In Missing Malaysian Airliner Investigation

    KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - MARCH 17: A tourist from Thailand poses with his well wish card dedicated to the flight MH370, March 17, 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The search area for Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 has increased again to include both land and water from Kazakhstan to the southern Indian Ocean following reports the airliner flew for several hours after last contact. The missing aircraft disappeared one week ago carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew on route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. All passengers and crew are currently under investigation and 22 countries are involved in the search. (Photo by Rahman Roslan/Getty Images)

  • MALAYSIA-CHINA-VIETNAM-MALAYSIAAIRLINES-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    A man uses a telescope to look out over the planes on the tarmac at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang on March 18, 2014. The last words from Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 passenger jet missing for 10 days were apparently spoken by the co-pilot, the airline said on March 17, providing a glimpse into the crucial period when the plane was deliberately diverted. AFP PHOTO / MOHD RASFAN (Photo credit should read MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images)

  • MALAYSIA-CHINA-VIETNAM-MALAYSIAAIRLINES-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    A message and a rose sits left on a barrier in front of a message wall (in background) for the passengers of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on display at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang, outside Kuala Lumpur on March 18, 2014. The last words from the Malaysian passenger jet missing for 10 days were apparently spoken by the co-pilot, the airline said on March 17, providing a glimpse into the crucial period when the plane was deliberately diverted. AFP PHOTO / MOHD RASFAN (Photo credit should read MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images)

  • MALAYSIA-CHINA-VIETNAM-MALAYSIAAIRLINES-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    A woman writes on a banner carrying messages for the passengers of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang, outside Kuala Lumpur on March 18, 2014. The last words from the Malaysian passenger jet missing for 10 days were apparently spoken by the co-pilot, the airline said on March 17, providing a glimpse into the crucial period when the plane was deliberately diverted. AFP PHOTO / MOHD RASFAN (Photo credit should read MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images)

  • MALAYSIA-CHINA-VIETNAM-MALAYSIAAIRLINES-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    Messages for the passengers of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 are posted on a wall display at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang, outside Kuala Lumpur on March 18, 2014. The last words from the Malaysian passenger jet missing for 10 days were apparently spoken by the co-pilot, the airline said on March 17, providing a glimpse into the crucial period when the plane was deliberately diverted. AFP PHOTO / MOHD RASFAN (Photo credit should read MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images)

  • MALAYSIA-CHINA-VIETNAM-MALAYSIAAIRLINES-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    Jean-Paul Troadec (C), the head of France's Bureau of Investigation and Analysis (BEA) talks to journalists regarding passengers of missing the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 outside a hotel at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang, outside Kuala Lumpur on March 18, 2014. Malaysia vehemently denies mishandling crucial information on the fate of missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370, but questions persist as to whether early missteps and secrecy contributed to the disappearance of a huge passenger plane on a clear night. AFP PHOTO/ MOHD RASFAN (Photo credit should read MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images)

  • MALAYSIA-CHINA-VIETNAM-MALAYSIAAIRLINES-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    Malaysia's Foreign Minister Anifah Aman (L) speaks as Malaysia's Minister of Defence and Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein (R) listens during a press conference at a hotel near Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang on March 18, 2014. An investigation into the pilots of missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 intensified on March 17 after officials confirmed that the last words spoken from the cockpit came after a key signalling system was manually disabled. AFP PHOTO/ MOHD RASFAN (Photo credit should read MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images)

  • MALAYSIA-CHINA-VIETNAM-MALAYSIAAIRLINES-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    Malaysia's Minister of Defence and Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein (C) and Malaysia's Foreign Minister Anifah Aman (R) talk to each others before a press conference at a hotel near Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang on March 18, 2014. An investigation into the pilots of missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 intensified on March 17 after officials confirmed that the last words spoken from the cockpit came after a key signalling system was manually disabled. AFP PHOTO/ MOHD RASFAN (Photo credit should read MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images)

  • MALAYSIA-CHINA-VIETNAM-MALAYSIAAIRLINES-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    Malaysia's Minister of Defence and Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein (C) speaks as Malaysia's Foreign Minister Anifah Aman (R) listens during a press conference at a hotel near Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang on March 18, 2014. An investigation into the pilots of missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 intensified on March 17 after officials confirmed that the last words spoken from the cockpit came after a key signalling system was manually disabled. AFP PHOTO/ MOHD RASFAN (Photo credit should read MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images)

  • Special Prayers Held For Passengers And Crew Of Missing Malaysian Airliner

    KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - MARCH 18: A Christian priest signs a banner after a special prayers held in Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin mosque for the missing Malaysian airliner MH370, March 18, 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 disappeared ten days ago carrying 227 passengers and 12-crew on route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. All passengers and crew are currently under investigation and 22 countries are involved in extensive search for the airliner. (Photo by Rahman Roslan/Getty Images)

  • Special Prayers Held For Passengers And Crew Of Missing Malaysian Airliner

    KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - MARCH 18: A muslim man signs a banner while being watched by representative from Christian, Hindu and Buddhist community after a special prayers held in Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin mosque for the missing Malaysian airliner MH370, March 18, 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 disappeared ten days ago carrying 227 passengers and 12-crew on route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. All passengers and crew are currently under investigation and 22 countries are involved in extensive search for the airliner. (Photo by Rahman Roslan/Getty Images)

  • Special Prayers Held For Passengers And Crew Of Missing Malaysian Airliner

    KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - MARCH 18: A group of Buddhist monks attend a special prayers held in Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin mosque for the missing Malaysian airliner MH370, March 18, 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 disappeared ten days ago carrying 227 passengers and 12-crew on route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. All passengers and crew are currently under investigation and 22 countries are involved in extensive search for the airliner. (Photo by Rahman Roslan/Getty Images)

  • Search Continues For Missing Malaysian Airliner Carrying 239 Passengers

    KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - MARCH 10: Dato' Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, director general of the Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation briefs the media over latest updates on missing Malaysia Airline MH370 on March 10, 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Potential sightings of possible airliner debris and a possible oil slick in the sea off Vietnam have not been officially verified or confirmed as investigative teams continue to search for the whereabouts of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 and its 293 passengers, travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The airliner was reported missing on the morning of March 8 after the crew failed to check in as scheduled. Relatives of the missing passengers have been advised to prepare for the worst as authorities focus on two passengers on board travelling with stolen passports. (Photo by How Foo Yeen/Getty Images)

  • Search Continues For Missing Malaysian Airliner Carrying 239 Passengers

    KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - MARCH 10: Major General Datuk Affendi Buang briefs the media over latest updates on missing Malaysia Airline MH370 on March 10, 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Potential sightings of possible airliner debris and a possible oil slick in the sea off Vietnam have not been officially verified or confirmed as investigative teams continue to search for the whereabouts of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 and its 293 passengers, travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The airliner was reported missing on the morning of March 8 after the crew failed to check in as scheduled. Relatives of the missing passengers have been advised to prepare for the worst as authorities focus on two passengers on board travelling with stolen passports. (Photo by How Foo Yeen/Getty Images)

  • Search Continues For Missing Malaysian Airliner Carrying 239 Passengers

    KELANTAN, MALAYSIA - MARCH 09: In this handout provided by the Malaysian Maritime Agency, personnel of Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency gather during the search and rescue mission for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on March 9, 2014 in Kelantan, Malaysia. Potential sightings of possible airliner debris and a possible oil slick in the sea off Vietnam have not been officially verified or confirmed as investigative teams continue to search for the whereabouts of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 and its 293 passengers, travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The airliner was reported missing on the morning of March 8 after the crew failed to check in as scheduled. Relatives of the missing passengers have been advised to prepare for the worst as authorities focus on two passengers on board travelling with stolen passports. (Photo by Malaysian Maritime Agency via Getty Images)

  • Search Continues For Missing Malaysian Airliner Carrying 239 Passengers

    AT SEA, KELANTAN COAST, MALAYSIA - MARCH 09: In this handout provided by the Malaysian Maritime Agency, a patrol vessel of Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency searches during the search and rescue mission for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on March 9, 2014 off the Kelantan coast, Malaysia. Potential sightings of possible airliner debris and a possible oil slick in the sea off Vietnam have not been officially verified or confirmed as investigative teams continue to search for the whereabouts of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 and its 293 passengers, travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The airliner was reported missing on the morning of March 8 after the crew failed to check in as scheduled. Relatives of the missing passengers have been advised to prepare for the worst as authorities focus on two passengers on board travelling with stolen passports. (Photo by Malaysian Maritime Agency via Getty Images)

  • CHINA-MALAYSIA-MALAYSIAAIRLINES-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    Relatives of victims from the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 plane leave after applying for their Chinese passports to be ready for travel to Kuala Lumpur to be closer to the rescue operations, in Beijing on March 10, 2014. An international search and rescue effort still had not found any confirmed debris from a Malaysia Airlines jet more than two days after it mysteriously went missing, an official said. AFP PHOTO/GOH CHAI HIN (Photo credit should read GOH CHAI HIN/AFP/Getty Images)

  • CHINA-MALAYSIA-MALAYSIAAIRLINES-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    Relatives of victims from the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 plane leave after applying for their Chinese passports to be ready for travel to Kuala Lumpur to be closer to the rescue operations, in Beijing on March 10, 2014. An international search and rescue effort still had not found any confirmed debris from a Malaysia Airlines jet more than two days after it mysteriously went missing, an official said. AFP PHOTO/GOH CHAI HIN (Photo credit should read GOH CHAI HIN/AFP/Getty Images)

  • INDONESIA-MALAYSIA-MALAYSIAAIRLINES-CHINA-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    An Indonesian Navy pilot conducts an aerial search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in the waters bordering Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand on March 10, 2014. Mystery deepened on March 10 over the fate of the Malaysian jet carrying 239 people, as tests on oil slicks scotched suspicions it was aircraft fuel while the search for debris failed to yield any trace of the missing aircraft. AFP PHOTO / ATAR (Photo credit should read ATAR/AFP/Getty Images)

  • INDONESIA-MALAYSIA-MALAYSIAAIRLINES-CHINA-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    Indonesian Navy pilots conduct an aerial search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in the waters bordering Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand on March 10, 2014. Mystery deepened on March 10 over the fate of the Malaysian jet carrying 239 people, as tests on oil slicks scotched suspicions it was aircraft fuel while the search for debris failed to yield any trace of the missing aircraft. AFP PHOTO / ATAR (Photo credit should read ATAR/AFP/Getty Images)

  • MALAYSIA-MALAYSIAAIRLINES-CHINA-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    A Malaysian mourner holds a candle during a vigil for missing Malaysia Airlines passengers at the Independence Square in Kuala Lumpur on March 10, 2014. Malaysia has expanded its search area for a missing jet after three days of scouring the sea failed to bring forth any confirmed sightings of wreckage, an official said. He added that besides searching in waters between Malaysia and Vietnam, authorities were also searching on land in Malaysia and off western Malaysia. AFP PHOTO/ MANAN VATSYAYANA (Photo credit should read MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • MALAYSIA-MALAYSIAAIRLINES-CHINA-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    A Malaysian ethnic Chinese child reacts to the camera as others light candles during a vigil for missing Malaysia Airlines passengers at the Independence Square in Kuala Lumpur on March 10, 2014. Malaysia has expanded its search area for a missing jet after three days of scouring the sea failed to bring forth any confirmed sightings of wreckage, an official said. He added that besides searching in waters between Malaysia and Vietnam, authorities were also searching on land in Malaysia and off western Malaysia. AFP PHOTO/ MANAN VATSYAYANA (Photo credit should read MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • MALAYSIA-MALAYSIAAIRLINES-CHINA-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    A group of Malaysian residents pose after lighting candles during a vigil for missing Malaysia Airlines passengers at the Independence Square in Kuala Lumpur on March 10, 2014. Malaysia has expanded its search area for a missing jet after three days of scouring the sea failed to bring forth any confirmed sightings of wreckage, an official said. He added that besides searching in waters between Malaysia and Vietnam, authorities were also searching on land in Malaysia and off western Malaysia. AFP PHOTO/ MANAN VATSYAYANA (Photo credit should read MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • MALAYSIA-CHINA-VIETNAM-MALAYSIAAIRLINES-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    A relative of victims from the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 plane cries while awaiting updates at a hotel in Putrajaya on March 11, 2014. Malaysia has expanded its search area for a missing jet after three days of scouring the sea failed to bring forth any confirmed sightings of wreckage, an official said. He added that besides searching in waters between Malaysia and Vietnam, authorities were also searching on land in Malaysia and off western Malaysia. AFP PHOTO / MOHD RASFAN (Photo credit should read MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images)

  • MALAYSIA-CHINA-VIETNAM-MALAYSIAAIRLINES-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    A journalist (bottom C) points at a photograph of Iranian passenger Pouria Noor Mohammad Mehrdad (pictured L) as a Malaysian police official displays photographs of the two men, who reportedly boarded the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 using stolen European passports, to the media at a hotel near Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang on March 11, 2014. Malaysian police said on March 11 one of two suspect passengers who boarded the missing passenger jet was an Iranian illegal immigrant, as relatives of some of the 239 people on board said they were losing hope for a miracle. AFP PHOTO / MANAN VATSYAYANA (Photo credit should read MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • MALAYSIA-CHINA-VIETNAM-MALAYSIAAIRLINES-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    A Malaysian police official displays a photograph of Iranian Pouria Noor Mohammad Mehrdad, one of two men who reportedly boarded missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 using stolen European passports, to the media at a hotel near Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang on March 11, 2014. Malaysian police said on March 11 one of two suspect passengers who boarded the missing passenger jet was an Iranian illegal immigrant, as relatives of some of the 239 people on board said they were losing hope for a miracle. AFP PHOTO / MANAN VATSYAYANA (Photo credit should read MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • Search Area Expanded For Missing Malaysian Airliner Carrying 239 Passengers

    KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - MARCH 11: In this handout provided by the Angkatan Tentera Malaysia, Malaysian Royal Navy (TLDM) commander Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar (left), Lieutenant General Dato' Sri Ackbal bin Hj Abdul Samad (2nd left), Malaysian Defence Minister, Minister of Defence & (Acting) Minister of Transport Dato' Seri Hishammuddin Hussein (2nd right), and Malaysian Defence Forces chief Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin discuss their strategy during a search and rescue mission flight on March 11, 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Officials have expanded the search area for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 to include more of the Gulf of Thailand between Malaysia and Vietnam and land along the Malay Peninsula. The flight carrying 239 passengers from Kuala Lumpur to Thailand was reported missing on the morning of March 8 after the crew failed to check in as scheduled. Relatives of the missing passengers have been advised to prepare for the worst as authorities focus on two passengers on board travelling with stolen passports. (Photo by Angkatan Tentera Malaysia via Getty Images)

  • Search Area Expanded For Missing Malaysian Airliner Carrying 239 Passengers

    KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - MARCH 11: This composite of images #477770287 & #477770285 shows cctv imagery released by police of an Iranian suspect, Pouria Nour Mohammad Mehrdad, who was travelling on Flight MH370 with a stolen Austrian passport, (L) and an unindentified suspect who was travelling on Flight MH370 with a stolen Italian passport (R), on March 11, 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Officials have expanded the search area for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 to include more of the Gulf of Thailand between Malayisa and Vietnam and land along the Malay Pensinusula. The flight carrying 239 passengers from Kuala Lumpur to Thailand was reported missing on the morning of March 8 after the crew failed to check in as scheduled. Relatives of the missing passengers have been advised to prepare for the worst as authorities focus on two passengers on board travelling with stolen passports. (Photo by How Foo Yeen/Getty Images)

  • MALAYSIA-CHINA-VIETNAM-MALAYSIAAIRLINES-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    A relative of a passenger on board missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 sits in the dining hall at the Everly hotel in Putrajaya on March 12, 2014. Malaysia's air force chief said authorities have not ruled out the possibility a missing airliner inexplicably changed course before losing contact, but denied reports the jet had been detected far from its planned flight path. AFP PHOTO/ MANAN VATSYAYANA (Photo credit should read MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • MALAYSIA-CHINA-VIETNAM-MALAYSIAAIRLINES-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    Relatives of a passenger on board missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 wait in the lobby at the Everly hotel in Putrajaya on March 12, 2014. Malaysia's air force chief said authorities have not ruled out the possibility a missing airliner inexplicably changed course before losing contact, but denied reports the jet had been detected far from its planned flight path. AFP PHOTO/ MANAN VATSYAYANA (Photo credit should read MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • MALAYSIA-CHINA-VIETNAM-MALAYSIAAIRLINES-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    Zamani Zakaria ,56, (C) whose son was aboard missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 talks to the media at the Everly hotel in Putrajaya on March 12, 2014. Malaysia's air force chief said authorities have not ruled out the possibility a missing airliner inexplicably changed course before losing contact, but denied reports the jet had been detected far from its planned flight path. AFP PHOTO / MANAN VATSYAYANA (Photo credit should read MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • MALAYSIA-CHINA-VIETNAM-MALAYSIAAIRLINES-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    A relative of a passenger on board missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 cries as she arrives at the Everly hotel in Putrajaya on March 12, 2014. Malaysia's air force chief said authorities have not ruled out the possibility a missing airliner inexplicably changed course before losing contact, but denied reports the jet had been detected far from its planned flight path. AFP PHOTO / MANAN VATSYAYANA (Photo credit should read MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • Search Continues For Missing Malaysian Airliner Carrying 239 Passengers

    This picture taken on March 8, 2014 shows military personnel scanning the sea aboard a Vietnamese Air Force aircraft taking part in a search mission for a missing Malaysia Airlines aircraft, somewhere between Malaysia's east coast and southern Vietnam. Malaysia Airlines said on March 9 that it was 'fearing the worst' for the passenger jet that vanished carrying 239 people, as search teams hunt for the plane. AFP PHOTO/Thanh Nien Newspaper (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)

  • Search Continues For Missing Malaysian Airliner Carrying 239 Passengers

    This picture taken on March 8, 2014 shows an aerial view of an oil slick taken from a Vietnamese Air Force aircraft taking part in a search mission for a missing Malaysia Airlines aircraft, somewhere between Malaysia's east coast and southern Vietnam. Malaysia Airlines said on March 9 that it was 'fearing the worst' for the passenger jet that vanished carrying 239 people, as search teams hunt for the plane. AFP PHOTO/Thanh Nien Newspaper (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)

  • VIETNAM-MALAYSIA-MALAYSIAAIRLINE-CHINA-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    This aerial picture taken from aboard a flying Soviet-made AN-26 used as a search aircraft by Vietnamese Air Force to look for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, shows a boat (R) sailing past oil spills (L) on the surface of the water off the southern seas of Vietnam on March 9, 2014. Malaysia on March 9 launched a terror probe into the disappearance of a Malaysian Airlines passenger jet carrying 239 people the day before, investigating suspect passengers who boarded with stolen passports, as relatives begged for news of their loved ones. The United States sent the FBI to investigate after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished from radar early on March 8 somewhere at sea between Malaysia and Vietnam, but stressed there was no evidence of terrorism yet. AFP PHOTO / HOANG DINH NAM (Photo credit should read HOANG DINH NAM/AFP/Getty Images)

  • VIETNAM-MALAYSIA-MALAYSIAAIRLINE-CHINA-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    This aerial picture taken from aboard a flying Soviet-made AN-26 used as a search aircraft by Vietnamese Air Force to look for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, shows oil spills on the surface of the water off the southern seas of Vietnam on March 9, 2014. Malaysia on March 9 launched a terror probe into the disappearance of a Malaysian Airlines passenger jet carrying 239 people the day before, investigating suspect passengers who boarded with stolen passports, as relatives begged for news of their loved ones. The United States sent the FBI to investigate after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished from radar early on March 8 somewhere at sea between Malaysia and Vietnam, but stressed there was no evidence of terrorism yet. AFP PHOTO / HOANG DINH NAM (Photo credit should read HOANG DINH NAM/AFP/Getty Images)

  • VIETNAM-MALAYSIA-MALAYSIAAIRLINE-CHINA-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    This aerial picture taken from aboard a flying Soviet-made AN-26 used as a search aircraft by Vietnamese Air Force to look for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, shows an Air Force officer looking out a window over the southern seas off Vietnam on March 9, 2014. Malaysia on March 9 launched a terror probe into the disappearance of a Malaysian Airlines passenger jet carrying 239 people the day before, investigating suspect passengers who boarded with stolen passports, as relatives begged for news of their loved ones. The United States sent the FBI to investigate after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished from radar early on March 8 somewhere at sea between Malaysia and Vietnam, but stressed there was no evidence of terrorism yet. AFP PHOTO / HOANG DINH NAM (Photo credit should read HOANG DINH NAM/AFP/Getty Images)

  • VIETNAM-MALAYSIA-MALAYSIAAIRLINE-CHINA-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    This picture taken from aboard a flying Soviet-made AN-26 used as a search aircraft by Vietnamese Air Force to look for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, shows an officer (R) and a reporter looking out the window during search operations over the southern seas off Vietnam on March 9, 2014. Malaysia on March 9 launched a terror probe into the disappearance of a Malaysian Airlines passenger jet carrying 239 people the day before, investigating suspect passengers who boarded with stolen passports, as relatives begged for news of their loved ones. The United States sent the FBI to investigate after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished from radar early on March 8 somewhere at sea between Malaysia and Vietnam, but stressed there was no evidence of terrorism yet. AFP PHOTO / HOANG DINH NAM (Photo credit should read HOANG DINH NAM/AFP/Getty Images)

  • VIETNAM-MALAYSIA-MALAYSIAAIRLINE-CHINA-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    CORRECTION-CLARIFYING This picture taken on March 9, 2014 aboard a flying Soviet-made AN-26, used as a search aircraft by the Vietnamese Air Force, shows local cameramen and photographers taking aerial pictures during a search flight over the southern seas off the coast of Vietnam for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which has been missing since March 8. Malaysia on March 9 launched a terror probe into the disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet carrying 239 people the day before, investigating suspect passengers who boarded with stolen passports, as relatives begged for news of their loved ones. AFP PHOTO/HOANG DINH NAM (Photo credit should read HOANG DINH NAM/AFP/Getty Images)

  • Search Continues For Missing Malaysian Airliner Carrying 239 Passengers

    BEIJING, CHINA - MARCH 09: Joshua Law Kok Hwa, Malaysia Airlines' regional senior vice president of China speaks to media at Lido Hotel as the search continues for the missing Malaysian airliner on March 9, 2014 in Beijing, China. Malaysia Airline Flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing and carrying 239 onboard was reported missing on early on March 8 after the crew failed to check in as scheduled while flying over the sea between Malaysia and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

  • Search Continues For Missing Malaysian Airliner Carrying 239 Passengers

    BEIJING, CHINA - MARCH 09: Hugh Dunleavy, (Center) Head of commercial - Malaysia Airlines speaks to media at Lido Hotel as the search continues for the missing Malaysian airliner on March 9, 2014 in Beijing, China. Malaysia Airline Flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing and carrying 239 onboard was reported missing on early on March 8 after the crew failed to check in as scheduled while flying over the sea between Malaysia and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

  • CORRECTION-VIETNAM-MALAYSIA-MALAYSIAAIRLINES-CHINA-TRANSPORT

    CORRECTION-CLARIFYING This picture taken on March 9, 2014 aboard a flying Soviet-made AN-26, used as a search aircraft by the Vietnamese Air Force, shows local cameramen and photographers taking aerial pictures during a search flight over the southern seas off the coast of Vietnam for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which has been missing since March 8. Malaysia on March 9 launched a terror probe into the disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet carrying 239 people the day before, investigating suspect passengers who boarded with stolen passports, as relatives begged for news of their loved ones. AFP PHOTO/HOANG DINH NAM (Photo credit should read HOANG DINH NAM/AFP/Getty Images)

  • VIETNAM-MALAYSIA-MALAYSIAAIRLINES-CHINA-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    CORRECTION-CLARIFYING This picture taken on March 9, 2014 aboard a flying Soviet-made AN-26, used as a search aircraft by the Vietnamese Air Force, shows local cameramen and photographers taking aerial pictures during a search flight over the southern seas off the coast of Vietnam for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which has been missing since March 8. Malaysia on March 9 launched a terror probe into the disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet carrying 239 people the day before, investigating suspect passengers who boarded with stolen passports, as relatives begged for news of their loved ones. AFP PHOTO/HOANG DINH NAM (Photo credit should read HOANG DINH NAM/AFP/Getty Images)

  • MALAYSIA-VIETNAM-CHINA-MALAYSIAAIRLINES-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

    Family members look at a wedding album of Norliakmar Hamid and Razahan Zamani, passengers on a missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 plane in Kuala Lumpur on March 8, 2014. Malaysia and Vietnam on March 8 led a search for a Malaysia Airlines jet that has gone missing over Southeast Asia, as fears mounted over the fate of the 239 people aboard. AFP PHOTO / MOHD RASFAN (Photo credit should read MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images)

  • Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/03/18/missing-plane-mh370_n_4986445.html