Max Clifford 'Pinned Woman Against A Wall'

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter, at Southwark Crown Court

An office receptionist has told a court that publicist Max Clifford pinned her against a wall so he could kiss and grope her.

The witness, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said the incident happened while she worked for a firm in the same building where Clifford was based.

The woman, who was 19 at the time, told the court she was working as a receptionist in a Bond Street office.

She told Southwark Crown Court she was about to finish work one evening in 1975, when he approached her.

The woman said: "He came out of his office, walked a couple of steps then suddenly veered towards me quite quickly.

"He pushed me up against the wall and sort of pinned me there."

When asked by prosecutor Rosina Cottage QC, what he used to pin her, the woman replied: "His body."

She added: "He pushed me up against the wall and put his tongue in my mouth. He tried to French kiss me."

When asked how she felt, she replied she was shocked and added: "Its not very nice for somebody to grab hold of you and do that to you."

The woman said his hands were on her waist and he touched her breast but she managed to wriggle away and fled to her own office where she got her belongings and left.

She said she didn't complain at the time, as her then boyfriend was "hot headed" and she didn't want to cause any trouble.

The court also heard her claim she had once seen Clifford's secretary appearing to perform a sex act on him in his office when she walked past to collect some post.

She said: "I thought he was asleep. I pushed open the door and as I pushed open the door I saw his secretary on her knees."

"I was quite shocked. I backed away very quickly," she added.

Under cross-examination from Richard Horwell QC, she told the court she'd had a "niggling relationship" with Clifford at the time adding: "He didn't like me. He made that plain."

When Mr Horwell put it to her that her account was "wholly inaccurate" she replied: "I don't agree."

Clifford, 70, from Hersham, Surrey, listened from the dock, dressed in a blue blazer, white shirt, tie and trousers.

He denies 11 counts of indecent assault between 1966 and 1984 on seven girls and women aged between 14 and 19.

The trial continues.

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Ukraine: Sanctions Target Putin Aides

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych is among those slapped with travel bans and asset freezes as Western powers hit back over Crimea's referendum.

Several top advisers to Russia's President Putin are also named on the US list, which targets 11 officials from Ukraine and Russia blamed for Moscow's military incursion into Crimea.

Others named include Dmitry Rogozin, deputy prime minister of the Russian Federation, and Sergey Aksyonov, prime minister of Crimea's regional government.

The EU measure targets 21 people whose names are expected to be revealed later. The two lists are thought to overlap and target many of the same people.

Thousands turned out in Simferopol and Sevastopol to celebrate the vote

Mr Putin himself was not sanctioned and President Barack Obama described the measures as an "initial step".

He said they targeted Russian officials and those "operating in the arms sector in Russia and individuals who provide material support to senior officials of the Russian government.

"If Russia continues to interfere in Ukraine we stand ready to impose further sanctions."

Foreign Secretary William Hague said the EU measures targeted "people who are associated with the decisions Russia has made about Crimea" such as figures in the armed forces and parliament.

Viktor Yanukovych, who fled Ukraine, is named on the US list

"I think that's an important statement of European unity and resolve," said Mr Hague.

Mr Rogozin did not seem fazed by his inclusion on the US list.

He posted on Twitter: "Comrade @BarackObama, what should do those who have neither accounts nor property abroad? Or U didn't think about it?)"

The list also included Duma Deputy Yelena Mizulina, who is best-known for writing the gay propaganda law in Russia.

She reportedly said she was "surprised" to be included, saying: "I believe that my role in this (Crimea) case is very modest. I have no real estate there - neither I nor my family members."

Almost 97% of voters in Crimea decided at the weekend that they wanted to break away from Ukraine and join Russia.

However, the referendum has been widely criticised as being illegal and a "sham".

Ukraine's parliament has approved a partial mobilisation of troops in the wake of the vote.

It said 20,000 reserve troops were being called up, plus 20,000 more from the newly-formed National Guard.

Crimea's regional assembly has already formally applied to join Russia and announced the nationalisation of all Ukrainian state property, including the disbanding of military bases.

The Ukraine crisis has led to a Cold War-style stand-off

"The republic of Crimea appeals to the United Nations and to all countries of the world to recognise it as an independent state," read a document by the Crimean assembly on Monday.

Ukraine opposition leader Vitali Klitschko claimed the country stands on the verge of a humanitarian crisis, with the danger of ethnic cleansing of Crimea's Tatar minority.

There is also "concrete evidence" that some voting papers were "pre-marked", a senior US official told the Reuters news agency.

Russia's President Putin insists the vote is legal and is set to speak on the issue at the Russian parliament on Tuesday.

Crimea wasted no time following the landslide vote - officials are expected to fly to Moscow on Monday and the rouble has been introduced as a second official currency.

It also wants Ukrainian military outposts in the region disbanded, but the Kiev government said they are staying put.

Lenin Square was full of patriotism towards Russia

"Those (troops) who want to live here? No problem. Those who want to swear allegiance we will examine," said Crimea's assembly chief Volodymyr Konstantynov.

Sky News' Nick Martin, at an army base near Crimean capital Simferopol, said it was a tense time for the solders and their families.

"There are many Ukrainian soldiers inside, pretty much surrounded by Russian soldiers - no one really knows how this will work."

He said many practical questions also hung over Crimea, such as the payment of salaries and social security, and the supply of gas and electricity.

The intervention of Russian forces in Crimea followed the ousting of Kremlin ally Viktor Yanukovych last month.

The president fled the Ukrainian capital Kiev after days of anti-government clashes that left scores of police and protesters dead.

The vote has been condemned as illegal by many governments in the West

Moscow justified the occupation of Crimea, saying it wanted to protect the majority ethnic Russian population.

The referendum also came against a backdrop of unrest in the divided eastern Ukraine, which has seen pro-Russian demonstrations turn violent.

Kiev has accused "Kremlin agents" of trying to stoke violence in other cities, such as Donetsk.

Sky News' Michelle Clifford, in Kiev, said there is a real fear in the country that Russia could now move its troops further into Ukraine.

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Gay Ban Stirs Tensions At St Patrick's Parades

A dispute over gay groups being excluded from St Patrick's Day parades has prompted the New York mayor and other officials to skip the celebrations and Guinness to withdraw its sponsorship.

Bill de Blasio is set to become the first New York mayor in decades to sit out the city's traditional St Patrick's Day parade later today.

Boston's Irish-American Mayor Martin Walsh also opted out of his city's parade at the weekend after talks aimed at allowing a gay group to march broke down.

The decision by Irish brewer Guinness not to participate in New York City's parade cost organisers one of their key sponsors at the annual event.

"Guinness has a strong history of supporting diversity and being an advocate for equality for all," the brewer said in a written statement issued by a spokesman for its parent company, Diageo.

The Chicago River was dyed green to kick off the celebrations

"We were hopeful that the policy of exclusion would be reversed for this year's parade.

"As this has not come to pass, Guinness has withdrawn its participation. We will continue to work with community leaders to ensure that future parades have an inclusionary policy."

On Friday, two other major beer companies, Sam Adams brewer Boston Beer Co and Heineken, dropped their sponsorship of parades in Boston and New York respectively over the issue.

Still, thousands of green-clad spectators ventured out at the weekend to watch pipers and marchers in cities including Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago.

Enda Kenny on Sunday became the first Irish prime minister to attend Boston's annual St Patrick's Day breakfast.

Some lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) groups have promised to protest against the New York parade along Fifth Avenue, which every year draws more than a million spectators and about 200,000 participants.

Parade organisers said they did not want the event to turn into a demonstration for a particular group.

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Clarissa Dickson Wright: TV Cook Dies Aged 66

Clarissa Dickson Wright, who became famous as one half of the Two Fat Ladies, has died at the age of 66.

The television cook's agents confirmed to Sky News that she passed away at Edinburgh's Royal Infirmary on Saturday.

Heather Holden-Brown and Elly James said: "Loved dearly by her friends and many fans all over the world, Clarissa was utterly non-PC and fought for what she believed in, always, with no thought to her own personal cost.

"Her fun and laughter, extraordinary learning and intelligence, will be missed always, by so many of us."

Dickson Wright was born in St John's Wood, London, and christened Clarissa Theresa Philomena Aileen Mary Josephine Agnes Elsie Trilby Louise Esmerelda Dickson Wright.

She began cooking after her career as a barrister was brought to an end by alcoholism. She had been teetotal for almost 27 years before her death.

Dickson Wright was a pro-hunting campaigner

Until last year she was the youngest woman ever to be called to the Bar, after passing her exams aged 21.

In 1996 the BBC paired Dickson Wright with the late Jennifer Paterson for the Two Fat Ladies series which became hugely popular.

Producer Patricia Llewellyn had discovered her working in an Edinburgh cookery bookshop and decided to introduce her to Paterson, who said she had never had a cookery lesson.

The women would travel the country on a Triumph Thunderbird motorcycle and sidecar and would prepare meals for members of the public.

The series spawned a number of best-selling cookbooks and Dickson Wright wrote a number herself, including her autobiography, Spilling The Beans, and The History Of English Food which was released in 2011.

Paterson died from cancer in July 1999.

Dickson Wright and Paterson (right) who died in 1999

Spokeswoman Ms James said Dickson Wright, who lived in Inveresk, a village east of Edinburgh, "hadn't been well for a little while" and had been in hospital since the beginning of the year.

Dickson Wright was a pro-hunting campaigner and in 2009 pleaded guilty to hunting offences after attending two hare coursing events in North Yorkshire in 2007.

And she recently hit the headlines when she suggested that Britons should eat badgers.

"It would solve the problem. There's going to be a cull, so rather than just throw them in the landfill site, why not eat them?" she said.

She was also installed as Rector of the University of Aberdeen in 1999.

A university spokeswoman said: "We are saddened to learn of the death of Clarissa Dickson Wright. She brought her individualism and style to many University of Aberdeen events - including the creation of a medieval feast in support of student hardship funds.

"Our former Rector was very popular with the student body, bringing to this role an incisiveness which reflected her former career as a barrister."

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Oscar Pistorius Trial Hears From Gun Supplier

Oscar Pistorius told a firearms supplier how he went into "combat mode" when he feared intruders were in his house, a court has heard.

Giving evidence on the eleventh day of the athlete's murder trial, firearms training academy manager Sean Rens told the court the athlete had a "great love and enthusiasm" for guns.

Mr Rens said Pistorius told him of one occasion when he heard a noise in his home and drew a weapon, fearing burglars were on the property.

He went into "code red" or "combat mode" after hearing a noise in his house but it turned out to be from the tumble dryer, Mr Rens said.

Pistorius had tweeted about the incident in November 2012, saying: "Nothing like getting home to hear the washing machine on and thinking its an intruder to go into full combat recon mode into the pantry!"

The tweet has since been deleted from his Twitter account.

Mr Rens said he met the double-amputee runner in 2012 and that Pistorius asked to be provided with a revolver.

He said Pistorius was familiar with gun laws and had filled out a questionnaire when applying for new permits.

The court was shown photographs of Pistorius' bloodied prosthetic leg

Mr Rens said that after buying a Smith and Wesson 500 from him, Pistorius put in a further order for four more guns - two shotguns, a LM6 civilian assault rifle and two revolvers, including a .38 special.

However, the order was cancelled around a month after Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead, the court heard. 

At the start of the day Ms Steenkamp's mother June  - attending for the first time since the opening day - appeared to acknowledge the athlete and spoke to his sister Aimee in the courtroom.

The athlete's sister Aimee spoke with June Steenkamp in court

She left court before evidence from police photographer Bennie van Staden, who discussed pictures taken at the scene - including graphic images of her daughter's injuries.

Mr van Staden said he arrived at the house at 4.50am on February 14, 2013 where he took photographs of the victim, of Pistorius in a garage and of rooms in the house.

He said Pistorius was "very quiet and emotional" when he arrived, adding that he meant he was crying.

He told the court the date and time was visible in his pictures and rejected claims from the defence that the timeline of his work was unclear.

Smears of blood were visible on a signed cricket bat in the house

He also explained how he marked out certain objects in the bathroom with cones and moved a towel and other items for visibility.

The court was shown photographs of Pistorius' bloodied prosthetic leg and of unexplained damage to the main bedroom door in the house.

Photographs were also taken of blood spots on the bedroom wall, above one of the bedside tables, and of bullet casings in the passage leading from the bedroom to the bathroom, the court heard.

Sky's Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt, who has been in court, said: "Why all this is there, we haven't been offered an explanation, but it begins to build up a picture of the prosecution case, that there was an argument before the shooting."

Police pictures showed the scene in the athlete's bedroom

Pistorius, who won two gold medals at the Paralympics in London in 2012, is charged with premeditated murder.

He is also accused of illegally possessing ammunition, as well as two further counts related to shooting a gun in public in two separate incidents before the killing.

The athlete denies the charges and says he shot Ms Steenkamp, 29, by mistake after mistaking her for an intruder.

Because there are no jury trials in South Africa, his fate will be decided by a judge, working with two assessors.

The trial continues. 

:: Watch a special Sky News programme on the trial at 9.30pm, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Kate And William Celebrate St Patrick's Day

By Joe Tidy, Sky News Reporter

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have kept up a 113-year-old royal tradition and handed out sprigs of shamrock to the Irish Guards for St Patrick's Day.

Prince William, who is the colonel of the Aldershot-based regiment, stood by as the duchess gifted the symbolic Irish plant to officers, guardsmen and even regimental mascot Domhnall the wolfhound.

In keeping with the day, Kate wore an emerald green coat from Hobbs and matching hat by Gina Foster, along with a gold Cartier Irish Guards brooch - a Royal Family heirloom also worn by the Queen Mother.

The shamrock tradition dates back to 1901 - the year after the Irish Guards were formed - when Queen Alexandra, wife to King Edward VII, gave sprigs to the regiment for St Patrick's Day.

Around 300 guardsmen started proceedings this morning with a parade around Aldershot led by Domhnall before filing up to the Mons Barracks to receive the royal couple.

This year, for the first time, the Irish Guards were joined by reserve soldiers from the London Regiment as part of Army 2020, the Ministry of Defence's drive to boost reserves in the Army.

The 1st Battalion Irish Guards were formed in 1900 on the orders of Queen Victoria who wanted to recognise the many courageous acts of Irish soldiers in the Second Boer War.

Today only around 10% are actually Irish, with most soldiers coming from England and some from Commonwealth countries.

However, celebrating St Patrick's Day is still seen as a part of the pride and privilege of the regiment which consists of around 530 guardsmen around the world.

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Earthquake Rolls Across Los Angeles

A magnitude 4.4 earthquake has been strongly felt across Los Angeles.

The rolling quake struck at 6.25am local time on Monday but the Los Angeles Fire Department said it had received no immediate reports of damage.

Seismologists downgraded the quake to magnitude 4.4 after initial estimates placed it at 4.7.

The quake's epicentre was 15 miles west-northwest of the downtown civic centre and occurred at a depth of about five miles, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

The quake struck LA shortly before 6.30am

Sky News correspondent Greg Milam is in Los Angeles and described a "sustained rolling motion" that shook everything around him for five to 10 seconds.

He said: "It felt as if it was a lot stronger than a 4.4, perhaps because it was so shallow and close."

George McQuade, a West Hills resident, said: "It felt like a bomb going off underneath our house. 

"Nothing was damaged, but it sure woke everyone up. It was an eye-opener."

Dr Lucy Jones, a USGS seismologist, told KABC-TV: "It's not that large by California terms. It's the size of earthquake we have across the state once every couple of months.

"But we haven't had one like this in LA for quite a while."

Monday's earthquake occurred almost exactly one week after another powerful quake struck off the coast of Northern California.

The March 9 quake - registered at magnitude 6.8 - was centred about 50 miles west-northwest of the town of Ferndale, and was followed by dozens of aftershocks of magnitude 3.5 or larger.

Sky's Greg Milam said he believes the latest quake "will be a wake-up call in more ways than one - the unpredictability, the proximity to densely populated areas, the need to be prepared.

"There have been a lot of small ones recently. It is a fact of life for people who live here but things like this make people jumpy".

California sits on the so-called Ring of Fire, which has produced numerous destructive quakes, including Japan's March 2011 quake-tsunami, which killed thousands.

Geologists predict a quake capable of causing widespread destruction to California is 99% certain in the next 30 years.

A magnitude 6.7 earthquake in Los Angeles killed at least 60 people and caused $10bn (£5.8bn) damage in 1994.

A 6.9 quake in San Francisco in 1989 left 67 people dead.

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FA Expected To Block Hull City Name Change

By Paul Kelso, Sports Correspondent

The FA is expected to tell Hull City's owners that they are not allowed to change the club's name to Hull Tigers.

Sky News understands the FA Membership Committee will recommend that the FA Council reject an application by the club's owner Assem Allam to change the name, which has been used since the club was founded in 1904.

Mr Allam wants to change the name to Hull Tigers to increase the club's commercial appeal to potential sponsors, and has described the word City as "common" and "lousy".

He has threatened to walk away from the club, which he bought and helped save from financial collapse in 2010, if his application is rejected.

The final decision will be made by the FA Council at a meeting next month, but the committee's recommendation makes it highly unlikely that Mr Allam will get his way.

Owner Assem Allam has threatened to walk away from the club

It is understood that the decision to recommend the application be rejected was unanimous, and was made following a detailed report from a small working party that consulted stakeholders across the game.

The Premier League, the Football League and supporters groups including Hull fans opposed to the move were asked for their views.

Sky News understands that none of those consulted believed the club had made a persuasive case for change.

Speaking to Sky Sports News in January, Mr Allam said he would walk away "in 24 hours" if the supporters rejected his plans. 

"No one on earth is allowed to question my business decisions, I won't allow it," he said.

Hull players celebrate during their 2-1 victory over Brighton in February

"I'm here to save the club and manage the club for the benefit of the community - it will never, ever be the other way around - take it from me. But the community can say 'go away' and I will go within 24 hours."

In a letter to the Hull Daily Mail last week Mr Allam's son Ehab Allam restated the case for change, pointing out his family had invested £74m in the club.

"We have nothing left to give, and this is the reason why the club has to become financially self-sustainable," he wrote.

"Currently there are six teams in the Premier League with 'City' in their name, and with the exception of Manchester City, all of those clubs are in a similar league position to us, and playing to similar-sized crowds.

"We need something that makes us stand out from the pool of teams we find ourselves in when it comes to attracting potential international sponsors, who are simply hoping to use the Premier League, and its global audience, to advertise."

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Missing Malaysia Plane: What We Know So Far

Mystery surrounds the fate of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, even as more information emerges about the sequence of events that led to its disappearance 10 days ago.

THE FLIGHT (Malaysian time is eight hours ahead of UK time).

What we do know:

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, with 239 people on board, took off from Kuala Lumpur at 12:41am (local time) on Saturday March 8 heading north to Beijing.

At 1.07am, the plane sent its last ACARS transmission which provides engine maintenance data to the ground.

The ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System) was then deliberately switched off by someone on the jet up to 30 minutes later.

The last words from the Boeing 777 were heard from the cockpit, where a person, believed to be the co-pilot, said: "All right, good night" to Malaysian air traffic control at 1.19am.

The plane, with 239 people on board, disappeared on March 8

At 1.21am the jet, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, dropped off air traffic control screens after its transponder - which responds to civilian radar - was switched off on purpose by someone on board.

The plane which was north of Malaysia and flying towards Thailand was then deliberately diverted from its planned route as it is turned sharply to the west.

At 2.15am, the flight was picked up by Malaysian military radar south of Phuket island in the Strait of Malacca, hundreds of miles west of its last known location.

The jet turned west as it was deliberately diverted from its planned route

At 8.11am - nearly seven hours after the plane was first thought to have gone missing - a satellite high above the Indian Ocean received the last signal from the aircraft.

The final "handshake" communication put the jet somewhere in one of two flight corridors.

One is a northern arc stretching from northern Thailand to Kazakhstan, the other is a southern one from Indonesia to the vast southern Indian Ocean.

The two red arcs show the air corridors that investigators are searching

What we do not know:

Who deliberately switched off the plane's two crucial communication systems - ACARS and the transponder?

Was the co-pilot under duress when he made the last verbal contact with air traffic control?

Where exactly was the plane when it sent its last signal at 8.11am?

Did the plane crash or did it land safely? A Malaysian official has said the aircraft could have been on the ground when it sent its final signal.

Many countries are helping in the search for the jet

THE SEARCH

What we know:

Some 26 countries are now looking for flight MH370, using at least 43 ships and 58 aircraft.

The nations helping in the hunt 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.

Search teams are concentrating on the northern and southern flight corridors.

It is a massive area of millions of square miles, said to cover almost 10% of the entire planet.

The northern search corridor includes countries with busy airspace that likely would have noticed an unidentified aircraft in their territory.

China, India and Pakistan are among the nations that say they have seen no sign of the plane.

Australia is leading the search efforts in the southern Indian Ocean.

It has sent two AP-3C Orion aircraft, one of which is searching north and west of the Cocos Islands. Two more search aircraft will be deployed by Tuesday.

The search area has dramatically expanded. It was previously in the South China Sea and around India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands but these operations have now been halted or suspended.

People leave messages for the missing passengers

What we do not know:

There has been speculation that the plane could have flown as low as 5,000ft using "terrain masking" to try to avoid radar.

Malaysian authorities have rejected these claims.

Of course, the main issue is that the exact location of the jet is still unknown.

THE SUSPICIONS

The investigation is focusing on the possibility the jet was deliberately diverted by the pilots or someone on board with considerable flying experience.

Police seized a flight simulator from the captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah's home on Saturday and also searched the co-pilot  Fariq Abdul Hamid's home.

Authorities have said there were no suicide notes found at the properties.

Mr Zaharie, 57, was an active supporter of Malaysia's opposition, whose leader Anwar Ibrahim was convicted of sodomy - illegal in Muslim Malaysia - just hours before MH370 took off.

But those who knew Mr Zaharie rejected media reports he was deeply upset by the Anwar case.

Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah (r) and co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid

Mr Fariq, 27, had his reputation called into question by a South African woman who accused him of inviting her to join him in the cockpit for a journey in 2011, in breach of security rules.

Malaysia Airlines said it was "shocked" by the reported security violation, but could not verify the claims.

Investigators are checking backgrounds of all 227 passengers and 12 crew members, as well as the ground crew, to see if links to terrorists, personal problems or psychological issues could be factors.

Authorities are considering if the two pilots were involved in the disappearance, were they working together or alone, or with one or more of the passengers or crew?

Did they fly the plane under duress or of their own will?

Did one or more of the passengers manage to break into the cockpit or use the threat of violence to gain entry and then seize the plane?

And what possible motive could there be for diverting the jet?

Officials have not commented on reports that police were investigating a passenger who had aviation experience.

Mohd Khairul Amri Selamat said on social media sites he was a flight engineer working for a Swiss-based private jet charter company.

The 29-year-old's apparent experience means he would have a knowledge of in-flight computer systems and be able to carry out repairs.

And all the time the plane is not found, the anguish for the passengers' families goes on.

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Missing Plane: No Pilot Suicide Notes Found

Police searching the homes of the pilots of flight MH370 have not found any suicide notes, officials have revealed.

The men at the controls of the Boeing 777 - Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah and first officer Fariq Abdul Hamid - have been one of the focuses of the investigation into the missing plane.

"The fact that there was no distress signal, no ransom notes, no parties claiming responsibility, there is always hope," Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said at a news conference.

The home of Mr Zaharie has been searched by police

Mr Hamid is believed to have made the last communication from the flight, speaking to air traffic control before the plane vanished 10 days ago.  

Malaysia Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said at the news conference that initial investigations into a recording of the exchange suggested the first officer was the one who calmly said: "All right, good night" as the plane passed into Vietnamese air space.

The plane's transponder - which relays the plane's location - was switched off just two minutes after the voice message.

Both pilots' homes have been searched and a flight simulator belonging to Mr Zaharie is now in police hands, officials said.

The missing plane could have landed at hundreds of locations. Pic: WNYC

Authorities stressed that the backgrounds of all the passengers and crew were being checked - as well as ground staff who may have worked on the plane before takeoff.

However, officials at Monday's news conference did not comment on reports that police were investigating a passenger who had aviation experience.

Mohd Khairul Amri Selamat said on social media sites he was a flight engineer working for a Swiss-based private jet charter company.

The 29-year-old's apparent experience means he would have a knowledge of in-flight computer systems and be able to carry out repairs.

A senior police official with knowledge of the investigation said: "The focus is on anyone who might have had aviation skills on that plane."

However, as an engineer specialising in executive jets, he would not necessarily have had the skills required to divert and fly a Boeing 777.

And Mr Selamat's father has told Sky News police had not approached anyone in the family about his son.

Selamat Omar added there would be no reason to suspect him: "Since he was young, my son has always been a very good boy. He's obedient, and as he grew older, it gets easier because my son became like my friend."

Mr Hamid, left, and Mr Zaharie were the pilots on the missing jet

He added: "I am very confident that this plane and its passengers are safe because this confidence came when the government announced that the plane could be detected."

The search for the plane has dramatically widened as satellite data suggests the Boeing 777, which had 239 people on board, flew for at least seven hours - more than six hours after it lost contact with air traffic control.

It has been claimed it could have landed at one of 634 runways spread across at least a dozen countries.

Researchers at WNYC searched for runways with a length of at least 0.95 miles (1.52km) within a radius of 2,530 miles (4,070km) from the aircraft's last known position.

The number of countries involved in the search for the plane has nearly doubled over the past two days to 26, after satellite and military radar data projected two large corridors the plane might have flown through.

It was announced this morning that Kazakhstan - located in the far northwest of the search area - had joined the operation.

The northern corridor stretches in an arc over south and central Asia, while the other swoops deep into the southern Indian Ocean towards Australia.

Malaysia announced that it was deploying its naval and air force assets to the southern corridor, with Australia vowing substantial assistance.

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