Search for missing Malaysian plane entering ‘new phase’April 28, 2014 - 09:23 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The search for the missing Malaysian plane is entering a "new phase", Australia has announced, after the initial undersea search found nothing, BBC News reports. Prime Minister Tony Abbott said that "a much larger" area of the ocean floor would now be targeted. But he said it was "highly unlikely" any wreckage would be found on the surface. Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 went missing on March 8 as it flew from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The plane, carrying 239 people, disappeared off radar over the South China Sea. Officials say that, based on satellite information, they believe it ended its journey in seas north-west of the Australian city of Perth, far from its planned path. Investigators have given no reason yet as to why the plane flew so far off course. Finding the "black box" flight recorders in seen as key to understanding what happened. Abbott made his announcement at a news conference in Canberra. "It is now 52 days since Malaysia Airlines Fight MH370 disappeared and I'm here to inform you that the search will be entering a new phase,'' he said. By now, he said, most debris would have become water logged and sunk, so operations would now focus on "searching the ocean floor over a much larger area". A robot submersible called the Bluefin-21 has been scouring the seabed in the location of acoustic signals heard on April 8 believed to have originated from the plane's flight recorders. Planes and ships from multiple nations have also been searching the sea for signs of debris, based on where it might have floated from the possible impact point. So far, however, no sign of the missing plane has been detected. Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |