Malaysia Airlines MH370: Multiple Pings Detected by Chinese Vessel 'Consistent' with Black Box Signals

Chinese patrol ship Haixun 01 is pictured during a search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, in the south Indian OceanReuters

Hours after the Chinese vessel Haixun 01 detected a ping in the southern Indian Ocean, a second similar signal was picked up, which the Australian authorities believe, is "consistent" with signals emitted by a black box.

Amid intensifying search efforts to find the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, Australian officials, who are spearheading the operations, have said the latest detection is an "important and encouraging lead".

"This morning we were contacted by the Chinese authorities and advised that Haixun 01 had late yesterday afternoon redetected the signals for 90 seconds within just two kilometres of the original detection," said retired Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, who leads the search team.

"This is an important and encouraging lead, but one which I urge you to continue to treat carefully. We are working in a very big ocean and within a very large search area and so far, since the aircraft went missing, we have had very few leads which allow us to narrow the search area."

However Houston warned the data is still unverified.

Describing the latest detection, the Australian veteran said: "What we have got here are fleeting, fleeting acoustic events. The one the night before last lasted just a very short period of time. The one yesterday afternoon, I think it was 15:47 in the afternoon, was for 90 seconds. That's all we have got."

"It's not a continuous transmission. If you get close to the device, we should be receiving it for a longer period of time than just a fleeting encounter. But we have got a transmission, we must investigate it. That's the way we work."

Authorities are racing against time to find the flight data recorder as its battery-life runs out in 30 days.

The HMS Echo and the Australian vessel Ocean Shield have been redirected towards the section of the Indian Ocean where the Chinese ship picked up the pulse signals.

Meanwhile, Chinese aircraft have also spotted a number of white floating objects in the same region where pings have been detected. The pictures of the objects have been sent to Australia's Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) for analysis.

During the latest search, up to 10 military aircraft, two civilian jets and 13 ships are being deployed and the weather is expected to be favourable.

'Former Arsenal Player' Joins 'Holy War' in Syria

Still from the video, showing an alleged former Arsenal FC player imploring others to take up jihad in Syria.

A former Arsenal footballer left behind the promises of wealth and sporting fame to join the "holy war"(jihad) in Syria, it has been claimed.

In comments alongside a video released by the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), jihadists claim that the man, who calls himself Abu Issa Al-Andalusi, grew up in Portugal before playing for the north London club.

In the video, Al-Andalusi appears wearing a face mask and urges others to join the jihad.

Al-Qaida breakaway group ISIS has been blamed for the massacre of civilians, and is locked in a struggle with liberal fighters and the army of president of Bashar al-Assad for the control of swathes of northern Syria.

The posting reads: "He grew up with Ronaldo, played for Arsenal, and [then] left football, money and the European way of life for the sake of Allah."

The two videos have been released on jihadist site FiSyria.com, and are addressed to recruits from Russian-speaking countries.

One has now been removed by video hosting site YouTube for contravening hate speech policies.

The man, who speaks English with a heavy Portuguese accent, appears by a lake and boasts that ISIS has "conquered many cities" and is "implementing sharia".

He says: "If you have family in these [western] countries what is going to happen probably.

"You don't have control over your children. Maybe in some of countries it's a must for you to put your children in the kaffir schools.

"Who is going to teach your children? It's going to maybe be a gay, maybe a drug dealer, maybe a paedophile.

"It's very important for you to protect your children from these animals, from these dirty people Allah says they are the worst of creatures. So you prefer to live among the worst of creatures rather than among the Mujahideen?"

The posting on the website says "He played for Arsenal in London, [but] realised that [kind of] life was not for him, [so] he left everything and set out for jihad two years ago."

The Middle East Research Institute said that the site has been active for two years, and provides propaganda on the activities of ISIS to Russian speakers.

"At least some of the people behind the site are in Syria themselves," said a spokesman.

"The site regularly brings videos from the field showing video messages and talks of jihad fighters, news reports, scenes and footage of combat, and general jihadi material."

An Arsenal spokesman said: "We do not recognise the individual from the published clips and we don't have any record of an Abu Isa al-Andalusi representing the club at any level."

British Oil Worker Killed In Rio de Janeiro Car-Jacking

Wikimedia Commons

A British man has been killed in what appears to have been an attempted car-jacking in Brazil.

Peter Campsie was shot dead by two gunmen while returning home from a business meeting in Niteroi, a city in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Campsie, 48, an oil worker, had lived in the city of Macaé, 180km north east of Rio, for 16 years with his wife and 10-year-old daughter.

Campsie was shot when gunmen tried to hijack his Lexus , while he was driving back from a meeting with his employers Diamond Offshore Drilling international, where he worked as operations manager. He died at the scene. The gunmen are thought to have escaped empty-handed.

In a statement Campsie's family, from Montrose, Scotland, told local newspaper the Press & Journal: "He was a man who loved life and brought so much joy and laughter to those around him.

"Wherever Pete went, the good times followed. A darkness has fallen on us all as we try and make sense of why Pete had to die in the prime of his life.

"He was a loyal friend and father, brother and son who cared deeply about making sure everyone got the best out of their lives. Our anchor has been pulled away so cruelly."

A spokeswoman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We were made aware of the death of a British national in Brazil on 2 April.

"We stand ready to provide consular assistance to the family at this difficult time."

China Credit Bubble Deflating Slowing Growth Momentum

A couple look at Chinese New Year lanterns decorating Yuyuan Garden in downtown Shanghai.Reuters

About a fifth of China's economy is shrinking while the remainder is growing moderately, an independent economist, Andy Xie, has said.

Xie also said a credit bubble in the world's second largest economy is deflating, leading to weaker growth momentum.

Xie, speaking to CNBC Asia, said China's economy was probably not growing at the 7.5% rate that Beijing targets this year. He, however, did not provide any forecast.

Xie added that Beijing's recent stimulus measures were possibly aimed at bolstering sentiment.

"20% of China's GDP is shrinking and 80% is still growing moderately," Xie said.

"China's credit event is not like the one we saw in the US," Xie added.

"When a credit bubble deflates, an economy is going to be in difficult shape for a long time. China is in better shape than most because China still has an export machine that depends on global demand. Household consumption is small part of GDP but it is stable," Xie said

"What I see is that whatever stimulus measures come out over the next few months and years will be mostly about stabilizing sentiment."

China Slowdown

A strong services sector will not prevent China's economy from slowing by the middle of the year, analysts said on 3 April, a day after Beijing rolled out modest stimulus measures designed to support growth and the reforms drive.

On 2 April, the Chinese government said it would expedite construction of rail projects and cut taxes for small companies, the first real action this year to boost activity.

Two small rural lenders in China suffered bank runs late last month following speculation that one of them was going bankrupt. The panic was sparked by alleged failures to allow customer withdrawals.

The incidents, though isolated, won national airplay.

Earlier in March, China's financial system saw its first onshore default, despite assumptions that Beijing would always intervene to prevent institutions from collapsing.

Analysts described the Shanghai Chaori default as China's "Bear Stearns moment" - possibly a slight exaggeration.

China's economy expanded by 7.7% in the fourth quarter of 2013, from a year ago, after expanding 7.8% in the third quarter.

Chinese Man Arrested in London Accused of Illegal Nuclear Exporting to Iran

Former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad (C) tours the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in 2008.

A Chinese man wanted by US authorities for allegedly exporting banned uranium-enriching devices to Iran has been arrested in London.

Sihai Cheng is in police custody after being arrested on a provisional US warrant at Heathrow Airport in February, and appeared in court recently.

A judge will rule whether to deport him to the US in June.

The US indictment alleges that Shanghai-based Cheng conspired with an Iranian to illegally import US-made pressure transducers to Iran through China.

The devices can be used in gas centrifuges to produce weapons grade uranium. According to the indictment, the transducers have been photographed attached to gas centrifuge cascades at Iran's Natanz nuclear facility.

US prosecuters allege that Cheng began doing business with Tehran-based Seyed Abolfazl and Shahab Jamili and Iranian engineering company Nico Eng. Co. in 2005, and has sold Jamili thousands of Chinese-manufactured parts with nuclear applications.

By email, Jamili informed Cheng that the parts were in fact being bought by Iranian company Eyvaz Technic Manufacturing Co, which was in turn supplying the devices to the Iranian government.

Cheng subsequently sent parts directly to Eyvaz, which in 2009 enquired about the possibility of Cheng acquiring the pressure transducers.

Between April 2009 and January 2011 Cheng ordered more than 1,000 pressure transducers from Massachusetts company MSK Instruments Inc, with a value of more than $1.8 million.

Cheng warned Jamili of "critical control condition and boycott by USA government," and ordered the devices in batches of 30 to 100, the indictment alleges.

Western powers have accused Iran of attempting to develop a nuclear weapon under the cover of its nuclear energy programme, which Tehran strongly denies.

Sanctions imposed by the EU and US in 2012 have hit Iran's oil-based economy hard.

Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany, which make up the so-called P5+1, hope to reach an agreement with Iran by 20 June, where in exchange for scaling back its nuclear programme, sanctions will be lifted.

Pakistan: Christian Couple Sentenced to Death for Allegedly Sending Blasphemous Texts

Pakistan: Christian Couple Sentenced to Death for Sending Blasphemous Texts on MohammadReuters

A Christian couple have been sentenced to death for allegedly sending blasphemous text messages on Mohammad, Islam's prophet.

Shafqat Maseeh, 38, who works as a watchman in the Saint Cathedral School in Gojra, and his wife Shagufta Maseeh, 42, were arrested in July last year, based on a complaint made by shopkeeper Malik Mohammad Hussain and local authority Anwar Mansoor Goraya.

The additional district and sessions court judge Amer Habib pronounced the verdict in the district jail, where the case was heard.

Apart from the death sentence, each of the accused has also been ordered to pay a penalty of 100,000 Pakistani Rupees (£615).

Lawyers representing the couple and rights groups have argued that the duo were not involved in sending the blasphemous messages and accused the complainants of malpractice.

"They [complainants Hussain and Goraya] were reading verses from the Koran. They also said that if the court wouldn't sentence them to death, they would make sure they would be killed the same way as other opponents of the blasphemy legislation," said Farrukh Said, the executive director of the Pakistan-based World Vision in Progress, according to local news.

The latest ruling has come within days of a similar sentence in which another Christian was given the death penalty under blasphemy charges.

Blasphemy charges involving any insult to Islam or impersonation of religious figures are severely dealt with in Pakistan. Rights groups have criticised Pakistani authorities' handling of blasphemy cases. The issue of blasphemy also triggers outrage among Pakistani Muslims, who constitute the majority in the country.

Local politicians who had called for changes to the blasphemy law have been murdered under suspicious circumstances in the country.

Crude Oil Futures Trade Lower on US Jobs Data and Libya Supply Crisis

Rebels under Libyan rebel leader Ibrahim Jathran guarding the Zueitina oil field, south of Ras Lanuf, Libya.Reuters

Crude oil futures gained on 4 April, but ended lower for the week, following news of strong jobs growth in the US and amid the uncertainty surrounding the resumption of oil exports from Libya's eastern oil ports.

Brent May contract added 57 cents to finish at $106.72 a barrel on 4 April.

The European benchmark shed 1.3% for the week as a whole.

US May contract added 85 cents to finish at $101.14 a barrel on 4 April, after striking a high of $101.63.

US crude shed 0.6 cents for the week, a first in three weeks.

US nonfarm payrolls data for March missed expectations. But it confirmed that the January and February weakness in the world's largest economy was the result of adverse weather.

Libya Crisis

Elsewhere, traders continued to track developments in Opec member Libya, where rebel forces have prevented oil exports from the nation's eastern oil ports for eight months now.

Libya's output stands at a paltry 150,000 barrels per day (bpd) at present, as against the 1.4 million bpd it produced last July.

When shipments from the rebels-controlled ports resume, they could add about 600,000 barrels of crude a day in the global market.

However, traders sounded a cautionary note on 4 April. Previous signs that a breakthrough was close have often proven false.

"In the oil market it is Libya that is pulling the strings," said David Hufton, managing director of London brokerage PVM Oil Associates.

"High hopes of an imminent settlement with rebels in the east of the country have been punctured," Hufton told Reuters.

"It's hard to get too bearish going into the weekend with so many unknowns: Russia, Ukraine, Libya," said Phil Flynn, an analyst with the Price Futures Group.

"People don't want to be short in case something hits the fan over the weekend, which it very well could, given all the sabre-rattling that's going on," Flynn told the news agency.

Crude futures witnessed mixed trade on 2 April, with the US benchmark trading near its lowest price in five days, amid speculation that crude stockpiles climbed for an 11th week in the US.

WTI prices advanced in the first quarter as Russia took control of the Crimean peninsula and US crude inventories rose.

Gold Prices to Rise on Improving Physical Demand and Ukraine Tensions

Gold prices are set to rise next week.Bundesbank

Gold prices are set to rise further next week, supported by the likelihood of renewed physical demand and by the ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Ukraine.

As many as 11 of 18 analysts polled in a Kitco Gold Survey said they expected gold prices to rise next week, while five predicted that prices would drop and two forecast prices to remain unchanged.

Kevin Grady, president of Phoenix Futures and Options, said: "I am slightly bullish for next week. Gold has held its old resistance level of $1,277 -- now support -- perfectly. The key for me, however, is that the gold forward rates have gone into backwardation. This basically is telling us that the price sensitive physical buyers have once again entered the market."

"The $1,270 support level is still a pivotal number for us; however, it is important to note that we have seen a tremendous amount of liquidation from the longs this past week so I would anticipate less sell stops upon a breach of that support level," Grady added.

Adrian Day, president and chief executive officer of Adrian Day Asset Management, said: "A correction was overdue, given the geopolitical premium in the price in early March, but now the correction has run its course

"[US Federal Reserve chief Janet] Yellen's comments were misunderstood, and Yellen herself has backtracked. Gold is due for a rally."

Richard Baker, editor, Eureka Miner's Market Report said: "Reduced anxiety about Federal Reserve tightening and simmering geo-political tensions in the Ukraine should support a further advance for the yellow metal.

"My gold target for next week is therefore up, likely stalling at $1,320 per ounce technical resistance."

Gold Ends Higher

US gold futures for delivery in June finished 1.5% higher at $1,303.50 an ounce on 4 April.

Prices gained 0.7% for the week as a whole.

Earlier, spot gold rose as much as 1.4% to a session high of $1,306.50.

4 April's gains helped prevent a third consecutive week of losses.

Friday's gains followed a slightly downbeat US labour market report. However, a stable US dollar, higher equities and indications that the world's leading economy remains on the growth path restricted the rally in prices.

India Gang Rape: Landmark Verdict Pronounces Death Penalty to Repeat Offenders

Rape is now punishable by death in India.Reuters

In a landmark verdict, a court in India pronounced the first ever death sentence under an amended law on penalty for rape offence. The amendment calls for death penalty for repeat offenders and life sentence for rapists for the rest of their natural lives.

Three repeat offenders in the gang rape of a photojournalist and a call-centre employee on the premises of an abandoned mill were sentenced to death by a Mumbai sessions court, according to local media reports.

The photojournalist was raped by five men, which included a minor who is being tried in a juvenile court.

The fifth accused was sentenced to prison for the rest of his life.

Judge Shalini Phansalkar Joshi said that the objective of the law was to send a "strong signal" to society that such grave offences must not occur again.

The court termed the gang rape by repeat offenders as a "rarest of the rare" case.

"If not in this case, then in which case can death be awarded? The accused showed no mercy towards the victim(s) [photojournalist and call-centre employee]. They were cruel in their conduct and had no remorse for the crime they committed."

Joshi appreciated the courage of the victims in lodging the case with the police.

"The court has witnessed her [photojournalist's] trauma and pain. She had fainted during her deposition. This shows the extent of her suffering," she said.

"This is a crime not only against the girl but also a crime against society. The common man will lose faith in the system if leniency is shown. There should be zero tolerance of such crimes."

The convicts had appealed to the court for mercy, citing their low economic status and the decrepit environment they were brought up in. They had pleaded to be shown leniency as they were the breadwinners of their families.

Referring to the convicts' stance, the judge noted that "their economic status is irrelevant. This was a diabolical act."

In August 2013, the 22-year-old photojournalist was gang raped by five men. The accused also reportedly made a clip of the victim during the assault. She reported the case to the police.

Following media frenzy, a 19-year-old call-centre operator came forward claiming that she too had earlier been raped by three of the accused at the same location.

In the earlier judgement on the call-centre employee trial on 20 March, the judge had ruled that the "offence was pre-meditated, they are depraved."