Shocked surfer’s shark encounter

South African surfer Jordy Smith has revealed he spotted a shark during his heat at the ASP Tour at Margaret River, Western Australia.

South African Jordy Smith appeared freaked out by his shark encunter on Thursday. Source: FoxSports

SHARK encounters, real or imagined, were the focus of the Margaret River surfing pro event today with a freaked out Jordy Smith saying he saw a monster during his heat.

South African Smith said he sighted a shark, "a bronzie" [or bronze whaler], during his heat with Brazilian Miguel Pupo.

"It was thrashing around. I looked at Miguel, he looked at me and his feet were immediately on top of the board,'' Smith told Fuel TV.

You can watch his interview in the player above.

The sighting came as 11-time world champion Kelly Slater came clean on what he reckons the blurry image was that caused a video of him surfing to go viral.

He is the most feared man in world surfing but Kelly Slater showed that he was fearless off the coast of Western Australia on a recent surfing trip, surfing alongside what appears to be a shark.

Many believed it was a shark on the same wave as him in Western Australia, producing the world's greatest drop in. Others said it was a dolphin or Manta ray, or even his reflection.

Not Slater.

"It is clearly a guy paddling over the top,'' Slater revealed just minutes after winning his Round 4 heat at the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro.

Kelly Slater has set the record straight after GoPro footage of his ride on the ASP Tour in Western Australia raised speculation he was inches away from a shark. The 11-time world champion insists the dark shadow was simply another surfer.

The GoPro video of Slater and the unidentified object sharing the same wave at the Box break at Margaret River went viral when released. Slater even posted it on his own Facebook page.

But until this morning the American surfing legend had not bought into debate on who was sharing airtime with him.

Reports emerged early Thursday that a pod of dolphins had been sighted just before the vision was captured.

Slater said there had been dolphins around but it was definitely another surfer.

Margaret River, home of the Drug Aware Pro, the second leg of the ASP World Tour of Surfing, is well known for harbouring sharks.

There was also a major shark alert at the opening round of the World Tour on the Gold Coast last month.

It was revealed that just hours after top female surfers, including Australian stars Stephanie Gilmore and Sally Fitzgibbons, had left the competition waters at Snapper Rocks that a monster 3.4m great white shark was caught on a drum line and killed.

The shark was the biggest to be caught off the Gold Coast in more than seven years.

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Chloe abductor knew family: dad

Queensland police have launched an urgent appeal after the possible abduction of a three year old girl.

THE father of missing three-year-old Chloe Campbell believes someone who knows the family took her.

Garth Campbell says there is no way his youngest daughter could have left their family home alone.

When he awoke on Thursday morning, Chloe, who usually sleeps in the lounge, was missing.

A window was open and when he looked out, an adult-sized footprint was on the car.

Chloe's sleeping bag - patterned with wizards and dragons - was gone as well as her trusty companion, a stuffed toy dog named Gnarly.

Chloe Campbell holding the blue teddy that is believed to be with her. Picture: Supplied

``I don't think there's any possible way she's wandered off,'' Mr Campbell told AAP.

``She wouldn't leave the yard by herself.''

The family usually shuts the windows of their Childers' home at dusk each night to keep out mosquitoes, but on Wednesday Mr Campbell believes one of the latches must not have caught.

``That's why we are blaming ourselves,'' he said.

SES volunteers gather to search for the missing three-year-old girl. Picture: Paul Beutel

Chloe's two older sisters Janae, eight, and Britney, five, have their own room in the two-bedroom Childers house.

But on Wednesday all three girls slept in the lounge.

When Janae awoke to go to the toilet in the morning, Chloe wasn't in the lounge room, Mr Campbell said.

Janae had thought Chloe had sneaked into her parent's room as she had been sick lately.

Police have cordoned off Ridgeway St, Childers. Picture: Twitter

A distraught Mr Campbell believes that someone who knew where Chloe slept took her.

``I think it's got to be someone who knows me, in how they got in, where she sleeps,'' Mr Campbell said.

``They knew she was sleeping in front of the TV.''

Mr Campbell is asking for prayers and is clinging to hope that if Chloe's been abducted, she is being cared for.

SES and police searching Childers Showgrounds for the missing three-year-old girl. Picture: Paul Beutel

``I hope someone that's taken her is looking after her,'' he said.

``Giving her brekky, lunch, I don't know, I don't know what to think.

``Maybe someone took her who can't have kids or something like that.''

A major land and aerial search is under way for Chloe as police express serious concerns for her safety.

Inspector Kev Guteridge said the search would continue into tonight.

"Shortly after 7am Bundaberg Police were contacted by a distraught mother of a three-year-old girl to advise that her daughter was missing," he said.

"We do hold very serious concerns for the safety of the girl as we do with every missing person reported."

More than 40 SES personnel, the RACQ Careflight helicopter and community volunteers are helping police in the search.

Earlier, A THREE-year-old girl has been abducted from a home at Childers, 50km south of Bundaberg.

Police have been searching near the Childers Showgrounds after Chloe Campbell went missing from the house on Ridgway St about 7am Thursday.

Crime scene tape has been place around a home and police say they fear the little girl may be at risk. An abduction alert has been issued.

It is understood Chloe's parents put her to bed last night before going to sleep about 1am.

When they woke in the morning, she was gone.

"The parents put the kids to bed last night. They went to sleep about one o'clock in the morning after watching TV. They have woken up at seven o'clock and (Chloe) was not in her bed," close family friend Melissa Small said.

Ms Small said the window of the bedroom had been left open.

"There's a footprint on the roof of the car to get through to the window.

"The window was open and her blanket and teddy bear, a grey blanket and a blue teddy bear, has been taken with her."

Ms Small said she did not know who may have taken Chloe and that the girl's mother Tammy was distraught at her disappearance.

"She's an absolutely a mess. We're just keeping support around her at this time while we're trying to go out and look for (Chloe)."

SES volunteers from Childers and Bundaberg have been put on standby to join in the search.

Deputy Local Controller of the Childers SES Aaron Frazer said while the girl's family generally kept to themselves, they were well known in town.

Police have clarified earlier releases describing Chloe's clothes.

She was last seen wearing yellow pants with love hearts on them and a white-coloured shirt with butterflies and bees pictured on the front.

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Two dead in horror day on Perth roads

A motorcyclist has died after a horror crash on Kwinana Freeway. Picture: Twitter/Andrew Nelson Source: Channel 9

A CAR breakdown on the Kwinana Freeway today sparked a horrific chain of events that resulted in the death of a motorcyclist.

It has been a horror day on Perth roads, with a cyclist killed in Rockingham just a few hours earlier.

Police and emergency services were called to the crash on Kwinana Freeway southbound, near the South Street exit in Bull Creek, just before 9.30am.

Two cars collided and one of them hit a motorcyclist.

A motorbike rider has died after a horror collision on Kwinana Freeway near South Street, Bull Creek. Picture: Nine News

At 9.23am a car was parked in the right hand side of the freeway southbound, near the South Street exit.

A traffic officer on a police motorbike pulled up adjacent to the motorist to talk with the driver.

Shortly after, a second vehicle – a Toyota ute travelling southbound – collided with the parked vehicle, which led to another collision with a motorcyclist also travelling southbound.

A motorbike rider has died after a horror collision on Kwinana Freeway near South Street, Bull Creek. Picture: Nine News

The male motorcyclist was flung off his machine and suffered fatal injuries.

The parked car had broken down and its driver and the traffic cop were "shaken" after witnessing the fatality and trying in vain to save the rider, acting superintendent Ian Clarke said.

Major Crash officers spent the morning at the scene conducting further inquiries.

The scene on Kwinana Freeway, where a motorcyclist was killed. His machine can be seen next to a 4WD utility involved in the crash: Twitter/Andrew Nelson, Nine News

Police Internal Affairs officers were also in attendance – a standard procedure as a police officer was present at the time of the crash.

Main Roads officials assisted with traffic management and several road diversions were in place.

Motorists were advised to take alternative routes as southbound lanes were closed for most of the day.

The crash site has now been cleared and the lanes were reopened this afternoon.

Earlier, a cyclist was killed after a collision with a vehicle about 6.10am at Ennis Avenue and Patterson Road, Rockingham.

The rider was taken to Rockingham Hospital, however at 9.30am police confirmed the man had died. Major Crash detectives will also investigate that fatality.

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Fresh underwater signal found

The search for missing flight MH370 in the Indian Ocean will resume with up to 14 planes and 13 ships.

Searching ... Able Seaman Boatswain's Mate Cameron Grant directing the boat coxswain on a Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) of HMAS Perth while searching for debris from missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Source: AFP

SEARCH crews have detected a new signal from the depths of the Indian Ocean, thought to be from Flight MH370.

Former Defence chief Angus Houston, heading the Joint Agency Coordination Centre in Perth, confirmed an aircraft has detected a possible signal in the vicinity of Ocean Shield in search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane.

It is understood it was detected by a RAAF P-3 Orion plane in the search zone.

The signal will be further analysed but it is potentially from a man-made source.

"The acoustic data will require further analysis overnight," Houston said.

It brings the number of signals that have been detected so far to five.

The Associated Press said the aircraft had dropped sound-locating buoys by parachute into an area near where the sounds were last heard.

The latest development comes after the Australian Defence vessel Ocean Shield failed to detect underwater signals earlier today after positive transmissions thought to be from Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 were received on Saturday and Tuesday.

"They continued the pinger operations through the night," Houston said.

"They haven't picked up anything. I don't know how much longer they'll go for because the likelihood on Day 34 is that the batteries must be getting near their use-by date."

He said no decision had been made to send down automated underwater vessel, Bluefin 21 yet.

The two transmissions that were received on Tuesday were markedly weaker than the two sustained transmissions heard on Saturday.

Both sets of transmissions have been determined to be consistent with man-made frequencies coming from airplane black boxes.

Malaysia's acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said he remains "cautiously optimistic" after the latest ping.

Air Chief Marshal Houston has said he believes MH370 will be found "in the not-too-distant future"

"Hopefully in a matter of days, we will be able to find something on the bottom that might confirm that this is the last resting place of MH370," he said.

Mr Hussein told the BBC he too was confident that search teams were getting closer.

"I know there will be answers. I know we will find the plane. It is just a matter of when," he said.

SEARCH FOR MH370: What lies beneath the Indian Ocean

The news comes as a large number of objects were spotted by aircraft and ships during yesterday's search, but none of the "small number" recovered were believed to be related to missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

Up to 14 aircraft and 13 ships will be part of today's effort, 2280 kilometres north west of Perth, with isolated showers predicted.

Australian ship Ocean Shield will continue its underwater search for signals to the north of the defined area, as Chinese ship Haixun 01 and HMS Echo look in the south.

Latest search zone ... this map released by AMSA shows the target of today's search. Source: Supplied

As the search parties prepare for another day scouring the Indian Ocean, Malaysia's Prime Minister has called on the world to unite in prayer, saying he is "more optimistic" that MH370 can be found amid the discovery of two new signals.

Najib Razak tweeted that the update from Joint Agency Coordination Centre head and retired Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston had provided hope.

Yesterday, Air Chief Marshal Houston said the number of transmissions detected by Ocean Shield now stood at four.

"(The) signals will assist in better defining a reduced and much more manageable search area on the ocean floor," he said.

"The better Ocean Shield can define the area, the easier it will be for the autonomous underwater vehicle to subsequently search for aircraft wreckage."

"I believe we are searching in the right area, but we need to visually identify aircraft wreckage before we can confirm with certainty that this is the final resting place of MH370," Air Chief Marshal Houston said.

SEARCH: What lies beneath the surface of the Indian Ocean

Optimistic ... Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott (R) bids farewell to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak after his visit to Perth. Source: AFP

Mr Hussein tweeted that Air Chief Marshal Houston was "very professional" and "seems (like) a good man."

Air Chief Marshal Houston said data analysis of the first two detections found they were consistent with "the specification and description" of a flight data recorder.

Two signals ... The chief co-ordinator of the Joint Agency Coordination Center Retired Australian Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston. Source: AP

According to work conducted by the Australian Joint Acoustic Analysis Centre at HMAS Albatross in Nowra NSW, it was not of natural origin and was "likely sourced" from specific electronic equipment.

Defence Minister David Johnston said he was confident that there is life in the black box despite the days that have passed.

"May I say the battery life in the black box transponder has a long way to go in our opinion, certainly several days into the future," Senator Johnston said.

A Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion flying past Australian Defence Vessel Ocean Shield on a mission to drop sonar buoys to assist in the acoustic search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Source: AFP

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Prosecutor calls Pistorius a liar

Oscar Pistorius has said he never intended to kill his girlfriend amid fierce cross-examination in court.

REEVA Steenkamp ran screaming to Oscar Pistorius's bathroom after an argument and locked herself in the toilet moments before he shot her dead, his murder trial was told yesterday.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said Pistorius was a liar and the scenario was the "only logical inference" to be made from the mountain of circumstantial evidence being presented to the court.

He alleged that Pistorius had never run to his balcony screaming for help after accidentally shooting Miss Steenkamp as he claimed and in fact the noise heard by neighbours was a violent quarrel between the pair.

"That is our case and we will get to it," Nel said during the accused's second day of cross-examination.

PISTORIUS FALLS ILL: Image of Reeva shown in court

OSCAR PISTORIUS: Pictured at shooting range months before fatal shooting

Under cross-examination ... Oscar Pistorius arrives at the high court in Pretoria, South Africa, on trial for shooting dead his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Source: AP

Nel and Pistorius were locked in argument over the order of events in the early hours of Valentine's Day last year when the double-amputee Olympian shot and killed his girlfriend of four months.

Pistorius is charged with pre-meditated murder. He claims he shot the 29 year-old law graduate and model in the misguided belief she was an intruder.

In the final session of the day's proceedings Nel repeatedly questioned Pistorius about his claim that he left Steenkamp in bed as he retrieved two fans from a balcony, locked the balcony doors, pulled the curtains and walked back past the bed without realising she had gone to the bathroom.

No apology ... June Steenkamp, mother of the late Reeva Steenkamp, listens as state prosecutor Gerrie Nel questions Oscar Pistorius. Source: AP

Pistorius said with the curtains closed the room was "pitch black".

Using a photograph of Pistorius's bedroom taken hours after the shooting Nel stated that it was impossible that Miss Steenkamp could have left the bed without Pistorius knowing.

He said the photograph, showing one of the fans leaning against the curtains and a duvet lying on the floor, proved that the Pistorius was lying.

"Your version is a lie because you never closed the curtains and if those curtains were open there would have been enough light for you to see Reeva," he said.

Pistorius said that the position of the fan, duvet and curtains in the photograph was not where they had been at the time of the shooting. He said they had been moved prior to the photograph being taken.

"So you are saying the police moved two fans, moved the duvet onto the floor and opened the curtains wider than they had been," Nel said. "Why is it that they would do this to you?"

"I don't know why," Pistorius answered. "I wasn't there. I'm not a policeman."

Nel replied, "Your version is so improbable that no-one could possibly believe it."

It came as news emerged that Steenkamp's parents refused to meet with Pistorius after he shot and killed their daughter,.

Pistorius made the statement after Nel accused him of "making a spectacle" with his tearful apology to Steenkamp's mother June at the beginning of his testimony four days ago.

Nel inferred that the double amputee Olympian had used the televised apology to gain public sympathy and help his case, when it could have been done in private.

"Why would you create a spectacle in court, in the public domain, in the public eye, and not in private?" Nel asked. "You never thought about them. You never thought how they would feel, sitting in the public gallery of a court while you made that apology. Did you think how they would experience that, or did it only matter about Pistorius, Oscar Pistorius?"

Obsessed with Oscar Pistorius ... June Steenkamp, Reeva's mother is comforted after her dead daughter's picture was shown during the trial of South African Olympic and Paralympic sprinter. Picture: Siphiwe Sibeko Source: AFP

Pistorius said his legal team had approached the Steenkamp's lawyers but were told they "weren't ready". Nel asked why he hadn't spoken to Steenkamp's mother when they passed each other in the courtroom.

"I didn't think it was appropriate to speak to her in front of everyone," he said.

Nel looked shocked.

"Yet you do it in front of the whole world."

The impression of Pistorius as someone who thought only of himself and refused to accept responsibility for his actions was the theme of Nel's second day of cross-examination.

Breaking down ... Oscar Pistorius weeps as he listens to evidence by a pathologist in court. Picture: Themba Hadebe Source: AP

Nel went through a series of text messages between the pair, the first in which Steenkamp had complained about Pistorius's behaviour at the engagement party of a mutual friend.

In a reply text Pistorius gave his version of events and countered each of Steenkamp's concerns from his point of view, adding weight to Nel's inference that this was a self-centred man who could never admit to being in the wrong.

"There were arguments," Nel said, "and those arguments were all about you, and what's important to you."

In the first text Miss Steenkamp wrote, "I'm not just some bitch who is killing your vibe".

Nel revealed that 'Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe" was a hip-hop song that one of Pistorius's friends had played in Pistorius's car on the way home from the party. She later told Pistorius she was hurt that he had not turned it off.

"She was offended by the words of the song," Pistorius admitted.

"As she should have been," said Nel.

In happier times ... Oscar Pistorius and girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Picture: Lucky Nxumalo Source: AP

Steenkamp's mother said outside court that she doesn't know if Pistorius' distress is an act, but insists the athlete has gone "from hero to devil".

June Steenkamp has attended each day of Pistorius's trial in Pretoria.

She told the Daily Mirror: "It's very traumatic when certain things come up."

"This is my child — and I must listen to the graphic detail.

"I look at Oscar the whole time, to see how he is coping, how he is behaving. I'm obsessed with looking at him, it's just instinctive, I can't explain it." Steenkamp, 67, said the athlete's courtroom demeanour had been very dramatic with "the vomiting and crying".

"I don't know whether he's acting," she said.

"Most of the time he's on his cell phone or looking down at papers or writing notes."

The heartbroken mother feels her presence unnerves Pistorius because he's answerable to her.

"I don't know the man. All I know is what he's done," she said.

"He must see me there in the court, he must feel my eyes boring into him, I think it makes a lot of difference."

Steenkamp admitted she probably looked at Pistorius too much to see how he was reacting.

She added: "I don't care what happens to Oscar, I don't even care if he goes free." "All I know is that he has to stand up to what he's done and — if he has to — pay for it.

"What difference is it going to make to me if he goes to prison for 25 years or is allowed to walk free?"

Steenkamp said Pistorius had an aggressive persona and was used to people adoring him.

"So it must be pretty different for him now," she said.

"He's been spoiled by other people, that's why he struts around and looks superior. He's gone from hero to devil." Pistorius claims he mistook Reeva Steenkamp for an intruder.

Sky News shows images of Oscar Pistorius firing the pistol he used when he shot his girlfriend, taken months before the killing. Courtesy SKY UK.

The trial continues.

Visibly upset ... Aimee Pistorius is overcome with emotion as she listens to her brother Oscar's testimony in the Pretoria High Court. Picture: Sydney Seshibedi Source: Getty Images

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Dog’s ‘legs snapped’ in brutal break-in

A family is devastated by dogs death after legs 'snapped' in violent burglary.

SHEBER'S barks usually greeted visitors the minute they stepped on the driveway of the Read family home.

But when close friend Kirsty Rogers arrived at the Tewson Road home in Camillo this morning, the first thing she noticed was the silence.

"There's no barking, there's no Sheber... Even the house feels different," she said.

Sheber had been home alone yesterday when burglars forced open the back door and started to ransack drawers in the house and stealing a camera.

Sheber, the dog that had both it rear legs broken during a burglary in Kelmscott.

Police say the burglars jumped the back fence - an activity that would have started Sheber barking.

When homeowner Tracey Read returned just before midday yesterday, she found the 15-year-old dog foaming at the mouth with both hind legs snapped.

"I heard her screaming down the road," Ms Rogers said.

A police forensic officer dusts for prints off the fence at the Read's Camillo home. Picture: Ross Swanborough.

"I went and checked Sheber's legs, and they crunched under my hands."

Trying to fix the dog would have cost $3500 – money the Reads don't have.

They made the tough decision to put her down.

Sheber, whose legs were snapped by a callous burglar, pictured at the vet before she had to be put down.

Mrs Read, who got the dingo-kelpie cross as a puppy, was too distressed to talk this morning.

Her daughter, Sally, who lives at the house with her three children, said the family was devastated.

"She (Sheber) was like a little sister to me," Sally Read said.

"(The burglars) took bits and pieces, but we don't care about that.

"I don't want another pet now, because it's like losing a kid."

Ms Read said the people who fatally injured Sheber were "just ferals".

"I don't know how anyone could do that to an animal. They need to be brought to justice," she said.

A spokeswoman from WA Police said the burglary occurred between 9.30am and midday yesterday.

Forensics officers were at the home today.

Police and the RSPCA have made a public appeal for information.

"This is a horrific act of animal cruelty and we are urging anyone with any information to please contact us," RSPCA chief inspector Amanda Swift said.

Anyone who saw someone acting suspiciously in the area has been asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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Geyer: I’ll never forgive Rusty

Mark Geyer chats about his rift with Russell Crowe with Triple M's The Grill team. Courtesy: Southern Cross Austereo

Former rugby league player Mark Geyer is not happy with Russell Crowe. Source: News Corp Australia

RUSSELL Crowe has been doing a lot of radio interviews to promote his latest movie, but there's one Sydney station he refuses to talk to.

This morning, NRL legend Mark Geyer, who is one of the hosts on Triple M's Grill Team, revealed that Crowe won't appear on his breakfast radio show because of a rift that dates back to 2005.

Mark Geyer (L), Matty Johns and Gus Worland are Triple M's The Grill Team. Source: Supplied

Almost ten years ago, Geyer took part in a sevens tournament at Russell Crowe's rural NSW property, but during one of the games the Penrith star broke his leg in two places.

Geyer was taken to hospital and his wife Meagan flew up to Coffs Harbor to be by her husband's side.

"Both Russell and Spud (Mark Carroll) had come in and said (to Geyer's wife Meagan) everything's going to be sweet, we'll sort everything out," MG said on the show this morning.

At the time, Geyer didn't belong to a private health fund and was earning just $45,000 a year.

He was hospitalised for more than a month and the medical bills amounted to "just under $20,000".

Mark Geyer is not impressed with Russell Crowe. Source: News Corp Australia

"As soon as I got out of hospital, as soon as I got home and the bills did start coming in, he just brushed me and I'm bitter to this day about it," Geyer said.

"It wasn't the money, it really wasn't. It was the fact that he went in and said to Meegs, 'We'll look after you, it's OK'.

"That three months (recovery time) was the lowest part of my life. I had a bit of depression and everything. I will never forgive or forget what he did to me."

The former Penrith Panther also revealed that he almost lost his cool when he saw the Noah star at an NRL game last year.

Don't expect Mark Geyer to be buying a ticket anytime soon to see "Noah". Source: AP

"I was walking up the backstairs and him and James Packer were walking down," Geyer said.

"I had one of those out of body moments when I just wanted to … I wanted to do something to him. At that moment I thought, 'You bastard!'"

"This is why he won't come on our show, because of me," Geyer said.

News.com.au has contacted Russell Crowe's management for a comment but is yet to hear back.

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MH370: More signals detected

Authorities say submarines searching for MH370 will only be deployed when another signal is detected.

SEARCH crews have relocated signals, hoped to be from MH370's black box, another two times.

Search co-ordinator and retired Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston has told reporters in Perth the discovery by Australian ship Ocean Shield is "further encouraging".

"The detection yesterday afternoon was held for approximately five minutes and 32 seconds," he said.

"The detection late last night was held for approximately 7 minutes."

It takes the number of transmissions detected by Ocean Shield to four.

"Yesterday's signals will assist in better defining a reduced and much more manageable search area on the ocean floor," Air Chief Marshal Houston added.

But he said authorities are not yet at the point of deploying the autonomous underwater vehicle 'Blue Fin 21'.

"The better Ocean Shield can define the area, the easier it will be for the autonomous underwater vehicle to subsequently search for aircraft wreckage."

"I believe we are searching in the right area, but we need to visually identify aircraft wreckage before we can confirm with certainty that this is the final resting place of MH370," he argued.

Late last week Ocean Shield detected two signals consistent with transmissions from a flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder. The first signal continued for two hours, while the second was just 13 minutes.

Based on Perth time, the first was found on Saturday, April 5 at 4.45pm, the second was heard on Saturday, April 5 at 9.27pm, the third was detected on Tuesday, April 8 at 4.27pm and the fourth was heard on Tuesday, April 8 at 10.17pm.

Searching for clues ... a fast response craft from Australian Defence Vessel Ocean Shield towing Able Seaman Clearance Diver Michael Arnold as he searches the ocean for debris Picture: Lt Ryan Davis/Australian Defence Source: AFP

The Air Chief Marshal said data analysis of the first two detections found they were consistent with "the specification and description" of a flight data recorder.

According to work conducted by the Australian Joint Acoustic Analysis Centre at HMAS Albatross in Nowra NSW, it was not of natural origin and was "likely sourced" from specific electronic equipment.

"The analysis determined that a very stable distinct and clear signal was detected at 33.331 kilohertz and that it consistently pulsed at a 1.106 second interval," he said.

The search effort is also being boosted by a sonar buoy search, with a modified RAAF P3 aircraft to coordinate with Ocean Shield in the same area.

But he warned there was a lot of silt, "that could complicate the search".

He said it was important for Ocean Shield to collect as much data as possible ahead of deploying 'Blue Fin 21'.

"The reason we want to do that is there's no second chances.

"It looks like the signals we've picked up recently have been much weaker than the original signals we picked up, so that means probably we're either a long way away from it, or in my view more likely, the batteries are starting to fade and as a consequence, the signal is becoming weaker," he warned.

"So we need to as we say in Australia, make hay while the sun shines."

Looking ... An Australian Orion aircraft arrives back at Pearce Airbase in Bullsbrook, 35 kms north of Perth after assisting in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

But he expressed his confidence the underwater device would be deployed soon and something will be found.

"I'm now optimistic that we will find the aircraft, or what is left of the aircraft, in the not too distant future," the Air Chief Marshal said.

"But we haven't found it yet because this is a very challenging business. We're relying on transmissions that have come and gone and I'd just like to have that hard evidence, a photograph evidence that there's pieces of aircraft down there to know that actually this is the final resting place of MH370."

He and Defence Minister David Johnston remain confident that there is life in the black box despite the days that have passed.

"May I say the battery life in the black box transponder has a long way to go in our opinion, certainly several days into the future," Senator Johnston told reporters in Canberra.

"We are just as aggressive as we were last week in pursuing and trying to isolate that signal," he said.

Divers brought in ... Able Seaman Clearance Diver Matthew Johnston is towed by the navy's Ocean Shield fast response craft as he scans the water for debris. Picture: Lt Ryan Davis/Australian Defence Source: AFP

Australian officials maintain the signals are still their most "positive lead".

Air Chief Marshal Houston today said a towed pinger is still trying to relocate the signals and will do so for "several days".

COMMENT: MH370 — the world's greatest detective story

When the 'Blue Fin 21' is deployed it will do 20-hour sweeps to collect data and pictures, he said, but can't do both at the same time.

He admitted it was a race against time.

"There is a chance that the locator beacon is about to cease transmission or has ceased transmission."

Officials have spelled out the challenges of the mission — among them ships picking up their own signals as they search for traces of the missing Malaysia Airlines jet.

FALSE LEADS AND FRUSTRATION

Air Chief Marshal admitted there have been "false leads" in the past and Ocean Shield needs to be allowed to steadily continue its work trying to find another signal.

"Some … have been actually transmissions from the ship that was actually searching and it got its own transmissions back again," he said.

"So funny things happen in that environment and you can't assume things."

While much of the searching is at a hi-tech level, the human eye is invaluable.

Spotters on planes and ships have now been joined by divers, shown in photographs released yesterday by defence bosses.

The divers are taken out to look at any suspect pieces of debris seen from the vessels.

Race against time ... Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 Orion crew member, Sergeant Sean Donaldson, preparing to drop a marker buoy. Picture: Cpl Jessica De Rouw/Australian Defence Source: AFP

DETAILS OF TODAY'S SEARCH

Crews will continue trying to relocate the signals today, hoped to be from MH370's black box.

Australian ship Ocean Shield is in the northern end of the search zone, with Chinese ship Haixun 01 and HMS Echo searching to the south.

Up to 15 aircraft and 14 ships will be part of today's effort.

The centre of the search area is approximately 2261 kilometres north west of Perth.

Scattered showers are expected, as a weak front moves in from the south east.

Anguish. Feng Zhishang cries as family members mark the birthday of his son Feng Dong, a passenger on board the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Picture: AFP Source: AP

TEARFUL VIGIL IN BEIJING

In Beijing, family members of passengers on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have held a tearful vigil in Beijing to mark one month since contact with the plane was lost.

"We've been waiting and holding on here for already 31 days," said Steve Wang, one of the relatives.

"Don't cry anymore. Don't hurt anymore. Don't despair. Don't feel lost," he counselled others who gathered for the vigil.

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Playdate George is king of the kids

Prince George plays with other toddlers at the Plunket play group at Government House. Courtesy GovernorGeneralNZ

THE third in line to the British throne was just a regular kid grabbing for toys as he played with 10 Kiwi babies at Government House in the New Zealand capital.

Toys were piled in the middle of the Blundell room as the tots, all eight-months old, played under grand chandeliers and formal portraits lining the walls.

PICTURES: ROYAL TOUR OF AUSTRALIA AND NZ

Prince George, dressed in navy blue overalls and a white T-shirt, was carried by his mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, as she mingled with other parents in the room.

Her boy ... Prince George cuddles his mother, the Duchess of Cambridge at Government House.

Son and hair ... Prince George seems to be as taken with his mother's famous locks as the rest of the world. Source: AFP

Kate was dressed in a knee-length black and white patterned dress, with black high-heel shoes.

Just metres away, chatting easily with parents, Prince William was dressed in a blue shirt, dark blue jeans, a brown and white patterned belt and brown loafers.

Too cute ... a delighted Catherine with Prince George at Government House. Source: Twitter

Prince George was keen to interact with the other babies, reaching for Lily Gray while she was being held in her mother Alana's arms.

Big day out ... Prince George has fun playing with some new toys at Government House. Source: Getty Images

His royal prerogative shone through, however, when he took a shine to a wooden doll in possession of young Amelia Howe.

King of the kids ... Prince George is safely snuggled in the arms of his mother, the Duchess of Cambridge. Source: AP

He reached for the doll, and snatched it from Amelia, before throwing it to the floor.

Prince George's 10 playmates were all chosen from families in the Wellington region, all with first-time parents.

Serious face .. Prince George, who is starting to crawl, plays with Eden Alve. Source: AFP

Their kids were born within a week or two of Prince George, who was born on July 22 last year.

Happy chatter and gurgles filled the room as babies crawled between the legs of their parents, the royals and Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae.

Pride and joy ... litte George is never far from the watchful eye of his mother, Catherine. Source: AP

Occasional wails broke out but on the whole the babies behaved admirably on an occasion which will be retold to them their whole lives.

At 3.30pm (1.30pm AEST) all 11 sets of parents sat in a circle on the thick carpet, the babies getting stuck into their toys while the parents talked.

Seeing double ... Prince George enjoys his toys almost as much as his dad, Prince William Duke of Cambridge did at around the same age in 1982. Pictures: Getty/File Source: Supplied

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Pistorius ill as fatal wound shown

On trial, Oscar Pistorius was asked if he intended to kill Reeva Steenkamp. Courtesy: CNN

Became physically ill ... Oscar Pistorius arrives at the high court in Pretoria. Source: AP

JUNE Steenkamp, mother of the late Reeva Steenkamp, approached prosecutor Gerrie Nel after he compared her late daughter's head to a watermelon and showed a shocking and graphic image of her fatal wound to the court during the Oscar Pistorius murder trial.

Live television coverage of the trial was blocked and the proceedings adjourned after a photograph, clearly showing Reeva Steenkamp's face in profile and the head wound, was shown on courtroom monitors.

Seconds earlier, after an initial objection from the defence, Nel had shown the court a video of Pistorius firing a pistol at a watermelon at a shooting range.

OSCAR PISTORIUS: Pictured at shooting range months before fatal shooting

OSCAR PISTORIUS: "I wake up at night smelling blood"

Shocking and graphic image ... June Steenkamp, Reeva's mother, is comforted by family lawyer Dup de Bruyn, as they listen to cross questioning of Oscar Pistorius. Source: AP

The hollow-point ammunition being used by Pistorius caused the watermelon to explode. A voice, which Pistorius acknowledged was his, can be heard saying, "It's a lot softer than brain, but it is like a zombie-stopper".

Nel put it to Pistorius that the effect that the bullet had on the watermelon was the same as that which struck Steenkamp in the head.

"Have a look," he said. "It's about time you did. It's time you took responsibility for what you did."

"I don't have to look at it," Pistorius said, sobbing. "I remember. I was there."

The image then appeared on the monitors and, for several seconds before being blocked by broadcasters, was shown on the live television feed.

When Pistorius became distressed and physically ill, the trial was adjourned.

During the break June Steenkamp, who has remained composed throughout proceedings, left her seat to speak to Nel. Pistorius's brother Carl and sister Aimee, visibly upset, conferred with the defence team.

When the court resumed 15 minutes later Nel, who had attacked Pistorius aggressively from the first question of his cross-examination, was markedly softer in his approach.

Fatal attraction ... Oscar Pistorius and girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, who he is accused of murdering. Source: AP

Nel began his cross-examination by saying: "You killed Reeva Steenkamp, that is what you did." "I made a mistake," Pistorius replied.

"People look up to you as a sport hero," the prosecutor said. "I know a lot of people's opinions of me have changed," Pistorius answered.

Asked by Nel whether he lived according to "strictly Christian principles," the athlete said: "I try to. The Lord said he came down to this world for people who have sins. I am human. I am here to tell the truth."

Earlier, Pistorius told the court Miss Steenkamp was still alive for a short time after being shot.

On his third day of giving evidence the double-amputee Olympian said Miss Steenkamp, his girlfriend of four months, was "struggling to breathe" after he had shot her through a locked toilet door on Valentine's Day last year.

His evidence was contrary to that delivered earlier in the trial by expert witnesses for the prosecution who asserted that death would have been instantaneous after one of four shots fired through the door struck Miss Steenkamp in the head.

Pistorius is charged with the premeditated murder of the 29 year-old law graduate and model. The prosecution case is that he deliberately shot Miss Steenkamp in a fit of rage. Pistorius has told the court he fired believing he was about be attacked by an intruder.

In his final direct evidence before being cross-examined by prosecutor Nel, Pistorius told how he used a cricket bat to gain entrance to the locked toilet and saw Miss Steenkamp lying bleeding on the floor.

He sat down and pulled her towards him.

"I had Reeva's head on my left shoulder," he said. "I could feel the blood running down. I tried to pick Reeva up. I didn't know what to do. I could see she was breathing … struggling to breathe."

Pistorius said after calling an ambulance he carried Miss Steenkamp downstairs to the ground floor of his home.

She died in his arms.

"I just sat with her waiting for the ambulance to arrive. I felt helpless. I wanted to take her to the hospital. I had my fingers in her mouth to help her to breathe. I had my left hand on her hip trying to stop the bleeding but Reeva had already died when I was holding her before the ambulance arrived so I knew there was nothing I could do for her."

When paramedics arrived one asked Pistorius to produce some identification for Miss Steenkamp. After he had handed over her handbag, the paramedic officially informed him of Miss Steenkamp's death.

With Miss Steenkamp's body still lying in the sitting room Pistorius sat on the kitchen floor, leaning against a serving counter and crying.

"Every time I looked up there were more people in the house, more policemen," he said. "I asked a policeman if I could wash my hands because the smell of blood was making me throw up.

"I stayed in the kitchen. I couldn't look around the corner because every time I saw Reeva I got sick."

The final question asked of Pistorius by his defence attorney Barry Roux before handing over to Nel was: "Did you ever intend to kill Reeva Steenkamp?"

His answer: "I did not intend to kill Reeva or anyone else, my Lady."

Third day of giving evidence ... Oscar Pistorius at the high court in Pretoria. Source: AP

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What killed Peaches Geldof?

Peaches Geldof, the daughter of musician Bob Geldof and the late Paula Yates, has died at the age of 25.

"Unexplained and sudden" ... Peaches Geldof has died aged 25. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

POLICE investigating the death of Peaches Geldof found no evidence of hard drugs, no suicide note, and no visible signs of injury, it's been claimed.

Geldof, the daughter of musician Bob Geldof and late TV presenter Paula Yates, died aged 25.

The British TV presenter, writer and socialite was found dead by emergency responders at her home in Kent.

Kent Police have ruled out foul play, but are treating the tragic death as "unexplained and sudden".

The Coroner is looking into whether the young mum died of natural causes, according to The Sun.

GALLERY: The life and times of Peaches Geldof

BATTLES: Demons that haunted Peaches

TRAGIC: Tiger Lily hit by curse of the Geldof clan

There had been fears for her health after pictures showed her alarmingly thin.

Alarmingly thin ... Peaches Geldof posted this picture on Instagram on a girls night out on Friday night, with the caption: "Classy cocktailz." Source: Instagram

Her last public appearance is believed to have been last Thursday at a London Fashion Festival show.

A post-mortem is due today. But a full police investigation into her death is considered unlikely.

A law enforcement source at Kent Police said that paramedics found the married mother-of-two's body after a woman called and said she couldn't reach her.

Geldof was discovered just hours after she posted a photo of herself as a baby with her late mother to Instagram.

On the same day, pictures and video of her two children were also posted on her Instagram page.

A heartbroken Bob Geldof said: "We are beyond pain. She was the wildest, funniest, cleverest, wittiest and the most bonkers of all of us.

Sudden death ... Peaches Geldof, seen with husband Thomas Cohen at a 2013 London fashion show. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

GALLERY: Stars that died too soon

"What a beautiful child. How is this possible that we will not see her again? How is that bearable?" the Irish singer wrote.

"We loved her and will cherish her forever. How sad that sentence is.

"(Husband) Tom (Cohen) and her sons Astala and Phaedra will always belong in our family, fractured so often, but never broken. Bob, Jeanne, Fifi, Pixie and Tiger Geldof."

Close family ... Peaches Geldof (right) pictured with her father Bob Geldof and sister Pixie Geldof at the NME Awards 2006 in London. Picture: AP Source: AP

Geldof is survived by husband Thomas Cohen, the lead singer of S.C.U.M., and their two sons Astala Dylan Willow, 20 months, and Phaedra Bloom Forever, just 10 months.

Tom was seen walking his parents' dog near their home in South East London today.

Wrapped in a long black coat, he was with a man, believed to be his dad, Keith, who said: "We just need some time."

She is also survived by sisters Fifi Trixibelle and Pixie, and half-sister Tiger Lily Hutchence Geldof.

Cohen, who Geldof married in 2012, said: "My beloved wife Peaches was adored by myself and her two sons Astala and Phaedra and I shall bring them up with their mother in their hearts everyday. We shall love her forever."

Heartbreaking ... Peaches Geldof's last tweet was this picture of her as a baby in the arms of her late mother, Paul Yates. Picture: Instagram Source: Supplied

The beautiful socialite was the second daughter of the late Paula Yates, who tragically died of a drug overdose in September 2000 when Geldof was just 11.

Yates had been devastated over the death of her partner, INXS frontman Michael Hutchence.

Speaking to Elle Magazine in 2012, Geldof said it took years to come to terms with her mother's death.

"I remember the day my mother died, and it's still hard to talk about it. I just blocked it out. I went to school the next day because my father's mentality was 'keep calm and carry on'," she said.

Tragic death ... A February 25 photo of late TV host and model Peaches Geldof at a Paris fashion show. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

"So we all went to school and tried to act as if nothing had happened. But it had happened. I didn't grieve. I didn't cry at her funeral. I couldn't express anything because I was just numb to it all. I didn't start grieving for my mother properly until I was maybe 16."

In her last tweet on Sunday, Geldof posted a picture of her as a baby in the arms of Yates, with the caption "Me and my mum".

She also posted videos on Instagram of herself playing peek-a-boo with her sons just one day before her death.

The videos are thought to be the last time her voice was heard in public.

In one called 'peel-a-wid' she plays with her son in the bath.

As he sits laughing, she hides the camera from her son before moving it back up towards his face.

He can be seen giggling along as he plays with his mum.

In another, one of her sons appears to be sat on a bed as she plays the game again

Geldof spoke in her last interview of how she owed her life to her children and said: "I am not about to let them down, not for anyone or anything."

She said that becoming a mother had healed a "rudderless and troubled" childhood, and that she wanted everyone to know parenthood was "the best thing you've ever done".

The interview, less than a month before her death today, with Mother & Baby magazine was centred on 'attachment parenting' — keeping her two sons with her virtually all the time.

Geldof moved to Brooklyn, New York in 2008 after marrying American musician Max Drummey from the band Chester French. They separated a year later and divorced in 2011.

She married Cohen a year later.

In 2010, Peaches was reportedly involved in a "heroin-fuelled one-night stand" at Hollywood's Scientology Centre.

According to Gawker, a Reddit user identifying himself as Thatcoolguyben wrote in a piece with accompanying semi-nude pictures of Peaches: "At this point in my life I was very into all drugs, as was she. She told me she had a bit of heroin she brought with her from the UK and asked me if I was game."

He claimed that after sleeping together the pair then woke up in a Scientology centre, where fresh convert Peaches had taken them to undergo a detoxification program called Purif.

While Peaches' lawyers denied she attended the Scientologists' 'detox' clinic with the man who claims to have been her lover, she confessed to being a member of the Church of Scientology.

In October 2009, she said: "I've been one for a while now. I was confused about what path to go through and I feel like I needed a spiritual path."

Geldof said she had experimented with drugs as a teenager, but was "never that wild".

Tributes for Geldof poured in on social media.

Celebrity agent Jonathan Shalit told ITV News he "never heard a bad word" about Peaches.

He said that Sir Bob was "one of the most remarkable men alive in Britain today".

Mr Shalit added that it is "beyond unfair" that Sir Bob should have endured such tragedy in his life, referencing the death of Peaches' mother Paula.

Her former publicist Ray Levine told the BBC: "I'll always smile, because she was a very endearing, charming young lady."

Scene ... Peaches Geldof was found dead inside her Wrotham, Kent home on Monday afternoon. Picture: AP Source: AP

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Hunting for clues in the deep

Two more acoustic signals consistent with a black box flight data recorder have been picked up.

THE search for debris from Flight MH370 is set to drag on, even as aircraft and ships pursue their most "positive lead" yet.

Officials have spelled out the challenges of the mission — amongst them ships picking up their own signals as they search for traces of the missing Malaysia Airlines jet.

Meanwhile divers have also joined the hunt, slipping into the water to inspect potential pieces of wreckage.

Today, Defence Minister David Johnston told reporters in Perth that aircraft and ships are "flat out" trying to progress the latest "positive lead" — the detection of signals that might be from the plane — but he described it as a "herculean task".

"I want to confirm that we have at least several days of intense action ahead of us," he said, reporting the weather is reasonable.

Yesterday it emerged that the Australian ship Ocean Shield had made two signal detections that were consistent with transmissions from a flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder.

Retired Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, who is heading up the Australian search effort, today said a towed pinger is still trying to re-locate the signals and will do so for "several days".

An underwater vehicle known as Blue Fin 21 will only be deployed when that is finished, or unless another transmission is located, he added.

Looking for clues ... Able Seaman Clearance Diver Matthew Johnston is towed by Australian Defence Vessel Ocean Shield's fast response craft as he scans the water for debris of Flight MH370. Source: Supplied

He admitted there have been "false leads" in the past and Ocean Shield needs to be allowed to steadily continue its work trying to find another signal.

"Some … have been actually transmissions from the ship that was actually searching and it got its own transmissions back again," the Air Chief Marshal said.

"So funny things happen in that environment and you can't assume things."

It was not clear if he was referring to Ocean Shield or a Chinese vessel that also reported picking up hopeful traces.

Houston, head of the Joint Agency Coordination Centre, argued silence is needed — so the area can't become crowded with other ships dropping things into the water.

While much of the searching is at a hi-tec level, the human eye is invaluable.

Spotters on planes and ships have now been joined by divers, shown in photographs released today by defence bosses.

The divers are taken out to look at any suspect pieces of debris seen from the vessels.

Inspecting potential signs of wreckage ... Able Seaman Clearance Divers Matthew Johnston and Michael Arnold from Australian Defence Vessel Ocean Shield. Source: Supplied

The new hope of progress came after two separate signal detections occurred within the northern part of the defined search area, off Western Australia.

The first was held for more than two hours, the second for about 13 minutes.

The UK Telegraph reported that the location of these two signals matched the point at which the aeroplane made its final electronic "half handshake" with a satellite.

The paper quoted Chris McLaughlin from British satellite company Inmarsat, who said the location of the signals detected by Ocean Shield appeared to coincide with the site when the plane made an electronic transmission at 12.19am (GMT).

Close encounters ... a fast response craft from Australian Defence Vessel Ocean Shield tows Able Seaman Clearance Diver Michael Arnold as he searches for MH370 debris. Source: Supplied

Inmarsat detected this electronic "half handshake" in its research two weeks ago.

Houston said the effort to find MH370's black box will soon head underwater with the autonomous Blue Fin 21 — but when is unclear.

"I would imagine we would be getting very close to that point," he told ABC Radio this morning, but argued it can't be done while the towed pinger locator is still searching in the area.

When it is deployed it will do 20 hour sweeps to collect data and pictures, he said, but can't do both at the same time.

Houston admitted it's a race against time.

"There is a chance that the locator beacon is about to cease transmission or has ceased transmission."

He said ocean drift and the passage of a cyclone through the area in the last few days means the likelihood of discovering wreckage on the surface is "diminishing with time".

Search continues ... a helicopter leaving the flight deck of HMAS Success. Picture: Department of Defence / CPOIS / David Connolly Source: AFP

But the Air Chief Marshal admitted the detection of signals is the promising lead he's been waiting for.

"Yes, I think it is," he said.

"We have picked up a transmission from the deep."

"It's in the right frequency, it sounds like a man made beacon and I think it is the most promising lead thus far."

"What we need now is more confirmation in terms of finding something visually."

He stressed the next stages will be "finely balanced", with the water depth of 4,500 metres the same as the range of 'Blue Fin 21'.

The Air Chief Marshal said search teams haven't found anything "significant" overnight.

He expressed his concern there haven't been any further signal detections.

"The worry we have is that we haven't been able to reacquire it," he told 3AW radio.

He stressed the position of the signals need to be fixed to narrow the area where Blue Fin 21 will be deployed.

"Underwater searching with an autonomous underwater vehicle takes an awful long time so it's not like using an aircraft. You literally crawl along the ocean floor."

He was asked whether there was anything else, other than a black box, which would explain the signals already picked up.

"No I don't believe so," the search co-ordinator said.

"I think that the signals that we picked up sounded like a beacon. It's what we would expect."

EARLIER: 'Miracles do happen' says Malaysia's Transport Minister

The airliner's black boxes normally emit a frequency of 37.5 kilohertz, and the signals picked up by the Ocean Shield were both 33.3 kilohertz.

But officials contacted the device's manufacturer and were told the frequency of black boxes can drift near the end of their shelf lives.

The Ocean Shield was slowly canvassing a small area trying to find the signal again, though that could take another day, The divers are taken out to look at any suspect pieces of debris seen from the vessels.

Candlelight vigil ... Malaysia's acting Transport Minister has said 'miracles do happen'. Picture: Vincent Thian Source: AP

The Blue Fin 21 autonomous sub can create a sonar map of the area to chart where the debris may lie on the sea floor.

If it maps out a debris field, the crew will replace the sonar system with a camera unit to photograph any wreckage.

But that may prove tricky, given that the sub can only dive to about 4,500 metres — the approximate depth of the water. That means the vehicle will be operating to the limits of its capability.

Waiting for the breakthrough ... Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, head of the Joint Agency Coordination Centre. Picture: Greg Wood Source: AFP

Yesterday the British ship HMS Echo followed up on two separate sounds heard by a Chinese ship about 555 kilometres away from the Ocean Shield.

The patrol vessel Haixun 01 detected a brief "pulse signal" on Friday and a second signal on Saturday.

The crew of the Chinese ship reportedly picked up the signals using a sonar device called a hydrophone dangled over the side of a small boat — something experts said was technically possible but extremely unlikely.

The equipment aboard the British and Australian ships is dragged slowly behind each vessel over long distances and is considered far more sophisticated.

Yesterday's search effort included 12 planes and 14 ships searching three designated zones.

All of the previous surface searches have found only fishing equipment or other sea trash floating in the water, but have found no debris related to the Malaysian plane.

United in prayer ... Chinese relatives of passengers on MH370 take part in a prayer service at the Metro Park Hotel in Beijing. Picture: Wang Zhao Source: AFP

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Thorpe ‘quite sick’ in Sydney hospital

Ian Thorpe is reportedly under intensive care in Sydney after contracting a bug while overseas. Source: Getty Images

SWIMMING great Ian Thorpe is "quite sick" in a Sydney hospital after contracting two potentially deadly infections and will never swim again competitively, his agent says.

The 31-year-old five-time Olympic gold medallist contracted the bugs after undergoing a series of surgeries on his shoulder at a hospital near his home in the Swiss town of Ronco sopra Ascona.

He has returned to Sydney and is receiving treatment at an intensive care ward.

Thorpe has received a number of visitors in hospital and is said to be in good spirits, despite the apparent seriousness of his illness.

Thorpe has also been battling depression and left Australia to live in Switzerland. Source: News Limited

"It's serious but it's not life-threatening," Thorpe's agent James Erskine told AAP.

"He's contracted two forms of bugs in hospital.

"He's undergone two or three operations over the last two months so ... I mean bad luck.

"He's quite sick but that's the situation."

The Daily Telegraph lead on January 31. Source: Supplied

Mr Erskine rubbished reports Thorpe could lose the use of his arm because of the infections but said Thorpe would never swim again competitively.

"From a competitive point of view — he will not be swimming competitively again, I don't think," Mr Erskine added.

"The shoulder operation was a major operation, he's got as many plates as Barry Sheene (the now deceased world champion motorcycle rider)."

It's understood the infection contracted by Thorpe is similar in nature to the potentially deadly Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) superbug that has swept some hospitals in Europe.

It is the latest upset in Thorpe's life.

His father revealed in February that Thorpe was battling depression.

The popular swimmer sought help in early 2014 after being found disoriented near his parents' home in southern Sydney, having taken a combination of antidepressants and medication for a shoulder injury.

Thorpe was sent for medical assessment to Bankstown Hospital and then entered a rehabilitation program.

The swimmer made an ill-fated attempt to compete at the 2012 London Olympics.

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On the brink of a breakthrough

Authorities say submarines searching for MH370 will only be deployed when another signal is detected.

Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Edward Potts-Szoke, a naval flight officer with Patrol Squadron (VP) 16, monitors his workstation on a P-8A Poseidon during the search for MH370 yesterday. Picture: 2nd Class Eric A. Pastor Source: Supplied

Naval air crewman, Operator 2nd Class Mike Burnett, a sailor attached to Patrol Squadron (VP) 16, participates in a "foreign object damage walkdown" outside the P-8A Poseidon before the search mission yesterday. Picture: 2nd Class Eric A. Pastor Source: Supplied

FOR these US crew members tasked with helping to solve the world's greatest airline mystery, there is a sense that a major breakthrough could come "any day now".

The day before, the Joint Agency Coordination Centre, which is managing the multinational hunt for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane, announced the Australian defence vessel Ocean Shield had detected two acoustic events in the far north of the search zone.

These sounds, authorities said, were consistent with transmissions from a flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder. And it came a day after Chinese state media announced one of its ships had detected pulse signals in the region.

■ HUNTING FOR CLUES IN THE DEEP

It was, in the words of Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, one of the most promising leads this international search effort has had so far. And the War Eagles, as they are also known, are aware of it.

Finding any debris at this point would help authorities narrow the vast search zone, which is now located, 1650km north-west of Perth.

"The reality is, it could be any day now," Lieutenant Clayton Hunt, the flight's 28-year-old pilot cautiously explained.

The belief of all those looking for MH370 is that at some point it will be found.

And this is what spurs this squadron on.

Most of those on board the P8 Poseidon on Monday were part of the crew which began scouring the Malacca Strait a week after the plane went missing.

Since then, most have completed around 14 missions – some 16 – but none of those searches have found that definitive piece of the puzzle.

So when US Navy air crewmen Dave Everly spotted something bright green floating just below the surface almost four hours into the nine-hour flight, he called out and the location was immediately marked, and the information relayed to the Australian coordination centre.

The P-8A Poseidon – a purpose built Boeing 737 with advanced radar and sonar equipment that is also capable of detecting and destroying a submarine out of the water – was flying just 700ft above the water. It then made a sharp turn and headed back over the stretch of water to get another look.

Sailors attached to Patrol Squadron (VP) 16 hard at work on board a P-8A Poseidon yesterday during the search for MH370. Picture: 2nd Class Eric A. Pastor Source: Supplied

It made this run four times and even climbed back up to 1500ft – still very low compared to the 30,000ft these aircraft usually travel – to allow the plane's camera to get a better look.

But even with this advanced equipment, electronic warfare operative Christopher Walsh, 23, explained it was more likely that the human eye will spot any MH370 debris rather than his radar equipment.

This is because debris, such as fabric, will float just below the surface of the water making it harder for radar to detect, he added.

Despite this, whenever someone spots something that isn't a white cap, the froth produced by waves crashing into each other, it is treated as a possible find.

"I don't know what it was, whether it was seaweed or fabric, but it didn't have a definite shape," air crewmen Everly said after the crew finished scouring around 20,000sq kms of the Indian Ocean yesterday. "I saw it three times."

Lieutenant Clayton Hunt, Patrol Squadron (VP) 16, (third from right) talking to his crew and media on board P-8A Poseidon before it left Perth International Airport yesterday. 2nd Class Eric A. Pastor Source: Supplied

And it wasn't the first time the air crewmen, who spent up to an hour at a time perched over a window staring out looking for any sign of MH370, has spotted debris since this long search began.

On previous missions he has sighted numerous items in the water including yellow rope, however none have turned out to be from the missing plane.

While disappointing, it doesn't deflate him or the rest of the crew.

According to Lt Hunt, not finding major debris was not a failure, it was still a success.

"Every square mile of water we did cover indicated it wasn't there, so we know it's not there, and can rule it out," he said.

"Today's mission was right on par with that, so that's a success."

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Shark-kill extension bid to 2017

A large Great White caused Perth beaches to close.

THE Barnett Government has sought Commonwealth approval to continue its shark-kill program for a further three years as crews today attempt to catch a four-metre great white off Perth.

Shark drum lines would be deployed 1km off beaches in Perth and the South-West between November 15 and April 30, referral documents show.

After three years, the controversial shark attack mitigation measure would be subject to review.

The papers reveal new detail about how the shark-kill would continue next summer, including:

● Catch data will be published each month on the Department of Fisheries website;

● to avoid entanglement with migrating whales, there will be no drum lines between May and October;

A shark caught on drum lines off Perth last week. Picture: Water Inspired Juan Oliphant.

● dead or destroyed sharks, which are not protected under State or Federal law, used for re-baiting of drum lines;

● carcasses may be provided to WA shark researchers;

● minimum of 10 "observer trips" to ensure drum line contractors comply with requirements;

● an examination of great white shark numbers is due out in 2014 and;

● if Old Dunsborough beach enclosure trial is judged a success, more enclosures could be identified.

Thousands protested against the shark-kill at a rally at Cottesloe Beach earlier this year.

The report cities similar schemes in Brazil and South Africa where attempts are made to relocate dangerous sharks away from popular beaches.

The State Government's application to the Environment Department said it was "unlikely such an approach would be appropriate for dealing with captured sharks in WA".

"Transporting large sharks the significant distance necessary to get them away from WA coastal waters would be logistically impractical and could lead to the mortality of sharks in transit," the document states.

"Moreover, from bather safety and public liability perspectives, determining acceptable release locations especially for potentially dangerous white sharks would be extremely challenging and would reduce the amount of time available for contractors to check other hooks and release non-target sharks."

WA Labor leader Mark McGowan said he hopes the Federal Government knocks back the bid to extend the shark cull.

Fisheries officers haul a hooked tiger shark onto its vessel before releasing it. Picture: Neil Henderson

"The policy has failed and there are far more effective things that can be done to keep swimmers safe," he said.

The Greens' Lynn MacLaren added: "I am appalled that the State Government are even pursuing this. The drum lines have been proven to be ineffective and unpopular."

The shark-kill sees any bull, tiger or great white sharks bigger than three metres caught on baited drum lines shot dead and dumped further out at sea.

Between January 26 and March 16, 112 animals were caught on the hooks, including 105 tiger sharks.

Of these, 61 tiger sharks were released alive as they were under the target three-metre target size. However, the total mortality is likely to be higher "given the very large hook size", the document said.

As of mid-March, bycatch included mako shark (two), dusky whaler (one), spinner shark (one) and northwest blowfish (one). In recent weeks, conservationists observing the drum lines off Perth have also photographed sting rays hooked by the lines.

It is not surprising, the report continues, that no great whites have been caught in the initial three-month trial as "it was predicted that few would be captured at this time of the year".

It suggests the WA great white population was likely to be in the order of "at least a few to several thousand individuals".

"Collectively, the drum line program will operate for a short period of time in each of just three years," the referral document concludes.

"The footprint of the operation is extremely small compared to the distribution of the species most likely to be directly affected (white and tiger sharks) with relatively small numbers of individuals likely to be captured and even less killed compared to their total stock size.

"The program will therefore generate only negligible impacts on each of the affected species."

GREAT WHITE TRACKED OFF METRO BEACHES

The referral comes as a "rapid response" was earlier today launched in an attempt to capture a four-metre great white off Perth.

Fisheries said extra drum lines had been set up and could remain in place for up to an hour.

A spokesman said the great white would be destroyed if caught.

Anti-cull activists followed the great white's movements along the coast in a bid to usher it away from the drumlines.

Skipper Jodie Hayes said Fisheries had deployed drumlines at Scarborough, Floreat, City Beach, Swanbourne and Port Beach.

"We won't interfere with Fisheries in any way, we just want to shepherd it out to sea and away from the drumlines," she said.

Surf Life Saving WA said the shark was first seen 200m off Trigg Beach, before moving 400m off Scarborough Beach, prompting the City of Stirling to close both beaches.

Shortly after 12.30pm, Surf Lifesaving WA tweeted that those beaches had reopened and the shark had moved to Floreat Beach.

City Beach and Floreat beaches were closed, but have since been reopened.

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‘She knew she was carrying drugs’

In an exclusive interview with Renae Lawrence from Denpasar, Lawrence admitted that Schappelle Corby had told her that she had smuggled drugs into Bail on numerous occasions. Courtesy: TEN Eyewitness News

Renae Lawrence has spoken out from Bali's Kerobokan Jail, alleging former inmate Schapelle Corby confessed to her. Source: News Limited

CONVICTED drug smuggler Renae Lawrence has delivered a startling confession from inside Bali's Kerobokan Prison, saying that former friend Schapelle Corby "knew" she was carrying drugs into the country.

In a secretly filmed video obtained by Network Ten and played in part on tonight's Eyewitness News, Lawrence can be seen talking to a person off camera.

"[Schapelle] did a good job of keeping her secrets. She let one slip one night," she said.

Lawrence, who spent eight years behind bars with Corby and is still serving her drug smuggling sentence, said she "wasn't really sure" why Corby had confessed to her.

"She said that she knew the marijuana was in the boogie bag, but the person who was supposed to be there at the airport at that time didn't show up for work, or couldn't be there for some strange reason, I'm not sure," she said.

"She told me and another prisoner that she'd done it more than this time. She'd got away with it before. She said she'd brought the drugs three times. The first time she didn't know anything until she got to the airport, but the other times she knew."

"She said she'd used [drugs] since she was a teenager."

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Lawrence also asserts that Ms Corby consciously "…acted crazy, she actually said it herself, she played crazy so she would get more sympathy and hopefully time off from [inaudible] the President of Indonesia."

"She put on more of an act when someone important came in like the doctor or the jail boss. She wasn't crazy, she just acted like it."

Schapelle Corby visiting her parole officer in Bali this week. Source: News Limited

Lawrence also clarified the misconception that she and Corby didn't get along.

"We weren't enemies like…the media said. We were actually friends most times. Sometimes we'd have arguments but that was because people would speak about us and it wasn't true."

Ten's Eyewitness News stated that Lawrence had been unaware she was being filmed at the time of the discussion, but having been made aware of the tape's existence, had reportedly said she stands by her comments. The initial video comes as part of a larger interview with Lawrence that it is believed Lawrence was paid for.

The Corby family have released a statement denying Lawrence's allegations which reads, in part:

"Schapelle denies ever making any such confession to Renae Lawrence or to anyone else. The further claims by Renae Lawrence that Schapelle had done so on many occasions are preposterous, maliciously false and a creation of her own fantasy.The actions of the Ten Network in procuring and presumably paying for this interview, are extremely hurtful and are causing Schapelle and our family great anxiety and distress.

"The credibility of Renae Lawrence should be seriously questioned and unsubstantiated allegations should not be made simply for the sake of ratings and money."

The Lawrence interview has raised questions of whether Lawrence received money for the interview from Ten and, if so, if she could be in breach of Australian Proceeds of Crime Laws which prevent payments to criminals.

Yesterday, a Senate inquiry in Canberra heard evidence about the Seven Network's dealings with the Corby family.

Commercial director Bruce McWilliam said the company had suffered damage to its corporate image and that AFP search warrants were executed in an aggressive manner, involving more than 30 armed police.

Lawrence and Corby became close friends during their time in prison together. Source: Supplied

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Beating the public housing odds

Helen Humes is a grandmother and has purchased her first home, after living in public housing for 36 years. Here she's photographed with her niece Shauanna Humes-Smith, Picture: Marie Nirme Source: News Limited

IT didn't take long for Helen Humes to realise the odds were stacked against her when she moved into a Balga housing project in the 1970s.

She was a single woman with an infant. And she was indigenous.

"I really felt it was a kind of privilege to be given a home, but I knew then that here I was, a young Aboriginal woman with a child, a single mum, all the stigma and negative stereotypes would be attached to me,'' Ms Humes said.

"And they were, for a while. But I showed them that we're no different to them.''

Ms Humes has spent the past 40 years on the front lines of WA's public housing system.

Now a grandmother of three, she has just bought her own home in Koondoola in Perth's northeastern suburbs.

It's a modest place, with three bedrooms and a tin roof.

But it's proof West Australians can live through the public housing system and become homeowners.

"I never, ever thought I'd own my own house,'' she told The Sunday Times. "But the main thing was to set an example for my son, and my nephews and nieces.''

Ms Humes called the Balga property her home for eight years. Mostly made up of single parents and migrants, the group of Wanneroo Rd townhouses was often filled with the laughter of children playing together. But crime, racism and anti-social behaviour were also prevalent.

"Balga at the time was really quite scary,'' she said. "There was a lot of crime. And it was nothing for the police to just cruise past, want to know who you are, what you were doing, ask, 'Have you got ID?'.

Helen Humes outside her house in Koondoola. Picture: Marie Nirme Source: News Limited

"We saw different migrants moving through the place. I lived next door to an Armenian family, and they suffered a lot more abuse than we did. As a child, I grew up with racism, and then to see that directed at another ethnic group, I was shocked.''

Ms Humes and her son Petrus then moved to a cramped two-bedroom home in Nollamara, where Ms Humes also cared for two of her nieces.

Towards the end of the 1980s, Ms Humes was offered a new three-bedroom house in Mirrabooka. She moved in with seven children under the age of 10.

"At the time, I had the care of my son, my two nieces, and my brother's three children, as well as a friend's daughter,'' she said. "I just don't know how I did it."

Ms Humes spent 26 years in that house. She brought her son up and saw him have children of his own. She cared for relative's children as well as her parents. She also started her masters degree in social work. And she found a job working as a child cultural development adviser at Djoorminda Centrecare.

The job meant she was over-income and no longer eligible for public housing.

Assistance from Indigenous Business Australia and the Department of Housing's Housing Pathways unit helped Ms Humes buy a three-bedroom Koondoola home at the end of last year at age 56.

"I had to really convince myself that I could do it, that I wasn't helpless,'' she said.

Department of Housing service delivery general manager Steve Parry said there were about 69,000 people living in public housing across WA. There are more than 43,000 people on the Department of Housing accommodation waitlist.

He said the Housing Transitions Team, which was introduced in 2012, has helped 179 former public housing tenants transition into affordable housing, including community housing, rentals and home ownership.

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MH370: ‘Our most promising lead’

Angus Houston confirms the Ocean Shield has detected signals consistent with aircraft black boxes, showing reporters the key area on a map.

IN A major development in the search for MH370, Angus Houston has confirmed the Ocean Shield has detected signals consistent with aircraft black boxes, describing the lead as the most promising yet.

Air Chief Marshal Houston called the development significant, saying "this is the most promising lead, probably in the search so far, it's probably the best information we've had".

The search coordinator told reporters more signals have been detected by a towed pinger locator deployed by the Australian vessel Ocean Shield.

"Today, I can report some very encouraging information which has unfolded over the last 24 hours," he told reporters in Perth.

Retired Air Chief Marshall Angus Houston has decribed the development as the most significant yet.

Air Chief Marshal Houston said the signals are "consistent with those emitted by aircraft black boxes."

The towed pinger locator on the deck of the Australian vessel Ocean Shield. Source: Supplied

"Two separate signal detections have occurred within the northern part of the defined search area."

The first was held for more than two hours, the second for about 13 minutes.

"On this occasion, two distinct pinger returns were audible."

He said both would be consistent with transmissions from the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder.

This map shows the new search zone in the hunt for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. Source: News Corp Australia

Air Chief Marshal Houston described the find as "the most promising lead" yet.

"We haven't found the aircraft yet," he stressed, arguing further confirmation is needed.

Air Chief Marshal Houston said the position of the signals would need to be fixed before an autonomous underwater vehicle 'Blue Fin 21' could be deployed to locate wreckage.

"The area in which the signals have been received has a depth of approximately 4,500 metres," he warned, adding it is also the "limit of capability of the autonomous underwater vehicle."

A crew member reads through his notes onboard a RNZAF P3 Orion. Source: AFP

He further argued it could take time to establish with certainty if the detections are from MH370.

"You're right, the life of the batteries must be getting somewhere close to the end of life," he admitted, when asked about the black box.

"We're already one day past the advertised shelf life. We hope that it keeps going for a little bit longer," he said.

HMS ECHO ENTERS SEARCH ZONE

CNN reports that British navy ship HMS Echo has entered the zone where Chinese patrol vessel Haixun 01 picked up two underwater signals only two kilometres apart.

The Australian vessel Ocean Shield is expected to reach the search area later today or tomorrow.

Both the Ocean Shield and HMS Echo have deep-sea listening equipment.

A Royal Australian Navy Seahawk searches for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.i Source: AFP

Twelve aircraft and 14 ships will be part of today's search effort, covering an area of approximately 234,000 square kilometres.

Weather is predicted to be good, with afternoon showers not expected to affect the search.

SEARCH: MH370 'flew around Indonesian airspace'

THEORY: Did MH370 fly to Diego Garcia?

CNN is also reporting that Flight MH370 may have flown around Indonesian airspace on the night it disappeared, in what may have been a deliberate attempt to avoid radar detection.

In this image taken from video, a member of a Chinese search team uses an instrument to detect electronic pulses while searching for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Source: AP

A senior Malaysian government source said the missing jet made the detour after it had left the range of Malaysian military radar.

Hopes of breakthrough ... Chinese vessel the Haixun 01 detected the signal hours after it picked up an initial pulse signal. Source: AFP Source: AFP

CHALLENGE OF THE SEARCH

IT will be "incredibly challenging" to retrieve MH370's black box from a stretch of Indian Ocean where a Chinese vessel may have finally located the missing airliner.

The section of ocean, about 2000km northwest of Perth, in which the Haixun 01 has picked up two possible signals from the black box of the missing Boeing 777-200ER is about 4500m deep.

If the signals are proven to be from the airliner Air Chief Marshal Houston said it would be "very demanding" to retrieve the black box recorder and other wreckage.

"The water in which the Haixun 01 is working at the moment is very, very deep," he said.

New leads ... an Australian Air Force Orion plane taking off from Pearce Airbase in Bullsbrook, 35 km north of Perth. Picture: Tony Ashby Source: AFP

"I think it is in the order of 4500m and that is incredibly deep. Any recovery operation is going to be incredibly challenging and very demanding and will take a long period of time," he said.

According to James Cook University marine geologist Dr Robin Beaman, the search area forms part of the Perth Abyssal Plain — a vast stretch of flat, muddy ocean bottom.

It lies about 60km east of the Brouwer Trough, an ocean trench that drops as low as 5000m below sea-level.

While relatively free of geological features that would make it difficult to access the black box flight recorder or aircraft wreckage, Dr Beaman said the depth would present problems.

An observer looks out a window onboard a RNZAF P3 Orion during the search operations for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in Southern Indian Ocean on April0 4, 2014. Source: Getty Images

"The challenge is that it's a lot deeper than anywhere they have been looking before," he said.

"It's right at the bottom of a very large basin."

For example, 4500m is the maximum depth at which a Bluefin-21 autonomous underwater vehicle carried by the Ocean Shield can operate.

The 6.4 metre-long robot is an invaluable tool that is capable of staying submerged for 25 hours at a time, deploying its sensors to search and map 40 square miles of sea floor per day.

However, Dr Beaman said recovery teams would be aided by a good understanding of the area, with an Australian research team mapping it as recently as 2011.

"Our knowledge of this area is as good as anywhere in this stretch of ocean," he said.

Big guns ... a Chinese Ilyushin IL-76 aircraft flies over Perth returning from search operations. Source: AP

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Road-rage driver gets 13 years for killing fireman

Mark Noormets was a devoted father of four and a volunteer firefighter who lost his life at age 51. Source: Supplied

The fatal crash scene near Byford. Source: Supplied

A DRUGGED driver who killed an off-duty fireman in a head-on crash in a road rage pursuit has been jailed for 13 years.

Rodney Allen Beard, 36, was sentenced today in the District Court over the death of Mark Noormets, 51, in December 2012.

The fatal crash happened on the South Western Highway in Byford when Beard's car veered on to the wrong side of the road as he chased another male driver in a road rage incident.

Beard hit Mr Noormet's car head on. Mr Noormets — a father of four and volunteer firefighter — was killed instantly.

Beard was high on methylamphetamine at the time of the crash.

He originally pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and doing an act likely to endanger the safety of another person.

But he pleaded guilty to both charges on the second day of his trial earlier this year.

Beard will be eligible for parole in 2025.

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