Criatividade para todos. Ser criativo não é questão de genética, sorte ou mente privilegiada

Criatividade para todos. Ser criativo não é questão de genética, sorte ou mente privilegiada

A neurociência propõe que a criatividade não é um dom restrito a afortunados, mas um conjunto de processos de pensamento que qualquer um pode desenvolver.

24 de Dezembro de 2014 às 15:12

Por Eduardo Araia

Ser criativo não é questão de genética, sorte ou mente privilegiada, diz o neurocientista americano Jonah Lehrer. Em seu livro Imagine: How Creativity Works (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), lançado em março de 2012 nos Estados Unidos, ele mostra que a criatividade está ao alcance de qualquer pessoa. É só combinar bem os ingredientes certos.
“Sabemos hoje que a criatividade não é um dom especial privativo de alguns poucos felizardos”, diz o autor. “Trata-se de uma variedade de processos de pensamento distintos que todos podemos aprender a usar de modo mais efetivo.” A seguir, cinco dicas essenciais de Lehrer para os leitores darem vazão a todo o seu potencial criativo.

1. Fique desconcertado
Estar desconcertado é um momento fundamental no processo criativo, pois implica um reconhecimento de que a situação não tem saída. É a frustração decorrente desse reconhecimento que pode conduzir ao vislumbre de solução. Segundo o autor, em diversos estudos de mapeamento do cérebro, os cientistas notaram que, quando a pessoa se defrontava com um problema, seu hemisfério esquerdo (a região habitualmente associada à resolução de problemas pelo método analítico) punha-se a trabalhar de imediato. Mas os problemas mais complicados desgastavam rapidamente o processo, deixando a pessoa frustrada e reclamando da dificuldade de solucionar o problema. Com a frustração, indicativa da necessidade de recorrer a um caminho alternativo para superar o desafio, os cientistas perceberam que a atividade mental transitava do hemisfério esquerdo para o direito, associado à criatividade. Com essa mudança, em diversos casos as pessoas demonstraram experimentar momentos de insight, nos quais a resposta lhes vinha à mente de súbito. Para os cientistas, a importância da frustração no processo é crucial.

2. Insista e não desista
Frustração e desconcerto são ingredientes indispensáveis, mas outras duas características também são importantes para deflagrar a criatividade: perseverança e paixão por metas de longo prazo. “Essas qualidades”, explica Lehrer, “englobam a determinação, e nenhum artista, nenhum escritor, nenhum inventor seria bem-sucedido sem ela. A determinação é a qualidade que força você a fazer sacrifícios por paixão, a trabalhar por longas horas ou ficar treinando mesmo quando o treino não é divertido”. Segundo Lehrer, pesquisas revelaram que a determinação é um dos mais importantes indicadores de sucesso, “pois ninguém é suficientemente talentoso para não ter de trabalhar duro”.

3. Dê um tempo
Não é raro ver pessoas munidas de perseverança, frustrarem-se com a falta de solução e continuarem nesse estado por tempo considerável. O que fazer? “Algumas vezes, fazer uma pausa, afastar-se e reconcentrar-se pode ajudar a atingir um estado mental mais criativo”, explica Lehrer. Segundo ele, pesquisas mostram que uma mente relaxada, na qual as ondas alfa aparecem aumentadas, tem mais possibilidade de vislumbrar respostas bloqueadas pela frustração. Para quem imagina que é complicado chegar a esse estado, Lehrer fornece algumas sugestões simples apoiadas em estudos: tomar um bom banho ou assumir uma perspectiva mais positiva ajudam a aumentar a criatividade. “É por isso que tantas corporações bem-sucedidas – da 3M ao Google – têm adotado as pausas para a busca de projetos externos e novas ideias como uma parte crucial do trabalho diário”, afirma o autor.

4. Torne-se um ‘expatriado’
Para explicar esse item, Lehrer remete o leitor à atração que Paris exerce sobre os escritores. Esses artistas, observa o neurocientista, em geral não elaboram ensaios e romances usando a cidade e seus moradores; em vez disso, usufruem da atmosfera do lugar como inspiração para obras que se passam em seus próprios países de origem. De acordo com Lehrer, vários estudos mostram que a viagem é uma forma de expandir a criatividade porque encoraja o viajante a pensar superando as fronteiras do próprio ego.  “Até as pequenas coisas, como não saber se deve dar gorjeta a um garçom ou a forma de dizer ‘obrigado’ na língua local, estimulam a mente e tornam a pessoa mais observadora daquilo que é externo a si própria e daquilo que ela já sabe”, diz o autor. Mas ninguém precisa ir a Paris para despertar a criatividade: “Acordar com um olhar novo e tornar-se um expatriado para seu problema específico pode ser tremendamente benéfico para resolvê-lo.”

5. Incorpore sua criança de 7 anos
Numa pesquisa realizada em 2010, Darya Zabelina e Michael Robinson, da Universidade Estadual de Dakota do Norte (EUA), reuniram centenas de estudantes universitários e os dividiram em dois grupos. O primeiro recebeu as seguintes instruções: “Você tem 7 anos, as aulas foram canceladas e você tem o dia inteiro para desfrutar. O que faria? Aonde você iria? Quem você veria?” A segunda turma recebeu as mesmas instruções, com a diferença de que a primeira frase foi eliminada. Depois de escreverem por dez minutos, os participantes receberam vários testes envolvendo criatividade, como sugerir utilidades para pneus velhos ou tijolos. Os integrantes do primeiro grupo se saíram bem melhor do que o do segundo, propondo praticamente o dobro de ideias criativas. Conclusão: “Temos apenas de fingir que somos criancinhas”, propõe Lehrer.

Insights geniais

Ideias de sucesso reveladas por vias inesperadas
Benzeno – O químico alemão Friedrich August Kekulé descobriu em 1865 a fórmula estrutural do hidrocarboneto usado como insumo na indústria química. Viu-a, em sonho, como a serpente alquímica Ouroboros, que morde a própria cauda.
Post-It – O engenheiro químico americano Arthur Fry, da 3M, teve a ideia milionária do papel suavemente aderente em 1977, quando cantava no coral de sua igreja. Percebeu que os marcadores de página das partituras caíam constantemente.
Micro-ondas – Experimentando um detector de aviões durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial, o engenheiro americano Percy Spencer descobriu que as micro-ondas emitidas pelo aparelho derretiam uma barra de chocolate em seu bolso. A primeira patente do forno de micro-ondas surgiu no pós-guerra.
Barbie – Em viagem na Suíça, Ruth Handler, fundadora da indústria de brinquedos Mattel, viu uma boneca diferente, com cabelos platinados, em uma tabacaria. Por não falar alemão, não notou que a boneca era um sex symbol vendido para homens. Em vez disso, viu-a como alternativa para as bonecas-bebês então dominantes.
Velcro – Depois de caminhar por um campo, em 1941, o engenheiro suíço George de Mestral suou para remover as sementes de bardana grudadas na calça e nos pelos de seu cão. Examinando-as em microscópio, viu centenas de pequenos ganchos, que explicavam sua aderência. Dez anos depois, De Mestral patenteou o Velcro.
copiado  http://www.brasil247.com/pt/

Pimentel fecha com xerife de SP. Aécio é o alvo? Spinelli, xerife de Haddad, vai analisar contas de Anastasia e Aécio Xerife de Haddad deixa Prefeitura de SP e vai para Minas com Pimentel

Pimentel fecha com xerife de SP. Aécio é o alvo?

O controlador-geral do município de São Paulo, Mário Vinícius Spinelli, que desbaratou a quadrilha que desviou mais de R$ 500 milhões da prefeitura, aceitou o convite de Fernando Pimentel e terá função semelhante no governo de Minas Gerais; contratação sinaliza que o novo governador pretende investigar a fundo atos das administrações passadas e fechar a torneira para a corrupção de servidores públicos
Minas 247 - O novo governador de Minas Gerais, Fernando Pimentel, fechou uma importante contratação, antes mesmo da posse.
Mário Vinícius Spinelli, que desbaratou a quadrilha dos fiscais da prefeitura de São Paulo e ajudou o prefeito Fernando Haddad a recuperar mais de R$ 500 milhões, ocupará função semelhante no governo mineiro.
A contratação é um sinal de que Pimentel pretende investigar a fundo atos das administrações passadas, como as dos tucanos Aécio Neves e Antonio Anastasia, e fechar a torneira para a corrupção de servidores públicos.
Leia, abaixo, reportagem do jornal GGN, de Luís Nassif:
Spinelli, xerife de Haddad, vai analisar contas de Anastasia e Aécio
Jornal GGN – O controlador-geral do município de São Paulo, Mário Vinícius Spinelli, está deixando a função para ir para Minas Gerais, onde terá o mesmo cargo no governo de Fernando Pimentel (PT). Spinelli teve uma atuação destacada em São Paulo, quando cruzou informações sobre o patrimônio de funcionários públicos e acabou com um esquema de pagamentos de propina em troca de descontos no ISS, que desviou aproximadamente R$ 500 milhões dos cofres públicos. A prefeitura de São Paulo ainda não anunciou um substituto.
Xerife de Haddad deixa Prefeitura de SP e vai para Minas com Pimentel
Da Folha de S. Paulo
Por Mônica Bergamo
O controlador-geral do município de São Paulo, Mário Vinícius Spinelli, aceitou o convite de Fernando Pimentel (PT) para assumir o mesmo cargo no governo de Minas Gerais.
Pimentel toma posse nesta quinta (1º), no lugar do grupo do tucano Aécio Neves, que comandou o Estado por 12 anos.
Spinelli deve repetir em Minas o trabalho que fez em SP. No começo da gestão de Haddad, ele cruzou informações sobre o patrimônio de funcionários públicos. Acabou desmantelando uma máfia suspeita de desviar R$ 500 milhões, que atuou na gestão anterior, de Gilberto Kassab.
Agora, Spinelli analisará também dados de gestões anteriores em Minas Gerais, como as dos tucanos Antonio Anastasia e Aécio Neves.
Pimentel confirmou ainda o nome de duas mulheres no primeiro escalão de seu governo: Macaé Evaristo será a secretária de Educação e Sinara Meirelles assumirá a presidência da Copasa (Companhia de Saneamento de Minas). Macaé, que é negra e tem um currículo respeitado, foi titular da pasta de Educação quando Pimentel era prefeito de Belo Horizonte.
O secretário estadual de Saúde será Fausto Pereira dos Santos. Deficiente físico e ex-presidente da ANS, ele hoje é secretário de Atenção à Saúde do Ministério da Saúde.
copiado  http://www.brasil247.com/pt/

Video Divers set to search for AirAsia wreckage after debris, bodies found Related Video Video AirAsia CEO: "I'm not running away from my obligations" Video Indonesian president prays for families to be given "strength to face the disaster" Video Indonesia expands search for missing AirAsia jet, U.S. sends warship Related News Airbus says to work with investigators on AirAsia crash investigation Critics ask how AirAsia jetliner went missing in age of GPS

Divers set to search for AirAsia wreckage after debris, bodies found

12:15am GMT

SURABAYA, Indonesia/JAKARTA - Divers and ships will search for the wreckage and the all important black boxes of a doomed AirAsia plane on Wednesday after Indonesian rescuers found several bodies and debris floating in shallow waters off the coast of Borneo. | Video

Divers set to search for AirAsia wreckage after debris, bodies found

By Gayatri Suroyo and Adriana Nina Kusuma

SURABAYA, Indonesia/JAKARTA Wed Dec 31, 2014 12:15am GMT

1 of 18. A Republic of Singapore Air Force personnel surveys the waters during a search and locate operation for the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 plane at an undisclosed search area December 30, 2014.

Credit: Reuters/Edgar Su

Related Video

AirAsia CEO: "I'm not running away from my obligations"

Indonesian president prays for families to be given "strength to face the disaster"

Indonesia expands search for missing AirAsia jet, U.S. sends warship

Related News

• Airbus says to work with investigators on AirAsia crash investigation
• Critics ask how AirAsia jetliner went missing in age of GPS

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• World »

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Airbus Group NV

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€40.94

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12/30/2014

 

AirAsia Bhd

AIRA.KL

RM2.73

-0.01-0.36%

01:05:00 BST

 

General Electric Co

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$25.57

-0.13-0.51%

12/30/2014

(Reuters) - Divers and ships will search for the wreckage and the all important black boxes of a doomed AirAsia plane on Wednesday after Indonesian rescuers found several bodies and debris floating in shallow waters off the coast of Borneo.
Aviation experts believe the fuselage may be easily found as the aircraft probably only broke up when it hit the water.
"The fact that the debris appears fairly contained suggests the aircraft broke up when it hit the water, rather than in the air," Neil Hansford, a former pilot and chairman of consultancy firm Strategic Aviation Solutions, said on Wednesday.
Indonesia AirAsia Flight QZ8501 lost contact with air traffic control early on Sunday during bad weather on a flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore.
The Airbus A320-200 was carrying 162 people, mostly Indonesians. No survivors have been found.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said his priority was getting bodies off the bottom of the Karimata Strait in the Java Sea, where rescuers retrieved a plane door and other debris on Tuesday, so victims could be identified.
"I feel a deep loss over this disaster and pray for the families to be given fortitude and strength," Widodo said in Surabaya on Tuesday after grim images of the scene in the Java Sea were broadcast on television.
AirAsia Chief Executive Tony Fernandes, who has described the crash as his "worst nightmare", was rushing to Surabaya where relatives of the missing are gathered at a crisis centre in Indonesia's second-largest city.
Widodo said AirAsia would pay an immediate advance of money to the families, many of whom collapsed in grief when they saw the television pictures of debris.
The navy initially said 40 bodies had been recovered, although other media later quoted the head of the search and rescue agency, Fransiskus Bambang Soelistyo, as saying only three bodies had been retrieved.
Dozens of Indonesian navy divers are expected to begin the underwater search at first light on Wednesday, a source close to the investigation said.
The United States said its missile-guided destroyer USS Sampson and combat ship USS Fort Worth were awaiting instructions from the Indonesian search command on the recovery operation. Singapore said it was sending two underwater beacon detectors to try to pick up pings from the black boxes, which contain cockpit voice and flight data recorders.
About 30 ships and 21 aircraft from Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and the United States have been involved in the search.
NO DISTRESS CALL
The plane, which did not issue a distress signal, disappeared after its pilot failed to get permission to fly higher to avoid bad weather because of heavy air traffic.
It was travelling at 32,000 feet (9,753 metres) and had asked to fly at 38,000 feet. When air traffic controllers granted permission for a rise to 34,000 feet a few minutes later, they received no response from the aircraft.
Online discussion among pilots has centred on unconfirmed secondary radar data from Malaysia that suggested the aircraft was climbing at a speed of 353 knots, about 100 knots too slow, and that it might have stalled.
Investigators are focusing initially on whether the crew took too long to request permission to climb, or could have ascended on their own initiative earlier, said a source close to the probe, adding that poor weather could have played a part as well.
A Qantas pilot with 25 years of experience flying in the region said the discovery of the debris field relatively close to the last known radar plot of the plane pointed to an aerodynamic stall, most likely due to bad weather. One possibility is that the plane's instruments iced up in a tropical thunderstorm, giving the pilots inaccurate readings.
The lack of a distress call indicated the pilots may have realised too late they were in trouble and were too busy struggling to control the aircraft to issue a call, the Qantas pilot said.
The Indonesian pilot, a former Air Force jet fighter pilot with 6,100 flying hours under his belt, was experienced and the plane last underwent maintenance in mid-November, said the airline, which is 49 percent owned by Malaysia-based budget carrier AirAsia.
GRIM YEAR FOR MALAYSIA AVIATION
Three airline disasters involving Malaysian-affiliated carriers in less than a year have dented confidence in the country's aviation industry and spooked travellers across the region.
Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 went missing in March on a trip from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew and has not been found. On July 17, the same airline's Flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.
In an additional incident, an AirAsia plane from Manila overshot the runway on landing at Kalibo in the central Philippines on Tuesday. No one was hurt.
On board Flight QZ8501 were 155 Indonesians, three South Koreans, and one person each from Singapore, Malaysia and Britain. The co-pilot was French.
The AirAsia group, including affiliates in Thailand, the Philippines and India, had not suffered a crash since its Malaysian budget operations began in 2002.
(Additional reporting by Fergus Jensen, Wilda Asmarini, Charlotte Greenfield, Fransiska Nangoy, Cindy Silviana, Kanupriya Kapoor, Michael Taylor, Nilufar Rizki and Siva Govindasamy in JAKARTA/SURABAYA, Al-Zaquan Amer Hamzah and Praveen Menon in KUALA LUMPUR, Saeed Azhar, Rujun Shen and Anshuman Daga in SINGAPORE, Jane Wardell in SYDNEY, Andrew Callus and Tim Hepher in PARIS; Writing by Dean Yates and Jane Wardell; Editing by Michael Perry)
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Asia closing the year on a cautious note

12:11am GMT

SYDNEY - Asian markets were set for a cautious close to 2014 on Wednesday as worries about Greece's future in the euro zone served as an excuse to take profits on popular trades.

Asia closing the year on a cautious note

By Wayne Cole

SYDNEY Wed Dec 31, 2014 12:11am GMT

Photographers and videographers shoot a stock quotation board displaying Japan's Nikkei average after a ceremony marking the end of trading in 2014 at the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) in Tokyo December 30, 2014.

Credit: Reuters/Yuya Shino

(Reuters) - Asian markets were set for a cautious close to 2014 on Wednesday as worries about Greece's future in the euro zone served as an excuse to take profits on popular trades.
The U.S. dollar also ran into selling on its recent gains, while the euro got no respite as a host of European bonds yields fell to all-time lows after a shockingly sharp fall in Spanish inflation.
Trade was thinned by holidays in Japan, Thailand, South Korea and the Philippines, while many markets in Europe are either shut or finish early on Wednesday.
Among the scraps of data and indicators due in Asia is a final measure of December Chinese manufacturing activity from HSBC, though it is unlikely to cause a fuss unless wildly out of line with the preliminary reading of 49.5.
Australia was one of the few Asia-Pacific markets open and its main index edged up 0.1 percent. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was little changed and is ending the year almost exactly where it started.
The Nikkei fared better with a rise of 7.1 percent for the year, thanks chiefly to the Bank of Japan's extraordinary campaign of asset buying which lowered the yen while fattening exporters' profit margins.
The stand-out performer was China, where the CSI300 index of the largest listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen looked set to end 2014 with gains around 48 percent. Almost all of that came in the last couple of months, as hopes for more aggressive policy stimulus boosted banks and brokers.
On Wall Street, the S&P 500 eased 0.49 percent on Tuesday but was still on track for a third straight year of double-digit returns. The Dow fell 0.31 percent, while the Nasdaq lost 0.61 percent.
In currencies, the dollar eased on the safe haven yen to stand at 119.42 from Tuesday's peak of 120.69.
The euro was undermined by sliding European yields amid intense speculation the European Central Bank will have to start buying government bonds to avert deflation.
The single currency was stuck at $1.2160 having touched a 29-month trough of $1.2123.
German yields hit a new record low on Tuesday, ending 2014 with their biggest annual fall in six years, while yields in Italy and Spain also reached historic lows.
Data out on Tuesday showed Spanish consumer prices fell in December at their fastest rate since July 2009, largely as a result of cheaper oil.
The steep decline made it more likely that inflation for the entire euro zone while slip into negative territory when the data are released on Jan. 7, far below the ECB's target of just under 2 percent.
There was little sign as yet of an end to oil's stunning decline after it hit lows last seen in May 2009. Brent was down 37 cents at $57.51 on Wednesday, while U.S. crude lost 36 cents to $53.76 a barrel.
(Editing by Richard Borsuk)
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• Special Report - The mainland's colonisation of the Hong Kong economy
  1:04am GMT

  Special Report - The mainland's colonisation of the Hong Kong economy

  By Clare Baldwin, Yimou Lee and Clare Jim

  HONG KONG Wed Dec 31, 2014 1:04am GMT
  

  
  

  

  The skyline of Hong Kong is seen through a fence at the Peak in Hong Kong in this September 10, 2014 file photo.
  

  Credit: Reuters/Bobby Yip/Files

  (Reuters) - When Xi Jinping wanted to deliver a political message to Hong Kong as protesters demanding free elections were threatening to take to the streets, he summoned the tycoons who dominate the city’s economy. The words from the Chinese leader at the September 22 meeting in Beijing were uncompromising but not surprising. He would not entertain any demand for full universal suffrage in Hong Kong, according to two people who attended.
  Just six days later, pro-democracy activists made good on their threat, unleashing more than two months of street demonstrations. But while Xi’s message that day in the Great Hall of the People failed to deter the protesters, in speaking directly to the city’s business and professional elite he was showing where Beijing believes real power in Hong Kong resides.
  And it is here, in the city’s business sector, that China is inexorably tightening its grip on the former British colony. Even as Beijing struggles to tame Hong Kong politically, Chinese companies are consuming ever bigger chunks of the city’s key sectors including real estate, finance, power, construction and the stock market.
  

   

   

   

  Many of these industries have for decades been dominated by the business titans who attended the meeting with Xi. Men like Li Ka-shing, Asia’s richest man, casino and hospitality billionaire Lui Che-woo and palm oil magnate Robert Kuok. Now they are witnessing a mainland business invasion of the city.
  One of the most telling signs of change is the space mainland Chinese companies lease in Central district, the heart of Hong Kong’s financial centre. These firms now account for over 50 per cent of new leases signed for offices there, according to a September report from Hong Kong-based brokerage CLSA. That’s up from 20 percent in 2012, the report said.
  The trend is the same in all major business districts. Mainland occupancy of 25 key Grade A office buildings, or prime office space, in the districts of Central, Admiralty, Sheung Wan and Wan Chai increased from 13 percent in 2008 to 21 percent earlier this year, according to commercial real estate services firm CBRE.
  “We do expect more mainland financial firms moving into Hong Kong,” said Simon Smith, senior director of research and consultancy at real estate services provider Savills Plc in Hong Kong. “They like landmark properties, high-profile buildings. They often like naming rights if it’s available.”
  'PRICE IS NOT AN ISSUE'
  The office directory at Hong Kong’s 88-floor International Finance Centre has a growing number of mainland companies on the list. Among them is China Development Bank International Holdings Ltd, which held its opening ceremony in 2011 and serves as the offshore investment firm of China Development Bank, the country’s biggest policy lender.
  “If you go to the International Finance Centre now and compare it to five years ago, it’s very easy to see that there are many more Chinese enterprises represented,” property analyst Nicole Wong, an author of the CLSA report, told Reuters.
  In a market accustomed to stratospheric land prices, state-owned Chinese developers this year stunned long-established local property giants with winning bids exceeding auction forecasts by up to 20 per cent. Of the six available plots sold since the middle of last year in Kai Tak district, one of Hong Kong’s largest developments of residential and commercial complexes, two went to China Overseas Land & Investment (COLI) and one to Poly Property Group.
  “Price is not an issue for them,” said a former senior executive of a Hong Kong-listed developer who was responsible for bidding at land auctions before he left the company in June. “That’s why they offered prices that surprised everyone.”
  A spokesperson for Poly said the company had no comment. COLI did not respond to questions sent by email.
  While it was predictable business ties would expand after the 1997 handover, Beijing has made it clear that economic integration is central to reinforcing its sovereignty over Hong Kong, which is ruled under the one country, two systems model that affords the city’s 7.2 million residents broad personal freedoms. Part of Beijing’s vision is to draw Hong Kong into a Pearl River Delta mega-economy that would also include the giant southern Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou just across the border.
  In 2011, a chapter was dedicated to Hong Kong for the first time in China’s five-year blueprint for national economic development. The 12th Five-Year plan, covering the years from 2011 to 2015, lays out how Beijing wants to connect Hong Kong with the Pearl River Delta’s increasingly prosperous middle class consumers.
  'IT WILL BE LIKE NEW YORK'
  Under the plan, Hong Kong would be a leader for the region in shipping, trade, services and distribution. In finance, Hong Kong would serve as an offshore market for the mainland currency, the renminbi.
  New transport links from Hong Kong now under construction, including a high speed rail to Guangzhou and a bridge across the Pearl River Delta to the mainland city of Zhuhai near Macau, would allow the rapid movement of commuters and visitors.
  “It will be like New York where you have people working in Manhattan and living on Long Island or in New Jersey and commuting in to work every day,” said Hong Kong entrepreneur Allan Zeman, who developed the Lan Kwai Fong pub and restaurant area popular with expatriates. “People who can't have a home here (in Hong Kong) will live in Shenzhen and be able to come here in 10 minutes.”
  The mainland’s construction behemoths, including state-owned China State Construction International Holdings Ltd, are also grabbing market share. Hong Kong’s permanent secretary for Development (Works), Wai Chi-sing, said in an interview that while mainland firms accounted for less than 15 percent of public works contracts by value in the mid 1990s, they now accounted for more than a third.
  While mainland Chinese companies are rapidly expanding into Hong Kong, Western banking and financial institutions still have a strong presence in the city. Global bank HSBC Holdings Plc, for instance, employed more than 28,000 people in Hong Kong at the end of 2013.
  For Beijing, growing economic clout has not been mirrored by increased popular support. Frustrated by Hong Kong residents’ lack of identification with the mainland 17 years after the handover, China has at times resorted to covert means to bolster its control. Earlier this month, for instance, Reuters reported that retired Hong Kong policemen were part of a mainland-led surveillance operation to tail leading pro-democracy figures in the city.
  Although the street protests ultimately petered out, at their height they drew tens of thousands, presenting Xi Jinping with his most serious popular challenge since he took power two years ago. While the protesters have demanded full universal suffrage, the mainland authorities insist that only a handful of Beijing-vetted candidates can stand in the next elections for the city’s political leader in 2017. Hong Kong's current chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, got the backing of Xi and Premier Li Keqiang during a visit to Beijing last Friday, according to reports in China’s state-run media.
  The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office in Beijing and Leung’s office did not respond to questions sent by Reuters.
  NOT ALWAYS AMICABLE
  Rather than foster understanding, growing economic integration has at times raised tensions. One source of friction is the real estate market where wealthy mainland Chinese have bought up property in Hong Kong, helping to push up home prices that are already out of reach for many of the city’s residents.
  “One might have assumed that the inflow of mainland money and companies and people here, and the favourable economic policies of the mainland should have increased emotional integration rather than just economic integration but it hasn’t,” said David Zweig, chair professor of social science at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. “For the rich people here, the heart has followed the dollar but for the middle class and for students it hasn’t.”
  That’s been evident, at times, on the streets of Hong Kong. While the growing influx of mainland tourists has been good news for the city’s retailers – the number of Chinese visitors catapulted from 28 million in 2011 to 40.7 million last year – interactions between mainlanders and Hong Kong residents are not always amicable. In one incident that made headlines earlier this year, locals got into a scuffle with a mainland couple who had allowed their toddler to urinate in the street.
  “Hong Kong without the mainlanders would be a very small city,” says Allan Zeman, explaining the business elite’s attitude to the growth in tourism. “Ocean Park and Disney without the mainlanders would be nowhere. They'd be losing money.” Zeman developed Ocean Park, one of the city’s main amusement parks.
  When Xi met the delegation of tycoons and professionals on the eve of the demonstrations, he gave no indication he was worried, according to one delegation member who gave Reuters an account of the Chinese leader’s remarks. Instead, Xi appeared to signal that the city’s troubles were relatively minor compared to other problems in his in-tray.
  Before commenting on Hong Kong, Xi gave some of the richest men on earth a tour of China’s foreign policy challenges. He told the tycoons that China was now a major force in the world and most of his attention would be focussed on ties with bigger nations including the U.S. and Russia, the delegate said.
  When he eventually turned to Hong Kong, Xi said Beijing had no intention of altering any of its policies and urged the tycoons to support the city’s chief executive. He also said the Hong Kong economy was falling behind those of Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea.
  Li Ka-shing, Lui Che-woo and Robert Kuok, three of the tycoons who were part of the delegation that met Xi, did not respond to questions from Reuters.
  DOWNPLAYING THE PROTESTS
  In an interview earlier this month, another delegate, former Hong Kong Law Society president Ambrose Lam said Xi had ruled out any departure from the guidelines already laid out for the city’s political future. Without citing the Chinese leader directly, Lam said he didn’t think the protests were a big issue for the Chinese leadership.
  It would have been different, he said, if they had happened 30 years ago when Hong Kong’s economy was more important to China. But the city’s gross domestic product is now only 3 percent of China’s, he added. At the time of the handover in 1997, it was almost a fifth.
  Still, summoning the city’s business leaders suggests Beijing may be more concerned than it is prepared to acknowledge. The city’s business leaders were also called to the capital in the aftermath of a 500,000-strong protest in 2003 when China attempted to introduce controversial new security laws. The proposed laws were withdrawn and the then chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, was eventually forced to resign.
  As the mainland ponders how to contain demands for political change, its economic footprint in Hong Kong continues to expand. In retail banking, subsidiaries of mainland banks operate nearly 500 branches in Hong Kong, accounting for about 40 per cent of the total number of branches, according to figures from SNL Financial, a financial service research company.
  Hong Kong’s financial system has also become more intertwined with the mainland, especially as it has emerged as the premier hub for offshore renminbi business. The market in so-called dim sum bonds, bonds denominated in renminbi but issued outside the mainland, is rapidly closing on its Hong Kong dollar counterpart.
  The bonds, named after a popular Hong Kong cuisine, were first issued in 2007. Since then, the outstanding value of dim sum bonds has soared to around 700 billion renminbi, according to industry estimates. That’s nearly 60 per cent of the value of Hong Kong dollar bonds, according to data compiled by the Asian Development Bank.
  And mainland companies have long been making inroads into the local stock market. They now account for 54 percent of the companies traded on the Hang Seng Index.
  MAINLAND GIANTS MAKE INROADS
  As part of Beijing’s plan for the Pearl River Delta, Guangdong and Hong Kong will seek to integrate their transport, energy and power grid infrastructure. For its part, the Hong Kong government is pushing to boost electricity imports from mainland China to reduce pollution and the dominance of two local utilities backed by powerful families, say industry experts who have been involved in consultations with the government.
  Hong Kong's grid is not interconnected with China Southern Power Grid, which supplies electricity to Guangdong and four other southern provinces. Plugging Hong Kong into the Chinese grid would create competition for the city's dominant local utilities – CLP Holdings, backed by the wealthy Kadoorie family, and billionaire Li Ka-shing's Power Assets Holdings – and further strengthen Hong Kong's ties with mainland China. The two local firms have enjoyed guaranteed returns for decades under what is known as the Scheme of Control.
  But the mainland grid giants are making inroads. China Southern Power Grid last year bought a 30 percent stake in CLP's power unit Castle Peak for $1.6 billion, while State Grid Corporation of China spent about $1.2 billion to buy into the local initial public offering of HK Electric Investments, a spinoff of Power Assets, early this year.
  Hong Kong’s Environment Bureau said in an email response that importing electricity from mainland China was one of two options under consideration. CLP and Power Assets did not respond to questions sent by email.
  One area where mainlanders have yet to make headway is the city’s elite clubs. With the exception of some clubs like the Aberdeen Marina Club and the Jockey Club which offer hefty debentures, it is difficult for newcomers like mainland Chinese to get membership as some of these establishments have waiting lists that can be as long as 20 years.
  But at places like the Ladies Recreation Club (LRC) and the Hong Kong Golf Club, members say there is definitely more Mandarin being spoken.
  “Mainlanders haven’t quite got in any meaningful way into the clubs,” says a Hong Kong resident who is a member of three clubs. “But it is only a matter of time.”
  (Additional reporting by Anne Marie Roantree, Saikat Chatterjee, Charlie Zhu, Xiaowen Bi, Michelle Chen, Michelle Price, Donny Kwok and Lizzie Ko. Writing by David Lague. Editing by Peter Hirschberg and Bill Tarrant.)
   copy  http://uk.reuters.com/

• Palestinian draft resolution fails in U.N. council, U.S. votes against
  12:17am GMT

  Palestinian draft resolution fails in U.N. council, U.S. votes against

  By Louis Charbonneau

  UNITED NATIONS Wed Dec 31, 2014 12:17am GMT
  

  
  

  • Middle East »

  (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday rejected a Palestinian resolution calling for Israel to withdraw from Palestinian territories by late 2017.
  The resolution called for negotiations to be based on territorial lines that existed before Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Middle East war. It also called for a peace deal within 12 months.
  Even if the draft had received the minimum nine votes in favour, it would have been defeated by Washington's vote against it. The United States is one of the five veto-wielding permanent members.
  There were eight votes in favour, two against and five abstentions. Australia joined the United States in voting against the measure.
  U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power defended Washington's position against the draft in a speech to the 15-nation council by saying it was not a vote against peace between Israeli and the Palestinians.
  "The United States every day searches for new ways to take constructive steps to support the parties in making progress toward achieving a negotiated settlement," she said. "The Security Council resolution put before us today is not one of those constructive steps."
  "It is deeply imbalanced and contains many elements that are not conducive to negotiations between the parties, including unconstructive deadlines that take no account of Israel’s legitimate security concerns," she said, adding that it "was put to a vote without a discussion or due consideration among council members."
  Jordanian Ambassador Dina Kawar expressed regret that the resolution was voted down.
  "We had hoped that the Security Council will today adopt the draft Arab resolution because the council bears both the legal and moral responsibilities to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," she said.
  The defeat of the resolution was not surprising. Washington, council diplomats said, had made clear it did not want such a resolution put to a vote before Israel's election in March.
  The Palestinians, the diplomats said, insisted on putting the resolution to a vote despite the fact that it was clear Washington would not let it pass. Their sudden announcement last weekend that Ramallah wanted a vote before the new year surprised Western delegations on the council.
  ISRAEL, PALESTINIANS TRADE INSULTS
  In order to pass, a resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes from the council's five permanent members.
  The European and African camps were split in the vote. France and Luxembourg voted in favour of the resolution while Britain and Lithuania abstained. Among the Africans, Chad voted yes while Rwanda and Nigeria abstained.
  Palestinian observer Riyad Mansour said the defeated resolution was the result of 3-1/2 months of efforts after the recent Israeli war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. He said it was time to end the "abhorrent Israeli occupation and impunity that has brought our people so much suffering."
  "The result of today's vote shows that the Security Council as a whole is clearly not ready and willing to shoulder its responsibilities in a way that would ... allow us to open the doors to for peace," he said. "It is thus most regrettable that the Security Council remains parlayed."
  Mansour added that the Palestinian leadership "must now consider its next steps." He did not elaborate.
  In a very brief statement, Israeli delegate Israel Nitzan told the council that the Palestinians have found every possible opportunity to avoid direct negotiations and came to the council with "a preposterous unilateral proposal."
  "I have news for the Palestinians - you cannot agitate and provoke your way to a state," he said.
  French Ambassador Francois Delattre said Paris would continue its efforts to get a resolution through the council that would help move peace efforts forward.
  "France regrets that it isn't possible to reach a consensus today," he said. "But our efforts must not stop here. It is our responsibility to try again."
  An earlier Palestinian draft called for Jerusalem to be the shared capital of Israel and a Palestinian state. The draft that was voted on reverted to a harder line, saying only that East Jerusalem would be Palestine's capital and calling for an end to Israeli settlement building.
  The Israeli government had said that a Security Council vote, following the collapse in April of U.S.-brokered talks on Palestinian statehood, would only deepen the conflict.
  The Palestinians, frustrated by the lack of progress in peace talks, have sought to internationalize the issue by seeking U.N. membership and recognition of statehood via membership in international organizations.
  Israel, which pulled troops and settlers out of the Gaza Strip in 2005, has said its eastern border would be indefensible if it withdrew completely from the West Bank.
  (Editing by Chris Reese, Dan Grebler, Toni Reinhold)
  copy  http://uk.reuters.com/

Rio se prepara para 2015. Aumento de passagem e mensagem do Papa causam surpresa Em visita ao palco principal montado para a festa em Copacabana, prefeito comenta últimas notícias

• Rio se prepara para 2015 com mensagem do papa Francisco e novos aumentos

  Turistas e cariocas precisaram de muita paciência para enfrentar as longas filas de acesso aos principais cartões postais
  

  Rio se prepara para 2015. Aumento de passagem e mensagem do Papa causam surpresa

  Em visita ao palco principal montado para a festa em Copacabana, prefeito comenta últimas notícias

  Jornal do Brasil
  Apenas um dia para a festa de Réveillon em Copacabana, na Zona Sul do Rio de Janeiro, e os preparativos do palco principal estão em ritmo acelerado. Na manhã desta terça-feira (30/12), funcionários trabalhavam na montagem das estruturas, enquanto o carioca aproveitava nas areias mais um dia de muito sol e calor na cidade. Em visita de vistoria feita nesta terça (30) ao local do evento, o prefeito Eduardo Paes comentou que o Papa Francisco gravou uma mensagem parabenizando a cidade pelo seu aniversário de 450 anos, a ser comemorado em 2015. O secretário Municipal de Turismo, Antônio Pedro de Mello, disse que o vídeo foi gravado pelo Vaticano por iniciativa do pontífice. "Tenho a certeza de que a cidade maravilhosa tem muito a oferecer ao Brasil e ao mundo", diz a mensagem do religioso.
  >> Papa Francisco gravou vídeo para Réveillon de Copacabana
  Durante as inspeções nas balsas que vão transportar os fogos para o Réveillon de Copacabana, a Capitania dos Portos encontrou problemas em duas das 11 embarcações, mas os reparos já foram feitos e todas as balsas estão liberadas.
  >> Bairros do Rio recebem palcos para festejar a chegada de 2015
  Pontos turísticos com longas filas
  

  

  Fila nas Paineiras, acesso ao Cristo Redentor

  Os turistas que chegaram na cidade para a festa de Réveillon e aproveitaram para conhecer os famosos pontos turísticos cariocas tiveram que ter muita paciência para enfrentar as logas filas, especialmente nos acessos de subida para o Pão de Açúcar, na Urca, e para o Cristo Redentor, no Largo do Machado, ambos na Zona Sul.
  

  

  Fila para as vans que transportam os turistas até as Paineiras

  As filas no Largo do Machado se prolongavam desde a manhã desta terça (30) pela lateral da praça, os visitantes aguardavam por muito tempo para embarcar nas vans que sobem até as Paineiras. No entanto, a partir deste ponto as pessoas encontravam mais filas para chegar à estátua do Cristo Redentor.
  O prefeito Eduardo Paes considerou o cenário comum para datas festivas. "O Corcovado eu passei ali agora e tem uma fila grande, não tem jeito. O Corcovado tem uma condição difícil acesso, não cabe todo mundo lá em cima, mas você tem uma situação melhor do que dos outros anos. As pessoas ali compram por horário, tem um horário reservado para elas, da van, então tem todo um processo da cidade que a gente espera que funcione bem", disse ele.
  Aumento das tarifas dos transportes públicos
  Eduardo Paes comentou ainda sobre os reajustes nas tarifas dos transportes públicos autorizados pela agência reguladora da categoria no estado do Rio de Janeiro, a  Agetransp. Os preços das passagens das barcas e dos trens da SuperVia serão reajustadas a partir de fevereiro, como informa a publicação desta terça no no Diário Oficial do estado. Os ônibus de linhas intermunicipais também sofreram aumento.
  "Protesto, ninguém pode temer protesto. O protesto faz parte de um sistema democrático. A gente vai fazer o reajuste da passagem, nós estamos ainda fechando os últimos cálculos, pode ser que anuncie ainda hoje, no máximo sai publicado no Diário Oficial na sexta [dia 2 de janeiro de 2015]. A gente fez o aumento no ano passado e faremos de novo esse ano. É contratual, é natural e é normal que assim aconteça", afirmou Paes.
  >> Tarifas das barcas e trens do Rio ficarão mais caras em fevereiro
  Segurança em Copacabana
  Segundo a prefeitura, este ano a segurança será reforçada em Copacabana por um Centro Integrado de Comando e Controle Móvel (CICC) que ficará na Praia de Copacabana. A polícia acrescenta que a estrutura será capaz de identificar armas de fogo através de uma câmera de alta tecnologia, que pode registrar as imagens por meio do calor dos objetos. O efetivo de PMs nas ruas será de 15.441, 25% a mais em relação ao ano passado. Desse total, 1.729 agentes vão ficar baseados em Copacabana.
  Segurança definida de Brasília
  Na manhã desta terça-feira (30) o governador do Rio Luiz Fernando Pezão se reuniu com o governo federal em Brasília para assinar os termos da prorrogação da permanência das Forças de Pacificação no Complexo da Maré, na Zona Norte do Rio de Janeiro. O novo acordo determina a permanência das tropas até junho de 2015.
  A decisão foi informada pelo Ministro da Justiça, José Eduardo Cardozo, após uma reunião com Pezão. Essa é a terceira vez que o governo do Rio pede a extensão da permanência das forças de pacificação no Complexo da Maré, que recebe os agentes federais no dia 5 de abril deste ano.
  >> Forças de Pacificação devem continuar no Complexo da Maré até junho
  copiado  http://www.jb.com.br

Opinião "20 hábitos para ter sucesso que aprendi com dois bilionários"

23:27 - 30 de Dezembro de 2014

Opinião "20 hábitos para ter sucesso que aprendi com dois bilionários"

Paul Brunson já trabalhou com Oprah Winfrey e com Enver Yucel. O que é que estes dois têm em comum? São bilionários. O contacto próximo de Paul com as duas personalidades mostrou-lhe que existem alguns hábitos que são partilhados por pessoas de sucesso. Descubra aqui quais.

Mundo

DR

23:27 - 30 de Dezembro de 2014 | Por Notícias Ao Minuto

“Eu tive a oportunidade de trabalhar tanto com a Oprah [Winfrey] como com o Enver [Yucel] durante seis anos, em conjunto, e esses anos foram, sem dúvida, as melhores experiências profissionais da minha vida. É uma honra poder partilhar aquilo que aprendi com eles. Aqui estão os 20 hábitos para ter sucesso que aprendi ao trabalhar com dois bilionários:”, escreveu Paul Brunson, num artigo publicado pelo Huffington Post.
O especialista em relações públicas resumiu, em 20 pontos, aquilo que as pessoas de sucesso costumam fazer diariamente: Invista em si mesmo. Aprenda uma nova língua, faça exercício, inscreva-se num curso, etc. De acordo com Paul, o momento em que parar de investir em si mesmo, é o momento em acaba com futuros projetos na sua vida.
Seja curioso em relação a tudo. As pessoas de sucesso olham com curiosidade para as coisas que as outras pessoas vêm como normais ou demasiado complicadas.
Rodeie-se com pessoas de sucesso. Como dizia Jim Rohn: “você é a média das 5 pessoas com quem passa mais tempo”.
Nunca coma sozinho. As pessoas de sucesso estão sempre rodeadas de pessoas porque a informação em primeira mão é um bem muito valioso.
Responsabilize-se pelas suas perdas. Paul notou que tanto Oprah como Enver nunca fugiram das suas fases mais conturbadas, responsabilizaram-se e ‘arregaçaram as mangas’, prontos para mudar as coisas. E mudaram.
Entenda o poder de delegar. As pessoas de sucesso são mesmo muito boas em poucas coisas, o resto delegam para pessoas melhor preparadas.
Não há dias de folga. De todas as vezes que Oprah ou Enver estavam de férias, nunca estavam completamente de férias.
Saiba diferenciar experiências de coisas materiais. Quando mais dinheiro se tem, mais coisas se compram. No entanto, as pessoas de sucesso sabem que as experiências valem muito mais que as posses.
Corra riscos. Não há medo de arriscar tudo em prol de um bom projeto.
Não faça nada sozinho. O sucesso não é algo que se consiga sozinho, é preciso trabalho de equipa.
Reconheça o valor de ideias simples. Há quem enriqueça com negócios bastante complicados mas a maior parte das fortunas nasce de ideias que, à partida, parecem quase cómicas.
Seja pacientemente impaciente. Nada acontece do dia para a noite, as fortunas demoram anos a crescer e as pessoas têm que saber disso e esperar. A impaciência deve ser guardada para projetos de curto prazo. Afinal de contas, ser o primeiro faz diferença.
Seja incansável. Se pedir a qualquer pessoa para descrever a Oprah, vão começar logo por dizer que é uma pessoa incansável e inesgotável. É aceitável falhar 100 vezes, pode conseguir-se à 101ª vez.
Desenvolva capacidades oratórias. As pessoas com mais sucesso são aquelas que conseguem mover multidões quando falam.
Seja resistente às críticas. Quanto mais sucesso tiver, mais atenção vai chamar e com essa atenção chegam as críticas. Há que saber separar o que é construtivo do que não é e ter capacidade de resistência emocional enorme.
Ligue-se a pessoas fora do seu círculo.  A sua habilidade para influenciar as pessoas dentro da sua comunidade está diretamente relacionada com a sua habilidade para fazer ligações fora da sua comunidade, diz um estudo.
Passe a sua mensagem até à exaustão. Não deixe que as pessoas à sua volta fiquem com dúvidas, não tenha medo de se repetir: diga aquilo que vai dizer, diga o que vai dizer e depois faça um resumo do que disse.
Aprenda a rir-se de si próprio. Só assim pode levar uma vida equilibrada e saudável.
Aprenda a ser mesmo muito bom numa coisa primeiro. Só se consegue ser muito bom numa coisa se se estiver completamente dedicado a ela.
Aprenda a ter fé. Se se consciencializar que de existe uma espécie de ‘força maior’, consegue uma fonte inesgotável de paciência e força.
copiado  http://www.noticiasaominuto.com/

AirAsia crash victims found holding hands amid wreckage of doomed jet: Search pilot says three of those who perished made heart-breaking gesture before dying as first bodies are discovered

 

AirAsia crash victims found holding hands amid wreckage of doomed jet: Search pilot says three of those who perished made heart-breaking gesture before dying as first bodies are discovered

• 'Adopt the brace position!': Video from inside stricken Virgin jet reveals dramatic moment pilot ordered terrified passengers to prepare for landing
• Mysterious Chinese blogger sparks online frenzy after 'predicting' that 'black hand' was going to bring down AirAsia jet THIRTEEN days before one vanished 
• AirAsia plane carrying 153 people overshoots runway in the Philippines forcing passengers to evacuate on emergency slides

Three people killed on AirAsia flight QZ8501 were holding hands when their bodies were spotted in the Java sea off Indonesia, a pilot has claimed. A plane door, a blue suitcase, oxygen tank and the remnants of an emergency slide were among the objects found about 10km from where the plane was last detected on radar. But the most tragic discovery was a corpse floating in the Java Sea about 100 miles off the coast - and search chiefs fully expect none of the 162 passengers and crew on board made it out of the wreckage alive. The grim recovery came as devastated relatives of AirAsia crash victims collapsed in grief and were taken to hospital after an Indonesian television station showed uncensored footage of swollen corpses floating in the sea.

• 353 comments
• 12 videos
• 737 shares

• 'Adopt the brace position!': Video from inside stricken Virgin jet reveals dramatic moment pilot ordered terrified passengers to prepare for landing
• Mysterious Chinese blogger sparks online frenzy after 'predicting' that 'black hand' was going to bring down AirAsia jet THIRTEEN days before one vanished 
• AirAsia plane carrying 153 people overshoots runway in the Philippines forcing passengers to evacuate on emergency slides

Three people killed on AirAsia flight QZ8501 were holding hands when their bodies were spotted in the Java sea off Indonesia, a pilot has claimed. A plane door, a blue suitcase, oxygen tank and the remnants of an emergency slide were among the objects found about 10km from where the plane was last detected on radar. But the most tragic discovery was a corpse floating in the Java Sea about 100 miles off the coast - and search chiefs fully expect none of the 162 passengers and crew on board made it out of the wreckage alive. The grim recovery came as devastated relatives of AirAsia crash victims collapsed in grief and were taken to hospital after an Indonesian television station showed uncensored footage of swollen corpses floating in the sea.

'Victims were still holding hands in the water': Search pilot claims he saw bodies of AirAsia passengers tragically linked together as divers prepare to retrieve wreckage of doomed jet

• Bodies of crash victims spotted floating in sea off coast of Borneo Island
• At least three bodies recovered from the water by Indonesian naval vessel
• A pilot involved in the search operation saw three bodies holding hands  
• Officials have now confirmed wreckage is from AirAsia flight 8501 
• Navy spokesman earlier claimed 40 bodies were retrieved from Java Sea
• But this figure has now been corrected to three by search and rescue teams  

By John Hall and Belinda Robinson for MailOnline and Sarah Dean and Heather Mcnab and Richard Shears and Louise Cheer and Frank Coletta for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 19:46 GMT, 30 December 2014 | Updated: 00:44 GMT, 31 December 2014

Three people killed on AirAsia flight QZ8501 were holding hands when their bodies were spotted floating in the Java sea off Indonesia, a pilot involved in the search for the missing plane has claimed.

Lieutenant Airman Tri Wobowo, who co-piloted the C130 Hercules aircraft that first saw debris of the plane on Tuesday, told Indonesian newspaper Kompas: ‘There are seven to eight people. Three [of them] again hold hands.’

Since wreckage from the plane was discovered off the coast of Borneo Island after three days of searching there have been a number of different body counts from several official sources.

Divers and ships will search for the wreckage and the all important black boxes of the doomed plane on Wednesday after officials confirmed that the bodies and debris found are from flight 8501

The fuselage may be easily found as the aircraft probably only broke up when it hit the water, aviation experts believe.

Before darkness fell in the area, search teams identified a shadow that they believe to be the plane's fuselage in the sea, which is relatively shallow at just 160 feet at its deepest point. Many of the remaining victims are thought likely to still be on board the aircraft

The Airbus A320-200 was 42 minutes into its flight from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore on Sunday when it vanished with 162 people on board.

Scroll down for video 

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A plastic suitcase, uninflated emergency and oxygen tank from doomed flight 8501 were displayed by rescue workers at Pangkalan Bun airport in Indonesia earlier today

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Live Indonesian television news footage showed at least one corpse floating in the water earlier today

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A family member of passengers onboard the missing Malaysian air carrier AirAsia flight QZ8501, reacts after seeing an unidentified floating dead body during a search and rescue (SAR) mission with Indonesian military

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Rescue workers display the uninflated escape slide from flight 8501 at Pangkalan Bun airport in Indonesia

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An oxygen tank from doomed AirAsia flight 8501 was found floating in the sea off the coast of Borneo island

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Tragic: The flight went missing from radar at 6.18am local time - six minutes after last communication with air traffic control - while travelling from Indonesia to Singapore with 162 people on board. Search and rescue workers spotted a number of bodies and debris floating in the water this morning

Several pieces of red, white and black debris - including luggage, a plane door and an emergency slide - were were spotted in the Java Sea near Borneo island on Tuesday.

The bodies were found in the Java Sea about six miles from Flight 8501's last communications with air traffic control.

Search leader Bambang Soelistyo said: 'As the search and rescue coordinator, I can 95 per cent confirm [this is] debris and objects from the plane. The five per cent is simply because I haven't seen personally seen them.'

Indonesian President Joko Widodo also confirmed plans to visit both the crisis center in Surabaya and the suspected crash location near Pangkalan Bun. 

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This morning AirAsia group chief executive Tony Fernandes said on Twitter: 'My heart is filled with sadness for all the families involved in QZ 8501. On behalf of AirAsia my condolences to all. Words cannot express how sorry I am.'

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The emergency slide from flight 8501 was taken to an Indonesia Air Force press conference earlier today

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Indonesian people pray for passengers of the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 in Malang, East Java

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Indonesian President Joko Widodo (C) leaves after meeting with family members of passengers onboard the missing Malaysian air carrier AirAsia flight QZ8501, at the Juanda International Airport in Surabaya

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A crew member of Indonesian Navy CN-235 airplane prays prior to the start of a search operation for the missing AirAsia flight 8501

Fernandes has told Indonesia's President that he believes the crash was caused solely by bad weather.

Despite the black box recorder having not yet been found, Mr Fernandes said there was 'some very unique weather conditions in the area at the time'.

He then added:'We cannot make any assumptions about what went wrong. All I can say is that the weather in south-east Asia is bad at the moment,' the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

At a press conference later in the day he added: 'This is a scar with me for the rest of my life...There is at least some closure as opposed to not knowing what's happened and holding out hope.'

There were no immediate reports of any survivors, although the presence of a life raft might raise hopes people survived the crash.

A British national, named as Chi Man Choi, according to reports of the passenger manifest in the Indonesian media, is among those on board the plane. 

He is thought to have been travelling with his daughter Zoe on tickets bought on Boxing Day.

Mr Chi is believed to hold a British passport but to have lived in Singapore with his family. 

Indonesia plane search chief says bodies are being recovered

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Members of the Indonesian Air Force show items retrieved from the Java Sea during the recovery operation

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Officials have confirmed that the bodies and debris found in the Java Sea off Indonesia are from flight 8501, with naval rescue workers (pictured) said to be 'very busy' locating and retrieving the victims

The recovery of the three bodies came as devastated relatives of AirAsia crash victims collapsed in grief and were taken to hospital after an Indonesian television station showed disturbing uncensored footage of the corpses floating in the sea.

Images shown on a news channel showed at least one body floating in the water, causing the victims' relatives - who were watching live reports at crisis-centre at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya - to burst into tears, with some fainting and requiring hospital treatment.

The decision to broadcast the uncensored images on live television has led to severe criticism of news channel TV One.

Grieving friends and relatives of passengers sat sobbing quietly into tissues an gazed into thin air as they took in the news and realized that the 'bodies could be their relatives. 

Police officers had to be drafted in to stop press from entering the building, according to Time Magazine.

The bodies were seen from a helicopter and were taken to an Indonesian navy ship. 

Navy spokesman Manahan Simorangkir said several victims were found while Air Force spokesman Hadi Tjahjanto said at least one body had been found.

Indonesian TV shows images of a body floating in the Java Sea

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Suitcases found floating with bodies in the Java Sea have been transported to an Indonesian military base

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An Indonesian air force worker looks out of the window of an aeroplane during search and rescue operations

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Indonesian Navy airmen search the waters near Bangka Island for debris from AirAsia Flight 8501

Earlier, Indonesia National Search and Rescue spokesman Yusuf Latif said an Indonesian military aircraft saw white, red and black objects, including what appeared to be a lifejacket, off the coast, about 105 miles south of Pangkalan Bun.

A massive international search effort has been launched since Flight 8501, an Airbus A320-200 with 155 passengers and seven crew aboard, disappeared from radar over the Java Sea near Belitung island.

The US, China, Australia, Malaysia and Thailand have all been involved in the search, with local fishermen helping.

The news of the sighting of the debris came within two hours of it being revealed that family members were intending to fly over the search area on Sunday so they could pray for those who were missing.

It was not immediately clear whether that charter flight will now go ahead as officials said that viewing the debris would be likely to cause great anxiety.

The items are expected to be picked up by helicopters and flown to a search and rescue co-ordination post on Belitung Island,lying between the southern tip of Sumatra Island and the south of Borneo. 

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A large amount of debris from the plans has been located - including a life raft, life jackets and orange tubes

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A photo taken from a search and rescue aircraft over the Java Sea shows debris from AirAsia flight 8501

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Indonesian search teams believe this lump of metal is a door from missing AirAsia flight 8501

THE FULL STATEMENT FROM INDONESIA AIRASIA AFTER DEBRIS WAS FOUND

Indonesia AirAsia regrets to inform that The National Search and Rescue Agency Republic of Indonesia (BASARNAS) today confirmed that the debris found earlier today is indeed from QZ8501, the flight that had lost contact with air traffic control on the morning of 28th.

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'Devastated': AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes has released a statement after debris was found

The debris of the aircraft was found in the Karimata Strait around 110 nautical miles south west from Pangkalan Bun. The aircraft was an Airbus A320-200 with the registration number PK-AXC. There were 155 passengers on board, with 137 adults, 17 children and 1 infant. Also on board were 2 pilots, 4 cabin crews and one engineer.

At the present time, search and rescue operations are still in progress and further investigation of the debris found at the location is still underway. Indonesia AirAsia employees have been sent to the site and will be fully cooperating with BASARNAS, National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC), and relevant authorities on the investigation.

Sunu Widyatmoko, Chief Executive Officer of Indonesia AirAsia said: 'We are sorry to be here today under these tragic circumstances. We would like to extend our sincere sympathies to the family and friends of those on board QZ8501. Our sympathies also go out to the families of our dear colleagues.'

Tony Fernandes, Group Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia added: 'I am absolutely devastated. This is a very difficult moment for all of us at AirAsia as we await further developments of the search and rescue operations but our first priority now is the wellbeing of the family members of those onboard QZ8501.'

Indonesia AirAsia will be inviting family members to Surabaya, where a dedicated team of care providers will be assigned to each family to ensure that all of their needs are met. Counsellors, religious and spiritual personnel have also been invited to the family centre to provide any necessary services.

Further information will be released as soon as it becomes available. An emergency call centre has been established and available for families seeking information. Family members of QZ8501, please contact:

Malaysia: +60 3 21795959

Indonesia: +62 2129270811

Singapore: +65 63077688

Korea: 007 98142069940

Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families and friends of our passengers and colleagues on board QZ8501.

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Family members are comforted by emergency workers at Juanda International airport 

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Relatives of missing AirAsia passengers react to live news reports of bodies being found off the coast of Borneo Island. The group were watching at a crisis-centre set up at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya

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Devastated relatives (pictured) of AirAsia crash victims collapsed in grief and were taken to hospital after an Indonesian television station showed disturbing images of bodies floating in the sea

Earlier on Tuesday, search jets were dispatched to Long Island, part of the Indonesian archipelago, to investigate a smoke sighting as they hunted for the aircraft,CNN reported.

While the smoke sighting could have been one of many things, Dr Max Ruland, Director of Operations for the search and rescue mission, confirmed to CBS News that two Cessna jets had been dispatched.

The Airbus A320-200 lost contact at about 6.17am local time en route from Surabaya, in Indonesia's east Java, to Singapore after the crew requested a change of flight plan due to stormy weather. 

Aviation experts have revealed veteran pilots usually avoid the area known as the 'thunderstorm factory' where AirAsia Flight 8501 went missing because of its catastrophic storms. 

Strategic Aviation Solutions chairman Neil Hansford told Channel 9's Today most flights went around the area and somebody 'dropped the ball' when they made the flight plan for QZ8501. 

Australia added an extra plane in its contribution to the search on Tuesday.

Two RAAF P3 Orion planes with specialist equipment are now part of the international hunt to find the aircraft. Their search is focused to the west of the island of Kalimantan, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said.

The US navy also agreed to join the multi-national search operation on its third day and have reportedly sent USS Sampson to assist. 

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Rescue workers load body bags onto a flight to Kalimantan in Pangkal Pinang to collect the dead bodies

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Live images shown on Indonesian television showed at least one corpse floating in the water, causing families of the missing to burst into tears and at least one woman to collapse in grief

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Family members of passengers onboard AirAsia Flight QZ8501 react to news about the discovery of debris found floating in the search area

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Indonesian search and rescue aircraft have recorded images of debris on the Java Sea. Authorities are investigating whether they could be pieces of missing AirAsia flight QZ8501

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Objects include a plane door, an emergency slide, and what might be a life raft and life jackets

A statement from the Pentagon said Indonesia had requested their help and their assistance 'could include some air, surface and sub-surface detection capabilities'.

Day three of the search saw the operation expand to land, including the western part of West Kalimantan province, National Search and Rescue Agency chief Henry Bambang Soelistyo confirmed.

Dozens of planes and ships focused their search on two patches of oil spotted in Indonesian waters on Monday as a senior official warned the aircraft was likely at the 'bottom of the sea'. But the patch later emerged to be a coral reef, 9News reported.

Mr Soelistyo said an Indonesian corvette - a warship - was sent to test the spills. 

It has also emerged one of the pilots on-board the missing flight had been denied a request to increase altitude to avoid storm clouds minutes before it disappeared.

In the last communication with air traffic control, six minutes before it vanished off radar, a pilot asked permission to turn left and climb from 32,000 feet to 38,000 feet due to the adverse weather.

But the request could not immediately be granted because another plane was in the airspace at 34,000 feet, Bambang Tjahjono, director of the state-owned company in charge of air-traffic control, said.

By the time clearance could be given, Flight 8501 had disappeared, he added.

Indonesian television shows debris floating in the Java sea

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Search and rescue workers load body bags onto a flight for use at the crash scene

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Stacks of body bags are seen being prepared for transportation to the crash site earlier this morning

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This morning AirAsia group chief executive Tony Fernandes said: 'My heart is filled with sadness for all the families involved in QZ 8501. On behalf of AirAsia my condolences to all'

AirAsia boss works towards speedy conclusion for the families

AirAsia's fleet of short-haul jets was already being fitted with upgraded tracking devices, but the A320 jetliner had not yet been modified when it went missing, the Wall Street Journal reported. 

Waters in the search area, which is roughly the size of California, are not particularly deep at between 130 feet and 160 feet.

In Singapore on Tuesday, people were beginning to make comparisons with the early days of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 which lost contact in March this year and has remained missing, with aviation experts concluding that it had probably gone down in the southern Indian Ocean.

A widespread search of the South China Sea where it last made contact failed to turn up anything other than debris and oil slicks that, officially, were not linked to the aircraft. 

Mr Thomas said this should not happen in an A320, so it appears as though it was related to extreme weather conditions.

'He got caught in a massive updraft or something like that. Something's gone terribly wrong,' he said.

AirAsia will offer compensation for missing passengers

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Officers of Indonesian Search And Rescue Agency check a map at the command centre at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya. More planes will be in the air and more ships at sea in the next day searching for AirAsia Flight 8501

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An Indonesia Navy search and rescue crew looks for AirAsia QZ 8501 on a Maritime Patrol Navy Aircraft above Bangka-Belitung Islands in the Java Sea

The scenes of grief at Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur International Airport and in Beijing where MH370 was due to land are now being repeated among relatives and friends in Singapore and Surabaya.

At a centre set up for relatives of the passengers in Surabaya, anger was growing at the lack of information.

Referring to the search teams, Franky Chandra, who has a sibling and three friends on the AirAsia flight, said: 'We only need clear information every hour on where they are going.

'We've been here for two days but the information is unclear. That's all we need... information.'  

Speculation on the cause of the plane's disappearance has centred on weather, speed and an older radar system.

Aviation experts have speculated that the flight may have encountered 'black storm cells' which caused a build-up of ice on airspeed senors known as pitot tubes.

A similar scenario was blamed for the Air France disaster when Flight AF447 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in 2009 while en route from Rio De Janeiro to Paris.

Aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas spoke to several check captains and believes the pilot of QZ8501 encountered difficult weather conditions but flew too slow in his efforts to avoid it. 

'The QZ8501 was flying too slow, about 100 knots which is about 160 km/h too slow. At that altitude that's exceedingly dangerous,' Mr Thomas said. 

'Pilots believe that the crew, in trying to avoid the thunderstorm by climbing, somehow have found themselves flying too slow and thus induced an aerodynamic stall similar to the circumstances of the loss of Air France AF447 to crash in 2009.' 

'I have a radar plot which shows him at 36,000 feet and climbing at a speed of 353 knots, which is approximately 100 knots too slow ... if the radar return is correct, he appears to be going too slow for the altitude he is flying at,' Mr Thomas said.  

Vice President: Indonesia will continue search despite bad...

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Aviation Safety Network posted this radar graphic on Twitter showing all the flights in the air at the time QZ8501 went missing. A request by one of the pilots to increase altitude due to stormy weather conditions was denied because another jet was in the airspace at the time, it emerged today

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An Indonesian Navy soldier points to the search area for the missing AirAsia plane, on a map at the Navy Port, in Batam, Riau, Indonesia

'Essentially the plane is flying too slow to the altitude and the thin air, and the wings won't support it at that speed and you get a stall, an aerodynamic stall.'

The A320, while sophisticated, is not equipped with the latest radar, Mr Thomas said.  

The radar used by the A320 can sometimes have problems in thunderstorms and the pilot may have been deceived by the severity of these particular ones.  

The latest technology radars, which were pioneered by Qantas in 2002, can give a more complete and accurate reading of a thunderstorm, but they will not be certified for the A320 until next year.

AIRASIA BOASTED IT WOULD 'NEVER LOSE A PLANE' DAYS AFTER MH370 VANISHED WITH 239 ON BOARD

AirAsia once boasted that its well-trained pilots would never lose a plane days after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared.

The budget carrier was forced into a humiliating apology and withdrew the offending article after it was published in its in-flight magazine.

The article sparked anger on social media after an AirAsia passenger posted a photograph of the text on Twitter last April.

The last paragraph read: 'Pilot training in AirAsia is continuous and very thorough. Rest assured that your captain is well prepared to ensure your plane will never get lost.' 

AirAsia Executive Chairman Kamarudin Meranun expressed 'deep regret and remorse,' saying the latest issue of 'travel 3Sixty' magazine was printed before the Malaysia Airlines plane carrying 239 people disappeared ON March 8 while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Mr Kamarudin said the article was a monthly aviation column prepared well in advance by a retired pilot, who had worked for both AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines.

'This is a truly difficult time for the nation and words cannot describe how I personally feel of this incident,' Mr Kamarudin said in a statement.  

'If you don't have what's called a multi-skilled radar you have to tilt the radar yourself manually, you have to look down to the base of the thunderstorm to see what the intensity of the moisture and the rain is, then you make a judgment of how bad it is. 

'It's manual, so it's possible to make a mistake, it has happened,' Mr Thomas explained.  

In a separate development, Earth Network, a firm that monitors weather conditions around the world, recorded a number of lightning strikes 'near the path' of the plane when it disappeared on Sunday morning, it was reported by the New York Times.

Although unlikely to have caused structural damage to the A320, lightning can affect navigation systems and flashes could temporarily disorient pilots, the paper notes.

Sudden shifts in wind direction also have the potential to force jet engines into a stall, although experts this scenario is very unlikely and point to the fact that the Airbus A320 is certified to fly up to three hours on a single engine. 

AirAsia confirmed there were 155 passengers on board - including 138 adults, 16 children and one infant - and also stated there were two pilots, four flight attendants and one engineer on board.

Nationalities of passengers and crew on board are one Singaporean, one Malaysian, one British, one French, three South Koreans and 155 Indonesians.   

The last communication from the cockpit to air traffic control was a request by one of the pilots to increase altitude from 32,000 feet to 38,000 feet because of the rough weather.

Air traffic control was not able to immediately grant the request because another plane was in airspace at 34,000 feet, said Bambang Tjahjono, director of the state-owned company in charge of air-traffic control. 

By the time clearance could be given, Flight 8501 had disappeared, Tjahjono said.

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Aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas (left) believes the plane, piloted by Captain Iriyanto, was flying too slowly

The twin-engine, single-aisle plane, which never sent a distress signal, was last seen on radar four minutes after the last communication from the cockpit. 

Search efforts for the plane's wreckage resumed on Monday at first light and were focused around the area of the Java Sea near Belitung.

'UNBEARABLE' WAIT FOR BROTHER OF MISSING BRITISH PASSENGER AND TWO-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER

The brother of a British man who was travelling on the passenger jet missing off the coast of Indonesia today said the wait for news is 'unbearable' as the family prepares 'for the worst'.

Chi-Man Choi, pictured right, who is originally from Hull, Yorkshire, was flying from Indonesia to Singapore with his two-year-old daughter, Zoe, where they were expected to reunite with his wife and son.

His brother, Chi-Wai Choi, said he was comforting his elderly parents, hoping for positive news but nevertheless 'preparing them for the worst.'

'It doesn't look good at the moment. I am sure if there was anything to find then they would have found it by now.' he told The Sun. 'It is a very tricky time at the moment. We are just holding together for my parents.

'They don't know what to make of it.' 

Chi-Man Choi, a University of Essex graduate, was the managing director of an energy company in Indonesia.

He purchased his plane ticket and that of his daughter on Boxing Day - according to the passenger manifest - and they were seated in the first row, in seats 1B and 1C. 

Earlier, the billionaire CEO of AirAsia described missing flight QZ8501 as his 'worst nightmare' as the massive air and sea search for the plane resumed at first light on Monday.

Tony Fernandes spoke of his horror over the situation after the plane lost contact with air traffic control, a short time after the pilot asked to deviate from the flight path due to 'bad weather'.

Upon first arriving in Indonesia, Mr Fernandes gave a press conference to family and friends of those on board the plane and said the focus should be on the search and the families. 

The 50-year-old built AirAsia from a small, heavily indebted company to a huge low-cost airline after buying it for just 50 cent in 2001. He later expanded into long-hail flights with the AirAsia X brand.  

The fishing boats and official vessels that were sent out by Indonesia's national search and rescue authority, along with helicopters and Hercules aircraft from Singapore, set out again at sunrise on Monday morning. 

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott offered the nation's help to assist in the search on Sunday.

Despite comparisons of QZ8501 to this year's earlier Malaysia Airlines tragedies, Mr Abbott said the AirAsia flight's disappearance was a tragedy but 'This is not a mystery like the MH370 disappearance and it's not an atrocity like the MH17 shooting down'.

MH370 disappeared in March while on its way from Malaysia to China when it lost contact. The aircraft has not been seen since.

Five months later, MH17 was flying over Ukrainian airspace when it was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. All 298 people on board the flight died. 

'PAPA, PLEASE COME HOME': FAMILY'S TORMENT OVER MISSING AIRASIA PILOT WHO FLEW F-16 JETS BEFORE BECOMING COMMERCIAL CAPTAIN  

The daughter of the missing AirAsia captain today made an emotional plea for her father to come home, telling him: 'I still need you'.

Captain Iriyanto disappeared in airspace thick with storm clouds between Indonesia and Singapore while piloting Flight 8501 with 162 people on board yesterday.  

His picture was posted on social media by his 22-year-old daughter Angela Ranastianis with the heartbreaking message: 'Papa, please come home, I still need you. Bring back my papa.'

Cpt Iriyanto's father said the last time he saw his son was at the funeral of his other son who died of diabetes last week.

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'Papa, come home, I still need you': Angela Ranastianis, the daughter of missing AirAsia pilot Iriyanto, has made an emotional appeal for her father to return safely after posting this picture with him online

Suwarto, who has only one name, told the BBC he hoped he would see his son again, but accepted it would be God's will if he didn't.

At Iryanto's house in the East Java town of Sidoarjo, neighbours, relatives and friends gathered to pray and recite the Quran to support the distraught family.

Their desperate cries were so loud, they could sometimes be heard outside where three LCD televisions had been set up to monitor search developments.

'He is a good man. That's why people here appointed him as our neighbourhood chief for the last two years,' said Bagianto Djoyonegoro, a friend and neighbour, adding that despite being busy with his job, Iryanto was always very active in the community and attentive to the needs of the people around him.  

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Double tragedy: Cpt Iriyanto's father, Suwarto (above) said the last time he saw his son was at the funeral of his other son who died of diabetes last week

Cpt Iriyanto's nephew told Indonesian news outlet Detik.com his uncle, who is married with two young children, was 'a very caring person'.

He said: 'He is always helping people because he is a very caring person. If there is a sick relative who needed help and even money, my uncle would be there.

'If there are money problems in the family, he would surely help.'

Many recalled him as an experienced Air Force pilot who flew F-16 fighter jets before taking early retirement to become a commercial airline pilot. 

Cpt Iriyanto was 'was one of the best graduates' at the military academy, the Adi Sucipto Air Force pilot school, in 1983, former coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister Djoko Suyanto told the Jakarta Post. 

'Iriyanto was known as one of the "Flight Leaders" on F-5 Tigers, the leading fighter jet in the 1980s,' said Yadi, who once served with Iriyanto in the 14th squadron.

AirAsia said the captain had more than 20,000 flying hours, of which 6,100 were with AirAisa on the Airbus 320. 

AIR INDUSTRY'S DEADLIEST YEAR IN A DECADE AS TOLL RISES TO 1,212 

The past 12 months have been the worst for aviation fatalities so far this decade - with the total of number of people killed if airline crashes reaching 1,050 even before the AirAsia plane vanished.

Two incidents involving Malaysia Airlines planes - one over eastern Ukraine and the other in the Indian Ocean - led to the deaths of 537 people, while an Air Algerie crash in Mali killed 116 and TransAsia Airways crash in Taiwan killed a further 49 people. 

The remaining 456 fatalities were largely in incidents involving small commercial planes or private aircraft operating on behalf of companies, governments or organisations. 

Despite 2014 having the highest number of fatalities so far this decade, the total number of crashes was in fact the lowest since the first commercial jet airliner took off in 1949 - totalling just 111 across the whole world over the past 12 months. 

The all-time deadliest year for aviation was 1972 when a staggering 2,429 people were killed in plane crashes. 

However this year's total death count of 1,212, including those presumed dead on board the missing AirAsia flight, marks a significant rise on the very low 265 fatalities in 2013 - which led to it being named the safest year in aviation since the end of the Second World War. 

Mr Abbott was speaking on Macquarie Radio on Monday, adding: 'It's an aircraft that was flying a regular route on a regular schedule, it struck what appears to have been horrific weather and it's downed'.

The Australian Defence Force deployed a RAAF AP-3C Orion Maritime Patrol Aircraft to assist on Monday.

Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin said the aircraft had 'a well-proven capability in search and rescue and carries maritime search radar coupled with infra-red and electro-optical sensors'.  

The pilot of the AirAsia plane has been named as Captain Iriyanto, while the co-pilot is believed to be Frenchman Remi Emmanual Plesel.  A picture of the pilot has been posted on social media by his daughter Angela Ranastianis.

Cpt Iriyanto's nephew told Indonesian news outlet Detik.com his uncle, who is married with two young children, was 'a very caring person'.

'He is always helping people because he is a very caring person. If there is a sick relative who needed help and even money, my uncle would be there,' the relative said.

'If there are money problems in the family, he would surely help.

A family including a groom-to-be and his parents and brother were reportedly among those onboard. 

Fox News reported Alain Oktavianus Siaun and his family were intending to enjoy one last holiday together before he married. 

His fiancee Louise Sidharta told The Star in Malaysia she was trying to stay positive.  

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 Indonesian AirAsia stewardess Khairunisa Haidar Fauzi, who was listed as one of the seven crew members on board missing flight QZ8501

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AirAsia flight attendant Khairunisa Haidar Fauzi was travelling on the missing AirAsia flight

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Rohana, the mother of Khairunisa, points towards her daughter (left in framed picture) in a family photograph

AirAsia chief: 'Passengers' families are our number one priority'

She said: 'I heard it on the radio and immediately browsed the Internet and saw the news. 

'My heart knew by then that my fiancé was on that flight.' 

But Ms Sidharta said she would not give up.

'We have to stay positive and hope that they [loved ones] could be found soon,' she said.

The British passenger aboard the missing AirAsia flight was travelling with his two-year-old Singaporean daughter after other family members got an earlier flight from Indonesia, it is believed.

It is thought the British father, named as Chi Man Choi, and his daughter Zoe, were returning to Singapore and planned to reunite with the young girl's Singaporean mother, who travelled on an earlier flight from Surabaya, in Indonesia, with Zoe's older brother.

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An AirAsia flight - which was an Airbus A320-200 with the registration number PK-AXC (pictured above) - that departed Surabaya early Sunday morning was meant to land at Changi Airport 

Search and rescue operation underway after flight disappears

Mr Choi, who is believed to be from Hull in Yorkshire originally and who graduated from the University of Essex, was the managing director at an energy company in Indonesia.

He purchased his plane ticket and that of his daughter's on Boxing Day - according to the passenger manifest - and they were seated in the first row, in seats 1B and 1C.

The Foreign Office was unable to formally confirm the British national's identity but confirmed a Briton was on board and next of kin had been informed.

A spokesman said: 'We are aware of an incident regarding AirAsia flight QZ8501.

'Our thoughts are with the passengers' families as they await further news.

'We have been informed by the local authorities that one British national was on board.

'Their next of kin has been informed, and we stand ready to provide consular assistance.'

A spokesman for the British Embassy in Jakarta said it was working with local authorities to establish further details. 

It is believed the three South Koreans on the plane were Park Seong-beom, 37, his wife Lee Kyung-hwa, 36, and their 12-month daughter Park Yuna.

According to officials at Yeosu First Presbyterian Church, the couple had been sent to Indonesia as Christian missionaries and were travelling to Singapore to renew their visas.  

Director of Aviation releases last point of contact with QZ8501

Relatives hope for a 'miracle' after AirAsia plane vanishes

According to Indonesia's Director of Air Transport, Djoko Murjatmodjo, contact with the aircraft was lost between Tanjung Pandan and Pontianak, a trading port city in west Kalimantan about 100 nautical miles south east of Tanjung Pandan. 

AirAsia Indonesia announced the flight's disappearance via a statement on Facebook which said: '[It] regrets to confirm that flight QZ8501 from Surabaya to Singapore has lost contact with air traffic control at 07.24hrs this morning'.

'At the present time, we unfortunately have no further information regarding the status of the passengers and crew members on board, but we will keep all parties informed as more information becomes available,' it said.

'At this time, search and rescue operations are in progress and AirAsia is cooperating fully and assisting the rescue service.'

It later issued a statement confirming it had set up emergency briefing rooms for family members of the missing passengers at both airports. 

Indonesia mobilises multinational force to seek missing plane

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A relative looks at the list of passengers of the missing AirAsia flight at Juanda Airport in Indonesia

Sunu Widyatmoko, chief executive of AirAsia Indonesia, said: 'We are deeply shocked and saddened by this incident. 

'We are cooperating with the relevant authorities to the fullest extent to determine the cause of this incident. In the meantime, our main priority is keeping the families of our passengers and colleagues informed on the latest developments.

TIMELINE OF AIRASIA FLIGHT QZ8501

• 5.35AM (local time) - Departed Surabaya, Indonesia
• 6.12am - Pilot requests to change the travel height of the plane to an altitude of 38,000 feet
• 6.17am - AirAsia flight QZ8501 loses contact with Jakarta Air Traffic Control
• 6.18am - The flight disappears from radar
• 7.55am - Flight is declared missing

'We will do everything possible to support them as the investigation continues and have already mobilised a support team to help take care of their immediate needs, including accommodation and travel arrangements.' 

Tatang Zaenudin, deputy of personnel at Basarnas, said that the agency was working to approve flights from Australia to aid with the huge operation to locate the plane, reported The Sun Herald.     

AirAsia changed the colour of its logo from red to grey as a mark of respect to the missing plane.

The aircraft was an Airbus A320-200 with the registration number PK-AXC. 

An A320 pilot writing on the aviation forum Aviation.net said the weather as the AirAsia flight headed north east was 'nasty' but he believed that it would not be enough to cause a major structural failure. 

Family of AirAsia pilot grapple with grief

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Flight attendent Oscar Desano (above right) is believed to have been on board the missing flight

'While the weather on the route looks rather nasty, I have always found that the A320 is a really solid aircraft in turbulence,' the pilot, writing from Canada, said

'I've flown it through bad winter storms, tropical thunderstorms and all sorts of combined weather and I've never felt that the aircraft was being held together on a hope and a prayer.'

A BRIEF HISTORY OF AIRASIA

• Flight QZ 8501 is operated by AirAsia Indonesia

• The company was formed in 2001 in KL, Malaysia

• Joint venture with aviation companies in Thailand, Philippines

• Impeccable safety record – no incidents since 2001

• It is a low-cost airline that flies between 22 countries

• Also travels to Australia, Japan and India

• AirAsia serves longer haul routes including Bali to Perth and Melbourne

Other crew members lost along with the pilot and co-pilot were four flight attendants are listed as Wanti Setiawati, Khairunisa Haidar Fauzi, Oscar Desano and Wismoyo Ari Prambudi as well as technician Saiful Rakhmad.

On Christmas Eve, Desano wrote on Twitter: 'Merry Christmas to all my beautiful friends who celebrate it.'

He also posted a picture of himself wearing his AirAsia identification tag.  

AirAsia flies mostly in the South East Asian area, its reach being as far as Sydney and the Queensland Gold Coast. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement to Fairfax Media, saying it was checking with the Australian Embassy in Jakarta and the Australian High Commissioner in Singapore to see if any of the passengers were holding an Australian passport.

'Those concerned about the welfare of their Australian family and friends who were known to be travelling on this flight should contact the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135 (or +61 2 6261 3305 if calling from overseas),' the statement read. 

The United States also offered to help with the search.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said: 'Our hearts and hopes are with the passengers and families of AirAsia QZ8501.' 

AirAsia has established an Emergency Call Centre available for family or friends of those who may have been on board the aircraft. The number for the hotline is +622129850801.  

LIST OF PASSENGERS ON BOARD DOOMED AIRASIA FLIGHT 8501 

 1. Viona Florensia Abraham.

2. Siau Alain Octavianus

3. Sri Ratri Andriani

4. Sri Vincencia Andrijany

5. Sharon Michelle Ang

6. Steven Michael Ng

7. Ong Anelina

8. Lindawati Anggara

9. Monica Anggraini

10. Linda Anggreni

11. Santiago Jasmine Rose Ann

12. Jayden Cruz Ardhi

13. Reggy Ardhi

14. Yuni Astutik

15. Thirza Aurelia

16. Djarot Biantoro

17. Kevin Biantoro

18. Gani Chandra

19. Chi Man Choi

20. Zoe Man Suen Choi

21. Marianne Claudia Ardhi

22. Michelle Clemency Ardhi

23. The Darmaji

24. Inda Djani

25. Kaylee C. Djomi

26. Martinus Djomi

27. Angeline Esther Emmanuel

28. Ernawati

29. Musaba Evientri Wahab

30. Edward Febriantus

31. Joe Jeng Fei

32. Andrian Fernando

33. Susilo Gani

34. Justin Giovanni

35. Nico Giovanni

36. Feilensia Sularmo Go

37. David Gunawan

38. Jie Charly Gunawan

39. Jie Stephanie Gunawan

40. Jie Steven Gunawan

41. Jie Stevie Gunawan

42. Kayla Audrey Gunawan

43. Kenneth Mathew Gunawan

44. Hendra Gunawan Syawal

45. Hindarto Halim

46. Hayati Luftiah Hamid

47. Finna Handayani

48. Rony Handoyo

49. Sukiatma Haripin

50. Prawira Harja Subagio

51. David Hartono

52. Caroline Harwon Lioe

53. Juliana Ho

54. Christanto Leoma Hutama

55. Jo Indri

56. Monita Wahyuni Jauw

57. Jessica

58. Ang Mie Jong

59. Shiane Josal

60. Kosuma Chandra Kho

61. Vera Chandra Kho

62. Sesha Aldi Krisputra

63. Felicia Sabrina Krisputri

64. Kristiyono

65. Nelson Kusuma

66. Wirantono Kusumo

67. Kyung Hwa Lee

68. Indahju Liangsih

69. Fransisca Lanny Winat Liem

70. Ekawati Ligo

71. Yan Koen Lim

72. Susandhini Limam

73. Juanita Limantara

74. Grayson Herbert Linaksita

75. Kathleen Fulvia Linaksita

76. Tony Linaksita

77. Sri Linggarwati

 78. Megawati

79. Merry

80. Abdullah Muttaqin

81. Andrian Noventus

82. Donna Indah Nurwatie

83. Lanny Octavani

84. Jimmy Sentosa Winata Oei

85. Denny Octavianus

86. Sherlly Ong

87. Soamik Saeran Pai

88. Seongbeom Park

89. Gusti Ayu Putriyan Permata

90. Andri Wijaya Poo

91. Christien Aulia Pornomo

92. Feyny Yufina Pornomo

93. Ruth Natalia M Puspitasari

94. Gusti Ayu Madi Keish Putri

95. Mulyahadikusuma Ranudiwjojo

96. Ria Ratna Sari

97. Siri Romlah

98. Fandi Santoso

99. Karina Santoso

100. Nikolas Theo Santoso

101. Lia Sari

102. Yonathan Sebastian

103. Samuel Joyo Sentoso

104. Mawin Sholeh

105. Soetikno Sia

106. Gusti Made Bobi Sidartha

107. Chung Hei Sii

108. Elbert Soesilo

109. Aris Soetanto

110. Lina Soetanto

111. Cindy Clarissa Soetjipto

112. Kevin Alexander Soetjipto

113. Rudy Soetjipto

114. Yenni Soewono

115. Budi Su

116. Kartika Dewi Sukianto

117. Sulastri

118. Hanny Suryaatmaja

119. Djoko Suseno

120. Naura Kanita Rosada Suseno

121. Susiyah

122. Hermanto Tanus

123. The Meiji Thejakusuma

124. Hendra Theodorus

125. Raynaldi Theodorus

126. Winoya Theodorus

127. Suriani Usin

128. Soesilo Utomo

129. Eny Wahyuni

130. Oktaria Wen

131. Bhima Aly Wicaksana

132. Andreas Widjaja

133. Djoko Satryo Tanoe Widjaja

134. Eko Widjaja

135. Florentina Maria Widodo

136. Nanang Priyo Widodo

137. Anna Widyawati

138. Alfred Widjaya

139. Bob Hartanto Wijaya

140. Marilyn Wijaya

141. William Wijaya

142. Indar Prasetyo Wijaya Kwee

143. Boby Hartanto Winata

144. Ingrid Jessica Winata

145. Natalina Wuntarjo

146. Indri Yani

147. Jou Yongki

148. Elisabeth Youvita

149. Brian Youvito

150. Jou Christine Yuanita

151. Albertus Eka Surya Yulianto

152. Indra Yulianto

153. Stephanie Yulianto

154. Indah Yuni 

The information comes from the list on display at the AirAsia Crisis Center post at Juanda airport. It does not include members of the AirAsia crew on board the plane.

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