Missing Malaysian flight latest: Passengers' phones still ringing?

Focus of search changes as satellites zoom in

This reproduction of Malaysian police handout photographs displayed to the media on March 11, 2014 by a Malaysian police official at a press conference near Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang shows 19-year-old Iranian Pouria Nour Mohammad Mehrdad (L) and an unidentified man (R) at the airport, who both boarded missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 flight using stolen European passports. Malaysian police said on March 11 one of two suspect passengers who boarded the missing passenger jet was an Iranian illegal immigrant, as relatives of some of the 239 people on board said they were losing hope for a miracle. 

In a bizarre twist to what is already a tragic mystery, Washington Post reported some relatives claimed when they called the cellphones of those on the flight, or found them on Chinese instant messenger service - QQ - indicated that the phones were still online and ringing.

Iranian on board with fake passport
Malaysian police said Tuesday they had identified one of two men who boarded a missing Malaysian jet with fake passports as a 19-year-old Iranian believed to be seeking to emigrate to Germany.
"We believe he is not likely to be a member of any terror group and we believe he was trying to migrate to Germany," said Malaysia's national police chief Khalid Abu Bakar. Khalid said authorities had not yet identified the other man.
Relative hopes for hijacking
Relatives of Chinese passengers on Malaysia Airlines' missing flight MH370 were still clutching to faint straws of hope for their loved ones Tuesday, as the search entered a fourth day.
"I hope it is a hijacking, then there will be some hope that my young cousin has survived," said a man in his 20s surnamed Su.
Families and friends of many of the 153 Chinese passengers -- more than two-thirds of those on board the flight to Beijing -- are gathered at the Lido Hotel in the city, waiting for news.
Focus of search changes
Malaysia Airlines says west coast of country now the focus of search for missing plane.
China has deployed 10 satellites to help in the massive air and sea search for a missing Malaysian airliner, the People's Liberation Army Daily said on Tuesday.
The satellites will use high-resolution earth imaging, visible light imaging and other technologies to "support and assist in the search and rescue operations for the Malaysian Airlines aircraft", the newspaper said in an article that was also carried on the defence ministry's website.
Dozens of ships and aircraft from 10 countries scoured the seas around Malaysia and south of Vietnam as questions mounted over possible security lapses and whether a bomb or hijacking attempt could have brought down the Boeing 777-200ER which took off from the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
China has urged Malaysia to speed up the search for the plane. About two-thirds of the 227 passengers and 12 crew now presumed to have died aboard the plane were Chinese.
The Chinese satellites will also help in weather monitoring, communication and search operations in the area where the plane disappeared, the newspaper said.
China will also strengthen the Beidou navigation system's satellite monitoring capabilities to "provide reliable navigation for the rescue operations and communication support".