Steenkamp ‘scared of’ Pistorius: text

A court has heard Oscar Pistorius shot his girlfriend in the hip before hitting her fatally in the head.

Defence... Oscar Pistorius claims he shot Reeva Steenkamp after mistaking her for an intruder. Source: AFP

OSCAR Pistorius's girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp told the athlete she was sometimes scared of him in a text message nearly three weeks before he shot her dead, a South African court has heard.

"I'm scared of you sometimes and how you snap at me and how you react to me,'' Steenkamp said in a message after the athlete thought she had flirted with another man, the court heard.

A neighbor of Oscar Pistorius also testified at his murder trial on Monday that she heard gunshots as well as screams from both a man and a woman on the night that the double-amputee runner fatally shot girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Horrific end ... Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead through a locked toilet door. Source: AFP

The testimony by Anette Stipp matched some of the testimony by other witnesses who have said they also heard a woman screaming around the time that Pistorius killed Steenkamp before dawn on February 14, 2013.

The defence has countered that the neighbors were actually hearing Pistorius screaming in a high-pitched voice after he shot Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model. Pistorius has said he shot his girlfriend by mistake through a locked toilet door, thinking that she was an intruder in his home.

Chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel opened Monday's court session by noting evidence will include analysis of cellular telephones, including two that were removed from the bathroom where the shooting happened.

Investigators had been chasing information on Pistorius' locked iPhone for months and met Apple officials in the United States just before the trial started on March 3. Pistorius has said he forgot the password to his phone.

Oscar Pistorius plans to sell his Pretoria house where he shot dead his girlfriend last year.

Ms Stipp, the neighbour, said under questioning from Nel that she heard gunshots while lying awake around 3am on the night of the shooting, and then heard the "terrified, terrified'' screams of a woman.

"The screaming at that stage just continued,'' said Ms Stipp, who recalled looking out from a balcony at two houses with lights on in the gated estate where her family and Pistorius lived.

She said she told her husband Johan, who previously testified, that the screaming sounded as though a "family murder'' had taken place.

"There was definitely a female screaming for quite a period,'' Anette Stipp said. "You could definitely hear two different voices.''

She said she then heard a second set of shots, and the screaming stopped.

The defence has said that Mr Pistorius fired into the door and then battered the door with a cricket bat to get to Steenkamp after realising she was inside the toilet cubicle. Roux insists that some neighbors who testified mistook the sound of the cricket bat striking the door for gunshots.

Defence lawer Kenneth Oldwadge pressed Anette Stipp on her recollections of that night, questioning whether she was inside her house or on a balcony while hearing what she said were shots and screams, and whether she was alert because she had said she was slightly ill at the time.

Mr Nel has said he will wrap up his case against Mr Pistorius this week after calling four or five more witnesses to support his contention that the Olympian intentionally killed Steenkamp after an argument. The defence will then present its case.

Judicial officials say the trial will continue until May 16, with a recess in April.

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Tourist still critical after lightning hit

Stefanie Wiedenroth who was struck by lightning. Source: Supplied

Stefanie Wiedenroth who was struck by lightning. Source: Supplied

A YOUNG German backpacker who was struck by lightning in rural WA is fighting for her life and remains in a critical condition.

Stefanie Wiedenroth, 22, was struck by lightning on Friday morning and is not expected to survive her injuries.

But tonight, a Royal Perth Hospital spokeswoman told PerthNow that Ms Wiedenroth remained in a critical condition.

Ms Wiedenroth was working for a sheep crutching contractor at Muntadgin near Bruce Rock when she was hit just before 9am on Friday.

Her fellow workers performed CPR on her before taking her to hospital.

She was taken to Bruce Rock Hospital and later flown to Royal Perth Hospital by the Royal Flying Doctor Service

Her parents arrived from Germany to be at her bedside over the weekend.

The 22-year-old's employer Darren Major said he was standing about 25m away from Ms Wiedenroth went down.

"We were getting ready to work and Stefanie was walking around in a paddock getting ready," he said.

"Right above us it was basically blue skies but just off to the west of us there were clouds brewing but nothing to be concerned about; it was basically just a normal day.

"It was just a freak lightning strike, that's the only way I can describe it."

Mr Major said four other people standing close to Ms Wiedenroth at the time the lightning hit were also thrown to the ground but weren't seriously injured.

"I was next to a truck and a spark jumped from the truck to my side, about a two to three inch spark," he said.

"I didn't get pushed over but it certainly made me jump.

"This morning it felt like I've woken up after a game of football — the right side of my ribs are sore and it just feels like somebody has punched me in the back of the head on the left hand side."

Workers performed CPR on Ms Wiedenroth for about six minutes while Mr Major called for help.

It's understood WorkSafe will investigate the incident.

A lightning storm between Merredin and Bruce Rock taken by Western Power Linesman Ryan Ash. Source: Supplied

Shortly after Ms Wiedenroth was hit, Merredin local Ryan Ash photographed the imposing storm in the region.

It is believed this is Ms Wiedenroth's second solo backpacking trip to Australia and her second trip to Muntadgin in the WA Wheatbelt.

Mr Major said Ms Wiedenroth had many friends in the tight-knit community and was well-liked.

"She's full of energy, really enjoyed the country lifestyle. She said it was a totally different experience from Germany," he said.

"We just hope that she pulls through and makes a recovery from this but at this stage I'm not too sure."

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Freo trains running after cable chaos

TransPerth officials assess the damage after a train mishap at Daglish station. Picture: Marie Nirme Source: News Corp Australia

FREMANTLE train services will be running again for morning commuters after repairs were completed on a snapped cable.

Trains began running again at 7.40pm, almost 12 hours after the incident that left services on the Fremantle line in chaos.

Transperth's David Hynes said technicians had been working all day to repair the damage, which was now complete.

"There is still some minor work to be done on the Daglish turnback siding, but this will not affect operations," he said.

TransPerth officials assess the damage after a train mishap at Daglish station. Picture: Marie Nirme

"Trains started running again in both directions at 7.40pm, after which the replacement buses were gradually phased out.

"We very much appreciate our passengers being so patient today — we understand that the situation has been far from ideal."

Transperth will launch an investigation into what caused the problem.

The damaged cable at Daglish station. Picture: Marie Nirme

COMMUTER CHAOS AFTER CABLE SNAPPED

The drama for commuters began just before 8am when it is believed a powerline or support cable was brought down by a train near Daglish Station.

Train services on the Fremantle Line were suspended and replacement buses operated along the full length of the line in both directions.

The line lost power as a Perth-bound train was pulling into Daglish station at 7.56am.

An overhead wire was brought down, but at this stage it has not been determined whether it was a power line or part of the supporting structure, or what caused it to come down.

Passengers were kept on the train at Daglish for about 45 minutes until it was determined it was safe for them to disembark and complete their journey by bus.

The train was unable to reach the platform at Daglish, further complicating matters for commuters who were stranded inside the four-car train without air-conditioning.

Several other trains along the line also lost power but all were able to stop at stations so passengers could disembark onto platforms.

The Midland line was also affected this morning, with delayed services.

Twitter: @KaitlynPST

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New objects found in search: PM

New objects have been located in the Australian search are in the search for flight MH370. Courtesy: Sky News

THE missing Malaysia Airlines plane went down in the Indian Ocean presumably killing all those on board, authorities said after viewing new satellite data.

Malaysia Airlines has informed the relatives of those aboard missing flight MH370 that they believe no one on the plane survived.

The following SMS message was sent to relatives: "Malaysia Airlines deeply regrets that we have to assume beyond any reasonable doubt that MH370 has been lost and that none of those on board survived. ... we must now accept all evidence suggests the plane went down in the southern Indian Ocean."

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said in a 1am AEDT news conference that a new analysis of satellite data showed that the missing plane plunged into the southern Indian Ocean.

HMAS Success is in the area and is attempting to recover the objects.

Mr Najib said the Inmarsat satellite company had employed never-before used technology and found that MH370 flew along the southern corridor.

"Its last position was in the middle of the Indian Ocean west of Perth," he said 17 days after MH370 disappeared enroute from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew on board.

"This is a remote location far from any possible landing sites. It is therefore with deep sadness that I regret that I must inform you that according to this new data that MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean.

"The past few weeks have been heartbreaking. I know this news must be harder still."

The overnight developments came after Prime Minster Tony Abbott announced that two "objects" were located by a RAAF P3 Orion in the search for MH370.

Mr Abbott told Parliament the first object was grey or green and circular and the second was orange and rectangular.

Distraught family members of those on board were being booked on charter flights to take them to Perth to be near the expected salvage operation.

Bearer of bad news ... Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak after his press conference. Source: AFP

HMAS Success is in the vicinity of the possible debris, about 2500km southwest of Perth, and hopes to be there within hours to recover the objects.

Australian Maritime Safety Authority emergency response division general manager John Young said the P3 Orion had to leave before the HMAS Success arrived last night and it was possible the ship would have to wait until the first light of morning to find the objects.

MH370 WAS CO-PILOT'S FIRST 777 FLIGHT WITHOUT MINDER

"Relocation is proving difficult. That is partially a function of the poor visibility and the fact that the aircraft are a long way apart. It is quite difficult to get the next aircraft or the next ship into the spot to take over the watching where the object is because they are all at the end of their endurance and have to leave," he said.

"You may find that we will be doing this for maybe three or four more days before we are confident that we have either found all of the objects there, or if they are there we simply can't find them. And that's the plan."

Searching for answers ... HMAS Success is nearby and will be there within hours to recover the objects. Source: Supplied

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's Minister of Defence and Acting Minister of Transport Hishammuddin Hussein told a media conference that the new items had not yet been identified or linked to the missing Malaysia Airlines plane.

"Two orange objects, approximately one metre in length, and one white-coloured drum were sighted by search aircraft, but remain unidentified and have not been conclusively linked to MH370," he said.

On the way ... the commanding officer of HMAS Success, Captain Allison Norris of the Royal Australian Navy. Source: AFP

"HMAS Success detected two radar targets within the search area but could not locate the targets on further investigation of the area.

"Earlier today a Chinese search plane reportedly sighted objects within the Australian search area. These objects are not in the vicinity of those that were identified by Australian authorities last week.

HMAS SUCCESS CAPTAIN STEERS SHIP THROUGH HOSTILE SEAS

"A few minutes ago the (Malaysian) Prime Minister received a call from the Prime Minister of Australia who informed him that an Australian search aircraft had located two objects in the Australian search area — one circular and one rectangular.

"HMAS Success is in the vicinity and it is possible that the objects could be received within the next few hours or by tomorrow morning at the latest."

Items located ... Malaysian PM Najib Razak takes the call from Tony Abbott. Source: Twitter

Mr Abbott said an RAAF P3 Orion located the two objects about 2.45pm AEDT.

The PM said a US Navy Poseidon, a second Australian Royal Australian Orion and a Japanese Orion are also en route to the search area.

"I caution again ... that we don't know whether any of these objects are from MH370, they could be flotsam,'' he told Parliament.

"Nevertheless we are hopeful that we can recover these objects soon and they will take us a step closer to resolving this tragic mystery.''

On a mission ... Prime Minister Tony Abbott says a US Navy Poseidon, a second Australian Royal Australian Orion and a Japanese Orion are also on the way to the search area. Source: News Corp Australia

Hishammuddin said Malaysian police have interviewed over 100 people, including the families of both the pilot and co-pilot.

"As far as the transcript is concerned, the technical committee is considering releasing it and we will keep you informed about the decision," he said.

"The Inspector General of the Police will attend tomorrow's press conference to answer further questions on the investigation.

"We can also confirm that MH370 was carrying wooden pallets. However, there is as yet no evidence that these are related to the wooden pallets reportedly sighted in the Australian search area."

Hishammuddin said France has now provided two lots of images of potential debris from MH370.

EXPERTS SAY NEW FINDINGS 'COULD BE LIFE RAFTS'

Paul Edwards, former chief of staff of British Army Aviation, told Britain's Sky News the sightings were "quite significant".

"It is certainly encouraging because of the shape, because of the colour orange obviously, it could be from the aircraft.

"The good news is that the aircraft has spotted it and surface ships are in the area which means that quite quickly we're going to get an Australian warship alongside to get eyes on it, and actually identify it and — if it's small — fish it out of the sea. To me that's quite a significant development and very encouraging.

"(As it's only been) a short time, there's more chance of getting there and, crucially, actually identifying it."

Duty ... Leading Seaman Luke Horsburgh stands watch on the bridge of HMAS Success during the search for MH370. Source: AFP

Professor Chris Bellamy, from Britain's Greenwich Maritime Institute, said the orange items could possibly be life rafts.

"I'm afraid that doesn't give much hope that there will be anybody in the life rafts. If the plane broke up then the slides might have inflated automatically," he told Sky News UK.

"We're against the clock here because in the 16 or 17 days since the plane disappeared that stuff could have gone an awfully long way."

The development comes after Chinese aircrew earlier spotted objects in the search area off Perth.

Hunt for clues ... the families of Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah and his co-pilot Fariq Hamad have been interviewed, say Malaysian officials. Picture: YouTube Source: YouTube

The official Xinhua news agency said earlier on Monday that "white and square" objects were spotted by searchers on board a Chinese Ilyushin-76 plane, which was on its way back to Perth at the time of the sighting.

US Navy P8 Poseidon was unable to relocate the objects after it was tasked to investigate the reported sightings by the Chinese aircraft at 33,000ft.

At the request of the RAAF, one Australian pilot was on board the Chinese plane to join the search.

Chinese icebreaker Xuelong changed its course and was heading towards the area.

Multiple countries are now helping in the search with new satellite images pushing the Australian-led operation towards further areas of potential debris.

Civil and military aircraft from Australia, New Zealand, the US, China and Japan are all taking part in the massive hunt for the Malaysia Airlines plane, which disappeared more than 16 days ago with 239 people on board.

A new sighting ... by a Chinese aircrew today. Source: Supplied

READ MORE: MH370 GIRLFRIEND'S POIGNANT LOVE NOTES

READ MORE: WHY WON'T THEY RELEASE THE FULL CARGO LIST?

After a fruitless day of searching yesterday, satellite images from France provided some fresh impetus. They were reportedly taken on Friday although few details have been released.

"Malaysia received new satellite images from the French authorities showing potential objects in the vicinity of the southern corridor. Malaysia immediately relayed these images to the Australian rescue co-ordination centre," the transport ministry said in a statement in Kuala Lumpur.

While the statement from Malaysia called the information "new satellite images'', France's Foreign Ministry said they were "radar echoes". It is thought the radar echoes — electronic signals — had been converted into fuzzy images.

PLANE FLEW AS LOW AS 3650 METRES BEFORE VANISHING

New evidence supports previous eyewitness accounts that the missing Malaysian airliner flew as low as 3650 metres over Malaysia before it vanished.

Military radar tracking showed the plane changed altitude after making a sharp turn over the South China Sea and headed back over the peninsula towards the Straits of Malacca, according to a source close to the investigation, CNN reports.

The Boeing 777 with 239 people on board flew as low as 3650 metres feet at some point before it disappeared from radar, according to the source.

Malaysian authorities have not confirmed the CNN report.

READ MORE: THE EU'S AIRLINE BLACKLIST

Dawn to dusk ... a P-3C Orion aircraft sits on the tarmac in Perth. Pic: Rob Griffith. Source: AP

'PALLET' MYSTERY

So far there has been nothing concrete found, only the grainy satellite images and a visual sighting of what appeared to be a wooden pallet which has yet to be located.

Authorities co-ordinating the search yesterday sent planes and a ship to try to "re-find'' the pallet that appeared to be surrounded by straps of varying lengths and colours.

It was seen Saturday by spotters on a search plane, but no images were captured of it and a military PC Orion military plane dispatched to locate it could not find it.

Objects ... satellite imagery from AMSA. Source: Supplied

"That's the nature of it,'' AMSA aircraft operations co-ordinator Mike Barton said. "You only have to be off by a few hundred metres in a fast-travelling aircraft.''

AMSA said the aircraft that spotted the pallet was unable to take photos of it.

READ MORE: WHEN TRAGEDY TURNS TO GRIM ROUTINE

"We went to some of the expert airlines and the use of wooden pallets is quite common in the industry,'' Mr Barton said. "They're usually packed into another container, which is loaded in the belly of the aircraft ... It's a possible lead, but we will need to be very certain that this is a pallet because pallets are used in the shipping industry as well."

More data ... the Chinese satellite image. Source: Supplied

During a visit to Papua New Guinea, Prime Minister Tony Abbott told reporters the satellite images were good leads but it was "still too early to be definite".

"But obviously we have now had a number of very credible leads and there is increasing hope — no more than hope, no more than hope — that we might be on the road to discovering what did happen to this ill-fated aircraft," he said.

LARGE FLOATING OBJECTS

On Saturday it was revealed that a Chinese satellite had picked up what appeared to be a floating object, about 22.5 metres by 13 metres. It was seen about 120km from the position where an Australian satellite image showed what also appeared to be debris of about 24 metres in length.

On the lookout ... Japan's P-3C Orion arrives to help in the search. Pic: Jason Reed. Source: AP

One of the objects located by the French satellite on Friday was estimated to be about the same size as the object captured by the Chinese satellite (22 metres by 13 metres), according to a Malaysian official, who declined to be identified because he isn't authorised to speak to the media.

It was not possible to determine precise dimensions from the French data, the official said.

The Australian image was taken on March 16 and the Chinese image was taken on March 18.

Authorities have not yet officially revealed what date the French image was taken or what it showed.

First light ... a Japanese P-3C Orion readies to join the search. Source: AP

The southern Indian Ocean is thought to be a potential area to find the jet because Malaysian authorities have said pings sent by the Boeing 777-200 for several hours after it disappeared indicated that the plane ended up in one of two huge arcs: a northern corridor stretching from Malaysia to Central Asia, or a southern corridor that stretches toward Antarctica.

Malaysian authorities have not ruled out any possible explanation for what happened to the jet, but have said the evidence so far suggests it was deliberately turned back across Malaysia to the Strait of Malacca, with its communications systems disabled.

They are unsure what happened next.

Prayers ... an electronic billboard in Kuala Lumpur shows a message for MH370. Source: Getty Images

'MYSTERY CALL' DENIED

Malaysian police have denied that a mystery phone call was made to Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, the pilot of the missing plane.

It was reported earlier that a mystery woman called the captain before takeoff, raising fears about his motives.

The Mail Online reported that the captain's phone records revealed he took a two-minute phone call from a woman using a mobile phone number obtained under a false identity.

But Assistant Commissioner Datin Asmawati Ahmad dismissed the report as "mere speculations".

Family man ... Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah with his family. Pic: YouTube. Source: Supplied

"Please be advised that the Royal Malaysia Police take no responsibility over the dissemination of such information which originates from unnamed and unverified sources. The news in the tabloid are mere speculations," Asst Comm Ahmad said in a statement.

"We would like to draw your kind attention to the fact that the news was picked up from a foreign tabloid which has no exclusive rights to the details of our investigations.

"Secondly the IGP has never issued any public statement that categorically places the MH370 investigation under an act of terrorism."

In the spotlight ... acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein. Pic: Joshua Paul. Source: AP

RELATIVES STILL FURIOUS

In Beijing, a Malaysian Government team spent a marathon six hours briefing relatives of the 153 Chinese passengers who were on the plane. It was the third meeting and comes after criticism by Chinese relatives that they were being kept in the dark about the search.

"The government wishes to reiterate its commitment and continued engagement with the relatives of those on board MH370," the Transport Ministry said.

Some relatives were still dissatisfied, however.

"I'm so furious,'' said one woman after the meeting in Beijing. "I watch the television every day. Very often I feel like I'm about to go insane. My emotions are all over the place. I asked the Malaysians to give the answers and they said they couldn't."

This weekend's Formula One grand prix in Malaysia is also causing problems, with relatives of passengers on the missing flight forced to move hotels.

Prayers ... messages of support in Kuala Lumpur. Source: Getty Images

The Italian Ferrari team has had a long-held booking at the Cyberview Resort and Spa in Kuala Lumpur.

Formula One commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone told NBC: "I feel terribly, terribly sorry for these people. But it is up to the hotel. What would happen if you told somebody that they no longer had a booking? You would get sued, I'd imagine."

The relatives will be put up at a new hotel as the search continues. Several foreign officials, investigators and journalists are also being forced to move.

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Thief smashes Clancy’s prized fishtank

The smashed fishtank at Clancy's Fish Pub in Fremantle. Picture by venue manager Justin Rogan. Source: Supplied

Staff at Clancy's Fish Pub, Fremantle, say they are disgusted by the senseless attack. Source: News Limited

STAFF at iconic Fremantle fish pub Clancy's are disgusted after a thief broke in and smashed open a prized fish tank, leaving tropical species to die.

Tom Fisher, whose family opened the first of four Clancy's Fish Pubs 26 years ago, says a burglar broke in and stole a large quantity of alcohol before smashing open the display fish tank.

"A couple of the bigger fish were still gasping when they got there and we're trying to get them out to a staff member's fish tank as soon as possible to see if they will survive," Mr Fisher told PerthNow today.

"(It's) a bit sad really. We do a lot of things to make it a lot nicer for families to go out to pubs, which not all pubs do, and its just a bit of a blow," he said.

"We've had many break-ins over the years but generally they're sort of quick, people grabbing some booze and getting out of there, nothing this malicious.

"It just seems completely pointless why he'd just break in just to do that."

Mr Fisher said despite the incident, which happened some time between lock-up at 2am and when cleaners arrived at 7am, the venue would continue to operate as usual today.

Anyone with information is urged to contact CrimeStoppers.

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Father charged with murder of 25-year-old son

Crime scene: police at the Midland unit where a 25-year-old man's body was found. Source: PerthNow

MAJOR Crime Squad detectives have charged a 60-year-old Midland man with the murder of his paraplegic son.

Tyron Paul Honeywood, 25, had been living at home with his father at the time.

Police were called to the Cope Street unit around 8am on Friday after Mr Honeywood's body was discovered.

About 20 police officers, including detectives and forensics officers, examined the unit.

They refused to confirm reports of neighbours who told PerthNow that they heard a man screaming and the sound of someone jumping their backyard fence about 2am.

The father will appear before the Perth Magistrates Court on Monday.

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Fifth motorcyclist killed on WA roads

Paramedics could not save a motorcyclist who was hit by a car near Albany. File picture. Source: News Limited

A 41-YEAR-OLD man has become the fifth motorcyclist in six days to lose their life after a horrific spate of road crashes.

The motorcyclist was hit by a driver on Albany Highway, at the Rocky Crossing Road intersection, about 12.05am in Warrenup, near Albany.

The fatal crash brought to nine the number of road deaths this week, with five riders, three people in cars and a cyclist losing their lives.

A 21-year-old man, from the Albany suburb of Redmond, has been charged with dangerous driving occasioning death, exceeding 0.05 and no authority to drive.

The man will appear in Albany Magistrates Court on April 10.

In another fatal accident yesterday, a 62-year-old woman lost her life after being injured in a crash in Halls Creek.

The woman was a passenger in a Toyota Landcruiser when the 45-year-old driver lost control of the vehicle and drove into a ditch off Duncan Road about 11.50am yesterday.

A WA Police spokeswoman said 15 people between the ages of three and 70 were in the car at the time of the crash. none were wearing seatbelts.

The woman was taken to Halls Creek hospital but died yesterday afternoon.

The fatal accidents bring WA's road toll to 37 this year.

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Dogs revival cops reality check

The Bulldogs were smashed by 65 points. Source: News Corp Australia

THE Western Bulldogs' ambitions for a strong revival in 2014 received a reality check as a hungry and polished West Coast opened the season in style.

Missing skipper Ryan Griffen, the Bulldogs were beaten at their own contested game as they were belted by 65 points at Patersons Stadium.

Essendon recruit Stewart Crameri kicked two goals but couldn't provide the strong focal point the Bulldogs need him to be, finding most of his ball away from dangerous areas in his first appearance for his new club.

LIVE HQ: EVERY SUPERCOACH SCORE AND STAT FROM THE MATCH

Shaun Higgins, making his latest comeback from injury, provided better news with an encouraging return.

Robert Murphy and Lachie Hunter of the Bulldogs celebrate a goal in Murphy's 250th match. Source: Getty Images

Finishing with 23 touches and two goals, Higgins played on after requiring treatment late in the second term when he copped a knee to the head from a flying Nic Naitanui.

Youngster Jack Macrae also stood up, finishing with 31 possessions and two goals.

All-Australian ruckman Will Minson was overwhelmed by the Eagles' formidable three-pronged ruck battery, with Naitanui, Dean Cox and Callum Sinclair all complementing their on-ball work with time in attack.

Jack Darling of the Eagles is congratulated after kicking a goal. Source: Getty Images

For a Bulldogs outfit that under Brendan McCartney likes to hang its hat on a quality in-and-under game, there was a sorry set of numbers to underpin the match-defining 39-point deficit at the major break.

The Eagles smashed the Bulldogs 89-64 in the contested possession count in the first half, with clearance star Tom Liberatore kept on a tight leash by Scott Selwood and Matt Priddis.

Liberatore was held to just nine touches in the first half as a deep West Coast midfield rotation assumed control.

He battled on strongly in the second half as the Bulldogs rejigged their on-ball set-up but the damage had been done.

The visitors so often attempted to handball their way out of trouble when confronted by an effective Eagles zone.

Eagle Sharrod Wellingham is caught by Jason Johannisen. Source: News Corp Australia

The Dogs had 24 more handballs than kicks for the opening half as they struggled to penetrate, with just four scoring shots a miserable return.

Robert Murphy got a couple of consolation goals to mark his 250th match after moving forward in the second half, but it failed to stem the bleeding as the relentless Eagles continued to extend the margin.

The biggest ovation for the evening was reserved for departed Eagles icon John Worsfold, who completed an emotional lap of honour at half-time to mark the end of his 24 years at the club as a player and coach.

The future looks bright under rookie coach Adam Simpson, who maintained the tradition of all of his predecessors at the club by winning his first game in charge.

West Coast's towering forward set-up should continue to provide plenty of match-up headaches, and while some of the big men didn't make it count, the midfielders hit the scoreboard to complement Mark LeCras' five-goal haul.

Eagles coach Adam Simpson addresses the team. Source: News Corp Australia

Luke Shuey's second goal, a stunning volley out of mid air from the top of the goal square in the third quarter, provided the exclamation mark as the Eagles ensured a marathon opening round ended the way it started - with a WA team making a statement.

BEST

Eagles: LeCras, Cox, Rosa, Mackenzie, Priddis, Selwood, Darling.

Bulldogs: Macrae, Morris, Murphy, Boyd, Liberatore, Dahlhaus.

VOTES

3- LeCras

2- Cox

1- Rosa

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Super sleuths looking for MH370 clues

The federal govt is warning it may take days to find the objects thought to be wreckage from flight MH370.

What could it be ... the largest object estimated at 24 metres long spotted in the Indian Ocean. Picture: AFP/Australian Government's Department of Defence via the Australian Maritime Safety Authority Source: AFP

SUPER sleuths employed by the government's highly secretive Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation (AGO) will spend coming days poring over high-resolution satellite photographs searching for clues about the fate of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

The imagery specialists — who can spot an open window from space — identified the flotsam in the southern Indian Ocean which led Prime Minister Tony Abbott to spark fresh hope that one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries might soon be solved.

Official information about the organisation is hard to find, but it is understood to employ several hundred people located in a historic building and attached high-security facility at Bendigo in Victoria and in a bunker at Defence Headquarters at Russell Offices in Canberra.

About a quarter of AGO's staff are analysts whose job it is to examine digital images from aircraft, drones, satellites or other sources that could be as varied as an insurgent stronghold in Afghanistan, an illegal people smuggling or fishing boat in Northern Australia or a small piece of floating debris in the Indian Ocean.

The analysts undertake an intensive six-month course to learn how to examine aerial or satellite photographs and to see what lies behind the image.

"They can tell

Unidentified objects ... satellite images taken by provider DigitalGlobe on March 16, 2014 show objects in the Indian Ocean which may be from missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Picture: AFP/Australian Government's Department of Defence via the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. Source: AFP

whether the windows on a hut in Afghanistan open up or out or whether a door opens in or out or the height of the branches on a tree in the yard," said intelligence expert Professor Des Ball.

Imagery comes into AGO from numerous commercial and highly classified government sources such as spy satellites orbiting the earth every 90 minutes or so.

The images that provided fresh impetus to the world's most bizarre airline mystery were taken by a commercial American satellite on March 16. The company's DigitalGlobe WorldView-2 satellite imagery comes with a resolution of about 50cm.

Operating from 770km up in space the 2800kg "bird" can collect imagery across one million square kms of the earth's surface every day.

Its altitude explains the grainy nature of the satellite images released to the world's media that appear to show a 24-metre long piece of debris floating just below the surface.

"We can confirm that DigitalGlobe has provided imagery to search officials in Australia, and we have been informed by an Australian government official that it was our imagery Prime Minister Abbott referred to in his recent comments," the company said.

"No conclusions have been reached about the origins of the debris or objects shown in the imagery, and we are not aware that any subsequent search missions have been able to locate it."

According to Professor Ball the next step is for the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to task its high-resolution KH-11 low earth orbit imagery satellite to focus on any fresh images from the search area.

The images captured by DigitalGlobal were taken on March 16 and the debris would have drifted hundreds of kilometres since then.

The CIA "bird" orbits at 120km above the earth and can provide resolution down to six cms over an area to 80 degrees south.

It circles the globe roughly every 90 minutes or 17 times in 24 hours, but is of no use in a wide area search or in darkness or cloudy weather.

The spy satellite needs to be focused on a specific area to be able to find the target and provide high-res imagery. That means one of the dozen or more commercial imagery satellites in orbit would need to locate the debris and then pass the coordinates to the KH-11 bird so it can snap away during future passes over the area.

Once captured by the CIA satellite the high-res digital images would be sent to AGO for analysis with details passed to search co-ordinators and eventually to aircraft and ships in the search zone.

As it has unfolded, the mystery of missing flight MH370 and the incredible twists and turns in world news coverage so far

None of the CIA imagery would be publicly released because it would provide America's enemies with vital clues about its capabilities.

Australia has no indigenous satellite capability primarily because the government negotiates high-level access to US signals intelligence and imagery birds thanks to the presence of the top-secret CIA ground station at Pine Gap near Alice Springs.

This unique facility is run by the CIA even though it deals with signals intelligence which is normally under the wing of the US National Security Agency (NSA).

The Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation's mission is "to provide geospatial intelligence from imagery and other sources in support of Australia's defence and national interests."

"Imagery is not going to solve this mystery, it will only be solved when the debris is retrieved and identified," Professor Ball said.

Australian National University senior fellow and former intelligence officer John Blaxland said in his view the satellite images showed a large ISO shipping container. The containers come in six, 12 and 24 metre lengths.

"It could be part of an empty wing but it looks more rectangular like a semi-submerged shipping container," he said.

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Arrests end stolen car ram manhunt

Police are searching western Perth suburbs for two men who allegedly rammed a police vehicle with a stolen car and left a police officer with broken ribs. Picture: File image Source: News Limited

POLICE have arrested a group of males in the end to a dramatic western suburbs manhunt sparked when a police vehicle was allegedly rammed with a stolen car and an officer assaulted.

Police say they found three men in a park at the corner of Peel Place and Cardigan Terrace in Jolimont and took them into custody.

Nine News reported a fourth man was arrested in a nearby backyard.

The men were allegedly travelling in a car that rammed a police vehicle on Halesworth Road in Jolimont about 2.50pm today.

Police say one man had been apprehended and handcuffed by police officers when the second man, who police were attempting to arrest, allegedly assaulted a police officer.

Both men then escaped police.

A constable has been taken to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital with suspected broken ribs.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 131 444.

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