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MH370 investigators point to 'third party' in cause of crash

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The shadow of a Royal New Zealand Air Force P3 Orion is seen while the aircraft searched for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean in 2014. ( (Rob Griffith/AP Photo))

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TODAY:

A new report on the MH370 investigation suggests the plane's controls may have been deliberately manipulated.

CBS executive Les Moonves under investigation for sexual misconduct allegations.

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MH370 a mystery without end

The final investigative probe into the fate of Malaysian Airlines MH370 suggests that the plane was deliberately steered off course, but offers no theory as to why, or by whom.

The official Safety Investigation Report, released this morning by the Malaysian government, is 449 pages long and examines every aspect of the March 8, 2014 flight that took off from Kuala Lumpur destined for Beijing and then disappeared from radar screens as it switched course and headed out over the Indian Ocean. All 239 passengers and crew aboard are presumed dead, but no bodies were ever recovered.

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The independent, international team of 19 investigators looked at everything from the weather, to the maintenance and components of the Boeing 777, to the financial and health backgrounds of the crew and even the cargo of lithium-ion batteries and mangosteen fruit, but were unable to pinpoint the cause of the course change and eventual crash. But they have expressed strong doubts that it was the result of a mechanical malfunction.

"There is no evidence to suggest that a malfunction had caused the aircraft to divert from its filed flight plan route. The aircraft's maintenance history and events prior to the last flight do not show any issues that could have contributed and resulted in the deviation and subsequent changes in the flight path," reads the report. "It is more likely that such manoeuvres are due to the systems being manipulated." And as such, the "possibility of intervention by a third party cannot be excluded."

Chief Investigator Kok Soo Chon told reporters that he and his team believe that the course change, and shutting off of key communications systems, was done manually and deliberately, but they don't think it was the pilot.

"We are not of the opinion it could be an event committed by the pilot," he said.

Four years of searches, covering more than 120,000 square-kilometres of sea failed to discover the final resting place of the aircraft. And to date, only 27 pieces of wreckage, certified or suspected to have come from MH370, have been recovered from beaches around the Indian Ocean.

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Australian safety experts concluded that the plane ran out of fuel and hit the water at high speed, shattering on impact. But other aircraft investigators, including one Canadian, claim that flight ended in a controlled ditching in the open ocean in an act of mass-murder-suicide.

Today's report makes a number of safety recommendations including improved cargo screening, better surveillance of the mental health of crew, and better and stronger emergency locator transmitters. It also identifies some shortcomings in Malaysian air traffic control's initial response to the plane's disappearance, noting that only two attempts were made to phone the aircraft, almost five hours apart.

The lack of new insights as to the plane's fate has angered the families of those who were aboard. In China, which was home to 153 passengers, family groups accused Malaysian authorities of a cover-up. "This is a political conspiracy," Zhang Yongli, whose daughter is among the missing, told the EFE news agency. While in Indonesia, the mood was more one of resignation. "It is so disappointing," Intan Maizura Othman, whose husband was an MH370 steward. "There is nothing new in the report."

The latest search for the plane's wreckage was called off in late May, but Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia's new prime minister, has said that he will consider restarting the effort if new information comes to light.

Last month, an independent investigator produced a new drift analysis based of the locations where four verified pieces of debris were recovered and concluded that the likely crash site was far to the north of previous search areas.

At the request of the families, plans to build a memorial to the crash victims have been placed on indefinite hold until the wreck of MH370 is finally found.

Moonves and #MeToo

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​​Les Moonves, the chair and CEO of CBS Corp., faces a quick end to his 20-plus years in charge of the television network as its board meets today to consider allegations of sexual harassment against him.

In an article published by the New Yorker on Friday, six women claim that they were subject to unwanted sexual advances by the powerful entertainment executive over a 20-year period, with two of them saying that he threatened to damage their careers when they spurned him.

Les Moonves, president and CEO of CBS, left, is the latest powerful man to face allegations of sexual misconduct. ((Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP))

Moonves has admitted that there was a time when he "may have made some women uncomfortable by making advances," and has apologized for the "mistakes," but says he never harmed any of the women's careers.

But the New Yorker allegations surround more than his own behaviour, with 30 former and current employees telling the magazine that Moonves presided over a culture of harassment at the network, with top male talent being protected and promoted even as CBS paid out sexual misconduct settlements on their behalf.

However, Moonves isn't the only American media personality under fire this week. Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host and now girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr., is battling reports that her recent departure from the network was the result of inappropriate sexual behaviour.

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Several U.S. media outlets have reported that the 49-year-old was under investigation for allegedly sharing intimate photos of her male partners with colleagues, as well as abusive behaviour towards behind-the-scenes staff. Guilfoyle, whose name has been floated as a possible White House press secretary, denies the allegations.

Former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle, far left, is battling reports that her recent departure from the network was the result of inappropriate sexual behaviour. ( Carlo Allegri/Invision/Associated Press)

Ten months after the #MeToo movement broke into the open following misconduct allegations levelled at Hollywood super-producer Harvey Weinstein, it seems that there is still no shortage of men who have allegedly abused their power and positions in the pursuit of sex.

The Cleveland Orchestra suspended its concertmaster, violinist William Preucil, following allegations that he tried to force himself on some of his musicians. While Eitan Broshi, a member of the Israeli Knesset has been dropped by his party, and is being urged to resign, over charges that he sexually assaulted a woman in an elevator 15 years ago.

And in China, more than 20 prominent academics and journalists have been accused of sexual assault in a series of open letters posted on social media platforms, sparking a national debate.

But one American celebrity accused of past misdeeds appears to be getting the benefit of the doubt.

Last January, comedian Aziz Ansari was accused of sexual assault by a woman who shared a story of a date on the internet. (Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

Last January, comedian Aziz Ansari was accused of sexual assault by a woman who shared a story of their disturbing "date" on the internet. Ansari issued a statement that called the encounter "consensual," saying he was "surprised and concerned" by her version of the evening.

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Yesterday, Cindy Holland, a senior Netflix executive told a gathering of television critics that the online service will be "happy" to produce another season of Ansari's hit show, Master of None, "when Aziz is ready."​

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A few words on …

Helping hands for crews battling forest fires in Northern Ontario.

Quote of the moment

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Today in history

July 30, 1980: Paper fight in the Manitoba legislature

It started around the turn of the last century as a fun way to celebrate the end of session, MLAs and journalists tossing papers in the air. Then, somewhere along the way, they started tossing them at each other. And by 1980, it wasn't just crumpled pages from bills and speeches, but rather rolled up copies of Hansard and other heavy artillery. You can hear the thumps and the batons of paper fly across the chamber is this video. The 1980 fight, which broke nine desk microphones and left CBC reporter Judy Waytiuk with a colourful bruise on her forehead turned out to be the final one.

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Show more A traditional end-of-session paper fight in the Manitoba legislature gets out of control. 1:41

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