Search Focuses: New mages from French satellites show what could be jet debris in the general area where an intense search is underway for the remains of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, 1500 miles west of Perth. Along with sightings by Chinese and Australian satellites, the new images are raising hopes of finding what happened to the missing passenger jet, although authorities continue to caution that none of the objects spotted in the ocean have been identified.

Ukraine: Russian armor crashed the walls and gates yesterday at Belbek airbase in Crimea, firing shots in the air, and ordering the surrender of the Ukrainian troops inside. Other bases throughout Crimea have been taken, but the garrison at Belbek quietly resisted until the Russians acted with force. With his unarmed men lined up facing Russians bearing rifles and ballistic shields, the base commander led his men in singing the Ukrainian national anthem.

The Russians also seized the Ukrainian navy’s only submarine, although the 1970 ship has been described as barely seaworthy.

Nation: It was a tumultuous day in Michigan yesterday where a federal appeals court put a stop to same-sex marriages just 24 hours after a lower court made them legal. The appeals court said it needed time to consider the Michigan attorney general’s appeal. Before the second ruling, at least four Michigan county clerks were open yesterday granting marriage licenses to gay couples. In at least eight states, Michigan included, the issue of gay marriage is headed for a showdown in federal appeals courts. 

>A Mudslide north of Seattle yesterday smashed six houses and carried their remains across a river, killing at least three people. As of late yesterday rescuers could hear voices calling for help from the rubble.

>Efforts are underway to contain an oil spill in Galveston Bay after an oil barge and a ship collided. The oil barge was carrying nearly a million gallons of oil and one of its 168,000 gallon tanks was punctured. The barge was carrying a particularly dirty oil used for ship fuel known as bunker oil. The spill happened as the migratory bird season is reaching its peak.

World: Turkey shot down a Syrian air force jet they said violated Turkish air space near an area where Syria is fighting rebels. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, “Our response will be heavy if you violate our airspace.”

The Obit Page: Jack Fleck, who came from virtually nowhere to beat the great Ben Hogan in the 1955 US Open golf championship, has died at age 92. Fleck was a local club pro from Davenport, Iowa with only two professional wins when he arrived in San Francisco for the Open. He finished three strokes under Hogan in a playoff, denying Hogan his fifth straight Open championship. Fleck said he was only trying to finish in the top 10 so he wouldn’t have to play qualifying matches the next year.

The Roundup: George Clooney has a new girlfriend he’ll never marry; Russell Crowe was unable to get an audience with the Pope to promote his new movie “Noah”; The NY Jets fired QB Matt Sanchez and hired former dog fighter Michael Vick; Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar says she’s cancelling her subscription to Vogue because reality star Kim Kardashian and rapper Kanye West are on the April cover.

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