welcome to "world news." tonight, race against time. we're with a search party, looking for the black boxes from the passenger plane before the batteries run out. how deep can the search party see into the water? and the co-pilot, what are the clues in his last words? sanctions. the duel is on between president obama and president putin tonight. rattled. the earthquake that rolled across los angeles.

and hidden tragedy. the mystery around the famous designer. why police believe she apparently took her own life. good evening to you on this monday night. and as we join you, the global mystery continues. and so does the all-out race against time. somewhere, right now, the black boxes from that missing passenger plane hold answers on what happened to all those lives onboard. but with every day that passes, their batteries are fading. so, tonight, we have the latest on the search and also the pilots. did they leave any clues in their last words from the cockpit? abc's david kerley starts us off with what is new tonight. >> reporter: tonight, flying over the massive indian ocean, american sub hunters, looking and listening for flight 370. a race because one-third of the life of the batteries of those

pinging black boxes now gone ten days into the search. as abc reported, much of the search is moving south, to off australia, following the southern corridor of a new map, showing the possible last location of the malaysian 777. new details, tonight, about what happened in the cockpit. the final words from the flight, all right, good night, came from the co-pilot, 38 minutes after takeoff. malaysian officials are analyzing the recording, seeing if the co-pilot was under stress, if someone was forcing him to speak. malaysians also offered contradictory information today on the timeline. but sources say it points to a deliberate act. >> with the turns that the airplane made, even if we don't know the altitudes, someone was in control of this airplane and knew what they were doing. >> reporter: as we learned in a simulator recently -- there are a couple of ways to change the direction of a 777. but it's difficult to do without the other pilot noticing. so, as this search intensifies,

questions. what about the massive depth of the indian ocean, more than 15,000 feet in some parts? and will those black boxes help? in the crash of an air france jet, it was a minisub that traveled thousands of feet under water to pull up the boxes, which revealed a technical problem and pilot error as the cause of that crash. but reaching the box will help if any debris can be spotted from the air. our first clues will be debris. and tracking currents, they can trace to where the plane could be. searching around malaysia, with a focus really in the south. some in the north, some in the south, off australia, they're concentrating quite a bit. a brand-new u.s. sub hunter, with high technology, is arriving in australia tomorrow, looking for signs of debris, the plane, or any of the passenger, 239 people onboard. and families still wondering where they are. >> so much territory to cover, as it arrives. thank you, david, for all your reporting on this story. as david said, it is a daunting global search, from

deep under the water, to the surface of the ocean, stretching out to the horizon. and abc's gloria riviera, tonight, from a search plane over the indian ocean. >> reporter: today, we joined the hunt for the phantom plane. we boarded a p3 orion, with the grey knight squadron from the navy's 7th fleet out of washington state. a ten-hour journey over the turquoise blue waters. this mission, taking us west of indonesia, covering 54,000-square nautical miles. the plane, dropping below 500 feet, close to the ocean's surface, any time the pilot sees something to investigate. the aircraft can detect sound 1,000 feet down in the ocean. even the faint beep from a black box. but today, the p3 focused on finding physical signs of flight 370. at night, using infrared to scan the ocean surface. during light, powerful cameras. this is one example of the kind of technology that makes this aircraft able to do such an

exhaustive search. cameras around the plane, acting like eyes. but they have the ability to do an extreme zoom in on anything that might be part of flight 370. that could be anything, from luggage, to plane debris, even oil. tonight, above the water, it feels like an inch-by-inch search. gloria riviera, abc news, above the indian ocean. >> and we thank you, gloria. from your search on the ocean, we turn to the latest on the search of the lives of the pilots. even the words of the co-pilot, when he said good night. abc's chief justice correspondent, pierre thomas, spoke to the experts today. >> reporter: tonight, malaysian authorities are urgently studying the captain's at-home flight simulator for clues. >> it was reassembled. >> reporter: investigators want to know, did the captain seen here on a widely circulated youtube clip, appearing to show him going through airport security, practiced the maneuvers that the flight made

beforehand. and today, we learned from malaysian officials, the critical importance of that last radio transmission from the plane to air traffic control. all right, good night, said someone in the cockpit. could only four words be used to unlock the case. >> do you believe the person who said all right, good night, from the cockpit, was the pilot or co-pilot? >> initial investigation indicated it was the co-pilot. who spoke the last time. >> what have you found? have you analyzed it for stress? >> that is part of our investigation. >> reporter: investigators will look for any hint of a change in demeanor. >> speaking too fast, voice goes up. your voice box restricts when you're stressed out. things of that nature. >> reporter: a stressful voice could provide clues that the pilot was forced to act against his will. or that he was planning

something awful. pierre thomas, abc news, washington. and next, tonight, we turn to the other big news of this evening. ukraine. it was game on between the two superpowers today, after crimea voted to break away from ukraine. president obama and russian president vladimir putin, locked in a kind of duel. and economic pain is the weapon. what happens next? here's abc's chief global affairs correspondent, martha raddatz. >> reporter: tonight, vladimir putin is claiming victory. with his troops poised on the border, it looks like crimea will soon be his. president obama, hitting back. >> we're making it clear that there are consequences for their actions. >> reporter: the sanctions he launched today targeting a who's who of putin's close associates, 11 in all, hitting them financially, freezing their u.s. assets. but the reaction from russia? the deputy prime minister

tweeting that some prankster came up with the list. and even the state department was unable to say whether any of the russians on the list had any u.s. assets. amping up the confrontation further, a popular russian tv anchor boasted that russia is the only country capable of turning the u.s. into radioactive dust. a face-off between the world's top nuclear powers. president obama made clear today that there would be stiffer sanctions if putin makes another move. but putin is clearly not concerned about what happened today. it was just over four hours after president obama announced the sanctions that putin officially recognized crimea, diane, as independent from ukraine. >> all right. martha raddatz reporting in tonight. thank you, martha. now, back here at home, a rude awakening for millions of people on the west coast. an earthquake delivered a strong jolt when it rolled across los angeles early this morning. the 4.4 magnitude did not do

much damage. but scientists say, for the first time, a new warning signaled it was coming. here's abc's nick watt. >> reporter: bottles and cans flew off store shelves. pictures fell from walls, glass shattered. and local anchors took cover. >> earthquake. we're having an earthquake. >> we did have an earthquake. a fairly large one. >> i think the epicenter was under my bedroom. >> reporter: a little kid told me he thought a monster was shaking his bed. no injuries were reported. and no major damage. but this was one of the biggest shocks to his l.a. since the aftershocks of the northridge quake, which killed nearly 60 people back in 1994. >> i think it's good preparation for the real one that might be coming. >> reporter: this morning, seismologists say a prototype early warning system worked for the first time, and gave them a couple of seconds warning. >> two seconds can do you a lot of good. just imagine if there was an alarm in an operating room so the surgeon had pulled the knife out of your chest before the strong shaking came through. >> reporter: in japan, another

earthquake hot spot, such a system has been up and running since 2007. in l.a., they're still waiting on the funding to make it a fully functioning reality. nick watt, abc news, los angeles. and now, in the east, st. patrick's day green was overshadowed by a lot of white. snow. a fast-moving storm, felt from north carolina to new jersey. and the nation's capital, in the wintry bull's eye. the federal government shut down, seeing a winter wonderland across washington. further south, in florida, tornado watches across the peninsula. and remember, spring is just three days away. and tonight, new trouble for general motors. another recall. 1.5 million cars. a problem with the air bags. after that news broke about the cars with the faulty ignition switches. today, the woman at the helm of gm said it's time for the company to step up. and here's abc's chief business correspondent, rebecca jarvis.

>> reporter: tonight, general motors issuing three new recalls, totalling 1.5 million suvs, luxury sedans and full-size vans for model years 2008 to 2014. for problems that include air bag and brake issues. it's part of an effort to assure consumers gm is acting quickly to fix problems. >> something went wrong with our process in this instance. and terrible things happened. >> reporter: in a video message new ceo mary barra also addressed the fallout from the other recall last month of 1.6 million cars for defective ignition switches. linked to 12 deaths, gm now facing multiple investigations into how it handles the recall. >> as a mom with a family of my own, this really hits home for me. >> reporter: barra is now conducting an intense review of gm's internal practices. as she told us on her first day as ceo, a lot has changed at the company. >> we streamlined the leadership team and said look, chief engineer, it's your vehicle. you're accountable.

>> reporter: too many cooks in the kitchen? >> too many cooks in the kitchen. we don't have that anymore. >> reporter: now, she's hoping it's a better recipe than what gm served up in the past. rebecca jarvis, abc news, new york. and today, one of the confounding mysteries about a life that seemed pretty much perfect. the death of fashion designer l'wren scott. police say, apparently, she took her own life. here's abc's mara schiavocampo. >> reporter: l'wren scott seemingly lived life at the top. mick jagger's girlfriend for more than a decade. monday morning, scott was found dead of an apparent suicide in her new york city apartment. just weeks shy of her 50th birthday, she becomes part of a stunning statistic. the age group with the highest suicide rate, those 45 to 64.

police say it was death by hanging. while scott reportedly did not leave a note, police say they do not suspect foul play. scott and jagger started dating in 2001, after meeting on a photo shoot. scott, a stylist at the time, went on to become a very successful designer to the stars, who recently started broadening her reach, by partnering with brands like banana republic. at 6'3", the former model was a towering presence in life and fashion. jagger got the news shortly after landing in australia for a rolling stones tour. a spokesperson says, quote, jagger is completely shocked and devastated by the news. maura ste maura skooe campo, abc news, new york. your brain, do you want to think fast. can you remember these three names? what million oflgs people are going to sharpen their mind at every age, when we're back in two minutes.

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next, tonight, real answers about keeping your brain sharp for everyone that wants to think fast, remember names. 60 million think they know how to get results. so, how? abc's linsey davis reports. >> reporter: imagine if a game that starts off so easy, it looks like child's play, could actually make adults smarter. when 66-year-old susan brandt saw her parents starting to lose their memory, she turned to online games called lumosity in an attempt to sharpen her own mind. >> the single-biggest thing i'm afraid of, is not getting cancer, it's not being able to walk around. it is losing your mind. >> reporter: when she started forgetting people's names, this is the game susan turned to. it's called familiar faces. on my right is maria, jennifer and that's james. try to remember those names. we'll come back to them later. lumostiy, with its 60 million

users, is the most popular of several online brain training programs created by neuroscientists. like a personal trainer, they teach you how to bulk up your brain, like a muscle. each session lasts about 15 minutes per day. and according to studies, after about ten hours, thousands of people have reported improvement in their memory and problem solving. >> things like crossword puzzles and reading, they're great for keeping you at the level you're at. >> reporter: but if you want to expand your abilities, you have to do things that progressively get harder. dan hurley, a 56-year-old author and award-winning science journalist was skeptical. but is now a convert. he says after using lumosity to train his brain for 3 1/2 months, he actually got smarter. >> on a test of intelligence, my intellectual abilities increased 16%. >> reporter: hurley says he was better able to multitask and juggle his many demands.

so, the notion of you can't teach an old dog new tricks is really out the window? >> absolutely. >> reporter: so, do you remember these names? susan says her ability to remember names, both in this game and in real life, has drastically improved. >> look, if they're meant to help me, and i like playing them, hello. win-win. >> reporter: linsey davis, abc news, new york. and when we come back, march madness. and the coach whose mini-me brought him a lot of attention and very good luck. our "instant index." we asked people a question, how much money do you think you'll need when you retire? then we gave each person a ribbon to show how many years that amount might last. i was trying to, like, pull it a little further. [ woman ] got me to 70 years old. i'm going to have to rethink this thing. it's hard to imagine how much we'll need for a retirement that could last 30 years or more. so maybe we need to approach things differently, if we want to be ready for a longer retirement. ♪

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before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. you should not start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if you have symptoms such as persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. [ woman ] finally, clearer skin for more than a few days, weeks, or months. enbrel works for me. ask your dermatologist if you can have clearer skin with enbrel. and a top of the evening to you in our "instant index," tonight, starting with the celebration of st. patrick's day here at home. the chicago river, transformed for the occasion. that dye, the exact recipe is a secret. the emerald hue will last 12 hours, then the river goes back to its natural color. and it looks like that could

be a street in chicago, new york or st. louis. but actually, it's the heart of dublin, ireland, tonight. a lot of revelry still and a lot of green. and we have a twist on shakespeare's favorite question. could chocolate by any other form be as sweet? we're going to find out. scientists are launching a big, new study to test what is being called chocolate in a pill. packed with flavonoids, the nutrient in chocolate. why not eat the bar? the pill will offer an extremely high dose. that's more nutrients you could consume by eating dark chocolate, though maybe less fun. and file this under imitation of the greatest form of flattery. meet coach phil martelli. he and his team, st. joseph's, were battling for a place in march madness. and there in the stand, his

grandson, also named phil, shadowing his grandpa's every move, his every gesture, even every scream. right down to the blazer and tie. and by the way, grandpa won. must be lucky. his team is going on to the big tournament. and up next here, the picture worth 1,000 words. the boy, the book, and the lesson from a cat. ics... a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. celebrex can be taken with or without food. and it's not a narcotic. you and your doctor should balance the benefits

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finally, tonight, a cat and a little boy are waking all of us up to some surprising ways we can help each other learn. here's abc's ron claiborne. >> good night. >> reporter: 7-year-old colby procyk just loves to read. it wasn't always this way. only a few months ago, he struggled with reading and was embarrassed to be called on in class. not anymore. what turned everything around? this. that's right. once or twice a week, colby goes to the bergs animal

county shelter to read to cats. >> my baby you'll be. >> reporter: i think he's listening. what do you think? >> yeah. because he's crawling up next to you. and next to me. >> reporter: getting the cats to pay attention can sometimes be a challenge. but the kids don't seem to mind. and what's amazing is that because it relaxes the children, the cats don't judge if they make a mistake. it makes them better readers. and workers here say it helps soothe and socialize the cats, too. >> it doesn't matter to them what the book is about, how well the child reads. they just love the one-on-one contact that the kids provide. >> reporter: at the beginning of the school year, colby was reading below grade level. now, he just got an award for most-improved student in his second grade class. >> i've seen a growth in his reading ability and confidence. >> reporter: reading just fine, and having fun, thanks to a little help from a little friend. ron claiborne, abc news,

kutztown, pennsylvania. and we thank you so much for watching. we're always here at abcnews.com. "nightline" later. we'll see you back here tomorrow. and from all of us at abc here in new york, irish, not irish, we wish you a happy st. patrick's. good night. [ whining ]