Donald Trump wins 2016 presidential election: victory speech, full transcript

Against all odds, polls, and projections, Donald Trump claimed victory in the presidential election Tuesday, delivering a speech at the Hilton Hotel in New York City on Tuesday to a cheering crowd of supporters.

It was an unexpected outcome for the Republican candidate, who beat out not only a stacked GOP primary field but also an even more formidable opponent in Hillary Clinton, who was consistently ahead of him in the polls up and in a much stronger position on the electoral map.

Not to mention the fact that Trump has been mired in scandals and gaffes throughout the election. More than a dozen women have accused him of sexual assault after a hot mic tape revealed him bragging about “grabbing” women by the genitals; he has made vague insinuations connecting President Obama and Clinton to terrorism groups; he led a campaign built on wild inaccuracies and vague to nonexistent policy proposals; and he built his campaign on divisive anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric, garnering even the support of white nationalists.

Despite all this, however, Trump managed to strike a chord with the American people as an unorthodox candidate without a political background, selling a call for a Southern border wall, a temporary ban on Muslim immigrants, and his strong opposition to trade deals, among his other bombastic talking points.

All the worry over Trump’s possible refusal to concede the election is now moot. He is the one who got to accept Clinton’s concession.

Below TechEra will publish a rush transcript of his speech in full. [Editor’s note: The transcript may have missing words or phrases.]

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Thank you. Thank you very much, everyone. Sorry to keep you waiting. Complicated business, complicated. Thank you very much.

I've just received a call from Secretary Clinton. She congratulated us. It’s about us. On our victory, and I congratulated her and her family on a very, very hard-fought campaign.

I mean, she fought very hard. Hillary has worked very long and very hard over a long period of time, and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country.

I mean that very sincerely. Now it is time for America to bind the wounds of division, have to get together. To all Republicans and Democrats and independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people.

It is time. I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all of Americans, and this is so important to me. For those who have chosen not to support me in the past, of which there were a few people, I'm reaching out to you for your guidance and your help so that we can work together and unify our great country. As I've said from the beginning, ours was not a campaign but rather an incredible and great movement, made up of millions of hard-working men and women who love their country and want a better, brighter future for themselves and for their family.

It is a movement comprised of Americans from all races, religions, backgrounds, and beliefs, who want and expect our government to serve the people, and serve the people it will.

Working together, we will begin the urgent task of rebuilding our nation and renewing the American dream. I've spent my entire life in business, looking at the untapped potential in projects and in people all over the world.

That is now what I want to do for our country. Tremendous potential. I've gotten to know our country so well. Tremendous potential. It is going to be a beautiful thing. Every single American will have the opportunity to realize his or her fullest potential. The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.

We are going to fix our inner cities and rebuild our highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, schools, hospitals. We're going to rebuild our infrastructure, which will become, by the way, second to none, and we will put millions of our people to work as we rebuild it. We will also finally take care of our great veterans who have been so loyal, and I've gotten to know so many over this 18-month journey.

The time I've spent with them during this campaign has been among my greatest honors.

Our veterans are incredible people. We will embark upon a project of national growth and renewal. I will harness the creative talents of our people, and we will call upon the best and brightest to leverage their tremendous talent for the benefit of all. It is going to happen. We have a great economic plan. We will double our growth and have the strongest economy anywhere in the world. At the same time, we will get along with all other nations willing to get along with us. We will be. We will have great relationships. We expect to have great, great relationships. No dream is too big, no challenge is too great. Nothing we want for our future is beyond our reach.

America will no longer settle for anything less than the best. We must reclaim our country's destiny and dream big and bold and daring. We have to do that. We're going to dream of things for our country, and beautiful things and successful things once again.

I want to tell the world community that while we will always put America's interests first, we will deal fairly with everyone, with everyone.

All people and all other nations. We will seek common ground, not hostility; partnership, not conflict. And now I would like to take this moment to thank some of the people who really helped me with this, what they are calling tonight a very, very historic victory.

First, I want to thank my parents, who I know are looking down on me right now. Great people. I've learned so much from them. They were wonderful in every regard. Truly great parents. I also want to thank my sisters, Marianne and Elizabeth, who are here with us tonight. Where are they? They're here someplace. They're very shy, actually.

And my brother Robert, my great friend. Where is Robert? Where is Robert?

My brother Robert, and they should be on this stage, but that's okay. They're great.

And also my late brother Fred, great guy. Fantastic guy. Fantastic family. I was very lucky.

Great brothers, sisters, great, unbelievable parents. To Melania and Don and Ivanka and Eric and Tiffany and Barron, I love you and I thank you, and especially for putting up with all of those hours. This was tough.

This was tough. This political stuff is nasty, and it is tough. So I want to thank my family very much. Really fantastic. Thank you all. Thank you all. Lara, unbelievable job. Unbelievable. Vanessa, thank you. Thank you very much. What a great group.

You've all given me such incredible support, and I will tell you that we have a large group of people. You know, they kept saying we have a small staff. Not so small. Look at all of the people that we have. Look at all of these people.

And Kellyanne and Chris and Rudy and Steve and David. We have got tremendously talented people up here, and I want to tell you it's been very, very special.

I want to give a very special thanks to our former mayor, Rudy Giuliani. He's unbelievable. Unbelievable. He traveled with us and he went through meetings, and Rudy never changes. Where is Rudy. Where is he?

[Chanting "Rudy"]

Gov. Chris Christie, folks, was unbelievable. Thank you, Chris. The first man, first senator, first major, major politician — let me tell you, he is highly respected in Washington because he is as smart as you get. Sen. Jeff Sessions. Where is Jeff? A great man. Another great man, very tough competitor. He was not easy. He was not easy. Who is that? Is that the mayor that showed up? Is that Rudy?

Up here. Really a friend to me, but I'll tell you, I got to know him as a competitor because he was one of the folks that was negotiating to go against those Democrats, Dr. Ben Carson. Where's been? Where is Ben? By the way, Mike Huckabee is here someplace, and he is fantastic. Mike and his familiar bring Sarah, thank you very much. Gen. Mike Flynn. Where is Mike? And Gen. Kellogg. We have over 200 generals and admirals that have endorsed our campaign and there are special people.

We have 22 Congressional Medal of Honor people. A very special person who, believe me, I read reports that I wasn't getting along with him. I never had a bad second with him. He's an unbelievable star. He is — that's right, how did you possibly guess? Let me tell you about Reince. I've said Reince. I know it. I know it. Look at all of those people over there. I know it, Reince is a superstar. I said, they can't call you a superstar, Reince, unless we win it. Like Secretariat. He would not have that bust at the track at Belmont.

Reince is really a star and he is the hardest-working guy, and in a certain way I did this. Reince, come up here. Get over here, Reince.

Boy, oh, boy, oh, boy. It's about time you did this right. My god. Nah, come here. Say something.

[Reince Priebus: Ladies and gentlemen, the next president of the united States, Donald Trump! Thank you. It's been an honor. God bless. Thank God.]

Amazing guy. Our partnership with the RNC was so important to the success and what we've done, so I also have to say, I've gotten to know some incredible people.

The Secret Service people. They're tough and they're smart and they're sharp and I don't want to mess around with them, I can tell ya. And when I want to go and wave to a big group of people and they rip me down and put me back down in the seat, but they are fantastic people so I want to thank the Secret Service.

And law enforcement in New York City, they're here tonight. These are spectacular people, sometimes under appreciated unfortunately. We appreciate them. So it's been what they call an historic event, but to be really historic, we have to do a great job, and I promise you that I will not let you down. We will do a great job. We will do a great job. I look very much forward to being your president, and hopefully at the end of two years or three years or four years or maybe even eight years you will say so many of you worked so hard for us, with you. You will say that — you will say that that was something that you were — really were very proud to do and I can — thank you very much.

And I can only say that while the campaign is over, our work on this movement is now really just beginning. We're going to get to work immediately for the American people, and we're going to be doing a job that hopefully you will be so proud of your president. You will be so proud. Again, it's my honor.

It's an amazing evening. It's been an amazing two-year period, and I love this country. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Thank you to Mike Pence.

Modi Had Dropped Hints on the Surgical Strike on Black Money : Full Speech

You have 50 days to deposit your notes: Full text of Modi's black money speech

Your money will remain yours. You need have no worry on this point

My dear citizens 

I hope you ended the festive season of Diwali with joy and new hope. Today, I will be speaking to you about some critical issues and important decisions. Today I want to make a special request to all of you. You may recall the economic situation in May 2014 when you entrusted us with an onerous responsibility. In the context of BRICS, it was being said that the “I” in BRICS was shaky. Since then, we had two years of severe drought. Yet, in the last two and a half years with the support of 125 crore Indians, India has become the “bright spot” in the global economy. It is not just we who are saying this; it is being stated by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. 

In this effort for development, our motto has been ‘Sab Ka Saath Sab Ka Vikas’: We are with all citizens and for development of all citizens. This Government is dedicated to the poor. It will remain dedicated to them. In our fight against poverty, our main thrust has been to empower the poor, and make them active participants in the benefits of economic progress. 

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, 

the Jan Suraksha Yojana, 

the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana for small enterprises, 

the Stand-up India programme for Dalits, Adivasis and Women, 

the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Scheme for gas connections in the homes of the poor, 

the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Beema Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana to protect the income of farmers, 

the Soil Health Card Scheme to ensure the best possible yield from farmers’ fields, 

and the e-NAM National Market Place scheme to ensure farmers get the right price for their produce 

—these are all reflections of this approach. 

In the past decades, the spectre of corruption and black money has grown. It has weakened the effort to remove poverty. On the one hand, we are now No. 1 in the rate of economic growth. But on the other hand, we were ranked close to one hundred in the global corruption perceptions ranking two years back. In spite of many steps taken, we have only been able to reach a ranking of seventy-six now. Of course, there is improvement. This shows the extent to which corruption and black money have spread their tentacles. 

The evil of corruption has been spread by certain sections of society for their selfish interest. They have ignored the poor and cornered benefits. Some people have misused their office for personal gain. On the other hand, honest people have fought against this evil. Crores of common men and women have lived lives of integrity. We hear about poor auto-rickshaw drivers returning gold ornaments left in the vehicles to their rightful owners. We hear about taxi drivers who take pains to locate the owners of cell phones left behind. We hear of vegetable vendors who return excess money given by customers. 

There comes a time in the history of a country’s development when a need is felt for a strong and decisive step. For years, this country has felt that corruption, black money and terrorism are festering sores, holding us back in the race towards development. 

Terrorism is a frightening threat. So many have lost their lives because of it. But have you ever thought about how these terrorists get their money? Enemies from across the border run their operations using fake currency notes. This has been going on for years. Many times, those using fake five hundred and thousand rupee notes have been caught and many such notes have been seized. 

Brothers and sisters, 

On the one hand is the problem of terrorism; on the other is the challenge posed by corruption and black money. We began our battle against corruption by setting up an SIT headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, immediately upon taking office. Since then

• a law was passed in 2015 for disclosure of foreign black money; 

• agreements with many countries, including the USA, have been made to add provisions for sharing banking information; 

• a strict law has come into force from August 2016 to curb benami transactions, which are used to deploy black money earned through corruption; 

• a scheme was introduced for declaring black money after paying a stiff penalty; 

My dear countrymen, 

Through all these efforts, in the last two and a half years, we have brought into the open nearly 1 lakh 25 thousand crore rupees of black money belonging to the corrupt. Honest citizens want this fight against corruption, black money, benami property, terrorism and counterfeiting to continue. Which honest citizen would not be pained by reports of crores worth of currency notes stashed under the beds of government officers? Or by reports of cash found in gunny bags? 

The magnitude of cash in circulation is directly linked to the level of corruption. Inflation becomes worse through the deployment of cash earned in corrupt ways. The poor have to bear the brunt of this. It has a direct effect on the purchasing power of the poor and the middle class. You may yourself have experienced when buying land or a house, that apart from the amount paid by cheque, a large amount is demanded in cash. This creates problems for an honest person in buying property. The misuse of cash has led to artificial increase in the cost of goods and services like houses, land, higher education, health care and so on. 

High circulation of cash also strengthens the hawala trade which is directly connected to black money and illegal trade in weapons. Debate on the role of black money in elections has been going on for years. 

Brothers and sisters, 

To break the grip of corruption and black money, we have decided that the five hundred rupee and thousand rupee currency notes presently in use will no longer be legal tender from midnight tonight, that is 8th November 2016. This means that these notes will not be acceptable for transactions from midnight onwards. The five hundred and thousand rupee notes hoarded by anti-national and anti-social elements will become just worthless pieces of paper. The rights and the interests of honest, hard-working people will be fully protected. Let me assure you that notes of one hundred, fifty, twenty, ten, five, two and one rupee and all coins will remain legal tender and will not be affected. 

This step will strengthen the hands of the common man in the fight against corruption, black moneyand fake currency. To minimise the difficulties of citizens in the coming days, several steps are being taken. 

1. Persons holding old notes of five hundred or one thousand rupees can deposit these notes in their bank or post office accounts from 10th November till close of banking hours on 30th December 2016 without any limit. 

2. Thus you will have 50 days to deposit your notes and there is no need for panic. 

3. Your money will remain yours. You need have no worry on this point. 

4. After depositing your money in your account, you can draw it when you need it. 

5. Keeping in mind the supply of new notes, in the first few days, there will be a limit of ten thousand rupees per day and twenty thousand rupees per week. This limit will be increased in the coming days. 

6. Apart from depositing your notes in your bank account, another facility will also be there. 

7. For your immediate needs, you can go to any bank, head post office or sub post office, show your identity proof like Aadhaar card, voter card, ration card, passport, PAN card or other approved proofs, and exchange your old five hundred or thousand rupee notes for new notes. 

8. From 10th November till 24th November the limit for such exchange will be four thousand rupees. From 25th November till 30th December, the limit will be increased. 

9. There may be some who, for some reason, are not able to deposit their old five hundred or thousand rupee notes by 30th December 2016. 

10. They can go to specified offices of the Reserve Bank of India up to 31st March 2017 and deposit the notes after submitting a declaration form. 

11. On 9th November and in some places on 10th November also, ATMs will not work. In the first few days, there will be a limit of two thousand rupees per day per card. 

12. This will be raised to four thousand rupees later. 

13. Five hundred and thousand rupee notes will not be legal tender from midnight. However for humanitarian reasons, to reduce hardship to citizens, some special arrangements have been made for the first 72 hours, that is till midnight on 11th November. 

14. During this period, government hospitals will continue to accept five hundred and thousand rupee notes for payment. 

15. This is for the benefit of those families whose members may be unwell. 

16. Pharmacies in government hospitals will also accept these notes for buying medicines with doctors’ prescription. 

17. For 72 hours, till midnight on 11th November, railway ticket booking counters, ticket counters of government buses and airline ticket counters at airports will accept the old notes for purchase of tickets. This is for the benefit of those who may be travelling at this time. 

18. For 72 hours, five hundred and thousand rupee notes will be accepted also at

• Petrol, diesel and CNG gas stations authorised by public sector oil companies

• Consumer co-operative stores authorised by State or Central Government

• Milk booths authorised by State governments

• Crematoria and burial grounds. 

These outlets will have to keep proper records of stock and collections. 

19. Arrangements will be made at international airports for arriving and departing passengers who have five hundred or thousand rupee notes of not more than five thousand rupees, to exchange them for new notes or other legal tender. 

20. Foreign tourists will be able to exchange foreign currency or old notes of not more than Rs 5000 into legal tender. 

21. One more thing I would like to mention, I want to stress that in this entire exercise, there is no restriction of any kind on non-cash payments by cheques, demand drafts, debit or credit cards and electronic fund transfer. 

Brothers and sisters, 

In spite of all these efforts there may be temporary hardships to be faced by honest citizens. Experience tells us that ordinary citizens are always ready to make sacrifices and face difficulties for the benefit of the nation. I see that spirit when a poor widow gives up her LPG subsidy, when a retired school teacher contributes his pension to the Swacch Bharat mission, when a poor Adivasi mother sells her goats to build a toilet, when a soldier contributes 57 thousand rupees to make his village clean. I have seen that the ordinary citizen has the determination to do anything, if it will lead to the country’s progress. 

So, in this fight against corruption, black money, fake notes and terrorism, in this movement for purifying our country, will our people not put up with difficulties for some days? I have full confidence that every citizen will stand up and participate in this ‘mahayagna’. My dear countrymen, after the festivity of Diwali, now join the nation and extend your hand in this Imandaari ka Utsav, this Pramanikta ka Parv, this celebration of integrity, this festival of credibility. 

I am sure that all political parties, all governments, social services organizations, the media and indeed all sections of the society will take part in this with enthusiasm and make it a success. 

My dear countrymen, 

Secrecy was essential for this action. It is only now, as I speak to you, that various agencies like banks, post offices, railways, hospitals and others are being informed. The Reserve Bank, banks and post offices have to make many arrangements at very short notice. Obviously, time will be needed. Therefore all banks will be closed to the public on 9th November. This may cause some hardship to you. I have full faith that banks and post offices will successfully carry out this great task of national importance. However, I appeal to all of you to help the banks and post offices to meet this challenge with poise and determination. 

My dear citizens, 

From time to time, based on currency needs, the Reserve Bank with the approval of the Central Government brings out new notes of higher value. In 2014, the Reserve Bank sent a recommendation for issue of five thousand and ten thousand rupee notes. After careful consideration, this was not accepted. Now as part of this exercise, RBI’s recommendation to issue two thousand rupee notes has been accepted. New notes of five hundred rupees and two thousand rupees, with completely new design will be introduced. Based on past experience, the Reserve Bank will hereafter make arrangements to limit the share of high denomination notes in the total currency in circulation. 

In a country’s history, there come moments when every person feels he too should be part of that moment, that he too should make his contribution to the country’s progress. Such moments come but rarely. Now, we again have an opportunity where every citizen can join this mahayajna against the ills of corruption, black money and fake notes. The more help you give in this campaign, the more successful it will be. 

It has been a matter of concern for all of us that corruption and black money tend to be accepted as part of life. This type of thinking has afflicted our politics, our administration and our society like an infestation of termites. None of our public institutions is free from these termites. 

Time and again, I have seen that when the average citizen has to choose between accepting dishonesty and bearing inconvenience, they always choose to put up with inconvenience. They will not support dishonesty. 

Once again, let me invite you to make your contribution to this grand sacrifice for cleansing our country, just as you cleaned up your surroundings during Diwali. 

Let us ignore the temporary hardship 

Let us join this festival of integrity and credibility 

Let us enable coming generations to live their lives with dignity 

Let us fight corruption and black money

Let us ensure that the nation’s wealth benefits the poor 

Let us enable law-abiding citizens to get their due share. 

I am confident in the 125 crore people of India, and I am sure the country will get success. 

Thank you very much. Thanks a lot. 

Namaskar. 

Bharat Mata Ki Jai.

for full Video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmwQWe-jA_4&feature=youtu.be

The man Solving Malaysia flight 370

Blaine Alan Gibson has been called a modern-day Indiana Jones – though in temperament he’s probably a lot closer to Sherlock Holmes.

Blaine Alan Gibson has been called a modern-day Indiana Jones – though in temperament he’s probably a lot closer to Sherlock Holmes.

Gibson, 59, made headlines around the world earlier this year after he found debris from a Boeing 777 that was later confirmed to be a piece of the infamous Malaysia flight 370aircraft, which went missing shortly after take-off on 8 March 2014 with 239 people on board.

After diligently working to transfer the panel to the authorities, Gibson stayed on the case, conducting his own unpaid investigation in 12 countries to solve the mystery of flight 370.

Gibson has been called a modern-day Indiana Jones (Credit: Mark Graham/Getty)

This isn’t the first time he’s tried to solve a puzzle. Journeys to Guatemala and Belize allowed him to develop a theory on the collapse of the Mayan civilization; an overland expedition to Siberia was about getting to the bottom of the mysterious 1908 Tunguska explosion; and he’s chased down the Lost Ark of the Covenant on the back roads and waterways of Ethiopia.

Gibson is a man who defies easy description. He is a lawyer who has never practiced law, a businessman who isn’t particularly focused on making money, and a traveller whose goal is to find clarity, not see the sights.

We linked up with Gibson in the Maldives, where he was searching for more flight 370 clues, to find out if a humble traveller can indeed solve some of the world’s great mysteries.

Q: Where did your interest in travel come from?

I was born in San Francisco and grew up in the Bay Area and Carmel. My father was the Chief Justice of California so I grew up with politics, but I always loved travel. I collected National Geographic magazines, and from a young age I was interested in memorizing where all the countries were located and what their capitals were. I decided early on I wanted to go to all of them. I’m going to do it. I have 18 countries left to visit. Mozambique was number 177 and I found part of a Boeing 777 while I was there.

Q: How much of the year do you spend travelling?

Essentially all of it, now. I used to travel half the year but since I sold our family home in Carmel [California] and got interested in Malaysia 370, now I’m travelling non-stop. I want to keep looking for more debris and find answers regarding Malaysia 370. That’s my search, that’s my adventure right now.

Since he started investigating Malaysia 370, Gibson has been travelling non-stop (Credit: Blaine Alan Gibson)

Q: How do you finance your travels?

My style of travel is not the expensive kind. I like to go places where I know people or meet people who invite me to stay in their homes. Or I stay in moderately priced hotels, or I camp and backpack. I’m in the Maldives right now and I was staying in a $34 per night hotel, not a $1,000 per night resort. That’s my style. I hang with local people everywhere I go.

Q: Do you think you have to travel to get the real story?  

Absolutely. You can go to a place and no matter how much you’ve read about it, you can just feel things in the air. If there is going to be a coup or if things will be resolved peacefully, you can feel it and no amount of reading and research can substitute that.

I went to the Soviet Union in 1976, age 19, just to understand what it was like. I met the Russian people and saw that they were no different from us. I could tell in 1976, when people were trying to buy blue jeans and get rock ‘n’ roll music, that communism wouldn’t last.

Q: What were some other trips you’ve taken?

The first big mystery I went to solve was to figure out what happened to the Mayan civilization. A lot of my interest was inspired by [the film] Raiders of the Lost Ark, which came out in the 1980s. I went to Belize and Guatemala between 1984 and 1992 to volunteer on some archaeological expeditions. We were trying to figure out what happened to the Maya, and we did it.

We discovered some caves in Belize that had a bunch of bashed-in skulls. They had the royal and noble obsidian inlay in their teeth, which told us that they were royalty, nobility and priests being killed. We concluded that there was a civil uprising. The people in the mountains and the jungle got tired of serving the high priests. They overthrew them, went down the coast, started trading and made money. The Mayans didn’t get on a spaceship and vanish; they simply had a social upheaval.

The skulls found in Belize could offer clues on the Mayan disappearance (Credit: Steve Russell/Getty)

Q: Did Mayan experts accept your findings?

I wouldn’t say that they did, because our findings upset their pet theories. But I think what we found has now been generally accepted. At the time, I didn’t really care if our findings were accepted; I just wanted to know for myself.

Q: Tell us about the mysterious Tunguska explosion

On 30 June 1908, something crashed into the Earth and sent shock waves twice around the world. The skies of London were glowing for two weeks after. It hit in the middle of the Siberian forest, north of a city called Krasnoyarsk, and levelled a 40-mile radius of trees, but didn’t kill anyone, though it fried some reindeer. No one was there and there is still no definitive conclusion about what happened.

A Russian astronomer went back a few years later and found that the trees were pointing away from the epicentre. And at the epicentre, trees were standing straight up – the ones that were left, that is – with their branches stripped off. So he thought that the thing blew straight up in the air, whatever it was.

Then they had the Russian Revolution, the whole country was closed and no Westerners could go in until an astronomer from Maine went in 1994. I went in 1995 and was the second American to see it. It was incredible. You fly into a small town called Vanavara, you take a boat and then you have to walk for 24 hours to get there.

Q: What were your conclusions?

I think the astronomer was right, that it blew straight up in the air. The leading theory was that it was a meteorite because no traces of it were found. Other theories said it was a comet or an atomic spaceship or atomic blast. I’m always open to anything, but I tend to go with the stony meteorite theory. I wasn’t able to find a piece of it; no one has, because it vaporized.

Q: And you travelled to Ethiopia to look for the Lost Ark of the Covenant?

I was interested in it from [the films] Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones. But when I went to Ethiopia in 2011, I noticed that their Coptic Christian religion was centred on the Ark rather than the cross or the crucifixion and sacraments. Every church in Ethiopia had a replica that they’d bring out for the Timkat Festival (Epiphany) in January. I wondered: why is this Christian country so obsessed with the Ark?

I’d read that the Ark was taken to Ethiopia, and the Ethiopians insist it’s at Aksum, a small town near Ethiopia’s border with Eritrea. I don’t think this stuff is just folklore. When something is that predominant, there is usually some legitimate historical basis for it.

Q: So you think the Ark is in Ethiopia?

I do. The Ethiopians tell everyone that it’s at the monastery in Aksum and it’s guarded by one monk who can never go out or talk to anyone. He is the guardian of the Ark.

During Timkat, models of the Lost Ark are paraded through the streets of Ethiopia (Credit: Carl de Souza/Getty)

Q: Did you try to find him?

I did, but since they’re telling everyone it’s there, that’s probably where it isn’t. It’s probably a false ark. You can’t get within 200ft of this place because they have security, and you can’t even see inside the building.

Graham Hancock, who wrote Sign and the Seal: The Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant, thinks it stayed in Egypt and then came up the Nile to a place called Lake Tana in Ethiopia, which is the source of the Nile.

I took a boat to the monastery there, Tana Kirkos. Strangely, my GPS didn’t work there. It worked everywhere else. Every time I took a photo, it showed an aura and a light leak. My compass was spinning. And the priest showed me some of the artefacts that supposedly accompanied the Ark. But he too said it was in Aksum, though he added that three exact copies were made. The four Arks were distributed among four monasteries: Aksum, Tana Kirkos and two others. He said the real one has the stone tablets in Hebrew with it. The replicas have the tablets carved in Amharic.

But I wanted to see the original one. I sent my friend back after I left. He talked to them again and was given some manuscripts. The head monk at Tana Kirkos, a very old man who no one gets to meet, showed up in my friend’s room that night and said, “There’s a boat coming, take it and don’t come back here.” So, I think I was close.

Q: Where were you when Malaysia 370 disappeared?

I was selling our family home in Carmel, going through boxes of childhood memories and photographs. As I was doing this, I learned that the plane had flown on for seven hours and had crossed from the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean and disappeared. I was captivated. It piqued my fascination with geography, aviation, terrorism, travel ­– all of it.

When I learned that there were sightings of the plane in the Maldives but they were disregarded because the satellites said the plane went way south, I remember thinking, “Why not listen to the witnesses? There could be survivors in those warm waters near the Maldives.”

That’s why I’m here in the Maldives now, to pursue these angles. I’ve met a number of these fishermen and their testimony was very credible. They told me they saw a low flying, white, red and blue jet plane fly over their island at 6:15am local time, which would have been right before the flight ran out of fuel, if it went that way. That plane has not been identified. If the eyes of the satellite data are wrong for whatever reason, the eyes of the fishermen may be right. It could have been 370; it matched the description.

Gibson found more possible debris in Madagascar (Credit: Blaine Alan Gibson)

Q: How long have you been investigating this disappearance?

I started around March 2015, one year after the disappearance. The official search off the coast of Australia, based on satellite interpretation, found absolutely nothing. So I thought I’d talk to the family members at the one-year commemoration and people in the Maldives. The officials were spending $100 million and hadn’t found anything, so I thought maybe I could help solve this. I’ve travelled to Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, the Maldives, Cambodia, Mauritius, Reunion, Australia, the US, Madagascar and Mozambique looking for clues.

Q: How did you find this part of the plane wing?

Madagascar blocks most debris traveling from the east; it’s like a magnet [in June 2016, Gibson found more possible debrisfrom the plane in northeast Madagascar]. But Professor Charitha Pattiaratchi, an aviation expert at the University of Western Australia, told me that if debris misses Madagascar to the north or south, it would likely wash ashore in Mozambique.

So I chartered a boat in February 2016, and asked the locals, as I have in every country I’ve gone to, where does stuff tend to wash ashore? They said there was a sandbank near the town of Vilankulos, where fishermen go to pick up nets and buoys that wash in. I had no expectation to find anything. I had already combed beaches in the Gulf of Thailand, the Bay of Bengal, the Andaman Sea and the Maldives, and had found nothing by this point.

Gibson knew the part was from a plane when he saw the words “No Step” on it (Credit: Adrien Barbier/Getty)

We walked around and it was just beach junk. But suddenly, maybe 15ft away, the owner of the boat holds up a triangular, grey piece and he says, “Is this Malaysia 370?” I walked over, and saw it had the words “No Step” on it. I knew it was from a plane. “No Step” is written on plane tails and wings so that workers don’t step on them, and it’s distinctive to Boeing aircraft.

Q: What did you do with the panel?

That was a challenge and an awesome responsibility. I sent emails and photos to Australia’s Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), which is leading search operations for MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean.

Air Crash Support Group Australia, a non-profit that helps family members with loved ones involved in aviation accidents, had previously introduced me to key personnel from the ATSB, so they knew me and knew to take me seriously. They said, “Take good care of this and please try not to talk too much about it because it could upset the families. Get it into our hands.”

I took it to Maputo and went with the Australian consul to turn it into the country’s head of civil aviation. It was finally confirmed that the panel was part of the plane about three weeks later.

Q: Did this discovery lead you to any conclusions?

It did. I always thought they wouldn’t find it deep underwater where they were looking. After I found the panel, more people reported debris. A high school student found a piece of the plane on a Mozambique beach in December that was confirmed as authentic as well. An archaeologist was walking on the beach in South Africa and found a piece that looked like what I found. Now five pieces have been found: one in Mauritius, two in Mozambique, one in South Africa and one on Reunion.

Through these findings, I have eliminated some theories of what happened. The plane crashed somewhere in the Indian Ocean, south of the equator but north of 40 degrees. It didn’t crash way down south or the debris would have gone to Australia and Tasmania. It didn’t crash in the Gulf of Thailand or the Bay of Bengal.

Several pieces that could be from the aircraft are under evaluation (Credit: Blaine Alan Gibson)

Q: Do you think the official investigation is on the right track?

I think they’re doing the very best they can, but they are basing it solely on satellite data interpretation. If the satellite communication system wasn’t working perfectly, or if any of their assumptions about speed, altitude and course are wrong, then they’re looking in the wrong place.

Q: How will you know when you’re ready to move on to something else?

Since I found a piece of the plane and have gotten to know many of the family members [whose relatives were on the flight], I’m probably not going to give up on this until I or someone else finds it. I want to solve this mystery.

Q: What do you think is the most likely scenario?

It could have been a mechanical problem or fire; but it’s also possible the plane was hijacked by a third party. The debris is small and shattered and the flap was retracted, which shows it was not a controlled glide. From the very beginning, people were trying to blame the pilot and sweep this under the rug. But there is nothing in his history or psychology to suggest that he would have wanted to end his life and take other people down with him. We must search on for the sake of the families and the flying public. We need more evidence to know for sure.

Q: How do you respond to people who tell you to leave the investigation to the experts?

I have heard this often. People say mine isn’t a real investigation. Well, the experts haven’t found anything and I have. The foreign policy experts didn’t see the breakup of the Soviet Union coming. I knew it was coming because I had been there. Experts are often so shielded that they miss the big picture.

Q: Do you have other mysteries you’d like to solve?

I haven’t thought about it yet because I am so focused on this. But I do want to get to every country on Earth, and most of the ones I have left are in the middle of Africa. The two countries I’m most eager to visit are Libya and Algeria.

Gibson vows not to stop investigating flight 370 until the mystery is solved (Credit: Blaine Alan Gibson)

Q: Is there one place you’ve travelled to that is most important to you?

It’s not a place, it’s an event. A total solar eclipse is one thing you must see before leaving the planet. There’s going to be one in Central Oregon on 21 August 2017, and you’ve got to see it. I saw the last one on 9 March 2016 in Indonesia, on Belitung Island. Any solar eclipse is spectacular because it turns the world upside down. The moon blocks the sun. And in the middle of the day, you are looking at the stars and the sun’s corona. You see the solar flares – these flickers of orange and red. It’s remarkable.