Even if you don't speak Russian, worth watching this video of Zhirinovsky war-mongering in the Duma: http://t.co/UcIaxphsMH
— Robert Coalson (@CoalsonR) July 22, 2014
Dutch prosecutors have opened an investigation into #MH17 on suspicion of murder, war crimes and intentionally downing an airliner,
— Just Hovens Greve (@JustHovensGreve) July 22, 2014
Our news desk has issued this item on the upcoming EU meeting today and the possibility of further sanctions against Russia:
European Union foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels to discuss further sanctions on Russia after the downing of a Malaysian airliner in eastern Ukraine.
U.S. and EU officials say there is increasing evidence the plane was shot down by pro-Russian rebels, killing all 298 people aboard.
The UN Security Council has unanimously passed a resolution condemning the downing of the plane and demanded full access to the crash site for international investigators.
The separatists handed over to Malaysian officials the black box flight recorders on July 21 -- after previously hindering international observers from accessing the crash site.
Separatists who control the area also agreed to allow the remains of the passengers to head toward Kharkiv by train.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbout says evidence at the crash site has been tampered with "on an industrial scale" as part of an apparent cover up.
(Reuters, AFP)
The rebels have removed their #MH17 memorial from their headquarters & left it in the lobby of the Malaysians' hotel. pic.twitter.com/wDPAoGuVse
— max seddon (@maxseddon) July 22, 2014
Mayak district of #Donetsk: series of explosions heard nearby, probably artillery shelling
— Petr Shelomovskiy (@shelomovskiy) July 22, 2014
RFE/RL's multimedia department has issued this Reuters video of the rather surreal press conference last night, during which pro-Russian separatists seemingly handed over MH17's "black boxes" to Malaysian investigators:
Spotted in Donetsk: rebels digging trenches along the road. Preparing for urban warfare? A Ukrainian ground assault here will be very messy
— Kirit Radia (@KiritRadia) July 22, 2014
Dutch Prime Minister says the bodies of the dead from flight MH17 are now in a safe area of Ukraine and will arrive in Kharkhiv in an hour.
— Keir Simmons (@KeirSimmons) July 22, 2014
You may have picked up on the outrage that reverberated around social media over the past day or so concerning Sky News reporter Colin Brazier's handling of an MH17 passenger's belongings. He's written a piece for "The Guardian" today, offering some context to his actions:
Certainly it was a serious error of judgement. I acknowledged that and so did Sky. My bosses issued an apology by tea-time. They were supportive and keen to stress that they understood the context of the gaffe.
And what was that context? What can mitigate the seemingly indefensible? I doubt many of my more roar-throated detractors on Twitter feel there can be any justification for such morally insolvent behaviour.
But, as we move into a world where excoriation comes quickly and explanations come slowly, I would like to offer another view.
The crash site of flight MH17 is like the set of a horror story. Except that movies are never allowed to show what we saw over the weekend. As I type I can smell the nauseating scent of death that clings to me still. I have seen burned bodies before – I was a 17-year-old football fan caught up in the Bradford football stadium fire – but nothing on this scale.
Read the entire article here
Americans think that EU only sounding strong this morning and sanctions only likely to match existing pre-MH17 American visa blacklists.
— Ben Judah (@b_judah) July 22, 2014