Air Algerie: Briton Among Plane Crash Victims

A British man was among those killed when an Air Algerie flight crashed in Africa, the Foreign Office has confirmed.

A statement from the F said: "It is with deep regret that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirms the death of a British man onboard Air Algerie flight AH5107.

"We are providing consular support to his family at this tragic time, and we ask that the media respect the privacy of those grieving."

A 10-year-old girl perished along with her entire family in the tragedy

The death of the Briton - who is understood to be named David Morgan - was announced as the first photos emerged of the crash site.

Flight AH5017 came down in southern Mali, killing 118 people, including 54 French nationals.

Debris from the plane can be seen scattered over an area of desert south of Gao.

Flight AH5017 had been heading to Algiers when it crashed in southern Mali

Burnt-out wreckage and parts of the fuselage can just be made out against the charred sand.

Meanwhile, a 10-year-old French girl is reported to have spoken of her fears before the flight.

The girl, called Chloe, perished in the tragedy along with her parents, Bruno Cailleret and Caroline Boisnard, as well as her elder brother and grandmother.

French President Francois Hollande said no one survived the crash

The loss of the entire family in the disaster has left the small town of Menet in central France "devastated", according to Denise Labbe of the town hall.

The five had been returning from a trip to Burkina Faso, where Ms Boisnard's uncle lived.

They had been due to land in the southern city of Marseille after flying via Algiers, which is where the doomed aircraft was heading.

The plane was owned by Spanish private airline Swiftair and operated by Air Algerie.

It vanished from radar over West Africa and no one survived the crash, French President Francois Hollande said.

Ms Labbe said: "Everyone is devastated in the town. We all know the family, who live in front of the town hall.

"No one can quite believe it. It's like having a bad dream."

Chloe had been excited about the trip to Burkina Faso, she said, adding: "She had confided in her teacher before leaving about her fear of taking the plane, which she was doing for the first time".

Ms Boisnard's brother had gone to meet them at the airport and became aware of the tragedy when the family failed to appear at the arrivals gate.

A family of 10, including four children, from the Rhone-Alpes region of France were also killed in the crash.

The number of people killed was increased from 116 to 118 after the final passenger manifest was released.

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US Says Putin 'Culpable' In MH17 Plane Crash

The White House has said Russian President Vladimir Putin was "culpable" in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine.

In his strongest comments yet since the plane was shot down - killing all 298 people aboard, White House spokesman Josh Earnest linked the crash to Russia, which the US has criticised for providing arms to Ukrainian separatists.

Mr Earnest told reporters: "What we also know is that the Malaysia Airlines jet was brought down by a missile that was fired from the ground.

"It was fired from the ground in an area that was controlled by separatists, and in an area where the Ukrainians themselves were not actually operating anti-aircraft weapons at that time.

"So that is why we have concluded that Vladimir Putin and the Russians are culpable to this tragedy."

Mr Earnest also confirmed reports that Russian troops are firing heavy artillery on Ukrainian military across the border, describing it as an escalation of the conflict.

The US has previously accused Russia of providing arms to Ukrainian pro-Russian separatists.

Russia, however, has called the latest US accusations of Moscow's involvement in the Ukrainian conflict a baseless "smear campaign".

The US has accused Russia of arming Ukrainian separatists

Meanwhile, European Union ambassadors have reached a preliminary deal on stepped-up sanctions against Russia, targeting its defence and technology sectors and its access to European capital.

EU spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said EU member states must decide whether the measures need to be approved by a summit meeting of the trade bloc's 28 member countries to go into effect.

The ambassadors also ordered asset freezes and travel bans against more Russians and pro-Russian Ukrainians accused of undermining Ukraine.

Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB, and Mikhail Fradkov, head of the foreign intelligence service, were among 15 Russians and Ukrainians, and 18 companies and other organisations named in the latest sanctions list published in the EU's Official Journal.

Russia increased its economic pressure on Ukraine when its agency in charge of agricultural products announced that it is banning imports of Ukrainian dairy.

Russia is the biggest export market for Ukrainian milk and cheese.

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Gaza: 12-Hour 'Humanitarian Truce' Under Way

A 12-hour ceasefire is under way in Gaza after Israel and Hamas agreed a temporary truce on humanitarian grounds.

Parts of Gaza came under heavy bombardment, with explosions and black smoke rising above Gaza City, minutes before the break in hostilities.

Israeli tank shelling killed 18 members of the same Palestinian family in the southern Gaza Strip, said Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf Al Qidra.

The Al Najar family had been trapped inside their house in Khuzaa village, east of Khan Younis, for two days when the shells hit, he said.

A Palestinian woman stands outside destroyed homes in Shejaia, Gaza

Doctors in Gaza said 35 bodies have been pulled from rubble since the ceasefire started at 8am (6am UK time).

Israel has warned it will keep targeting tunnels and fight back if its troops or civilians are attacked during the brief respite from 18 days of violence.

The ceasefire, which appears to be holding, comes after Israel suggested it is preparing to "broaden" its ground assault on Gaza after reportedly rejecting an international plan for a week-long truce.

US Secretary of State John Kerry remains "confident progress can be made" on a seven-day truce that would "bring people together to create a more durable plan".

Smoke billows from Gaza City after Israeli airstrikes

However, on Friday evening Israel's defence minister told troops: "You need to be ready for the possibility that very soon we will instruct the military to significantly broaden the ground operation in Gaza."

Ahead of the truce, eight Palestinians were killed by an airstrike in Gaza and Israeli troops shot dead two teenagers in continuing West Bank protests in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Nasri Mahmud Paqatqa, 16, was killed and five others wounded in a clash at the village of Beit Fajar, south of Bethlehem, and 18-year-old Bassem Abu Rub died in a protest at the Jalama military checkpoint in the northern West Bank, Palestinian officials told AFP.

In Gaza, two Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting on Friday evening, the army confirmed.

A map showing the areas of conflict and violence

Mr Kerry is now heading to Paris for international talks on a ceasefire, with Britain, Germany, Turkey and Qatar among those attending.

He told a news conference in Cairo a "fundamental framework" for peace was in place and that it would "ultimately succeed".

"The world is watching tragic moment after tragic moment unfold and is wondering when everybody is going to come to their senses," said Mr Kerry.

An unnamed source from the Israeli government said they were seeking modifications as the truce proposal "leans too much towards Hamas demands".

John Kerry speaks with Qatar's Foreign Minister about the truce

Speaking alongside Mr Kerry, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said there had been "tireless efforts" to bring both sides to the table, and that the people of Gaza have "bled enough".

"They are trapped… living under constant fear of rocket attacks," he said. "Surely now, all parties must realise it's time to act."

Some 140,000 people have fled Gaza since the latest conflict began on July 8.

More than 880 Palestinians, many of them civilians, have lost their lives.

Three civilians have died in Israel from rocket fire, while 37 Israeli soldiers have been killed during combat.

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Air Algerie Plane Wreckage Found In Mali

The wreckage of an Air Algerie flight which vanished from radar in West Africa has been discovered in southern Mali - but no survivors have yet been found, authorities have said.

Burkina Faso's commander in chief Gilbert Diendere said the burnt-out wreckage of flight AH5017 was found south of the Mali town of Gao.

Local Malian authorities in the nearby town of Gossi also told Reuters the wreckage had been located there.

General Diendere said the search team had gone from Burkina Faso to Mali to follow up on information they had received about the possible crash location.

Families of the 116 people onboard wait for news

He said: "The team went to meet, first of all, our informers and bring our informers on the crash site. And indeed, the mission found, on the site, pieces of the plane, this team found on the site, sadly, remains of dead bodies.

"We were not able to evaluate exactly what is the situation as night began to fall and this team has confirmed that it has seen the remains of the plane, totally burned out and scattered on the ground."

Minister of communications Alain Edouard Traore described the accident as the greatest tragedy in the country's air history.

AH5017 left Ouagadougou airport at 1.17am local time. Pic: Sputniktilt

He said President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who has declared two days of national mourning, is due to visit the crash site today.

The Air Algerie jet, which was carrying 110 passengers and six crew, was travelling from Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou to the Algerian capital Algiers when it disappeared around 50 minutes into the flight.

Earlier, France's foreign minister Laurent Fabius said authorities believed the aircraft may have encountered bad weather after the pilot requested to change direction shortly after take-off due to a storm.

However, he said no theories had been excluded.

The twin-engined MD-83 carries 168 people

Burkina Faso's transport minister Jean Bertin Ouedrago said the plane's passenger list included 51 French citizens.

Also on the jet were 27 Burkina Faso nationals, eight Lebanese, six Algerians, five Canadians, four Germans, two Luxemburg nationals, one Swiss, one Belgian, one Egyptian, one Ukrainian, one Nigerian, one Cameroonian and one Malian.

The six crew members were Spanish, according to the Spanish pilots' union.

Flight AH5017 is owned by Spanish private airline Swiftair and operated by Air Algerie.

The McDonnell Douglas MD-83 had been missing for hours before news of its disappearance was made public.

Ouagadougou is in almost a straight line south of Algiers, separated by Mali where unrest continues in the north of the country.

Airlines had been warned not to fly over Mali in recent days, Sky News understands.

However, a senior French official said it is unlikely that fighters in Mali could shoot down a plane.

They are known to have shoulder-fired weapons which could not hit an aircraft travelling at a cruising altitude of some 33,000ft.

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UK Economy Emerges From Six-Year Downturn

Official figures show the UK economy has emerged from six years of lost growth to return to its pre-crisis peak.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said Britain's economy was now bigger than it was before the financial crisis as gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 0.8% in the second quarter of the year.

The performance matched that of the previous quarter, although today's figure is only a first estimate and subject to revision.

It meant that on an annual basis, growth was 3.1% higher than was measured in the same period last year leaving total output 0.2% higher than in the first quarter of 2008 - its previous peak.

The ONS charted 1% quarter-on-quarter growth in the service sector - which accounts for 75% of total UK GDP - while industrial production rose 0.4%.

However both construction and agriculture made negative contributions of 0.5% and 0.2% respectively - both hit by the effects of a very wet winter and spring.

The ONS said only the service industry was now bigger than it was before the crisis, with industrial output and construction still 10% smaller.

The Chancellor George Osborne said: "Thanks to the hard work of the British people, today we reach a major milestone in our long-term economic plan."

He tweeted: "We owe it to hardworking taxpayers not to repeat the mistakes of the past.

"Economy bigger than previous peak in 2008 but long way to go - the Great Recession was one of deepest of any major economy & cost UK 6 years."

More follows...

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Israel On Alert After Deadly West Bank Clashes

Key Dates In The Gaza-Israel Conflict

Updated: 11:43am UK, Thursday 24 July 2014

Israel's ground offensive in the Gaza Strip continues with forces attempting to destroy Hamas' weapons arsenal and rocketing-firing capabilities.

Here are the key events from the fighting that preceded and have followed Israel's operation:

July 8 - Israel launches "Operation Protective Edge" in a bid to quell near-daily militant rocket attacks in the aftermath of the abduction and killing of a Palestinian teenager in what appeared to be a revenge attack for the seizure and slaying of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank in June.

July 9 - Hamas rockets rain deep into Israel as the military pummels Palestinian targets. The military says 74 rockets landed in Israel, including in the northern city of Hadera, the deepest rocket strike ever from Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Hamas will pay a "heavy price".

July 10 - Israel intensifies its bombardment. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urges an immediate ceasefire but neither side shows much interest in halting the fighting.

July 11 - Mr Netanyahu vows to press forward with a broad military offensive. The Israeli military says it has hit more than 1,100 targets, mostly rocket-launching sites, while Palestinian militants fired more than 600 rockets at Israel. The Lebanese military says militants there fired three rockets toward Israel and the Israelis retaliated with about 25 artillery shells.

July 12 - Gaza City becomes a virtual ghost town as streets empty, shops close and hundreds of thousands of people keep close to home. The death toll rises to more than 156 Palestinians after more than 1,200 Israeli air strikes.

July 13 - Israel widens its campaign, targeting civilian institutions with suspected Hamas ties, and briefly deploys ground troops inside Gaza to raid a rocket launching site. Four Israeli soldiers are hurt during the brief incursion. Egypt, a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, continues to work behind the scenes.

July 14 - Israel says it's downed an unmanned drone along its southern coastline. Egypt presents a cease-fire plan that is praised by President Barack Obama at a White House dinner celebrating the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

July 15 - Israeli Cabinet accepts Egypt's truce plan, halting fire for six hours but Hamas rejects the proposal, instead unleashing more rockets at Israel and prompting Israel to resume heavy bombardment. Rocket fire kills an Israeli man delivering food to soldiers, the first Israeli fatality in the fighting. Four Gaza boys, all cousins, are killed on a beach by shells fired from a navy ship.

July 16 - Hamas fires dozens of rockets into Israel, vowing not to agree to a ceasefire until its demands are met. The Gaza Interior Ministry's website says Israeli warplanes carried out dozens of airstrikes, targeting 30 houses, including those of four senior Hamas leaders. Later, both Israel and Hamas agree to a five-hour UN brokered "humanitarian" pause to start the following day.

July 17 - Both sides trade fire in run-up to the brief truce, which Gazans use to restock on food and other supplies. Israel says it foiled an attack by 13 Gaza militants who infiltrated through a tunnel. Fierce fighting resumes after the truce expires, including an airstrike that kills three Palestinian children. After nightfall, the Israeli military launches a ground invasion into Gaza Strip.

July 18 - Eight members of the same Palestinian family - two men, two women and four children - are killed by Israeli tank fire as the ground offensive to date claims the lives of 51 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier.

July 19 - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he wants to meet both sides to try to secure a truce as Israel pledges to step up its ground offensive. Hamas says its fighters are "behind enemy lines" as security alerts are triggered in southern Israel.

July 20 - Fresh airstrikes, artillery shelling and gun battles overnight kill 12 Palestinians and two more Israeli soldiers, as Israel intensifies its ground offensive in Gaza. Israeli minister Naftali Bennett defends the ground offensive in Gaza and accuses Hamas of "self-genocide" by using women and children as human shields.

July 21 - Another airstrike kills 26 members of the same family, while seven more Israeli soldiers die in gun battles with Hamas fighters. Thirty of those wounded in the attack are reportedly medical staff.

July 22 - The Palestinian leadership proposes a ceasefire plan to mediators in Egypt which would be followed by five days of negotiations to stop the fighting which has claimed the lives of more than 600 Palestinians, many of them women and children, and 29 Israelis, including 27 soldiers.

July 23 - An international inquiry into Israel's actions in Gaza is launched, after the UN's Human Rights Commissioner says there is a "strong possibility" the country is guilty of war crimes. Several major airlines from the US, Europe and Canada suspend flights to and from Israel after a rocket fired from Gaza lands near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion international airport.

July 24 - British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond warns Benjamin Netanyahu the West is losing sympathy for Israel amid the rising number of civilian deaths during its offensive in Gaza, as international efforts to end the conflict intensify. However, hopes of an effective ceasefire quickly diminish after Israel vows to continue hunting Palestinian cross-border tunnels under any humanitarian truce, while Hamas also rejects a truce without the lifting of Israel's eight-year blockade of Gaza.

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Govt Accused Of Russian Arms Double Standards

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

The UK Government has been accused of double standards over its continued arms sales to Russia.

It is still exporting £132m of weapons to Russia despite the shooting down of flight MH17 and previously promising to cancel all arms-related contracts to Moscow.

As of May, there were 285 outstanding licences allowing UK companies to export arms either to Russia or another country which might then in time sell weapons to Russia.

The Government responded by saying the licences were only weapons for civilian uses such as clay pigeon shooting.

However, Sir John Stanley, the chairman of Arms Exports Controls Committee, said details showed UK firms were selling missile parts.

William Hague said extant licences would be suspended

When asked on Sky News whether it was certain the arms were not sold for Russian military use, Sir John, a Tory MP, said: "No, I don't think that is an assumption you can make.

"If you look in detail - and we have published the entire list of the exports that are extant to Russia - if you go through the entire list I don't think that components for air to air missiles, components for air to ground missiles, components for missile launchers ... are going to go to any civilian organisation in Russia.

"They must be going to the Russian security services and defence forces."

He has written to the Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond, asking whether the government plans to revoke the remaining licences.

In March, his predecessor, William Hague, promised "the UK will now, with immediate effect, suspend all extant licences and application processing for licences for direct export to Russia for military and dual-use items destined for Russian armed forces".

Sir John has written to Philip Hammond

However, to date, only 34 of the 285 contracts have been cancelled and the list of arms and parts UK companies still sell to Russia includes sniper rifles, body armour, assault rifles, communications equipment, small arms ammunition and night sights.

In response to the figures, the Foreign Office issued a statement saying the "majority of export licences that remain in place for Russia are for commercial use but we are keeping all licences under review".

"This Government has not approved any licences for the export of rifles or ammunition to the Russian military," the statement added.

On Tuesday, France accused the UK Government of hypocrisy for putting pressure on them over a £1bn arms contract with Moscow.

There were further questions raised for David Cameron over double standards when Labour released figures showing the Conservatives had benefited from £1m of donations from Russian firms and individuals.

Of particular note was the £160,000 payment from Lubov Chernukhin, whose husband was finance minister in Vladimir Putin's first administration, for a tennis match between the Prime Minister and Boris Johnson, with Tory strategist Lynton Crosby as ball boy.

It was an auction prize at a fundraising event.

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Ian Watkins Contests 'Harsh' Child Sex Sentence

Former Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins is challenging his 35-year sentence for 13 child sex offences, including the attempted rape of an 11-month old baby.

The disgraced rock star has claimed he was treated too harshly when he was handed a 29-year jail term and an additional six years  on licence.

Judges at Cardiff Crown Court will decide whether the former singer has sufficient grounds to appeal.

Watkins, 36, originally declared he was innocent of the offences, which also included possession of child-abuse videos, some which he made himself, and encouraging a fan to abuse her own child.

But at the last minute he changed his plea, averting the need for a trial.

He later complained he had not realised his guilty plea would make him "look guilty".

Judge Mr Justice Royce told Watkins at the trial: "Those who have appeared in these courts over many years see a large number of horrific cases. This case, however, breaks new ground.

"I am satisfied that you are a deeply corrupting influence, you are highly manipulative, you are a sexual predator, you are dangerous. The public and, in particular, young females need protection from you."

Watkins was told that he would have to serve two-thirds of the custodial term before he could be considered for release by the Parole Board.

His two accomplices, only identified as Woman A and Woman B, were jailed for 14 years and 16 years respectively.

Woman B will also have her appeal bid heard at Cardiff Crown Court.

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MH17 Crash Victims' Bodies Leave Ukraine

Wooden coffins containing bodies of some of the first 50 victims recovered from downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 are being flown back to the Netherlands from the crash site in eastern Ukraine.

A departure ceremony was held at Kharkiv Airport as bodies were loaded onto an Australian Boeing C17 military aircraft.

Honour guards take part in a ceremony with coffins at Kharkiv Airport

It has left the airbase for Eindhoven, where it will be met by relatives, the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and members of the Dutch royal family.

A Dutch C130 Hercules carrying more bodies is expected to leave for the Netherlands shortly to arrive at the same time.

Sky's Michelle Clifford, at the airport, said: "The real difficulty is planes are going to be coming in with bodies on board - but none of those families know whether their loved ones are going to be on those planes."

Coffins are loaded onto a plane at the airbase

Simon Smith, Britain's ambassador to Ukraine, also at the scene, told Sky News: "This is an extremely difficult operation that requires a lot of different nations coming together to pool their skills and expertise."

A national day of mourning for the 298 people on board the downed Malaysia Airlines plane, the majority of whom were Dutch, has been declared for today, including a silent march in Amsterdam for the victims this evening.

A minute's silence will be held before a motorcade takes the bodies to the Korporaal van Oudheusden military barracks in Hilversum, where the long process of identifying the remains will begin.

Mr Rutte has warned the identification process could take weeks or even months.

floral tributes for the victims of MH17 at Schiphol Airport, near Amsterdam

A British team of police officers, led by the Metropolitan Police, will help identify the victims.

The Boeing 777-200 took off from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, bound for Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia last Thursday when it was brought down near Grabovo, Donetsk, where Ukrainian forces have been battling separatists.

Five refrigerated wagons containing 200 bodies were released by rebels in Ukraine on Tuesday. It is thought more than 80 bodies have been left at the scene.

Australia's prime minister Tony Abbott said it was unclear how many bodies may have arrived in Kharkiv - and how many had been left behind.

A Malaysian air crash investigator inspects the crash site of MH17

Investigators at the crash scene confirmed there were still some unrecovered human remains and "smaller body parts".

The jet's two black box flight data recorders have also been handed over by separatists and have arrived in the UK to be examined by British experts from the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch in Farnborough, Hampshire.

Russia has been accused of arming the pro-Russian rebels who are suspected of shooting down the plane.

A senior US intelligence official said they believed pro-Russian separatists shot down the flight by mistake.

He confirmed evidence suggests the Russian government was not directly involved in causing the crash, but it "created the conditions" for the plane to be brought down by the rebels.

The official added Moscow was still supplying separatists with tanks and rocket launchers.

President Barack Obama visited the Dutch embassy in Washington on Tuesday and wrote in a condolence book: "We will not rest until we are certain that justice is done."

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Russia Faces 'Hard-Hitting' Sanctions Over MH17

Europe's Russia Sanctions Avoid Self-Harm

Updated: 9:49am UK, Tuesday 22 July 2014

By Ed Conway, Economics Editor

Sanctions against Russia have now been in place since its annexation of Crimea in March - but following the flight MH17 disaster, all the signs are that they will soon be reinforced.

So what, precisely, do the current sanctions consist of, have they been at all successful, and what might they be followed up with?

In short, the current set of restrictions are, in the jargon, referred to as "stage-two" sanctions.

Rather than affecting the entire economy, or entire sectors, they are forensically focused restrictions on a few individuals and smallish companies.

Both the US and Europe have imposed visa restrictions and asset freezes on a number of influential Russians. The US list is longer and includes a number of President Vladimir Putin's most senior advisers.

Neither jurisdiction has yet added the president to the sanctions list, as was done with Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, for instance.

The US has also imposed financial blocks on two small banks, one of which Putin claimed never to have heard of.

The day before the crash last week, it also extended the restrictions to a couple of oil companies, including Rosneft, the country's biggest oil producer.

However, it's worth noting that these are purely financial restrictions, preventing the companies from raising cash in the US, rather than stopping them from pumping oil out of the ground and around the world.

While the EU has signalled it will stop European Investment Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development programmes in Russia, it has stopped short of more severe sanctions.

Why? In large part because of its reliance on Russia for trade. A full 15% of Russia's gas exports end up in Germany. Some 17% of its trade goes to the Netherlands, though this is probably an over-estimate because much of that is merely passing through the port of Antwerp.

While Mediterranean parts of the continent have less direct economic exposure to Russia, save for Italy, which sucks in 9% of Russia's gas, they are also desperate not to upend any chances of an economic recovery following the euro crisis.

It's very difficult indeed to find any evidence that the sanctions themselves have made much difference.

The Russian economy is in a recession, but it was already heading in that direction before the Ukraine crisis.

And while investment and share prices have both fallen in Moscow, that seems due to fear of "proper" sanctions rather than the semi-sanctions now in place.

So what more can be done? The short answer is to extend the sanctions to some sectors, or some mega-companies, and individuals.

Open Europe's Raoul Ruparel thinks a three-pronged approach, involving roughly equal sacrifice from the continent's biggest players, would be most reasonable: Some financial sanctions (which would hurt Britain); some arms sanctions (which would hurt France) and some manufacturing and technology sanctions (which would hurt Germany).

But such system-wide sanctions - "stage three" measures, as they are called - are far from decided.

They would be deeply controversial, and raise the risk, feared by all in Europe, that Putin could retaliate by cutting off the gas supply to Europe.

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MH17 Crash Victims' Bodies Arrive At Station

A train carrying many of the victims of flight MH17 has arrived in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, where the bodies will handed over to Dutch officials.

The refrigerated wagons made the 186-mile (300km) journey from Torez overnight, after armed separatists who had been guarding the carriages allowed them to leave.

Inside were around 200 bodies, which will now be flown to the Netherlands where two-thirds of the victims came from.

Borodai (L) hands over the black boxes to Col Sakri (R)

The train's arrival comes after rebel leaders in eastern Ukraine handed over the black boxes from the downed passenger plane to Malaysian experts.

As the units were placed on a desk, Aleksander Borodai, prime minister of the self-styled Donetsk People's Republic, told a packed room at the separatists' headquarters: "Here they are, the black boxes."

Both sides then signed a document, which the rebel leader said was to finalise the handover.

The two flight data recorders from the Malaysia Airlines plane are "in good condition", according to Malaysian Colonel Mohamed Sakri, who received them from Mr Borodai.

The train carrying the bodies of many of the victims arrives in Kharkiv

"I can see that the black boxes are intact, although a bit damaged," he said.

Ukraine's deputy prime minister, Volodymyr Groysman, claimed pro-Russian rebels had tampered with the black boxes.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott also warned evidence had been interfered with on an "industrial scale", saying there is "still a long, long way to go".

"After the crime comes the cover-up," he added.

A satellite image of the wreckage of MH17. Pic: DigitalGlobe

A ceasefire within a six-mile (10km) radius of the crash site will be put in place so international investigators can examine the wreckage of the Boeing 777 that was shot down near Grabovo last week.

It comes after fighting between separatists and pro-Ukrainian groups flared in Donetsk, some 40 miles (60km) from the crash site.

Health officials said four people were killed in Monday's clashes, while rebel military commander Igor Strelkov said up to 12 of his men died in the fighting.

As the diplomatic fallout from the disaster continues, EU foreign ministers will meet on Tuesday to discuss imposing new sanctions on Russia.

Part of the wreckage of flight MH17, which had 298 people on board

Moscow has called for the investigation into the shooting down of the plane to be led by the "international community" and not Ukraine, after yet more accusations were traded between Russia and Ukraine over who is to blame.

Lyudmila Vorobyeva, the Russian ambassador to Ukraine, told a news conference the probe should be led by the United Nation's International Civil Aviation Organisation.

"The reason for that is the rebels, as we understand, do not trust the government of Kiev," said Ms Vorobyeva.

"That's why they were reluctant to hand over anything (including) the black boxes to the Ukrainian side because they are afraid the evidence would be tampered with."

She added that audio recordings of rebels admitting shooting down the plane are "fake" and a "compilation of different conversations".

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Litvinenko Public Inquiry To Be Announced

The Government is to announce a public inquiry into the death of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko.

The ex-KGB officer was poisoned by a cup of tea laced with the deadly radioactive element polonium 210 during a meeting at a London hotel in 2006 with two former Russian agents. He died three weeks later.

His widow, Marina, has fought for a public inquiry into his death ever since but the Government refused on the grounds it wanted to wait for the outcome of an inquest into his death.

Andrei Lugovoi is now a Russian MP

However, the High Court ruled in February the Home Secretary should reconsider, and Sky News understands Theresa May will be making the announcement in a written statement later on Tuesday morning.

The Litvinenko affair has caused significant diplomatic ructions between Britain and Russia. Police have asked for the arrests of two prime suspects, Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitri Kovtun, but the Kremlin has refused.

Marina Litvinenko has fought for a public inquiry

The announcement of an inquiry could not have come at a worse time for Britain's increasingly frayed relationship with Russia as tensions between the two countries intensify over Vladimir Putin's handling of the Ukraine air disaster.

However, the Government has been under pressure to make the announcement since the ruling in February and given the rapidly deteriorating relations with the Kremlin a low-key ministerial statement on the last day of Parliament was considered the best approach.

Mr Litvinenko fled Russia in 2000 and was granted asylum in Britain. His widow claims he was working for MI6 at the time of his death after meeting Mr Lugovoi and Mr Kovtun at the Millennium Hotel in Grosvenor Square.

Alexander Litvinenko in 1998

Last year Sir Robert Owen, who was conducting the inquest, said he could not hold a "fair and fearless" investigation into Mr Litvinenko's death because the Government refused to release information on Russian and British intelligence involvement.

He said a public inquiry would be the best way to proceed.

Mr Lugovoi, who is now a Russian MP, withdrew his cooperation with the inquest in 2013, accusing the British Government of a cover-up.

He has always denied murdering Mr Litvinenko, but has admitted meeting him shortly before his death, however, traces of radiation at key locations on his route from Moscow to London were found.

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Russians Oblivious To Growing Anger Over MH17

On a busy street in central Moscow, a well-dressed man stands yelling at the crowd: "Don't you understand? There will be a war!"

All around him, people walk by, wholly uninterested. It's a hot summer's day, they're enjoying the sun.

Save for a couple of tourists taking pictures, no-one pays much attention at all.

The friend of a friend who saw this posted the news on Facebook. 

A message left among tributes outside the Dutch embassy in Kiev, Ukraine

Someone responded with a cartoon of Homer Simpson holding a sign that says: "The End is Near".

There are people here who are genuinely concerned about the direction Russia is heading under Vladimir Putin, but they are very much in the minority.

Anyone watching Russian state TV (from which, according to a Levada Centre poll, an estimated 94% of population get their news) would have little idea of the weight of the international outrage building against their leader and the threat of serious sanctions to come.

Instead, they will be treated to a rundown of the "10 questions Ukraine's government must answer", and clips of Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, insisting that any accusation of Russian involvement is "unfounded" and that he "hasn't heard anything truthful from Kiev for months".

This will not surprise viewers who have spent those months listening to condemnation of the "junta" in Kiev, which they have regularly been told is controlled by fascists.

The morning after the crash, some Russian newspapers didn't even cover it.

Pro-Russian separatists have denied being behind the downing of the plane

The official state newspaper, Rossiskaya Gazeta, decided the loss of 298 lives was not its top story, leading instead with an "exclusive investigation" into what Russians eat and drink, the fate of flight MH17 relegated to the bottom of the page.

So there is no real outrage, no clamour for Mr Putin to act, no widespread fear that under his leadership Russia could be about to become a pariah state.

On the contrary, Mr Putin's approval ratings are at an all-time high.

After the annexation of Crimea, his popularity hit 83%.

For all of the stern diplomatic dressings down he received, in Russia it was a genuinely wildly popular move.

A pro-Russian separatist holds up a stuffed toy found at the crash site

But those inside the Kremlin also know how precariously Russia's economy is poised, and how rapidly that popularity could evaporate if sectoral sanctions are applied, hitting the oil and gas revenues on which the Russian books depend.

Mr Putin's presidency has coincided for the majority with an increase in living standards, an influx of western technology and designer goods, the ability to enjoy holidays abroad.

But for all of the projection of Russia's military might of late, its economy is starting to look quite fragile, with growth grinding to a halt, and an estimated $75bn worth of capital leaving the country so far this year.

Mr Putin knows real biting economic sanctions could hurt Russia, and him personally.

But he knows it will hurt Europe too.

The question now is whether he really believes European leaders will follow all their words with any meaningful action.

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Jet Horror: Putin 'Is On The Side Of The Devil'

Ukraine's Prime Minister has said Vladimir Putin is "on the side of the devil" as he reiterated Kiev's view that Russia had a clear role in shooting down flight MH17.

Arseny Yatseniuk said the Malaysia Airlines plane carrying 298 people was probably shot down by a BUK-M1 missile launcher.

"This system could not be operated by drunk pro-Russian terrorists. There were professional people," he said.

He also said Kiev is willing to hand over the probe into the atrocity to the Netherlands and its international partners.

He spoke out after the Russian President vowed to "do everything to ensure the security and safety" of experts investigating the Malaysia Airlines atrocity.

Mr Putin said "all people" in Ukraine are responsible to the families of the 298 people lost when the plane was brought down by a missile launcher last week.

"No one has the right to use this tragedy for any kind of vested interest in the political sense. Such incidents should unite people rather than separate them," he said.

"It is necessary that all people who are responsible for the situation in the region of Ukraine improve their responsibility to their own people, and to the people of the countries whose representatives have been victims of this crash.

"We need to do everything to ensure the security and safety of the observers and the experts working at the crash site."

Mr Putin's comments came after US Secretary of State John Kerry said intelligence assessments had provided overwhelming evidence of Russian complicity in the downing of MH17.

Mr Kerry also demanded Russia take responsibility for the actions of pro-Moscow rebels in Eastern Ukraine, branding their mishandling of victims' bodies as "grotesque".

British Chancellor George Osborne told Sky News that tougher sanctions against Russia "may well be required".

A woman and a child view tributes to the victims at Schiphol Airport

Ukrainian government investigators say 251 of the 298 bodies have now been found at the site, and will be taken away on a second train loaded with refrigerator wagons.

They said the first train carrying 192 bodies is stuck in the town of Torez because "terrorists are blocking its exit".

Mr Putin has promised Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte he will help retrieve bodies and black boxes from the crash site.

However, Mary Dejevsky, a Russian and EU analyst, told Sky News that Mr Putin controls rebels in the area "far less than is commonly believed outside Russia".

People work at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17

She said no-one controls the area which is "one of the reasons why things are so desperate there".

As public anger grows over claims of looting and evidence being tampered with at the crash site, Mr Kerry threatened "additional steps" against Moscow, while calling on European allies to take a tougher stance with sanctions.

He stopped short of blaming Moscow directly for shooting down the jet, but argued there was an overwhelming case that Russia had equipped insurgents with the sophisticated missile system needed to destroy an aircraft flying at 33,000ft.

"It's pretty clear that this is a system that was transferred from Russia," Mr Kerry said.

Moscow has denied any involvement and has blamed Ukrainian forces for bringing down the airliner.

The UN Security Council will today vote on a resolution to condemn the downing of the aircraft.

The resolution, drafted by Australia, demands that those responsible for bringing the plane down will be held accountable, and that armed groups do not compromise the integrity of the crash site.

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MH17: 'Terrorists Blocking Train Of Bodies'

Trains containing bodies from the MH17 crash site are being blocked by "terrorists", the Ukrainian government has said.

"We sent two trains, four carts, which right now are in Torez City," said Ukraine Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk. "These bloody guerrillas do not allow the train to leave the area."

Rescuers have found 251 bodies of the 298 victims in the area where the Malaysia Airlines flight came down in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, a government statement added.

A total of 86 body parts have also been recovered but there are fears some of the bodies were incinerated without a trace during the crash.

"We're looking at the field where the engines have come down," said Michael Bociurkiw, a spokesman for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

"This was the area which was exposed to the most intense heat. We do not see any bodies here. It appears that some have been vaporised."

The blocking of the trains comes despite comments from Russian President Vladimir Putin that "we need to do everything to ensure the security and safety of the observers and the experts working at the crash site".

Sky's Katie Stallard, reporting in Moscow, said: "The Ukraine government uses the word terrorists, we would probably use the word rebels or separatists.

"If President Putin's statement was meant to move those people or indicate to them that they should now co-operate, that is plainly not happening."

The destination of the trains - which have refrigerated wagons - is not known.

Ukraine Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has said he is willing to hand control of the crash investigation to Western partners.

The Netherlands, which lost 192 citizens, could take the lead.

Dutch and Malaysian investigators were due to arrive in Ukraine on Monday.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian government forces are trying to break into the city of Donetsk - which was taken by rebels in April - in the first major outbreak of violence since the crash.

Pro-Russian separatists ride a tank near Donetsk on Sunday

Fighting is under way near the city's railway station, with reports of four government and two rebel tanks heading to the area.  

A Ukrainian military spokesman said an operation was in an "active phase" but would not comment on reports of troops entering Donetsk.

"It is dangerous near the railway station!" the Donetsk city council said in a statement on its website, asking residents in the area to stay indoors.

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Russia 'Arming Thugs' Blamed For MH17 Crash

Britain Warns Putin: World's Eyes Are On You

Updated: 8:48pm UK, Saturday 19 July 2014

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has warned Vladimir Putin the "world's eyes are on Russia to make sure she delivers" on her obligations to the victims killed in the Ukraine plane disaster.

His comments come as David Cameron and Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte called for the European Union to "reconsider its approach to Russia" in light of evidence pro-Moscow separatists brought down the flight on Thursday.

Mr Cameron also spoke to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, while Britain's Russian ambassador has been summoned to the Foreign Office.

The UK's response follows accusations pro-Russian separatists removed 38 bodies from the crash scene and attempted to destroy evidence at the site.

The Ukraine government said "terrorists, with the help of Russia, are trying to destroy evidence of international crimes," adding it had obtained data which showed bodies had been taken to a morgue in Donetsk.

Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans said the Netherlands was "angry" and "furious" by allegations bodies were being dragged around the site.

However, Sky's Chief Correspondent Stuart Ramsay, at the scene, said there were reports rebels had moved bodies on Friday, but body parts were now officially being removed by Ukraine emergency ministry staff.

Mr Hammond, who chaired an emergency Cobra meeting on Saturday, accused Russia of not doing enough to move separatists from the site.

"We're not getting enough support from the Russians, we're not seeing Russia using their influence effectively enough to get the separatists, who are in control of the site, to allow the access that we need," he said.

"This is not about Russia and the West, this is about the whole community demanding that proper access is made available to this site, the victims are properly recovered, and evidence is secured."

Ukraine's Security Council said 18sq km of the 25sq km had been explored and 186 bodies found, while there have been discussions between the two factions over the creation of a "security zone" around the crash scene following allegations of looting and evidence being compromised.

Concerns have been raised by Malaysia about the investigation as a team of international observers complained of being confronted by aggressive armed rebels.

A Ukraine Security Council spokesman said 15 pieces of military equipment were brought over the border from Russia into the eastern Luhansk region overnight.

Critically, the monitors have been unable to speak to anyone about the whereabouts of the jet's two black box voice and data recorders.

However, Alexander Borodai, head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, denied rebels had shot down the plane, found the black boxes, or removed bodies. But he said body parts which had fallen into people's homes had been taken away.

British experts are due to join the investigation at the crash site over the weekend.

Some 298 people including 10 Britons and 80 children were killed when flight MH17, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was brought down near Grabovo, Donetsk, where Ukrainian forces have been battling separatists.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry agreed on Saturday that both countries would use their influence on the two sides of the Ukraine conflict to end hostilities

:: The Foreign Office has set up a helpline for anyone concerned.  Text MH17 to +447860010026, or call 020 7008 1500. Malaysia Airlines's emergency line is 00 6 037 884 1234.

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Rebels Call For Truce To Allow MH17 Probe

Pro-Russian separatists have said they will grant monitors safe access to the Malaysia Airlines crash site if Kiev agrees a truce.

Andrei Purgin, deputy PM of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic said his troops would "guarantee the safety of international experts on the scene" as soon as a deal with Ukraine was struck on a ceasefire.

If the offer was rejected by Kiev, he warned it would suggest the government was made up of "dangerous lunatics, bloodthirsty maniacs (who are) dangerous not only for the residents of Donbass but also for the world community".

Rebels have prevented investigators from accessing the plane crash site

The move came as the Ukrainian army said "mortar attacks from the direction of Russia aimed at Ukrainian posts" were recorded just after midnight and again at 2am on Sunday.

Ukraine and separatists also reached a preliminary agreement to remove victims' decaying bodies from the site.

Kiev's emergency officials said 196 bodies have been recovered so far, amid separate reports rebels had taken them all to an undisclosed location, while some had been transferred in refrigerator rail wagons towards Llovaisk, near the border with Russia.

World leaders have piled pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the armed Moscow-backed rebels from preventing investigators from fully accessing the MH17 crash site.

A message left among floral tributes outside the Dutch Embassy in Kiev

British Prime Minister David Cameron said Europe and the West must "fundamentally change our approach" unless Mr Putin alters his stance, amid claims Russia-backed rebels were involved.

Writing in the Sunday Times, Mr Cameron said: "The growing weight of evidence points to a clear conclusion: that MH17 was blown out of the sky by a surface-to-air missile fired from a rebel-held area.

"If it is the case, then we must be clear what it means: this is a direct result of Russia destabilising a sovereign state, violating its territorial integrity, backing thuggish militias, and training and arming them."

The prospect of further sanctions against Russia was raised as public anger and concerns grow over claims of looting and evidence being compromised.

International monitors and journalists are confronted by armed separatists

The US has condemned the lack of security at the scene as an "affront to all those who lost loved ones and to the dignity the victims deserve", while Malaysia has attacked the failure to preserve evidence as a "betrayal of the lives lost".

Critically, investigators have been unable to speak to anyone about the whereabouts of the jet's two black box voice and data recorders.

Ukraine has said they have not been handed over to Kiev and it has no information about them, while the rebels have denied shooting down the plane, finding the black boxes, and rubbished claims they have removed bodies from the crash site.

All 298 passengers including 10 Britons and 80 children were killed when flight MH17, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was brought down near Grabovo, Donetsk, where Ukrainian forces have been battling separatists.

Kiev and Moscow have blamed each other for the disaster.

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Bodies In The Street As Gazans Flee Shelling

At least 40 people have been killed and many more wounded after the Israeli military shelled a Gaza neighbourhood, according to Sky sources.

Thousands of Palestinians fled Shaja'iya in northeast Gaza - some by foot and others in the backs of trucks or sitting on the hoods of packed cars - as the attack began.

Sky's Sherine Tadros, reporting from Shaja'iya, said Palestinians leaving the area were describing it as a "massacre".

"This is a very heavily populated residential area," she said.

An injured Palestinian woman at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City

"We have seen hundreds upon hundreds of people leaving and they are not carrying bags packed with clothes, they are not carrying anything. They are literally running for their lives." 

Israeli tanks were reported to be firing into the neighbourhood while drones and fighter jets could be heard overhead.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said: "Two days ago, residents of Shaja'iya received recorded messages to evacuate the area in order to protect their lives."

But Tadros said there is nowhere for those fleeing the assault to run to.

"They are leaving this area but of course there is nowhere safe here," she said.

"You expect to see all these people flee across a border, but they can't cross a border. Gaza is completely locked off." 

More follows...

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