MH17 Shot DownUS Presses Case Against Russia As Horror DeepensUS Secretary of State John Kerry laid out what he called overwhelming evidence of Russian complicity in the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 as international horror deepened over the fate of the victims' remains. Kerry demanded that Moscow take responsibility for actions of pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine whom Washington suspects of downing the jet with a missile, and expressed disgust at their "grotesque" mishandling of the bodies. Television images of the rebel-held crash sites, where the remains of victims had lain decomposing in fields among their personal belongings, have turned initial shock and sorrow after Thursday's disaster into anger.
LinkUkraine Has 'Compelling Evidence' Of Russian RoleUkraine said it has "compelling evidence" Russia played a defining role in the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 by providing the rebels with missile systems and a crew, the country's counter intelligence chief said. Vitaly Naida said Kiev had proof three BUK-1, or SA-11 radar guided missile systems, had entered Ukraine from Russia along with a three-man crew.
LinkEmirates Calls For Airline Summit On MH17 AttackTim Clark, chief executive of Emirates, has called for an international meeting of airlines to agree a response to the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, including a potential rethink of the threats posed by regional conflicts. Clark, president of the world's largest international airline by number of passengers, also said domestic regulators worldwide may decide to be more involved in giving their carriers guidance on where it is safe to fly. "The international airline community needs to respond as an entity, saying this is absolutely not acceptable and outrageous, and that it won't tolerate being targeted in internecine regional conflicts that have nothing to do with airlines," Clark told Reuters news agency. He said IATA could call an international conference to see what changes need to made in the way the industry tackles regional instability.
LinkInvestigators Face Tough Task In MH17 InquiryAs international investigators travel to rebel-held eastern Ukraine to piece together what, and who, caused Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 to plunge into the steppe, securing evidence in the middle of a war zone is a major challenge. Proving what happened beyond doubt and to the satisfaction of the warring parties may already be all but impossible, after local people and rebel fighters have spent 24 hours sifting and moving debris and bodies, and Ukraine and Russia make detailed allegations against each other and argue over the black box flight recorders. In principle, all sides support a call, backed by Russia and other world powers in the UN Security Council, for an impartial international investigation. But even agreeing the Kiev government has jurisdiction in a region where separatists have declared their own republic poses difficulties.
LinkMalaysia frustrated about MH17 crash site accessMalaysia has stepped up its demands for access to the crash site of MH17, and says that a “safe corridor” to the crash site is still not open. “The Ukrainian government has informed the Joint International Investigation Team that the crash site is under the full control of separatist groups,” says Malaysia transport minister Liow Tiong Lai in a statement. “The Ukrainian government has stated that it has been unable to establish a safe corridor to the crash site for the international team. The Ukrainian government has said it cannot guarantee the safety of the international team in and around the crash site.” Liow issued the statement from Kiev, where he arrived over the weekend for meetings with Ukrainian officials.
LinkUncertainty lingers over location of MH17 flight recorders There is still no clear indication as to the location or status of the two flight recorders from the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 which crashed in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian deputy prime minister Vladimir Groisman, who is heading the commission investigating the 17 July crash, says there is no information on the location of the recorders. While access to the recorders would be a “significant step forward” in the inquiry, Groisman’s office states that it “does not rule out” the possibility that they have been removed from the site by militants.
LinkMissile sightings back MH17 attack claim: security serviceUkraine’s counter-intelligence chief strongly believes that Buk-M surface-to-air missile systems were transferred from Russia to Ukraine along with crew before being used to shoot down the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777. Vitaly Naida, head of the Ukrainian state security service SBU, says there is “undeniable evidence” to support the claim. The SBU has produced photographs which, it says, show a Buk launcher – also known as the SA-11 – on the streets in the town of Torez, just a few kilometres from the crash site, and, separately, undated pictures which it claims show a “clearly visible” contrail from a missile launch in the same area.
LinkMalaysia worried about integrity of MH17 crash siteMalaysia is concerned about the security and integrity of the site in eastern Ukraine where Malaysia Airlines MH17 crashed on 17 July. “Malaysia is deeply concerned that the crash site has not been properly secured,” says Transport minster Liow Tiong Lai. “The integrity of the site has been compromised, and there are indications that vital evidence has not been preserved in place.” He was speaking at a press conference held in Kuala Lumpur on 19 July, shortly before he planned to fly out to Kiev to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart to assist with the situation.
LinkUkraine to lead MH17 investigation from KharkivUkrainian air investigation authorities will establish a base in Kharkiv for the investigation into the apparent shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. Speaking on 18 July, Director general of the Ukraine’s foreign ministry consular service Andrii Sybiga said that a committee established to investigate the accident had met, and plans were established to coordinate international involvement in the investigation. "The investigation will have an international dimensions as the victims were foreign citizens," he says. Malaysia has already sent a team of 30 medical staff and investigators to Kiev, but it has not yet been granted access to the crash site.
LinkSA-11 missile 'likely' destroyed MH17US ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power has told the UN Security Council that Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was "likely" brought down by an SA-11 surface-to-air missile. The Boeing 777-200ER was destroyed as it crossed eastern Ukraine while en route to Kuala Lumpur on 17 July. Power said that there was "nothing threatening or provocative" about the flight, adding that it was transmitting its assigned transponder code and corresponding with its flight plan. She added that the Russian-built SA-11 was one of only a small number of missile systems in the region capable of hitting a commercial aircraft at cruise altitude.
LinkRussian investigators: MH17 recorders should be under ICAORussia’s air transport accident investigation authority believes an international commission should take responsibility for the flight recorders from the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 lost over Ukraine. The Interstate Aviation Committee says that the “difficult situation” surrounding the crash makes it “necessary” to establish an ICAO-backed international commission to take charge of, and examine, the flight-data and cockpit-voice recorders. It adds that the investigation should be conducted under the standards laid out in ICAO’s Annex 13 to the Chicago Convention, which sets out civil aviation accident procedures.
LinkMH17’s communications were functioning “normally”Malaysia Airlines says the Boeing 777-200ER aircraft that crashed in the eastern Ukraine on 17 July had an unblemished safety record. The aircraft, bearing registration 9M-MRD, had its last maintenance check on 11 July, says MAS in a statement. The check occurred at the carrier’s hangar in Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and the next check was due on 27 August.
LinkFAA NOTAM restricts US flights over eastern UkraineThe US Federal Aviation Administration has issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) restricting US flights over the eastern Ukraine in the wake of the loss of MH17. “The restricted area includes the entire Simferopol and Dnepropetrovsk flight information regions (FIRs),” says the FAA in a brief statement. “This action expands a prohibition of U.S. flight operations issued by the FAA in April, over the Crimean region of Ukraine and adjacent areas of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. No scheduled U.S. airlines are currently flying routes through this airspace.”
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