We had this last night, but here is audio with English subtitles of the alleged discussions between separatists and between separatists and a Russian military official over the downing of the plane.
The second black box has been found:
Emergency workers at the scene of a Malaysian jetliner crash in eastern Ukraine have found the plane’s second black box – a device carrying data that can help determine what happened during the flight’s final moments.
Pro-Russian separatist fighters who control the crash site say they recovered one black box on July 17 and had sent it to Moscow.
Rescue workers, police, and off-duty coal miners on July 18 found the second black box while searching the area in eastern Ukraine where the jetliner crashed a day earlier, killing all 298 aboard.
Pro-Russian separatists vowed on July 18 that international investigators would be given access to the crash site. But it was not immediately clear what would happen to the second black box.
Ukraine’s government has accused pro-Russian separatists of shooting down the plane.
The separatists and Russian President Vladimir Putin are blaming Ukraine.
Australia's prime minister lashes out at Russia:
An angry Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott is demanding an independent inquiry into the downing of a Malaysian jetliner -- saying that Russia's response is "deeply, deeply unsatisfactory."
Abbott said the initial response of Russian Ambassador to Australia Vladimir Morozov was to blame Ukraine for the July 17 downing of the Malaysia Airlines aircraft, which killed all 298 aboard -- including at least 28 Australians.
Abbott said the idea of Moscow claiming the crash has nothing to do Russia because it happened in Ukrainian airspace "frankly does not stand up to any serious scrutiny."
Abbott said a full investigation is needed, without interference from Russian, because Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine appear to have killed Australians using Russian-supplied heavy weaponry.
He said that means "no prevarication, no excuses, no blame shifting, no protecting of people" who are backed by Russia and may have been involved in shooting down the plane. (AP, AFP)
Here's the latest wrap from our news desk:
Emergency workers at the scene of a Malaysian jetliner crash in eastern Ukraine have found the plane’s second black box – a device carrying data that can help determine what happened during the flight’s final moments.
Pro-Russian separatist fighters who control the crash site say they recovered one black box on July 17 and had sent it to Moscow.
Rescue workers, police, and off-duty coal miners on July 18 found the second black box while searching the area in eastern Ukraine where the jetliner crashed a day earlier, killing all 298 aboard.
Bodies and aircraft parts were strewn across a 10 kilometer area near the village of Rozsypne – indicating the plane broke up before hitting the ground.
Pro-Russian separatists vowed that international investigators will be given access to the crash site.
But it was not immediately clear what would happen to the second black box.
U.S. President Barack Obama, in telephone calls with pro-Western Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, said evidence from the crash site must not be moved.
The White House said Obama told Rutte the United States was prepared to contribute "immediate assistance" for "a prompt, full, credible and unimpeded international investigation."
Obama and Rutte also agreed on the need for "immediate access" to the site of the crash in territory held by pro-Russia separatists.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also called for an impartial investigation.
Putin and the United States also have both called for a cease-fire in Ukraine to ensure an unimpeded investigation.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also has called for a full international investigation, while Britain is seeking an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council as soon as July 18.
Ukraine’s government has accused pro-Russian separatists of shooting down the plane.
Authorities in Kyiv say they intercepted and recorded two telephone calls in which separatists were bragging about shooting down a plane in the area on July 17 before it became apparent that a civilian passenger plane had crashed there.
The separatists and Russian President Vladimir Putin are blaming Ukraine.
A Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser, Anton Herashchenko, said the plane was shot down by a Buk ground-to-air launcher system.
Both Ukrainian and Russian forces have SA-17 systems -- known as Buk launchers.
Separatists also recently claimed that they have acquired Buk systems. But on July 18, the separatists were denying that they had they sophisticated systems.
Meanwhile, authorities in Kyiv on July 18 announced they are imposing a no-fly zone over eastern Ukraine.
Malaysia Airlines said there were at least 154 Dutch, 27 Australians, 23 Malaysians, 11 Indonesians, six Britons, four Germans, four Belgians, three Phillippinos and one Canadian aboard the Boeing 777 jet.
There were another 47 passengers whose nationalities were not immediately announced. All flight crew members were Malaysians.
A grandmother who lost three grandchildren in MH17 crash spoke at Kuala Lumpur airport.
Good explainer from AP on why airliners don't avoid risky airspace.
In April, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration cautioned airlines that Russia's claim to the airspace over Ukraine's Crimea could lead to conflicting air traffic control instructions. A few weeks later, the FAA issued a tougher warning, telling pilots not to fly over the area, and the U.N.'s International Civil Aviation Organization told governments to warn their airlines. Thursday's crash, however, occurred outside the warning areas.
Thomas Routh, an aviation attorney in Chicago, said it would be unusual for an airline to ignore such warnings, but he said it's up to airlines to decide whether a flight will be safe for crew and passengers.
"There are airlines flying through Afghanistan airspace every day," Routh said.
John Cox, a former airline pilot and accident investigator, said despite the cautions, the airspace was not closed. The Malaysia Airlines crew filed a flight plan and "Russia and the Ukraine both accepted the airplane into their airspace," he said.
The Kyiv Post has an English-language transcript of Poroshenko's comments yesterday: