I had been avoiding citing this grisly incident because it seemed gratuitous, but now it appears I have to chronicle it.
RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service quotes Ukrainian military authorities saying their forces will not fire on or bomb Donetsk, although they have noted that they have a "direct route open" from Horlivka to that separatist stronghold:
That concludes our live blogging for Saturday, July 26. Find our continuing coverage of Ukraine and our entire broadcast area HERE.
Via AP and LATimes.com:
Australia said earlier today that "a number" of armed personnel will enter the MH17 crash site but stressed they will be a "nonthreatening force" unaccompanied by military troops. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said some of the Australian team at the site would carry weapons to protect the crash investigators. Bishop did not specify the number.
Australia is sending 190 federal police and 40 troops to the Netherlands to participate in a planned Dutch-led operation to secure the crash site.
Also today, Australia's special envoy to eastern Ukraine, retired Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, said Australian troops would not be part of the police-led team that searches the debris zone.
Australia lost 38 citizens and permanent residents in the Malaysian plane tragedy.
AFP says "a team of 30 Dutch forensic experts headed Sunday to the crash site...despite intensifying fighting in the area.
British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has told the "Sunday Times" that FIFA should "pull the plug" on Russia's World Cup in 2018 despite the world football body's dismissal two days ago of such a notion.
“After this terrible, terrible downing of that jet, it is essential that the European Union gets tough on Vladimir Putin,” said Clegg, whose Liberal Democrats are the junior coalition partner. He added that "it would make the rest of the world look so weak and so insincere about our protestations about Vladimir Putin's behavior if we're not prepared to pull the plug."
In a statement on July 25, FIFA said that "history has shown so far that boycotting sports events or a policy of isolation or confrontation are not the most effective ways to solve problems."