Pro-Russian rebels ship out Flight 17 bodies

A refrigerated train bearing the dead from the downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 reached Ukrainian government-held territory as it entered the city of Kharkiv on Tuesday, but the pro-Russian separatists in control of the crash site showed little willingness to allow the full-scale investigation demanded by world leaders. In other developments: The Netherlands declared Wednesday to be a day of national mourning as the country prepared for the arrival of the bodies of Dutch victims. Prime Minister Mark Rutte warned grieving families that the identification of some victims could take weeks or even months.

Senior U.S. intelligence officials said they have no evidence so far of direct Russian government involvement in the shooting down of the jetliner, which investigators believe was destroyed by a missile fired by separatists. The officials, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, said the most likely explanation was that the plane was shot down by mistake.

Russia’s financial sector faced further pressure as the European Union threatened to restrict access to markets and energy and defence technologies unless Russian President Vladimir Putin expedites the crash investigation. In Moscow, Putin said Russia would do “everything in its power” to facilitate the probe, including putting pressure on the rebels.

Despite calls for a European arms embargo against Russia, France says it will go ahead with the sale of a warship to Russia, highlighting how Europe’s strong business ties are hindering its ability to punish Moscow over the crisis.

The jetliner’s black boxes were handed over to Malaysia Airlines, and three airline investigators were given access to the site.

The British government Tuesday announced plans for a public inquiry into the 2006 death of poisoned ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, which will allow investigators to look into whether the Russian state played a role.

Facebook users in Australia have been warned that scammers are exploiting the crash of the jetliner through the creation of false profiles for Australian victims that direct users to a blog featuring pop-up ads, the nation’s competition and consumer authority said.