Donetsk (Ukraine) (AFP) - The year-long conflict in east Ukraine has closed businesses across this industrial heartland, ramping up unemployment, crippling finances and leaving it ever more reliant on Moscow.

Fierce fighting between government forces and pro-Russian rebels has ravaged a region that once provided 25 percent of the nation's exports and has shorn Kiev of a vital source of foreign currency, seeing the Ukrainian economy contract sharply.

For people in rebel-held territory, the destruction of infrastructure and a cut-off of government support along with the legal limbo created by the separatist takeover have left once-flourishing cities in dire straits.

In total, medium and large businesses employed close to 350,000 people in Donetsk in the first half of 2014, according to the city's mayor Oleksandr Lukyanchenko, who fled to Kiev after rebels took the city almost a year ago.

"Half of them have now lost their jobs, and main source of income," he told AFP.

Brutal fighting around the rebel stronghold of Donetsk turned the once-gleaming international airport into a post-apocalyptic ruin, undermining the booming companies that helped make it one of Ukraine’s richest cities.

The resulting plunge in income-tax revenue has drained the public coffers of the rebels' self-proclaimed statelet. A new tax department has done little to get business back on its feet.

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For people in rebel-held territory, the destruction of infrastructure and a cut-off of government su …

"Many large companies have been separated from their production capacity across the border of the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR)," explained Yuri Makogon, professor of economics at the University of Donetsk.

"So they are forced to accept double taxation, in Ukraine and the DNR".

In the face of falling business income, DNR leader Alexander Zakharchenko has stressed that coal, the traditional mainstay of the region's economy, must form the backbone of public finances. But the conflict has left Russia as the only viable trading partner.

"Exports from the Donbass region have always been divided into three: one third went to the east (80 percent of that to Russia), a third went towards the European Union and a third went to Southeast Asia and North America," said Makogon.

"Today, the DNR only has Russia because none of the countries of the EU, Asia or America recognise it, therefore cannot accept its goods."

In addition, Russia has alternative sources of cheap coal in the Far East and in Western Siberia.

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An employee of the Donetsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre is reflected in mirror next to a …

- Moscow holds purse-strings -

Before the conflict, which has claimed more than 6,000 lives, "Donetsk spent between 640 and 670 million hryvnias ($27.1-28.4 million, 25-26.2 million euros) annually on health," said former mayor Lukyanchenko.

It spent 540 and 560 million hryvnias on education, and between 45 and 48 million hryvnias on civil-servant salaries.

"Now, there is nowhere to find the money," added Lukyanchenko, arguing that Moscow must be plugging the gap.

A rebel official confirmed that flow of Kremlin cash to eastern Ukraine.

"This money comes directly from Moscow, and all the transfers are controlled by the Russian president's office," he said, on condition of anonymity.

The separatists' budget minister Alexander Timofeyev maintains "DNR income is classified information".

Kiev's decision in November to cease the dispersal of central funds to separatist areas, combined with the closure of banks and retailers, has further darkened the region's economic outlook.

And in a tacit admission that Moscow now wants to shift the economic burden for the war-torn territories back on to Kiev, President Vladimir Putin made Ukraine resuming payments to the east a key plank of a peace deal hammered out in February.

For now the new authorities have only managed to pay pensions on one occasion, and then only at a maximum equivalent to around $40.

Several doctors and teachers told AFP that in 2014 they had received one monthly payment worth around $120, and then another of some $40.

Surgeons nursing wounded fighters added they were receiving no more than $215.

"People in these regions cannot survive on the fruits of their own production," concluded Kiev-based political expert Taras Beressovets.

"The Donbass is already below the poverty line and the situation will only get worse."

Lufthansa Chief Executive Carsten Spohr (L) and Germanwings Managing Director Thomas Winkelmann carry flowers as they pay their respects at the memorial for the victims of the air disaster in the village of Le Vernet, near the crash site of the Germanwings Airbus A320 in French Alps April 1, 2015. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier

BERLIN (Reuters) - A video showing the chaotic final seconds on board the Germanwings flight that crashed in the French Alps last week has been discovered near the site, Germany's Bild daily reported on Wednesday, saying it had seen the footage.

The video was found on a mobile phone belonging to one of the passengers killed on the flight when German pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately flew into a mountain, said the paper.

The scenes seen on the video were chaotic and very wobbly, said Bild, adding screams and shouts of "My God" could be heard, indicating the passengers knew what was happening.

Prosecutor Brice Robin, who is handling the case in France, said none of the mobile telephones collected at the crash site had been sent for analysis.

"All are for now being kept at Seynes-Les-Alpes. If people at the site have picked up mobile phones, I am not aware of it," he told Reuters by telephone. France's BEA investigation authority could not immediately be reached for comment.

On the video, which Bild described as being "indisputably authentic", a banging of metal could be heard at least three times, possibly the sound of the pilot who had been locked out of the cockpit by Lubitz trying to break through the door.

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Lufthansa Chief Executive Carsten Spohr (L) and Germanwings Managing Director Thomas Winkelmann pay …

Near the end there was a heavy shake and the cabin tilted sharply to one side. After further screams the video ended, said the paper.

The footage appeared to have been taken from near the back of the plane but no individuals could be identified, said Bild.

French magazine Paris Match also ran a story on the video and printed an account of a conversation between the two pilots, according to a "special investigator".

When the captain left the cockpit to go to the toilet, he told Lubitz that he was in control. "I hope so", Lubitz replied, according to the magazine.

Later the captain implored Lubitz to let him in.

Lufthansa said on Tuesday that Lubitz had told officials at the airline's training school in 2009 that he had gone through a period of severe depression, raising questions about screening process for pilots. Prosecutors have said he suffered from "suicidal tendencies" before obtaining his pilot's license.

Lufthansa is facing legal action from relatives of the victims and Chief Executive Carsten Spohr will be at the crash site in France on Wednesday.

(Additional reporting by Francois Revilla and Andrew Callus in Paris and Victoria Bryan in Berlin; Reporting by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Noah Barkin)

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — The Palestinians formally joined the International Criminal Court on Wednesday, as part of a broader effort to put international pressure on Israel and exact a higher price for its occupation of lands sought for a Palestinian state.

Beyond seeking war crimes charges against Israel at the court, the Palestinians want the U.N. Security Council to set a deadline for an Israeli troop withdrawal and hope for new momentum of a Palestinian-led international movement of boycott, divestment and sanctions.

The atmosphere seems ripe for international intervention after recently re-elected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu startled the world with a pledge to voters, since withdrawn, that he would not allow a Palestinian state to be established.

But a legal and diplomatic showdown isn't inevitable as aides say Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas isn't interested in an all-out confrontation with Israel. War crimes charges against Israel could be years away and Washington likely will soften any Security Council resolution on Palestinian statehood.

Here is a look at what's expected:

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THE COURT

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki was meeting with court officials Wednesday, but it's largely ceremonial.

Attempting to lower expectations among Palestinians of speedy court action, Malki told the Voice of Palestine radio Wednesday: "I don't want to disappoint our people, but the ICC procedures are slow and long and might face lots of obstacles and challenges and might take years."

Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda already launched a preliminary review to determine if there are grounds for an investigation of possible war crimes in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem — lands captured by Israel in 1967 and recognized by the U.N. General Assembly in 2012 as the "state of Palestine."

A senior Palestinian official said the Palestinians will wait for the outcome of that review — which can take months or years — before considering further action. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss Palestinian strategy.

Earlier this year, the Palestinians accepted the court's jurisdiction dating back to June 2014, to ensure that last summer's Gaza war between Israel and the militant group Hamas will be included in any review.

The Palestinians suffered heavy civilian casualties in the war, prompting allegations by some rights groups that Israel committed war crimes. Hamas, which rules Gaza, is also exposed to war crimes charges because it fired rockets indiscriminately at Israeli civilian areas.

Israel's settlement construction, deemed illegal by much of the world, is also bound to be examined by the prosecutor. Since 1967, Israel has moved more than 550,000 of its civilians to occupied lands.

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FILE - In this Oct. 18, 2014 file photo, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during a meeting …

Palestine's court membership could help shift focus to settlements as a legal and not just a political issue, said Alex Whiting, a former official in the international prosecutor's office.

Israel and Palestine also will have to show that they are looking into possible war crimes on their own — a shield against ICC involvement if deemed credible. Israel says it's investigating alleged violations by its troops in Gaza. Hamas is not investigating its actions, claiming rocket attacks were self-defense.

Israel vehemently opposes Palestinians joining the court. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said unilateral Palestinian moves are "absolutely counterproductive" and will make it harder to resume negotiations.

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THE U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL

France is working on a Security Council resolution that would set the parameters for a Palestinian statehood deal. The draft would define the pre-1967 frontier as a reference point for border talks, designate Jerusalem as a capital of two states and call for a fair solution for Palestinian refugees.

Last year, the council rejected a Palestinian resolution demanding an end to Israeli occupation within three years. The U.S. opposed that draft, saying Palestinian statehood can only be achieved through negotiations, but didn't have to use its veto.

French diplomats now say they are working on a new draft with their allies, including the U.S., to ensure broad support. A resolution could be introduced later this month.

The U.S. said after Netanyahu's comments on Palestinian statehood that it would re-evaluate its approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — a possible sign that Washington would no longer shield Israel in the Security Council.

Israel opposes imposed parameters for negotiations, but Palestinians are also skeptical.

They want internationally backed ground rules, after Netanyahu rejected the pre-1967 lines as a starting point. However, they also fear they'll get a resolution that lacks enforceable deadlines and instead introduces the definition of Israel as a Jewish state. Abbas opposes such wording as a threat to the "right of return" of Palestinian refugees.

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BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT AND SANCTIONS

Organizers said they expect Netanyahu's re-election will galvanize support for the 10-year-old Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

BDS activists promote different objectives, with some focusing on a boycott of the settlements and others saying everything Israeli must be shunned until Israel withdraws from occupied lands.

The movement has scored recent successes, including some European businesses and pension funds cutting investments or trade with Israeli firms connected to West Bank settlements.

Nahshon, the Israeli official, dismissed BDS campaigners as a small group driven by anti-Semitism and "a wish to destroy" Israel.

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THE WAY FORWARD

Instead of a dramatic Israeli-Palestinian showdown, continued paralysis appears more likely.

Netanyahu and Abbas have signaled that they don't want strained relations to break down.

Israel initially punished Abbas for seeking court membership, freezing monthly transfers of more than $100 million it collects for the Palestinians. Israel resumed the transfers after three months amid warnings that a continued freeze could bring down Abbas' government.

Abbas has indicated he won't end security coordination between his forces and Israeli troops in the West Bank that is aimed at shared foe Hamas.

Abbas also told senior PLO officials in March he remains committed to negotiations and would go along with the idea of an international peace conference, proposed by France, "despite low expectations."

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Laub reported from Amman, Jordan. Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Mike Corder at The Hague, Netherlands, contributed to this report.

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Islamic State militants infiltrated a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus on Wednesday and were clashing with a Palestinian group, the deepest foray yet by the extremist group into the Syrian capital, seat of President Bashar Assad's power, according to opposition activists and Palestinian officials.

Jordan, meanwhile, closed its only functioning border crossing with Syria, following heavy clashes on the Syrian side between rebels and government forces.

Islamic State fighters, who control large swaths of territory in northern Syria, entered the Yarmouk camp from the nearby Hajar Aswad neighborhood. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the IS group took control of large parts of the camp. If they gain full control, they can potentially threaten the heart of the capital.

The Observatory reported heavy clashes in the camp between IS fighters and members of an anti-Assad Palestinian faction called Aknaf Beit al-Maqdis.

Anwar Raja, the spokesman for the pro-Assad Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine — General Command, said that IS fighters had been based in the Hajar Aswad neighborhood for months. He said Wednesday's push into the camp showed coordination between IS and a rival group, the Nusra Front, al-Qaida's branch in Syria.

"The Nusra Front opened the road for them in order to infiltrate the camp and several hours ago they entered Yarmouk," Raja said by telephone. It was not immediately clear why Nusra would facilitate the entry of IS into the camp.

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FILE - This picture taken on Thursday, April. 24, 2014 and provided by the United Nations Relief and …

Yarmouk, a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Damascus, has been under government siege for nearly two years. U.N. aid workers have been sending food parcels into the camp, where thousands of civilians remain trapped and in desperate need of food and medicine. The camp had witnessed fighting in the past between government forces and militants who control much of the camp.

The U.N. agency that supports Palestinians, known as UNRWA, said it was extremely concerned about the safety and protection of the Syrian and Palestinian civilians in Yarmouk, particularly the children.

"Credible information from public sources indicate that a variety of armed groups are engaged in fierce fighting in areas where Yarmouk's 18,000 civilians, including a large number of children reside, placing them at extreme risk of death, serious injury, trauma and displacement," the agency said in a statement. It demanded "an end to the fighting and a return to conditions that will enable its staff to support and assist Yarmouk's civilians."

Meanwhile, Jordanian government spokesman Mohammed al-Momani told The Associated Press that the Nasib crossing was temporarily closed late Tuesday because of clashes nearby.

"It is important for us to keep the safety for the passengers and those who are trying to cross between the two countries," he said. "So we decided to close the border temporarily, until things calm down. Then we will open it again."

A spokesman for rebels in southern Syria, Issam al-Rayess, confirmed that rebel fighters were trying to take control of the border crossing from Syrian authorities.

The Nasib crossing is the only functioning crossing between Jordan and Syria and is considered a crucial gateway for Syria's government and for Syrian, Lebanese and Jordanian traders and merchants.

A Syrian Foreign Ministry statement on Wednesday said it holds Jordanian authorities responsible for "obstructing the movement of trucks and passengers and any ensuing economic or social repercussions."

Also Wednesday, a Nusra Front leader said that a Syrian city captured from government forces last week would be ruled according to Islamic law, or Sharia.

In an audio recording released by the group online, Abu Muhammed al-Golani also indicated the group does not seek to monopolize power in the northwestern city of Idlib, and called for the protection of state institutions and property.

A group of rebels led by the Nusra Front and the ultra-conservative Ahrar al-Sham group seized Idlib from government officials Saturday, after a four-day assault.

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Associated Press writers Zeina Karam in Beirut, Karin Laub in Amman, Jordan, and Cara Anna at the United Nations contributed to this report.