The Malaysian Parliament held a moment of silence on Wednesday for the people killed aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

All 298 people on board the plane were killed when it was shot down on Thursday in eastern Ukraine.

At the beginning of the session, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak addressed lawmakers and condemned "the inhumane, uncivilised, violent and irresponsible action" that led to the tragedy.

The session was also attended by the Russian Ambassador to Malaysia, Lyudmila Vorobyev.

The investigation over who is responsible for the tragedy is underway.

Western governments have accused pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine of shooting down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 with a surface-to-air missile while it was flying at 33-thousand feet (10-thousand metres).

AP TELEVISION

1. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak (pink shirt) going through security as he enters Malaysian Parliament building

2. Malaysian Defence Minister Hishamuddin Hussein (pink tie) entering building and shaking hands with security officer

3. Pan from media to Hussein

4. Russian Ambassador to Malaysia, Lyudmila Vorobyev. sitting inside parliament

5. Razak entering room shaking hands with member of parliament

6. Close of Razak

7. Various of lawmakers observing moment of silence

8. SOUNDBITE (Malaysian) Najib Razak, Malaysian Prime Minister:

"These honourable members of the parliament are here to firmly condemn in the strongest terms the inhumane, uncivilised, violent and irresponsible action of the parties believed to have shot down flight MH17, resulting in the loss of 298 lives comprising of 283 passengers and 15 crew who were innocent."

9. Various of lawmakers

10. Wide pan of parliament

SHOTLIST:

GRAPHIC: Malaysian passenger plane shot down over eastern Ukraine; scores dead

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AP Television

Hrabove - 17 July 2014

1. Burning wreckage of plane with people walking in the background

2. ++GRAPHIC - CONTAINS SHOT OF DEAD BODY++ Wreckage of the plane with dead body lying in the grass

GRAPHIC: Wreckage of the Malaysian plane; bodies scattered across the ground

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++GRAPHIC WARNING: THIS FOOTAGE CONTAINS PICTURES OF MANY DEAD BODIES STREWN AMONGST WRECKAGE++

AP TELEVISION

Hrabove - 17 July 2014

3. Wreckage of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in field in Hrabove, eastern Ukraine, smoke and flames rising from pieces of plane

4. ++GRAPHIC++ Human bodies strewn amongst charred wreckage of plane as debris smokes

AP PHOTOS - No Access Canada/Broadcast use only/Strictly No Access Online or Mobile

Hrabove - 17 July 2014

5. STILL: Man in uniform gesturing while standing in debris

GRAPHIC: AP cover wreckage of the plane that was shot down over eastern Ukraine

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AP TELEVISION

Hrabove- 17 July 2014

6. Wide of debris still smoking and on fire

7. debris still smouldering and on fire in places

Flowers and messages left at Schiphol Airport for passengers for downed plane

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AP TELEVISION

Schiphol Airport - 20 July 2014

8. Zoom in to woman laying flowers

Crane lifts sections of plane wreckage as serach of crash site continues

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AP TELEVISION

Hrabove - 21 July 2014

9. A crane lifting pieces of plane wreckage

Train departs carrying bodies of crash victims in refrigerated carriages

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AP TELEVISION

Torez - 21 July 2014

10. A pile of luggage on the station platform

11. The train pulling away from the station

Separatist leader hands over black boxes to Malaysia officials

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AP TELEVISION

Donetsk - 22 July 2014

12. Mid of Malaysian official inspecting first black box and placing it in a bag

13. Close of black boxes, pull out to Sakri and rebel official shaking hands

Scuffles break out in parliament as MPs discuss Malaysian plane crash; minute of silence

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AP TELEVISION

Kiev - 22 July 2014

14. Various of lawmakers pushing each other

OSCE mission inspects another site scattered with debris from plane crash

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AP TELEVISION

Petropavlivka - 23 July 2014

15. Wide of OSCE Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) inspectors

convoy at side of field

Planes carrying 38 MH17 coffins arrive to the Netherlands in a solemn ceremony

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AP TELEVISION

Eindhoven - 26 July 2014

16. Various of military carrying a coffin

STORYLINE:

An Associated Press journalist has counted at least 22 bodies at the wreckage site of a passenger plane that was shot down on July 17th 2014 as it flew over the country.

Both the government and the pro-Russia separatists fighting in the region denied any responsibility for downing the plane.

The plane appeared to have broken up before impact and the burning wreckage - which included body parts and the belongings of passengers - was scattered over a wide area.

***

Dead bodies of passengers were visible amongst the smouldering wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 on July 17th after the plane was shot down over eastern Ukraine.

Both the Ukrainian government and the pro-Russia separatists fighting in the region denied any responsibility for downing the aircraft, which was carrying 295 people.

As plumes of black smoke rose up near a rebel-held village of Hrabove, an Associated Press journalist counted at least 22 bodies at the wreckage site 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Russian border.

The Boeing 777-200ER plane, travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, appeared to have broken up before impact and the burning wreckage, which included body parts and the belongings of passengers, was scattered over a wide area.

Men in army fatigues, believed to be pro-Russia separatists, were seen at the crash site.

***

A Malaysia Airlines passenger plane carrying 295 people was shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17th, Ukrainian officials said.

The Boeing 777-200ER plane, travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, appeared to have broken up before impact and the burning wreckage, which included body parts and the belongings of passengers, was scattered over a wide area.

Both the government and the pro-Russia separatists fighting in the region denied any responsibility for downing the aircraft.

The village is under the control of pro-Russia separatists and the area has seen severe fighting between the two sides in recent days.

A Russian news report said pro-Russia rebels intend to call a three-day cease-fire to allow for an investigation into the crash and recovery efforts.

***

Flowers were laid outside Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands on July 20th to commemorate the victims of the downed flight MH17.

KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines) flight attendants and members of the public also left messages in a book of condolences just outside the airport.

Airline employees are starting to wonder how safe it is to fly over crisis zones.

"We always assume that everything is safe but apparently it is not, so that is another reason to be wondering what happened here," said Boris Tester, a purser for KLM.

The Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Saturday he had an "extremely intense" telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which he urged him to use his influence over separatist rebels in Ukraine to ensure they do not hinder efforts to investigate the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.

The plane crashed on July 17th, killing all 298 passengers and crew, most of them Dutch citizens.

***

A crane at the crash scene moved big chunks of the Boeing 777 on Monday while emergency workers retrieved more bodies in the sprawling fields of eastern Ukraine where Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was downed, killing all 298 people aboard.

By early July 21st, local emergency workers had piled at least 21 black body bags by the side of the road in Hrabove.

That brought the total found to 272 of the 298 passengers and crew killed in the tragedy, according to Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

The bodies were being sent to the refrigerated railcars in the nearby town of Torez, where the other bodies are being kept.

A train engineer told The Associated Press that the cars' refrigeration had been off overnight and it was not immediately clear why. The cooling system was back up and running early July 21st, he said.

The shambolic attempts to investigate by the pro-Russia separatists who control the verdant farmland where pieces of the plane crashed have fanned widespread international outrage, especially from the nations whose citizens were on the doomed plane.

Four days after the jetliner was shot out of the sky, international investigators still had only limited access to the crash site in eastern Ukraine.

The the UN Security Council is expected to vote today on an Australia-proposed resolution demanding international access to the crash site and a cease-fire around the area.

***

A refrigerated train bearing the bodies of many of the 298 people killed in the Malaysia Airlines plane disaster pulled away on July 21st from a rebel-held town in eastern Ukraine.

The train left from Torez, 15 kilometres (9 miles) from the crash site.

An Associated Press reporter overheard armed separatists saying it was heading for the rebel-held town of Ilovaysk.

There was no official confirmation of that destination from the rebels.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said that the remains of 282 of the crash victims are being moved by train to Kharkiv, where they will be handed over to Dutch authorities.

From there, he said, they will be flown to Amsterdam on a Dutch C130 Hercules military plane and handed over to Dutch authorities.

Razak said the leader of the pro-Russian rebels has agreed to hand over both black boxes from Flight 17 to Malaysian investigators who are in Ukraine.

***

A Ukrainian separatist leader handed over black boxes from flight MH17 to Malaysia officials in Donetsk early on July 22nd.

Alexander Borodai, Prime Minister of self-proclaimed People's Republic of Donetsk said they were "being returned to their owners."

A Malaysian investigator said the boxes were in good condition.

Flight MH17 was shot down in the rebel-controlled area of eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people onboard.

Experts have called for a full forensic sweep of the crash site amid suggestions that some of the evidence may have been tampered with.

***

Scuffles broke out in the Ukrainian parliament on July 22nd after a lawmaker blamed the Ukrainian authorities for failing to adopt a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine and accused them of running a war against the Ukrainian people.

The accusations were made by lawmaker Mykola Levchenko from the Party of Regions, which was close to Ukraine's former president Viktor Yanukovych.

Lawmaker Ihor Miroshychenko from the Svoboda Party started to push Levchenko, before other lawmakers joined in the fight.

The incident took place as parliament discussed Malaysian airlines flight MH17, which crashed in eastern Ukraine the previous week.

The parliamentary session started with a minute of silence to remember the victims.

Oleksandr Turchynov, the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament, accused Russia of committing "acts of military aggression against Ukraine" by providing weapons to separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine and sending troops to the border.

"Russia is continuing an escalation of armed opposition in these (Donetsk and Luhansk) regions," said Andriy Parubiy, the Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council.

"Right now, around 41-thousand Russian Federation armed forces servicemen are located on the eastern and northern Ukrainian borders and Crimea's borders," he added.

Fighting in eastern Ukraine began in mid-April after Russia annexed Ukraine's southern Crimean Peninsula a month earlier.

***

Monitors from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on July 23rd visited a different site peppered with wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.

The pro-Russian separatists who are in control of the main crash area are showing little willingness to allow the full-scale investigation that's being demanded by world leaders.

The debris is still unguarded across a wide stretch of farmland.

International observers say there are signs that the debris is being mishandled or even tampered with.

So far, though, there still has not been a full-scale investigation of the site.

Ukrainian aviation officials were allowed to visit briefly on July 18th but got little access.

Forensic officials from the Netherlands were allowed a visit on July 21st.

***

Two military cargo planes, one Dutch and the other Australian, also flew 38 more coffins carrying victims to the Netherlands for identification and investigation.

The planes took off on July 26th from Kharkiv, a government-controlled city where the bodies have been brought from the wreckage site in territory held by pro-Russian separatists fighting the Ukrainian government.

They landed later in the afternoon in Eindhoven, where the coffins were transferred to a fleet of hearses in a solemn ceremony.

Officials said the flights took the last of the 227 coffins containing victims that had been brought to Kharkiv by refrigerated train.

Officials say the exact number of people held in the coffins is still to be determined by forensic experts in the Netherlands.

International observers have said there are still remains at the crash site. Access has been limited due to rebel interference and security concerns.

The Boeing 777 went down July 17 as it headed to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam, killing all 298 people on board. Most of them were Dutch citizens.

Scuffles broke out in the Ukrainian parliament on Tuesday after a lawmaker blamed the Ukrainian authorities for failing to adopt a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine and accused them of running a war against the Ukrainian people.

The accusations were made by lawmaker Mykola Levchenko from the Party of Regions, which was close to Ukraine's former president Viktor Yanukovych.

Lawmaker Ihor Miroshychenko from the Svoboda Party started to push Levchenko, before other lawmakers joined in the fight.

The incident took place as parliament discussed Malaysian airlines flight MH17, which crashed in eastern Ukraine last week.

The parliamentary session started with a minute of silence to remember the victims.

Oleksandr Turchynov, the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament, accused Russia of committing "acts of military aggression against Ukraine" by providing weapons to separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine and sending troops to the border.

"Russia is continuing an escalation of armed opposition in these (Donetsk and Luhansk) regions," said Andriy Parubiy, the Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council.

"Right now, around 41-thousand Russian Federation armed forces servicemen are located on the eastern and northern Ukrainian borders and Crimea's borders," he added.

Fighting in eastern Ukraine began in mid-April after Russia annexed Ukraine's southern Crimean Peninsula a month earlier.

AP TELEVISION

1. Lawmakers holding a minute of silence to commemorate those who died on Malaysian Airlines flight MH17

2. Lawmakers talking to the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament Oleksandr Turchynov

3. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Oleksandr Turchynov, Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament:

"According to information provided by competent authorities, this act of terrorism has been executed by militants who are conducting actions against Ukraine in the Donetsk region and who used the surface to air missile system Buk, which is operated by Russian armed forces."

4. Lawmakers listening to Turchynov's speech

5. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Oleksandr Turchynov, Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament:

"The weapons provided illegally to the Ukrainian territory by Russian authorities and the Russian armed forces and mercenaries taking part in the military action against Ukraine represent acts of military aggression against Ukraine and it is an international terrorist activity, according to evidence, similar to Al-Qaeda and others."

6. Various of lawmakers during session

7. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Andriy Parubiy, Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council:

"Russia is continuing an escalation of armed opposition in these (Donetsk and Luhansk) regions. Moreover, Russia is doing a lot to move its armed forces to Ukraine like they are peacekeepers. During last week, near the border with Ukraine, Russian armed forces were changing their deployment and increased their numbers. Right now, around 41-thousand Russian Federation armed forces servicemen are located on the eastern and northern Ukrainian borders and Crimea's borders."

8. Mid of lawmakers

9. Lawmaker Ihor Miroshychenko (long hair) from the Svoboda political party starting to push Party of Regions lawmaker Mykola Levchenko, who blamed the Ukrainian authorities for failing to adopt a ceasefire that could solve the crisis in eastern Ukraine and accused them of running a war against the Ukrainian people.

10. Various of lawmakers pushing each other

11. Lawmakers taking their seats

12. Police guarding the parliament building

13. Exterior of Verkhovna Rada (parliament)

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 2014252

Scuffles broke out in the Ukrainian parliament on Tuesday after a lawmaker blamed the Ukrainian authorities for failing to adopt a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine and accused them of running a war against the Ukrainian people.

The accusations were made by lawmaker Mykola Levchenko from the Party of Regions, which was close to Ukraine's former president Viktor Yanukovych.

Lawmaker Ihor Miroshychenko from the Svoboda Party started to push Levchenko, before other lawmakers joined in the fight.

The incident took place as parliament discussed Malaysian airlines flight MH17, which crashed in eastern Ukraine last week.

The parliamentary session started with a minute of silence to remember the victims.

Oleksandr Turchynov, the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament, accused Russia of committing "acts of military aggression against Ukraine" by providing weapons to separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine and sending troops to the border.

Fighting in eastern Ukraine began in mid-April after Russia annexed Ukraine's southern Crimean Peninsula a month earlier.

AP TELEVISION

Kiev, Ukraine - 22 July 2014

1. Lawmakers holding a minute of silence to commemorate those who died on Malaysian Airlines flight MH17

2. Lawmakers talking to the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament Oleksandr Turchynov

3. Lawmaker Ihor Miroshychenko (long hair) from the Svoboda political party starting to push Party of Regions lawmaker Mykola Levchenko, who blamed the Ukrainian authorities for failing to adopt a ceasefire that could solve the crisis in eastern Ukraine and accused them of running a war against the Ukrainian people.

4. Various of lawmakers pushing each other

5. Lawmakers taking their seats

6. Police guarding the parliament building

7. Exterior of Verkhovna Rada (parliament)

Ukraine's parliament on Thursday voted not to accept the resignation of Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

Yatsenyuk said he was resigning last week after two parties supporting him left the coalition, and parliament balked at passing laws he said were essential to fund the war against pro-Russian separatists.

The vote keeps Ukraine on course for fulfilling its obligations under its bailout loans with the International Monetary Fund and ensures added funding for the military.

Yatsenyuk thanked the parliament and said his government "has not declared default and never will".

Olexander Turchynov, Parliamentary chairman, said another law was passed ratifying and agreement between Kiev and Canberra to send Australian experts to investigate the circumstances of the Malaysian Airlines passenger plane crash in eastern Ukraine.

The plane was shot down on July 17, killing all 298 passengers and crew, including 43 Malaysians and 195 Dutch.

Some bodies have yet to be recovered at the crash site, which has been inaccessible to investigators for days due to fighting between the Ukrainian army and pro-Russia separatists.

AP TELEVISION

1. Ukrainian lawmakers in parliament session

2. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Petro Poroshenko, Ukrainian President:

"Today the Ukrainian parliament confirmed its readiness for teamwork (with the government). I'm confident and I call parliament to now use its vote to show trust in the government."

3. Lawmakers voting whether to accept Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk's resignation

4. Screen showing vote results

5. Lawmakers in session

6. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Ukrainian Prime Minister:

"Ukraine has not declared default and never will. Thank you for your work and hope to meet in Verkhovna Rada soon."

5. Lawmakers applauding

6. Yatsenyuk walking towards Parliament Chairman Oleksandr Turchynov and Poroshenko; shaking hands

7. Yatsenyuk shaking hands with other lawmaker

8. Yatsenyuk and Poroshenko talking

9. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Oleksandr Turchynov, Parliamentary chairman:

"Today we accepted a law ratifying the agreement between Ukraine and Australia about sending Australian experts to Ukraine for the investigation of the Malaysian Airlines plane crash."

10. Lawmakers leaving session

11. Exterior of Ukrainian parliament building

English/Nat

A Philippine military commander told Philippines lawmakers visiting an island in the Spratly chain on Friday not to worsen its on-going sovereignty row with China.

The Philippines and China are among six countries with overlapping claims to the Spratlys - a chain of atolls and reefs believed to be rich in oil and natural gas.

The three Philippines congressmen flew to Pag-asa, the biggest of the eight Kalayaan Islands which are the Philippine-claimed part of the hotly disputed Spratlys.

The trip came one week after Chinese naval ships withdrew from an area near two other Philippine-claimed islands.

The members of the Philippines National Defence Committee of the House of Representatives and a number of journalists were flown by the Philippine Air Force to Pag-asa island on Friday.

Pag-asa is the biggest of the eight Kalayaan Islands - the Philippine-claimed part of the disputed Spratlys.

The lawmakers, led by Congressman Roque Ablan, were shown that Chinese naval ships had withdrawn from an area near another Philippine-claimed island called Kota.

Last month, the Philippines filed a diplomatic protest against China after the Air Force spotted at least three armed Chinese ships near the island.

They claimed China had violated a bilateral code of conduct by sending armed ships without prior notice.

But Beijing claimed the vessels were just conducting a marine survey near the islands - which it calls the Nansha Islands.

By last week, the ships had gone and a hut-like structure also spotted by the Air Force had been dismantled.

On Friday, all seemed quiet on Pag-asa as the lawmakers were welcomed by troops stationed there.

Western Command Chief Major General Reynaldo Reyes warned them not to get the dispute with China out of proportion, especially now that calm had returned.

SOUNDBITE: (English)

"Well, it is very peaceful here in the Kalayaan islands now. We have been maintaining reconnaissance flights regularly, and we do not see any suspicious looking vessels, what we see are fishing vessels that are fishing normally in fish-rich areas."

SUPER CAPTION: Major General Reynaldo Reyes, Western Command

At a briefing, Reyes denied newspaper reports that the Philippines military had planned to send additional troops to the Spratlys at the height of the incident late last month.

The Philippines and China are among six countries with overlapping claims to the Spratlys - a chain of atolls and reefs believed to be rich in oil and natural gas.

At the briefing, Reyes displayed satellite photos he said showed other structures built in the areas claimed by Vietnam, China and Malaysia.

He also emphasised that his forces could move in at a moment's notice, if needed.

SOUNDBITE: (English)

"Just like any armed forces, any unit should be ready to move in any time."

SUPER CAPTION: Major General Reynaldo Reyes, Western Command

Friday's trip was part of a Congressional inquiry into the situation in the Spratlys.

Pag-asa Island, Spratly Islands, 9 May 1997

1. Pilot in cockpit and Congressman Roque Ablan pointing to Kota, another Philippine claimed island

2. Aerial shot of Kota reef with Philippine structure

3. Pilot in cockpit

4. Ablan walking upon arrival at Pag-asa Island

5. Welcome sign: Pag-asa detachment

6. Ablan shaking hands with Philippine Air Force Special Operations unit

7. Various of Air Force troops on Pag-asa island

8. Pag-asa airstrip with C-130 airplane

9. Close up C-130 airplane

10. Philippine flag

11. Welcome sign

12. SOUNDBITE: (English) Major General Reynaldo Reyes, Western Command

13. Briefing

14. Still aerial photo of Lagos/Spratly island (Vietnam)

15. Still aerial photo of East Reef (Vietnam)

16. Still aerial photo of Fiery Cross (China)

17. Still aerial photo of Mariveles (Malaysia)

18. Still aerial photo of Barque Canada Reef (Vietnam)

19. Still aerial photo of Ardasier (Malaysia)

20. Briefing

21. Various of briefing showing map

22. SOUNDBITE: (English) Major General Reynaldo Reyes, Western Command

23. C-130 airplane parked at Pag-asa airstrip with watch tower at background