Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said those who downed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 must be brought to justice, as he made his first official visit to Malaysia on Thursday.

Poroshenko was officially welcomed by Indonesian Prime Minister Najib Razak at a welcoming ceremony in Putrajaya, just south of the capital Kuala Lumpur.

The two leaders engaged in a bilateral meeting discussing various issues, including the MH17 airplane tragedy, before giving a news conference in which both stressed the need to identify and bring to justice the perpetrators.

The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 was shot down over war-ravaged eastern Ukraine, killing 298 people on 17 July 2014.

President Poroshenko is due to leave Malaysia on Friday for the next stage of his Asian trip, when he will leave for Jakarta, Indonesia.

Putrajaya - 4 August 2016

1. Various of Malaysian Honour Guard

2. Ukrainian President, Petro Poroshenko, and Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Razak, listening to national athem

3. Poroshenko leaving platform

4. Media

5. Various of Poroshenko inspecting honour guard

6. Najib and Poroshenko arriving at news conference

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Najib Razak, Malaysian Prime Minister:

"We are also committed to finding out the truth (of what happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17), and to make sure that justice is done and seen to be done, and on this basis we are awaiting for the criminal investigation report that is expected to be tabled towards the end of this year."

8. Najib and Proroshenko at news conference

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Petro Poroshenko, Ukranian President:

"We confirm our common stance on need to complete investigation of the flight MH17. This tragedy, and I'm absolutely sure we engage all the possible means to bring the perpetrators to justice."

10. Various of Poroshenko and Najib at bilateral meeting

11. Various of Poroshenko greeting Malaysian officials

12. Ukrainian and Malaysian flags

13. Photo of handshake between Najib and Poroshenko

Malaysia will leave "no stones unturned" in its quest for justice in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, the nation's defence minister said on Friday.

Hishammuddin Hussein was addressing journalists at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang after returning from Ukraine.

Flight MH17 went down on July 17 over Ukrainian territory held by pro-Russian rebels, killing all 298 passengers and crew on board.

Hishammudin Hussein, who also visited Russia and the Netherlands during the trip, said that Russia had said they will continue working with Malaysian authorities and had given a commitment that "they too want to find the truth".

He stressed Malaysia's own commitment to bringing back the remains of passengers of the plane that were still in the region

Meanwhile on Friday, the chief Dutch prosecutor overseeing the criminal investigation into the downing of the jet said the possibility that Flight 17 was shot down from the ground is the "most likely" scenario.

A separate Dutch air crash investigation concluded this week that the plane was hit from the outside by numerous high-energy objects, but stopped short of calling it a missile strike.

AP TELEVISION

1. Wide of Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein arriving at news conference, zoom in

2. Mid of photographers

3. Wide of news conference

4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hishammuddin Hussein, Malaysian Defence Minister:

"I must say that the Russians have indicated to me that they are working closely with us and they will continue to do that. They've given us, given me a commitment that they too want to find the truth."

5. Mid of reporters writing

6. Mid of cameramen

7. Pan from media to Hussein

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hishammuddin Hussein, Malaysian Defence Minister:

"No stones unturned when it comes to finding justice for MH17, to bring back the remains of the remaining passengers that are still there, not only from Malaysia but from the other nations also."

9. Mid of reporters writing

10. Close of cameraman

11. Mid of reporter

12. Hishammuddin Hussein exiting

Russia's Ambassador to Malaysia said on Tuesday that experts had confirmed that the black boxes of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 that crashed in eastern Ukraine "were not tampered with."

Lyudmila Vorobyeva said that Russia was not playing "the blame game," as claimed by some Western countries.

On Monday pro-Moscow separatists released a train packed with bodies of the plane crash victims and handed over the black boxes from the downed Malaysia Airlines plane, four days after it got shot down.

With body parts decaying in sweltering heat and signs that evidence at the crash site was mishandled, anger in Western capitals has mounted at the rebels and their allies in Moscow.

The bodies of the 298 victims, most from the Netherlands, have become a part of the conflict in Ukraine because they could hold evidence of what brought the plane down on July 17 as it was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

AP TELEVISION

1. Car driving into Russian Embassy in Malaysia

2. Sign of Russian Embassy

3. Russian Ambassador to Malaysia sitting at press conference

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Lyudmila Vorobyeva, Russian Ambassador to Malaysia:

"The black boxes have been handed over to Malaysian experts and Malaysian experts have certified that they were not tampered with. That are the words by Malaysian experts."

5. Cutaway of Vorobyeva speaking

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Lyudmila Vorobyeva, Russian Ambassador to Malaysia:

"The rebels do not possess any defence systems that are capable of shooting a plane at the altitude of ten kilometres.They do not have this kind of systems. Russia has never supplied this kind of system."

7. Cutaway of media

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Lyudmila Vorobyeva, Russian Ambassador to Malaysia:

"In Russia, we are not playing these games that are our Western counterparts is engaging very much into - blaming someone and accusing some parties without any evidence. We are not doing that. We are calling for thorough investigation that could produce evidence of who is responsible for this tragedy."

9. Media filming

10. Vorobyeva leaving

11. Various of woman holding banner reading (English): "Justice for MH 17" in front of Russian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur

13. Security in front of embassy

The Malaysian Australian Business council and the Australian High Commission organised a reception on Sunday for visiting Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

Abbot said Australian businesses must venture out in order to gain opportunities abroad, including in Malaysia.

He also said the way Australia and Malaysia "have worked so well together" in addressing the twin tragedies of flights MH370 and MH17 has strengthen the relationship between the two countries.

The ongoing search efforts for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 were high on the agenda during Abbott's visit.

Malaysia aims to send a search team to the crash site in Ukraine of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 before winter sets in to gather physical evidence to prove that it was shot down, Prime Minister Najib Razak has said.

The plane plunged from the sky on July 17, killing all on board, while flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur over an area of eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russia separatists.

Searches of the crash site were halted on August 6 due to concerns that fighting in the immediate area was a threat.

AP TELEVISION

1. Tracking Prime Minister Abbott arriving at reception

2. Wide reception guest

2. Wide Prime Minister Abbott going on stage

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Tony Abbott, Australian Prime Minister

"We want our business to be going out to the world, because wherever there is a dollar to be made, wherever there is an innovation to be put into place, I want Australia to be there."

4. Mid of podium

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Tony Abbott, Australian Prime Minister

"The twin tragedies, or the tragedy of MH370 and the atrocity of MH17, but the way our two countries have worked so well together in addressing these issues reflects the underlying strengths of our relationship, which has been getting better and better over the last five or six decades "

6. Mid of Abbott talking to participants

7. Abbott talking to participant

8. Wide of the event hall

9. Mid of Abbott posing for photo opportunity with participants

The Malaysian government gave an update on Thursday on the search for missing Malaysian Airlines flight 370 and efforts to find those responsible for the shooting down of flight MH17 over Ukraine in July.

Defence Minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, said Malaysia would continue to "work closely with Australia and the Netherlands" in order to re-enter the crash site for flight MH17 before the onset of winter.

The plane went down on July 17 over Ukrainian territory held by pro-Russian rebels, killing all 298 passengers and crew on board.

Regarding flight 370, Hussein announced he is to hold further talks with China regarding the ongoing search for the aircraft in the southern Indian Ocean.

The flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing disappeared in March with 239 people on board.

The Defence Minister also commented on reports of alleged Islamic State (IS) activity in Malaysia.

Hussein was asked whether he had heard of any reports linking the BIFF (Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters) and the militant group Abu Sayyaf with Islamic State militants.

Both the BIFF and Abu Sayyaf are based in the southern Philippines near the coast of Sabah in eastern Malaysia.

Hussein told reporters he was not aware of these allegations, but any such reports would be studied very carefully.

AP TELEVISION

1. Malaysian Defence Minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, with reporters at news conference

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hishammuddin Hussein, Malaysian Defence Minister:

"We will continue to work closely with Australia and the Netherlands through the Combined Joint International Task Force (CIJTF) and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and other relevant authorities to re-enter the crash site before the onset of winter."

3. Photographer

4. Reporter taking notes

5. Media at news conference

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hishammuddin Hussein, Malaysian Defence Minister:

"I will hold further discussions with China next week with regards to the deployment of assets for the MH370 search operation involving two Chinese ships that was involved in the first phase of the search which is the Zhukezhen and the Hai Xhun."

7. Cameraman

8. Wide of news conference

9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hishammuddin Hussein, Malaysian Defence Minister:

"I'm not aware of that report, but of course a report that involves ISIS (Islamic State group) will be studied by us very carefully, especially in the context of Sabah (Malaysian state on island of Borneo) and the context of BIFF (Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters) and Abu Sayyaf (militant group) recognising and supporting ISIS."

10. Various of reporters taking notes

11. Hishammudin leaving presser

The Malaysian Transport Minister said on Tuesday that a preliminary report into the MH17 crash confirmed that the aircraft was in an "airworthy condition."

Liow Tiong Lai was speaking at a news conference following the release of a report on the aviation disaster by the Dutch Safety Board.

Liow also said that Malaysia would pursue whoever caused the crash and would bring them to justice.

The preliminary report concluded that Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was likely struck by multiple "high-energy objects from outside the aircraft," causing it to break up over eastern Ukraine.

The report stopped short of saying the Boeing 777 was shot down by a missile, but its findings appear to point to that conclusion.

MH17 suddenly plunged out of the sky on July 17 over territory held by pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine, killing all 298 passengers and crew on board.

++QUALITY AS INCOMING++

AP TELEVISION

1. Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai arriving at news conference

2. Liow and other officials standing at podium

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Liow Tiong Lai, Malaysian Transport Minister:

"The investigations confirm that the MAS (Malaysia Airlines) crew were qualified to conduct the flight and that the aircraft was in airworthy condition."

4. Pan of Liow at news conference

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Liow Tiong Lai, Malaysian Transport Minister:

"Somebody has to be responsible for this accident, somebody should have press the button to shoot down the plane. We would like to find out who is the person."

6. Two reporters at news conference

7. Liow and other officials at podium

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Liow Tiong Lai, Malaysian Transport Minister:

"So once we can determine the culprits then we will definitely demand justice and we will bring them to the arbitration or to the court. It can be international court or it can be Malaysian court."

9. Liow holding up copy of preliminary report into MH17 crash

10. Wide of Liow speaking at news conference

11. Three reporters on mobile phones

12. Liow leaving the news conference

Malaysia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anifah Aman, left for Ukraine early on Monday, to discuss the issues surrounding the downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 with senior Ukrainian officials.

Aman, who was leading a government delegation left at 00:30 a.m. local time (1630 GMT on Sunday).

He is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to discuss access to the crash site and the recovery of the bodies of the victims.

International monitors say armed rebels have limited their access to the crash site and Ukrainian officials said armed rebels took 192 bodies away from their workers by force Sunday.

Aman will head to Istanbul and transit to Kiev.

He refused to answer questions from the media but said he would update reporters after his discussions.

Flight MH17 was shot down in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, leaving 298 dead.

The Boeing 777 was flying from Amsterdam to the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down, killing all 298 passengers and crew.

AP TELEVISION

1. Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anifah Aman, (centre in pink shirt) walking in the departure hall of Kuala Lumpur International Airport

2. Close of Aman

3. Aman waving to media

4. Close of Aman UPSOUND (English) Anifah Aman, Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs: (asked about the aim of his visit)

"I will tell you after my discussions, after my meetings."

5. Aman entering the VIP lounge at the Airport

The leader of the pro-Russian rebels has agreed to hand over both black boxes from Flight MH 17 to Malaysian investigators who are in Ukraine, Malaysia's prime minister said early Tuesday.

Prime Minister Najib Razak also said that as part of an agreement he reached by phone with rebel leader Alexander Borodai on Monday evening, independent international investigators will be given "safe access" to the site where the Malaysia Airlines jet went down in eastern Ukraine en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, killing all 298 people onboard.

Najib said that as part of the agreement, the black boxes would be handed over to the Malaysian team in Donetsk at 9 p.m. Monday Ukraine time (1800 GMT Monday).

Meanwhile, the remains of 282 of the crash victims were being moved by train from the eastern Ukrainian city of Torez to Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, Najib said.

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

"I must stress that although an agreement has been reached, there remain a number of steps required before it is completed," Najib said at a hastily arranged news conference at his residence just after midnight Monday.

"There is work still to be done, work which relies on continued communication in good faith."

The Boeing 777 crashed in rebel-held territory, and the separatists are being blamed for shooting it down by much of the international community, including the United States.

Najib said that following any necessary forensic work, the remains of the 43 Malaysian citizens who were aboard the plane would be flown to their home country.

Anger and resentment toward the Russian-backed rebels and Moscow have been escalating worldwide, including in Malaysia, where there have been calls for economic sanctions against Russia.

AP TELEVISION

1. Wide of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak walking in to news conference

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Najib Razak, Malaysian Prime Minister:

"At approximately 9pm tonight Ukraine time (1800 GMT) the two black boxes will be handed over to a Malaysian team in Donetsk, who will take custody of them."

3. Wide of Razak speaking

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Najib Razak, Malaysian Prime Minister:

"I must stress that although agreement has been reached, there remain a number of steps required before it is completed. There is work still to be done, work which relies on continued communication in good faith."

5. Cutaway of reporters

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Najib Razak, Malaysian Prime Minister:

"I ask that all parties continue to work together to ensure that this agreement is honoured and the remains of our people are returned, that the black box is handed over, and that the international team is guaranteed full access to the site. Only then can the investigation into MH17 truly begin; only then can the victims be afforded the respect they deserve."

7. Media at the news conference

8. Wide of Razak speaking

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

The Malaysian Prime Minister said on Thursday that it would be impossible to bring home the bodies of the Malaysian victims of the crashed Malaysia Airlines plane before the end of the month of Ramadan.

Najib Razak made his comments during a visit to the Dutch Ambassador's residence in Kuala Lumpur.

After signing a book of condolence at the residence, Razak stated that the body identification process and the forensic works could take weeks, or even months.

The first flight with body remains arrived on Dutch soil on Wednesday.

Razak also said he was angry that investigators still did not have full access to the crash site.

While the Dutch Ambassador Harry Molenaar said that after the bodies were returned home, they would like to see justice.

AP TELEVISION

1. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak walking through the Dutch ambassador's house , with the ambassador and others

2. Razak signing condolence book

3. Harry Molenaar, Dutch Ambassador to Malaysia looking on

4. Various of Razak signing condolence book

5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Najib Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia:

"It is expected that this whole process will take weeks, it might even be months, we are not sure yet. But the people on the ground have informed me that it cannot be done before Raya (celebration day after the end of Holy Ramadan month). So, it is with much regret that I have to inform the families concerned. But this is not only a legal and technical requirement, but we want to give the dignity to the families concerned."

6. Message written by Razak in condolence book

7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Najib Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia:

"Yes, I am angry and I want full access because it is unfortunately it is a war zone and you know a war zone, there are many constraints and not only having access but the safety of those people (investigators) that must be, both sides must respect the safety of the people. So, it is not as straight forward as it sounds, we are doing our level best and I will be making some effort to see that this will be respected by both sides."

8. Pull focus candle

9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Harry Molenaar, Dutch Ambassador to Malaysia:

"We would like to see justice. At the first step, priority was to get the bodies back. The second step is to get justice to what has happened to these people."

10. Card outside the Dutch ambassador's house reading (English) "Tributes to the soul of MH17"

11. Card outside the Dutch ambassador's house reading (English) "Our Heartfelt Condolences #MH17"

12. Flowers and cards outside the Dutch ambassador's house

Nearly four years after the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine, family members of the victims onboard the passenger jet continue to seek justice.

On Friday, the Netherlands and Australia announced they were holding Moscow legally responsible for its role in the missile attack.

The announcement came a day after international prosecutors said they had unequivocal evidence of Russian involvement in the downing of a Malaysian passenger jet.

Don Shahidan Kassim, a relative of Dora Shahila Kassim, the chief stewardess onboard MH17, said he hopes the Malaysian and Australian governments will take action against Russia.

On Thursday, a Dutch-led international team of investigators said they had strong evidence that the Buk missile system that brought down the Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur flight came from a Russia-based military unit, the 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade based in the Russian city of Kursk.

It was the most explicit link yet published by the investigators between Moscow and the downing of the flight known as MH17.

Kuala Lumpur - 26 May 2018

1. Don Shahidan Kassim, relative of Dora Shahila Kassim, Chief stewardess on Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, looking at photo book

2. Close of Don Shahidan Kassim's hands flicking through photo book

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Don Shahidan Kassim, relative of Dora Shahila Kassim, Chief stewardess on Malaysia Airlines Flight 17:

"All of the next of kin expect justice because being that a passenger plane, how come an army such as the Russians would shoot it down? Whatever reason they have, they should not shoot the plane down. So we want justice, so we want our government and others, I think the Australian government, people want justice, so we are still pursuing it and hope the Malaysian government will still pursue it as a next of kin we are really hoping for justice."

4. Photo of Dora (screen bottom left), tilt up to photos of other crew members of MH17

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Don Shahidan Kassim, relative of Dora Shahila Kassim, Chief stewardess on Malaysia Airlines Flight 17:

"It has been four years already, this coming 17 July, four years already. And we are not informed, any (no) government has been able to take action against the Russian government, so we are still hoping but if the Australian government is able to take action against the Russian, we are happy with it because we want justice. I think also that the Australian people want justice but it's been four years and we do not know whether this year or next year or the next coming five years our government or the other governments will be able to prosecute Russia about this issue."

6. Don Shahidan Kassim looking at photo book

7. Close of photo of Dora

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has rejected the implication that Russia may have been involved in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine in 2014.

Mahathir says he doesn't think the findings of an international investigative team are true as it was based on hearsay.

He says Malaysia is "very unhappy" that the investigation became "a political issue on how to accuse Russia of the wrong doing."

The investigation team last year said it was convinced that the Buk missile system used to shoot down the aircraft came from the Russian army's 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile brigade, based in the Russian city of Kursk.

On Wednesday, investigators charged four people with murder, including a prominent eastern Ukrainian separatist commander.

Putrajaya - 20 June 2019

1. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad arrives at a news conference

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysian Prime Minister:

"As far as we are concerned, we want proof of guilt."

(Reporter question off-camera: "That Russia did it? Is that what you say?")

"Yeah, but so far there's no proof, only hearsay."

3. Close of reporter

4. Wide of media at presser

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysian Prime Minister:

"We are very unhappy because from the very beginning, it became a political issue on how to accuse Russia of the wrong doing. Even before they examine, they already said, 'Russia' (is involved). Now they say they have proof. It's very difficult for us to accept that."

6. Various Mahathir leaving

A Malaysian official said on Thursday his country was still focused on the retrieval of any remains from the crash site of flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine.

Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein made his comment following a special meeting in Kuala Lumpur where a number of ministers, including Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai discussed the repatriation of the Malaysian dead from the tragedy.

At the news conference afterwards, Tiong Lai also said a preliminary report on the incident should be ready by next week.

Flight 17 was shot down in Eastern Ukraine on July 17, killing all 298 on board.

44 were Malaysian citizens.

AP TELEVISION

1. Press gathered for news conference

2. Officials standing at podium for news conference

3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hishammuddin Hussein, Malaysian Minister of Defence:

"Our focus is to bring back if they are anymore remains in an area that is very large. We are monitoring the situation very closely. The Ukrainian forces are entering Donetsk as we speak. We will have to work very closely with the intelligence on all sides."

4. Photographers taking photos of officials

5. Various Hishammuddin and Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai at meeting

6 Cameraman

7. Officials at podium

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Liow Tiong Lai, Malaysian Transport Minister:

"So all preliminary data should be able to be ready by next week. I will hope that the preliminary report will be able to reveal the preliminary study hopefully by next week."

9. Journalists on phones

10. End of news conference

SHOTLIST:

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

2013519

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

2013523

++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

2015060

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.

Nearly three years after twin disasters took it to the brink of financial collapse, Malaysia Airlines' new CEO says an overhaul aimed at turning the ailing carrier around is going better than expected.

Bellew said the airline is on track to meet key performance goals, including turning an annual profit by 2018 and re-listing on the stock exchange the following year.

The company's jets are carrying more passengers, including on its London route, he said.

London is the carrier's last remaining European route and one where it uses superjumbo Airbus A380 jets that must carry many passengers to be profitable.

Just months after Flight 370 disappeared, a second Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 carrying 298 people was shot down over Ukraine.

Those tragedies deepened the carrier's already daunting troubles.

The search for the airline's flight 370 that went missing in March 2014 with 239 people on board was suspended Tuesday.

An unsustainable network of routes, high operating costs and archaic online systems were symptoms of chronic mismanagement that had saddled the airline with at least 1.7 billion US dollars in losses since 2011.

Updates on the finances of the airline are scant: it was de-listed from the stock exchange in 2014 and radically restructured with 6 billion ringgit (1.5 billion US dollars) in government support.

But lower jet fuel prices have since helped cut costs, and revenue has improved thanks to strong traffic growth in the region.

Hong Kong - 17 January 2017

1. Various of the Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Airlines, Peter Bellew at a luncheon meeting

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Peter Bellew, Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Airlines,

"We made a profit last month, which is great, we expect the last quarter of this year to be break even or to make a profit across the quarter, and currently on the trajectory to make a profit across next year and we hope to re-list on Bursa Malaysia in March 2019."

3. Wide of Bellew speaking at the luncheon

4. Close of Bellew's face

5. SOUNDBITE(English) Peter Bellew, Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Airlines,

"The fact that we will make this a success, it will be the greatest turnaround and transformation of an airline in history, because no airline has been through what we've been through."

6. Pan of the luncheon

Malaysia's prime minister on Tuesday said his country remains committed to bringing to justice those responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 two years ago.

Najib Razak's comments Tuesday come a day before the results of an international criminal investigation into the incident are released.

Speaking in Berlin at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Najib said after Dutch authorities release the criminal investigation results, the countries involved will discuss the next course of action based upon the findings.

The Dutch Safety Board has previously said the plane flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was hit by a missile fired from eastern Ukraine.

Russia-backed separatists controlled that territory at the time.

All 298 people aboard died.

Najib also commented on corruption allegations in relation to the state development fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), in which he is personally involved.

Najib has denied any wrongdoing, saying "Malaysia will do its best to cooperate" with international investigators and that his was "the best government to lead Malaysia into the future."

Berlin - 27 September 2016

1. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Razak arriving

2. Cutaway of journalists

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Najib Razak, Malaysian Prime Minister:

"We have made a commitment that those responsible for the downing of MH-17 will be brought to justice, that continues to be our position. We will wait until the report is tabled, and after which the countries concerned will discuss the next course of action."

4. Merkel and Najib at news conference

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Najib Razak, Malaysian Prime Minister:

(On corruption allegations in relation to Malaysia's state development fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd and calls for elections) "Within the bounds of good governance and rule of law, Malaysia will do its best to cooperate and to do whatever is necessary. Secondly, the question of elections is not due to any single factor. It must be predicated on the basis that we have good policies in Malaysia, we are delivering for the benefit of the people, and we are the best government to lead Malaysia into the future."

6. Cutaway of photographer taking picture

7. Merkel and Najib shaking hands

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman on Friday updated reporters on the latest on repatriating the bodies of those killed in the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 incident.

"All four refrigerators with bodies of innocent victims have been unloaded. And information from 6pm (3pm GMT) is that experts already processed 378 packages with remains of innocent victims," he said.

"The team has prepared 227 special coffins to transport bodies to the Netherlands for identification. 180 coffins have been already sent, others will be sent tomorrow morning," he added.

Meanwhile in Kuala Lumpur, hundreds of people, including flight attendants and families of the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines jet, joined a multi-faith prayer service.

Two more planes departed Kharkiv airport on Friday with a further 74 coffins containing bodies and remains from the crash.

All 298 people aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 - most of them Dutch citizens - were killed when the plane went down on 17 July.

AP TELEVISION

Kiev, Ukraine

1. Deputy Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman speaking at news conference

2. Cutaway of journalists

3. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Volodymyr Groysman, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine:

"All four refrigerators with bodies of innocent victims have been unloaded. And information from 6 p.m. (1500 GMT) is that experts already processed 378 packages containing remains of innocent victims."

4. Groysman speaking at news conference

5. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Volodymyr Groysman, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine:

"At this time the team has prepared 227 special coffins to transport bodies to the Netherlands for identification. 180 coffins have been already sent, others will be sent tomorrow morning."

6. Cutaway of cameramen

7. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Volodymyr Groysman, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine:

"Today an important issue is to ratify the signed agreement (between Ukraine and the Netherlands about leading cooperation in the investigation). Then the international police mission can be involved and provide a security for experts who will work on the crash site. Today we concentrated on this."

8. Cutaway of journalists typing

9. Cameraman

10. Groysman speaking at news conference

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

11. Audience and speaker at multi-faith prayer service held by Malaysia Airlines

12. Speaker on stage at multi-faith service

13. Malaysia Airlines flight attendants crying

14. People crying at multi-faith service

15. Screen reading (English) "In memory of MH17 and remembering MH 370"

16. Various of Taoist priests holding Taoist prayer session

17. Malaysia Airlines flight attendants hugging each other

18. SOUNDBITE (English), Shanti (no last name given), a flight attendant at Malaysia Airlines:

"There is no words can express what I am feeling inside towards the families. It's not easy to.... I just want to say so sorry for the loss of their loved ones and I pray that they have peace."

19. People who attended the service talking

20. SOUNDBITE (English), (no name given) whose nephew was on board of the missing MH370:

"How would you feel if your family was on board? That's the same feeling. But we have to pray harder to try better. We are all praying for Malaysia, Malaysia Airlines and everybody in Malaysia, and for all the countries as well."

21. Various of people crying and hugging after the multi faith prayer service

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 2014429

Two military transport planes carrying 40 coffins bearing victims of the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 have landed in the Netherland's southern city of Eindhoven.

Six days after the Boeing 777 was shot down over the battlefields of eastern Ukraine, the first bodies finally arrived Wednesday in the Netherlands, the country that bore the heaviest toll in the crash that killed all 298 passengers and crew.

A Dutch Hercules C-130 that Dutch government spokesman Lodewijk Hekking says is carrying 16 coffins was closely followed by an Australian C-17 Globemaster plane carrying 24 coffins.

The planes were met by Dutch King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and hundreds of relatives.

The Dutch government declared a day of national mourning as the country prepared for the arrival of the first bodies in the afternoon.

Ukraine and western nations are pressing the pro-Russian rebels who control the crash site to allow an unfettered an investigation, something Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would use his influence to achieve.

Though confident that a missile brought down the aircraft, US officials say Russia's role remains unclear.

POOL - NO ACCESS NETHERLANDS

Eindhoven, Netherlands - 23 July 2014

1. Various of Dutch military plane landing at airport

2. Various of ceremony after Dutch and Australian military planes arrives

3. Wide of dignitaries greeting planes

4. Wide of Dutch King Willem-Alexander (left), Queen Maxima (center) and Prime Minister Mark Rutte (right)

5. Various of coffins being unloaded and hearses arriving to transport coffins

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBERS: 2014208, 2014243

The remains of the victims of the Malaysia Airlines crash arrived in territory held by the Ukrainian government on Tuesday on their way to the Netherlands.

After a 17-hour journey from the town of Torez in rebel territory, the train carrying the bodies pulled into a station in Kharkiv, a government-controlled city where Ukrainian authorities have set up their crash investigation center.

This, after delays and haphazard treatment of the bodies that put pressure on European foreign ministers meeting in Brussels to impose tougher economic sanctions on Russia.

The crash site itself, in farmland held by the pro-Russian separatists whom the West accuses of shooting down the plane, remained unsecured five days after the disaster _ another source of frustration for officials around the world eager to establish the facts of the case.

The train gave a low-pitched blast from its horn as the grey corrugated refrigerator cars slowly rolled through weed-choked tracks onto the grounds of a factory where the bodies were being received.

Government spokesman Oleksander Kharchenko said Ukraine "will do our best" to send the bodies to the Netherlands on Tuesday.

Of the 298 people who died aboard the Amsterdam-to-Kuala Lumpur flight, 193 were Dutch citizens.

AP TELEVISION

Kharkiv, Ukraine 22 July 2014

1. Wide view of train leaving switch yard

2. Various of train entering Kharkiv rail yard

3. Various of train traveling down tracks

As the Dutch Safety Board prepared to publish its final report into what caused Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 to break up high over Eastern Ukraine last year, residents of the village near the site of the crash expressed concerns over how long the investigation has taken.

Some people asked why it had taken so long to remove debris from the site, including large pieces of the plane's fuselage.

Aviation experts said at the time that the site was compromised since investigators had no access to it during the first few days after the crash.

First, rebel commanders blocked OSCE observers from reaching the area, then clashes along the route to the site made it unsafe to travel there.

A preliminary report issued last year said the Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur likely was hit by multiple "high-energy objects from outside the aircraft," fuelling widespread speculation that it was downed by a surface-to-air missile, likely a Russian SA-11 system known as a Buk.

Western authorities have pointed blame at Russian-backed separatist rebels who were fighting Ukrainian government forces in the area where wreckage plunged to earth on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 people on board.

Russia has denied that and blamed the Ukrainian forces, who also denied downing the plane.

Countries whose citizens were killed, including the Netherlands, Malaysia and Australia, want to set up an international tribunal to prosecute any suspects. Russia vetoed the move earlier this year at the United Nations Security Council.

Ukraine's foreign minister said in July that a fresh attempt would likely be made to establish a tribunal once the final report is published.

As the Dutch Safety Board prepared to publish its final report into what caused Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 to break up high over Eastern Ukraine last year, residents of the village near the site of the crash expressed concerns over how long the investigation has taken.

Some people asked why it had taken so long to remove debris from the site, including large pieces of the plane's fuselage.

Aviation experts said at the time that the site was compromised since investigators had no access to it during the first few days after the crash.

First, rebel commanders blocked OSCE observers from reaching the area, then clashes along the route to the site made it unsafe to travel there.

A preliminary report issued last year said the Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur likely was hit by multiple "high-energy objects from outside the aircraft," fuelling widespread speculation that it was downed by a surface-to-air missile, likely a Russian SA-11 system known as a Buk.

Western authorities have pointed blame at Russian-backed separatist rebels who were fighting Ukrainian government forces in the area where wreckage plunged to earth on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 people on board.

Russia has denied that and blamed the Ukrainian forces, who also denied downing the plane.

Countries whose citizens were killed, including the Netherlands, Malaysia and Australia, want to set up an international tribunal to prosecute any suspects. Russia vetoed the move earlier this year at the United Nations Security Council.

Ukraine's foreign minister said in July that a fresh attempt would likely be made to establish a tribunal once the final report is published.

AP TELEVISION

Hrabove, Eastern Ukraine - 11 October 2015

1. Close of photo of male victim of crash hanging on cross placed near the MH17 crash site

2. Truck drives past

3. Close of another photo of male victim of crash

4. Wreath of flowers placed on cross, falling over in the wind

5. Piece of debris from crash site

6. Small pieces of debris on ground near crash site

7. Various of women cutting dry grass near the church in Hrabove village

8. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Natalia Gordeenkova, Hrabove resident:

"(When another plane crashed) the investigation was much faster. In a week they were already telling everyone the reason, everything was explained. Here they have doing it for one year already, why is there still no conclusion, why they didn't collect everything which remained? There was so many pieces, and they were lying there for so long, people still keep bringing them. However they organised a search and my son, who works at local mine was helping to search - they organised search brigades but.."

9. Cutaway women walking along street

10. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Natalia Gordeenkova, Hrabove resident:

"I understand, one can't collect everything at once, but they even didn't take huge pieces for long time, personal stuff too, nobody took anything. That's why there will be no justice. If they needed justice, they would organise. Was it too scary? We live here too. These are their people, their country. It appears that nobody cares. Because they've already decided for themselves who is guilty in first days that "Russia is to blame, and the rebels are all guilty."

11. Local women walk by the church

12. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Raisa Andreevna, Hrabove resident:

"Somebody is to blame. There should be someone to blame. Planes don't fall from the sky on their own."

13. Raisa Andreevna walks away

14. Wide of monument at crash site

15. Memorial plaque near crash site reading "In memory of 298 people, innocent victims of civil war"

16. Various of toys left near monument

17. Wide of area near crash site