A deleted social media post by a separatist militia leader has led to accusations that pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine are to blame for the Malaysia Airlines crash.

We have live updates from the investigation into the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines MH17.

Images of Malaysia Airlines MH17 which crashed over Ukraine.

Soviet-built BUK surface-to-air missile launcher believed to have brought down Air Malaysia flight at 33,000ft.

The deaths of 295 people aboard Flight MH17 is one of the worst post-war civilian airline incidents involving a plane brought down by a missile attack, gunfire or terrorist-related sabotage.

The diplomat who left New Zealand after being charged with sexually assaulting a woman will be brought back at Malaysia's expense.

Opposition parties attacked the terms of reference of the sex case inquiry, released yesterday, for not specifically identifying the role of Mr McCully for scrutiny.

Police say they sought to remove the bail conditions for the Malaysian diplomat at the centre of a sex case — including an order to surrender his passport — because the conditions were not enforceable under diplomatic immunity.

Hone Harawira says he made a "big mistake" for earlier dismissing the sex assault case involving a Malaysian diplomat as a "big fuss about bugger all".

Malaysian officials are silent over when diplomat Warrant Officer 2 Muhammad Rizalman Ismail will be returned to NZ to face burglary and sexual assault charges.

The return of a Malaysian diplomat to NZ to face a sex charge seems far from certain, as his doctors last night warned he may not be well enough to travel.

The more that emerges in the story we broke last Sunday the more disturbing it becomes that diplomatic immunity should be so badly handled.

The Malaysian diplomatic aide accused of burglary and intent to rape could be sent back to New Zealand without diplomatic immunity as early as Monday.

A leading law specialist says a Malaysian diplomatic accused of sex crime could - if convicted - do his time back home in Malaysia.

The Malaysian diplomat Muhammad Rizalman bin Ismail facing charges for sexual assault wants his return to New Zealand to be deferred until after Ramadan.

A Malaysian diplomat facing charges will be arrested at the border as soon as he arrives in the country and taken to the nearest court, police say.

Murray McCully says it was "good and proper process" for him to leave the case of a Malaysian diplomat accused of sex crimes to authorities for seven weeks.

Malaysia has done the right thing in its surprise announcement tonight that it will send a diplomat and warrant officer back to New Zealand to face sex charges.

The Malaysian Government asked NZ to drop all charges and seal the court record of an official accused of sexual assault, documents released by NZ officials show.

British High Commissioner Vicki Treadell says Britain would not abuse diplomatic immunity because it is there for a good reason.

The Malaysian Government asked New Zealand to drop all charges against a diplomat accused of sexual assault, newly released documents show.

The possibility that missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 became a ghost plane has raised new questions in one of aviation's greatest mysteries.

Countries searching for the missing Malaysian plane have yet to agree on how to share costs, an Australian search leader said.

After a fruitless three-month hunt for flight MH370, Australian authorities have taken the first step towards handing over search operations to a private contractor.

A British woman sailing near Indonesia at the time MH370 vanished says she saw a plane 'burning' and billowing smoke before it crashed.

A Kiwi who has 15 years’ experience in ocean searches could be leading the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

Australia's lead agency during the hunt for the missing Malaysia Airline's jet appears to back US Navy officer's claims 'pings' heard were not from the flight's black boxes.

An expert's claim that the "pings" at the centre of search for flight MH370 did not come from the jet's black boxes is "speculative and premature", a US Navy spokesman says.

The family of MH370 pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah have spoken for the first time in a bid to clear up "untrue" rumours about his involvement in the disappearance.