A senior Russian officer has claimed that a Ukrainian military jet was flying just a few kilometres from the Malaysian Airlines plane minutes before it was downed.

A train is the makeshift morgue housing nearly 200 bodies collected from the crash site of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has started the sensitive task of contacting the families of the 37 Australian citizens and residents killed in the MH17 disaster.

The father of three Australian children killed on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 has taken indefinite leave from his job as head of Buxton Resources.

A New Zealand diplomat from Moscow has been sent to Kiev to monitor an investigation into the Malaysia Air disaster, Prime Minister John Key says.

192 bodies found after MH17 crashed to the ground have been bundled into black body bags and loaded into large refrigerated train cars, bound for the rebel heartland.

John Key says he is "deeply concerned" by the lack of access to the MH17 crash site and has called on Vladimir Putin to show leadership on the issue.

Malaysia Airlines have released the names of the 283 passengers and 15 crew on flight MH17.

Australian experts will join a team of international investigators who will travel to the MH17 crash site in eastern Ukraine as soon as it’s safe to do so.

The sole New Zealand citizen on board the ill-fated MH17 flight has been remembered as a "warm, creative and generous" person.

In the case of MH17, the political instability between Ukraine and Russia could hamper operations.

The downing of the Malaysia Airlines passenger plane has exposed the chaos in Ukraine as a real war.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully says New Zealand has used a special sitting of the UN Security Council to call for a full investigation into the crash of flight MH17.

Evidence is mounting that pro-Russian separatists were responsible for shooting down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17.

An Australian family has been hit by both Malaysia Airlines tragedies.

Two Newcastle United fans on their way to New Zealand to see their football team's pre-season games were among the victims of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17.

A single image proved especially poignant; a passenger’s travel book and holiday novel strewn on the grass.

Tensions are ramping up between two global super powers after a Malaysia Airlines passenger flight was shot down over Ukraine.

Scenes of horror, with crumpled corpses and body parts strewn amid the smouldering wreckage, greeted local villagers and pro-Russian rebels who were first on the crash site.

Investor sentiment was hit across the globe by rising geopolitical tension following the downing of a Malaysian airliner and the start of an Israeli offensive into Gaza.

News organisations have forever struggled with determining the line where news value ends and shock value and sensationalism begin.

If history is anything to go by, the downing of Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine could trigger a dangerous chain reaction.

Airlines were warned in April to avoid airspace over Ukraine, but experts suggest they preferred to save money on fuel.

Gold futures posted the biggest gain in four weeks after Ukraine said rebels shot down a Malaysian jet carrying 295 people near its border with Russia. Palladium extended a rally to a 13-year high.

The wife of a New Zealander who was on board MH370 says she was "absolutely floored" when she heard another Malaysia Airlines flight had ended in tragedy.

The Kremlin said Mr Putin had informed President Obama of the disaster after learning of it just before a scheduled phone call between the two.

Airlines including Deutsche Lufthansa and KLM has said they will avoid flying over eastern Ukraine after the crash of a Malaysian Airlines jet.

Everything you need to know about Malaysian Airlines MH17, which was shot down over Ukraine.