At a Security Council meeting on Ukraine, Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok called on Moscow to accept the findings that the airliner was shot down by a Russian-made BUK missile provided by a brigade based in the Russian city of Kursk.

“The language of ultimatums is not something that anyone will be allowed to use when speaking to Russia,” Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the council meeting.

“We cannot accept the unfounded conclusion of the JIT”, the Dutch-led Joint investigation Team, he added.

All 298 people on the Malaysia Airlines flight en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur were killed when the missile slammed into the plane as it flew over territory held by pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine in July 2014.

Responding to Nebenzia, the Dutch foreign minister said his arguments were “nothing new” and again urged Russia to work with the Netherlands and Australia to identify the perpetrators.

US Ambassador Nikki Haley voiced strong support for the Dutch and Australian call on Russia to acknowledge its role in the tragedy and help bring to account those responsible for the shooting down.

“Despite its transparent denials, there is no doubt Russia is driving the Ukrainian conflict,” said Haley.

More than 10,000 people have been killed since the Moscow-backed insurgency broke out in April 2014 following Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin told the council that Russia’s rejection of the findings “did not surprise me at all.”

“We have no doubt that the downing of MH17 flight is a terrorist act,” he said.

Ukraine will present documents to the International Court of Justice next month showing that Russia is violating anti-terrorism agreements, he said.

Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz renewed his call for a peacekeeping mission to be deployed to east Ukraine and urged Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to appoint a UN special envoy for Ukraine.

Diplomats say Russia, a veto-wielding power at the council, has blocked attempts to step up UN involvement in efforts to end the conflict.

Mattis’s remarks came after Beijing voiced “strong dissatisfaction” Sunday after two US warships sailed by an island in the disputed Paracel Island chain.

“You’ll notice there’s only one country that seems to take active steps to rebuff (such operations) or state their resentment of them, but it’s international waters and a lot of nations want to see freedom of navigation, so we will continue that,” Mattis told reporters as he flew to Hawaii.

The US Navy periodically conducts “freedom of navigation” operations in the contested waterway, where it sails close to island features China has built into military facilities as a way of showing it rejects any territorial claims.

“We are going out of our way to cooperate with Pacific nations, that’s the way we do business in the world, but we are also going to confront what we believe is out of step with international law,” Mattis said.

Sunday’s operation was conducted just over a week after Beijing flew nuclear-capable bombers to a disputed island, drawing immediate criticism from the US.

Last week, the Pentagon pulled its invitation to China to join maritime exercises in the Pacific over Beijing’s “continued militarization” of the South China Sea.

Beijing has been building artificial islands to reinforce its claim over most of the resource-rich South China Sea, despite protests from Southeast Asian countries.

Its neighbors, particularly some of those involved in maritime disputes over the waters, have expressed fears China could eventually restrict freedom of navigation and overflight.

“Our diplomats are robustly engaged on this,” Mattis said.

“The concerns have come to me not just from American government circles, but also from foreign nations that are concerned, very concerned about this continued militarization of features in the South China Sea.”

Mattis was heading to Hawaii to attend a change-of-command ceremony for the US military’s Pacific Command.

The current head, Admiral Harry Harris, has been nominated to be the new ambassador to South Korea. He will be replaced by Admiral Philip Davidson.

Mattis is then due to attend a regional security conference in Singapore.

 THE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS AGAINST THE ROHINGYA IN MYANMAR’S RAKHINE STATE HAS BEEN AT THE CENTRE OF INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION IN RECENT YEARS. WHAT ROLE DOES THE UN HAVE, HOW DOES IT PLAN TO SORT IT OUT AND WHAT DO YOU THINK REGIONAL COUNTRIES SUCH AS THAILAND HAVE DONE TO REMEDY THE CRISIS?

Indeed, it is a huge human tragedy followed by everyone. It is being dealt with in the UN system as well as by the UN Security Council, whose envoys paid a four-day visit in April to Myanmar and Bangladesh, where refugee camps house hundreds of thousands of fleeing Rohingya. They talked to key people in Myanmar and stressed their [the envoys] priority was for the safe return of the refugees and guarantees about the lives of [Rohingya] people.

While Thailand has tried to be helpful by providing humanitarian assistance to the troubled area, addressing this sensitive issue is always the most important thing. The knowledge of this situation should help the UN define the right, constructive strategy. It is better to have problems based on, not from, situations.

MOVING UP TO THE KOREAN PENINSULA, WHILE POSITIVE SIGNS HAVE EMERGED AMID THE NUCLEAR TENSIONS, THE UNSC IS ALSO KNOWN TO AGREE ON RESOLUTIONS THAT SOMETIMES RESULT IN SANCTIONS AGAINST NORTH KOREA. HOW DO YOU SEE THE UN ROLE FROM NOW ON?

I’m not a big fan of sanctions. They are an instrument of last resource – sometimes inevitable and obligatory. If the process continues in the current spirit, [positive talks] could be on the table but first, we’ll have to see the results. I just hope that this moment will last and turn into a credible peace process.

TURNING TO YOURSELF, HOW HAVE YOUR EIGHT MONTHS AS THE PGA BEEN SO FAR? WHAT HAVE BEEN THE OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES, ESPECIALLY AMID A SHIFT AWAY FROM MULTILATERALISM ACROSS THE GLOBE?

I count pursuing peace, resolving conflict, migration and sustainable development goals as working opportunities for me, as the PGA. On the more challenging multilateralism, the UN, for instance, is very universal when dealing with issues and we do our best to address it in comprehensive ways as well as setting global standards.

The UN is, and should be, strong even when multilateralism is challenging. Multilateralism, to me, should determine that if there is any problem occurring between or among countries, we must be sure we are able to meet and talk to avoid conflicts.

WHAT ABOUT THE SHIFT THAT HAS SEEN EASTERN POWERS RISING TOWARDS THE LEVEL OF THEIR WESTERN COUNTERPARTS IN TERMS OF POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC INFLUENCE? HAS THIS BEEN A FACTOR IN DECISION-MAKING IN UNGA-RELATED MEETINGS?

What makes up the UNGA are five regional groups and it is up to each member state, whether small or big countries, to propose intiatives and present ideas to be agreed upon so that a formal approach can be launched and supported. While it is true that the United States is a member of the UNSC and is biggest in terms of financial support and the fact it houses the UN headquarters, it is still [currently concerned] by global migration issues and we hope that it will only be temporary.

The shooting occurred around 10:30 am (0830 GMT) near a high school on a major artery in the city, which lies some 90 kilometres (55 miles) east of Brussels.

Federal prosecutors took charge of the incident, which comes with Belgium on high alert after a string of attacks including twin suicide bombings in Brussels in 2016 claimed by the Islamic State group.

“There are elements that point in the direction that this is a terrorist act,” said Eric Van Der Sypt, spokesman for the Belgian federal prosecutors office.

After shooting the two police officers outside a cafe, the gunman fled to the Lycee Waha school, where he briefly took a hostage, according to officials.

The third victim was a “passerby in a vehicle” who was driving in the area, Liege prosecutors’ spokeswoman Catherine Collignon told AFP.

According to Belgian broadcaster RTBF, the shooter was released from prison on Monday and was only known for minor infractions with no known links to extremism.

Prime Minister Charles Michel said his thoughts were with the families of the victims after what he called a “serious incident”, adding that he would not give further details at this stage.

– ‘Horrible act’ –

Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon said Belgium’s Federal Crisis Centre was monitoring the situation.

“Our thoughts are with the victims of this horrible act. We are in the process of establishing an overview of exactly what happened,” Jambon wrote on Twitter.

The crisis centre said a security cordon had been set up around the area and urged people to stay away.

The governor of Liege province, Herve Jamar, said on Twitter that no-one was injured during the high school hostage-taking and all students were safe.

Belgium has been on high alert since the smashing of a terror cell in the town of Verviers in January 2015 that was planning an attack on police.

The Verviers cell also had links to Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the mastermind of the November 2015 Islamic State attacks on Paris that killed 130 people.

Belgium further raised its terror alert level after the Paris attack, and placed the capital Brussels on lockdown for a week.

Belgium was then hit by its own IS suicide attacks on Brussels airport and a metro station which killed 32 people in 2016.

In August of 2016 a machete-wielding man shouting “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest)  attacked two policewomen in the industrial town of Charleroi, before being shot dead.

The country’s law enforcement agencies and intelligence services came under intense scrutiny for apparently missing a series of leads after the Paris attacks that could have led to the Brussels bombers.//AFP

The suspect, who is in his 40s and spotted with a large tattoo on his right arm, was apprehended by a team of Thai police officers in Chaiyaphum province, about 260km northeast of Bangkok around 7am on Tuesday (May 29).

“The man is the most sought-after suspect in the murder case. He is the alleged mastermind,” Royal Malaysian Police assistant liaison officer in Thailand Supt Ridzuan Abdul Aziz told Bernama here.

His capture by Thai following a request for assistance from their Malaysian counterpart several months ago, finally brought an end to an extensive hunt by authorities of both neighbouring countries which stretches two borders and several thousand kilometres.

They will also explain issues on the man’s impending extradition to Malaysia to face justice for his alleged crime.

In an interview with Bernama in Bangkok last January, Bukit Aman’s Criminal Investigation Department chief Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Najmuddin Mohd disclosed that several of the suspects involved in the high-profile petrol station murder case had escaped and gone into hiding in Thailand.

The police he said, had sought cooperation from Thai police to track down the suspects and mastermind.

During the interview, the CID chief also expressed the police’s confidence on tracking down the suspects and bringing them home to Malaysia to face justice for the grisly murder.

The police according to him, got the suspects’ photos and other records of their entry into Thailand.

A video clip of the incident went viral on social media.

In the Dec 17 brutal incident, a 44-year-old man known as “Ah Chiu” was stabbed and run over by a white BMW car at Taman Pelangi petrol station.

The police swung into action and arrested several men and women suspected to be linked to the case.

The police have also charged two suspects last January, while maintaining a hunt for several other suspects who remained on the run.