Roman Protasevich is seen in a pre-trial detention facility in Minsk. "We are closing our airspace to planes from Belarus and call on EU airlines not to fly over the country," said the head of the bloc's executive, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Belarus lies on the flight path of routes within Europe and between Europe and Asia, and skirting Belarus would slow flights down and cost airlines money. Belarus says it acted in response to a false bomb threat written in the name of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Belarus said its ground controllers had given guidance to the flight but had not ordered it to land.

Source: Otago Daily Times May 24, 2021 23:37 UTC