By Reuters Staff
(Adds SAS comment)
STOCKHOLM, May 24 (Reuters) - Sweden’s Transport Agency said on Monday that Swedish airlines should consider avoiding Belarus airspace after Belarus diverted an airliner headed for Lithuania and forced it to land in Minsk on Sunday, where a dissident journalist was arrested.
“The Swedish Transport Agency encourages Swedish airlines to consider the uncertain situation and that they therefore should consider avoiding flying in Belarusian airspace,” it said in a statement, adding that the decision was in line with a recommendation from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.
European leaders have condemned the incident.
The Scandinavian airline SAS, which flies twice a week between Oslo and Kyiv, said it would follow the recommendations and avoid Belarusian airspace. (Reporting by Johan Ahlander and Helena Soderplam; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Former Republican U.S. senator Rick Santorum has been dropped as a senior political commentator by CNN after remarks he made about Native American culture drew criticism.
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MOSCOW (Reuters) -Belarusian authorities scrambled a fighter jet and flagged what turned out to be a false bomb alert to force a Ryanair plane to land on Sunday and then detained an opposition-minded journalist who was on board, drawing criticism from across Europe.
Opposition blogger and activist Roman Protasevich, who is accused of participating in an unsanctioned protest at the Kuropaty preserve, arrives for a court hearing in Minsk, Belarus April 10, 2017. Picture taken April 10, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer
In the dramatic incident, described by one EU leader as a hijacking, a Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jet escorted a Ryanair-operated passenger plane flying from Athens to Lithuania. The plane was suddenly diverted to Minsk, the capital of Belarus, where authorities detained journalist Roman Protasevich.
By Reuters Staff
1 Min Read
MOSCOW, May 23 (Reuters) - Russian vessel Fortuna has started laying pipes for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in German waters, the gas project said on Sunday, citing Germany’s Waterway and Shipping Authority.
Nord Stream 2, which runs on the bed of the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, bypassing Ukraine, has faced criticism from the United States, which claims it will increase European reliance on Russian gas.
Fortuna and other vessels taking part in the project have been added to a U.S. sanctions list.
“All works are performed in accordance with the available permits,” Nord Stream 2 said in an emailed comment.