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Several European countries have barred airlines from Belarusian airspace after the forced diversion of a commercial flight, which has been denounced as piracy, hijacking and terrorism.

The United Kingdom followed suit, while also suspending permits for the country's flag carrier, Belavia, to continue to operate.

Western outrage grew and the European Union threatened further sanctions on Monday over the forced diversion, apparently ordered by Belarus's authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, in order to arrest opposition journalist Raman Pratasevich.

Ryanair said Belarusian flight controllers told the crew there was a bomb threat against the plane as it was crossing through the country's airspace on Sunday and ordered it to land in the capital of Minsk.

READ MORE: Australia calls for political activist's release in Belarus

A Belarusian MiG-29 fighter jet was scrambled to escort the plane — in a brazen show of force by President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled with an iron fist for over a quarter-century.

UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on Monday afternoon (early Tuesday AEST) announced that he'd asked the UK Civil Aviation Authority to request airlines avoid the country's airspace and suspended Belavia's operating permit.

"Following the UK Government's decision, the UK Civil Aviation Authority has suspended all foreign carrier permits held by Belarusian air carriers until further notice," UK CAA said in a statement.

"This suspension applies to both scheduled operators, including the Belarusian airline Belavia, as well as chartered air carriers.

"The Civil Aviation Authority has also issued a notice to all UK registered airlines requesting that they avoid overflight of any territory of the Republic of Belarus".

https://twitter.com/grantshapps/status/1396835052168810499

Mr Pratasevich, sometimes spelled Protasevich, is an activist and journalist who ran a popular messaging app channel that played a key role in helping organise massive protests against the authoritarian leader. He and his Russian girlfriend were led off the plane shortly after it landed, and authorities haven't said where they're being held.

Ryanair Flight FR4978, which began in Athens, Greece, was eventually allowed to continue on to Vilnius, Lithuania.

EU leaders were particularly forceful in their condemnation of the move against the plane, which was flying between two of the bloc's member nations and was being operated by an airline based in Ireland, also a member.

The bloc summoned Belarus' ambassador "to condemn the inadmissible step of the Belarusian authorities" and said in a statement the arrest was yet again "another blatant attempt to silence all opposition voices in the country."

President Gitanas Nauseda of Lithuania urged the EU to take "clear actions in order to change the pattern of behaviour of this very dangerous regime," and said a previously planned EU summit on Monday would assess whether to close its airspace to Belarus carriers, declare Belarusian airspace as unsafe and expand sanctions against Mr Lukashenko's government.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned the "unprecedented action" of the Belarusian authorities and demanded that Mr Pratasevich and his girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, be released immediately.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said "the scandalous incident in Belarus shows signs of state terrorism and it's unbelievable," while EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it amounted to a "hijacking."

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin told broadcaster RTE the diversion "certainly was a state-sponsored coercive act."

"It reflects growing authoritarianism across the world," Martin said. "These authoritarian figures taking pre-meditated decisions of this kind. … We have to respond very strong to it."

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said it was "yet another blatant attempt by the Belarusian authorities to silence all opposition voices."

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen earlier said it amounted to a "hijacking," while Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called it a "state-sponsored terror act."

US President Joe Biden was briefed on the incident and national security adviser Jake Sullivan raised the issue in his call with the secretary of the Russian Security Council, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday (Tuesday AEST).

She added the administration condemned what she called the "shocking act" of diverting a flight to detain a journalist.

"It constitutes a brazen affront to international peace and security by the regime," she said, adding the US was in touch with NATO, the EU, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and others about next steps.

"We demand an immediate international, transparent and credible investigation of this incident."

EU leaders have tried to bring Belarus closer to the bloc — to encourage democratic reforms and reduce the influence of Russia — but have failed so far.

Ahead of their summit, some EU leaders threatened more sanctions — from scrapping landing rights in the bloc for Belarus' national carrier Belavia to exclusions from sports events.

Without waiting for the EU, Latvia's airBaltic said it would avoid Belarusian airspace, and Lithuania's government said it would instruct all flights to and from the Baltic country to avoid Belarus as well starting on Tuesday.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ordered officials to move to cut the air link with Belarus and ban Ukrainian flights via the neighbour's airspace.

The US and the EU already have imposed sanctions on top Belarusian officials amid months of protests, which were triggered by Lukashenko's reelection to a sixth presidential term in an August vote that the opposition rejected as rigged. More than 34,000 people have been arrested in Belarus since then, and thousands were brutally beaten.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry on Monday bristled at what it described as "belligerent" EU statements, insisting that the country's authorities acted "in full conformity with international rules."

It ordered all Latvian diplomats out of the country after the Belarusian flag was replaced Monday with the white-and-red one used by the opposition at the world ice hockey championship in Riga, Latvia. The event was moved from Minsk amid the international outcry over the crackdown.

Lufthansa said a flight from Minsk to Frankfurt with 51 people aboard was delayed Monday following a "security warning." It was allowed to depart after the plane, passengers and cargo were searched.

On Sunday, flight tracker sites indicated the Ryanair flight was about 10 kilometres from the Lithuanian border when it was diverted. There have been conflicting reports of what exactly happened.

Belarusian transport ministry official Artem Sikorsky said the Minsk airport had received an email about the bomb threat from the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The press service of Mr Lukashenko said the President himself ordered that a fighter jet accompany the plane after he was informed of the bomb threat.

Deputy air force commander Andrei Gurtsevich told Belarusian state TV the plane's crew made the decision to land in Minsk, adding that the fighter jet was sent to "provide help to the civilian aircraft to ensure a safe landing."

But Ryanair said in a statement that Belarusian air traffic control instructed the plane to divert to the capital. The plane was searched, and no bomb was found.

Ryanair's CEO Michael O'Leary described the move as "a case of state-sponsored hijacking … state-sponsored piracy."

"It's very frightening for the crew, for the passengers who were held under armed guard, had their bags searched," he told the Irish radio station Newstalk.

In an apparent reference to the Belarusian security agency that still goes under its Soviet-era name KGB, Mr O'Leary said he believes "some KGB agents offloaded from the aircraft" in Minsk.

Of the 126 people aboard the flight initially, only 121 made it to Vilnius, according to Rolandas Kiskis, chief of the criminal police bureau in the Lithuanian capital, where an investigation has begun.

Passengers described Mr Pratasevich's shock when he realised that the plane was going to land in Minsk.

"I saw this Belarusian guy with girlfriend sitting right behind us. He freaked out when the pilot said the plane is diverted to Minsk. He said there's death penalty awaiting him there," passenger Marius Rutkauskas said after the plane finally arrived in Vilnius.

"We sat for an hour after the landing. Then they started releasing passengers and took those two. We did not see them again."

Mr Pratasevich was a co-founder of the Telegram messaging app's Nexta channel, which played a prominent role in helping organise major protests against Lukashenko.

The Belarusian authorities have designated it as extremist and levelled charges of inciting riots against MrPratasevich, who could face 15 years in prison if convicted.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov wouldn't say if the Belarusian authorities had contacted Russia about the episode. The two neighbours have close political, economic and military ties, and Lukashenko has relied on Moscow's support amid Western sanctions.

In November, the Belarusian KGB also put Pratasevich on the list of people suspected of involvement in terrorism, an ominous sign that he could face even graver charges.

Terrorism is punishable by death in Belarus, the only country in Europe that maintains capital punishment.

Amid the international outrage, Moscow quickly offered a helping hand to its ally.

The chairs of the parliamentary foreign affairs committees of Ireland, UK, US, Poland, Germany, Czechia, Latvia, Lithuania joined together on Sunday night to call for sanctions and Mr Pratasevich's immediate release.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation called an urgent meeting on Monday to discuss the forced landing 

Contact tracers in Melbourne are scrambling once again after four members of a Northern Suburbs family tested positive for coronavirus.

The four, which include a preschooler, are across two households and at least one is believed to have been highly contagious during their exposure period.

So far none have been linked to a Wollert man who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month.

READ MORE: New coronavirus exposure sites in Melbourne after four positive cases

https://twitter.com/Jo_Hall9/status/1396703293728980994

Genomic sequencing is underway but authorities are concerned there is undetected transmission somewhere within the community.

"The dates (between the family and the Wollert man) don't line up so we can't rule out that there's a missing link out there," Health Minister Martin Foley said.

Major testing sites around Melbourne had their hours extended on Monday night and new exposure sites were revealed in the race to find any further spread of the virus.

The public health alerts date as far back as Tuesday, May 18, and include shopping centres, a swim school, restaurants and a sporting venue.

The four new cases, in the City of Whittlesea, are two men, one woman and a preschool-aged child.

Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton warned Victorians should prepare for more positive cases, particularly given one of the new cases was potentially highly infectious.

"The CT values were low which means the viral load was high and, as you say, with close contacts becoming positive, he is likely to be quite infectious," he said.

"We will always be at risk until we have high vaccination coverage."

https://twitter.com/andrew_lund/status/1396703577758830599

Second scare in a month

The fresh cases follow a coronavirus scare earlier this month, where a man who was COVID-positive travelled around Melbourne's north whilst potentially infectious.

He visited Woolworths Epping North on May 8, along with a 7-Eleven on May 6 and 8, and another supermarket in the area.

There were also fears the man may have infected hundreds of commuters after two train trips were listed as exposure sites, one of which coincided with the end of an AFL match.

READ MORE: Melbourne commuters who fail to wear masks face $200 fine

Anyone onboard the Craigieburn to Southern Cross train service on May 7 departing at 5.28pm was urged to get tested.

Commuters who travelled on the 10.20pm train service from Flinders Street to Craigieburn were also required to take a COVID-19 test.

Curry Vault Indian Restaurant & Bar in Melbourne's CBD was also listed as an exposure site.

Traces of COVID-19 was picked up in wastewater in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, in the Epping and Wollert areas, last Thursday night.

"These types of traces of coronavirus in wastewater are getting detected regularly – with more people leaving hotel quarantine – cleared of the virus but still shedding, and moving around our community," Professor Brett Sutton said in a statement.

"While the detections may be due to someone who has had COVID-19 that is no longer infectious continuing to 'shed' the virus, it is also possible that it is due to an active but undiagnosed infectious case.

"This detection is of note because there are public exposure sites in the area relating to the Wollert case, who has been isolating in a health hotel outside the catchment."

Anyone with any COVID-19 symptoms, including a fever, sore throat, cough, shortness of breath, and loss or change in their sense of smell or test, has been urged to get tested.

There is also a push for people to get vaccinated as soon as possible if they are eligible, with wait times steadily increasing across the city's north since the new likely positive cases were announced.

People can book an appointment at vaccination centres by calling 1800 675 398.

The investigation into Italy's cable car disaster that killed 14 people will focus on why the lead cable snapped and why the emergency brake didn't engage and prevent the cabin from careening back down the mountain until it pulled off the support line and crashed to the ground, the lead prosecutor said Monday.

Verbania Prosecutor Olimpia Bossi outlined the contours of her investigation based on what she said was objective, empirical fact of what occurred: "The brakes of the security system didn't work. Otherwise the cabin would have stopped," she said. "Why that happened is naturally under investigation."

Bossi spoke to reporters as the lone survivor of Sunday's horrific tragedy, a 5-year-old Israeli boy living in Italy, remained hospitalised in Turin in intensive care with multiple broken bones.

READ MORE: Death toll rises in Italy cable car tragedy

https://twitter.com/StandWithUs/status/1396802157895159812

The Israeli foreign ministry identified him as Eitan Biran. His parents, younger brother and two great-grandparents were among the dead, the ministry said, correcting an earlier statement that had included Eitan among the victims.

Italian media identified all the other victims as residents of Italy.

The disaster, in one of the most picturesque spots in northern Italy — the Mottarone mountaintop overlooking Lake Maggiore and other lakes near Switzerland — raised questions anew about the quality and safety of Italy's transport infrastructure.

Transport Minister Enrico Giovannini visited the site Monday and announced a commission of inquiry to investigate the "technical and organisational causes" of the disaster, while prosecutors will focus on any criminal blame.

Giovannini told reporters in Stresa, the lakefront town at the foot of the Mottarone peak, that the aim of the investigative commission would be to "ensure this never happens again."

READ MORE: Remains of 'lost' village emerge from Italian lake

The transport ministry said a preliminary check of the cable line's safety and maintenance record show that the whole lift structure underwent a renovation in August 2016, and that a full maintenance check was performed in 2017 and more inspections last year.

In November and December 2020, other checks were performed on the cables themselves, including magnetic inspections on the primary cables of the lift: the cable that pulls the cabin up the mountain, the support cable that holds the car and the rescue cables. In December another visual check was performed, the ministry said.

The mayor of Stresa, Marcella Severino, quoted witnesses as saying they heard a "loud hiss," apparently when the lead cable snapped. She said the cabin reeled back down the line until it apparently hit a pylon and then plummeted to the ground. It rolled over two or three times before crashing into trees, she said.

Some of the bodies were thrown from the car and were found amid the trees, rescue workers said.

In on-camera comments to LaPresse news agency and other reporters in her office, Bossi noted that the emergency brake had engaged on the other cable car that was traveling in the opposite direction, down the mountain.

READ MORE: Hidden WWI bunker revealed as glacier melts in Italy

She said the possible crimes that are being investigated are multiple manslaughter, attempted manslaughter and an "attack on public transport." She acknowledged the transport crime was an unusual hypothesis, but justified it by recalling that a cable car up and down a mountain is a form of public transportation.

The funicular line is popular with tourists and locals alike to scale Mottarone, which reaches a height of 1491 metres and overlooks several picturesque lakes and the surrounding Alps of Italy's Piedmont region. The mountain hosts a small amusement park, Alpyland, that has a children's rollercoaster, and the area also has mountain bike paths and hiking trails.

It only reopened a few weeks ago after Italy's wintertime coronavirus lockdowns lifted, and officials hypothesised that families were taking advantage of a sunny Sunday to visit the peak and take in the view.

The mayor declared a day of mourning for Stresa, which like tourist destinations around the country had suffered from COVID-19 lockdowns that not only slashed foreign tourism but cut local day-trip visits by Italians.

The Israeli foreign ministry identified the five Israelis killed as Eitan's parents, Amit Biran and Tal Peleg-Biran, an Israeli-born couple studying and working in Pavia. Biran's Facebook page identifies him as a medical student at the University of Pavia.

Their 2-year-old son, Tom Biran, died at the scene, as were Peleg-Biran's grandparents, Barbara and Yitzhak Cohen. The ministry said they had arrived in Italy on May 19 to visit their granddaughter and great-grandchildren.

Amit Biran's sister, Aya, wasn't involved in the crash and was at the bedside of Eitan at Turin's Regina Margherita hospital, the foreign ministry said, adding that other family members were flying to Italy from Israel to join her.

In a tweet Tuesday, Italy's national firefighting squad said they were cheering for Eitan even as they mourned the others: "Forza Eitan (Go Eitan), all the firefighters are with you."

The head of intensive care at the Turin hospital, Dr Giorgio Ivani, said Eitan was sedated and intubated after surgery to repair his broken bones. An MRI scan was planned for Monday to assess any brain injury, though hospital officials have noted that he was conscious when he arrived.

Among the other victims were an Italian researcher, Serena Consentino, and her Iranian-born companion, Mohammadreza Shahaisavandi, according to a statement from Italy's National Council of Research, where Consentino had a research grant.

Also killed at the scene were Vittorio Zorloni and his wife, Elisabetta Persanini. Their 6-year-old son, Mattia, died at Regina Margherita after multiple efforts to restart his heart, hospital officials said.

A young couple, Silvia Malnati and Alessandro Merlo, were killed while Malnati's brother stayed down in town and frantically tried to call her, Italy's La Stampa newspaper reported, quoting the brother.

Another couple, Roberta Pistolato and Angelo Vito Gasparro were celebrating Gasparro's 45th birthday. La Stampa said Roberta texted her sister in Puglia right before the tragedy: "We're going up in the funicular. It's paradise here."