The EU has agreed to sanction Belarus by prohibiting Belarusian air travel over EU member states, and further economic sanctions are to be decided. The UK government has banned the Belarusian national airline to operate in the country. The country’s response so far has been to defend the action by arguing it was in compliance with strict aviation rules, and Russia has backed its ally over the situation.

Investigators have found that after a cable broke and an emergency brake was deficient, the cable car as a result crashed near Lake Maggiore in Northern Italy, killing 14 people. The cable car had been sliding backwards on itself for hundreds of metres before it crashed. There is tragically one survivor, a 5-year-old boy. Where the area’s tourism has taken a hit from the pandemic, this devasting incident will scar the local community and future tourism.

The BBC Director General, Tim Davie, has indicated the broadcasting house may offer compensation to Matt Wiessler, a graphic designer who was asked to draw up the false documents for Martin Bashir to secure the interview with the Princess of Wales. Wiessler later raised concerns with senior BBC figures, and subsequently found himself being let go from the corporation. Wiessler described the situation, “they threw me under the train. I’m still lying on the tracks”.

The Office for National Statistics has said that as businesses started to reopen, tax receipts have improved from last year, and spending on the furlough scheme has fallen. Although, while the economy makes good progress in some areas, the level of spending during the pandemic meant the deficit was three times higher than it was in April 2019.