The British government on Monday said it had issued instructions for UK aircraft to avoid Belarusian airspace and slapped a ban on the country's flag carrier Belavia. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said he had told the Civil Aviation Authority to issue instructions "in order to keep passengers safe". He also suspended the operating permit of Belavia, which flies daily London Gatwick to Minsk flights via Paris in a code-share with Air France. jit-phz/jj/bp