Headline

German Airports Strikes Worsen, Passengers Face Flight Disruptions

Published

2 years ago

March 15, 2024

Passengers were set to face more disruptions on Friday due to strikes by aviation security staff at six German airports.

Thousands of passengers were set to be affected after trade union Verdi called for further strikes by aviation security staff at the Hanover, Dortmund, Weeze, Dresden, Leipzig, and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden airports.

The first employees went on strike in Hanover late on Thursday.

Verdi is trying to increase pressure on the employers ahead of the next round of negotiations on March 20.

Strikes by security staff at five other German airports brought operations to a virtual standstill on Thursday.

Airports in Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, and Cologne/Bonn were affected on Thursday.

All departures were cancelled at the airports because passengers and goods could no longer pass through security checks.

There were also numerous cancellations of landings.

According to estimates by the airport association ADV, more than 580 flights were cancelled on Thursday.

The association expects a significantly lower number of cancelled flights on Friday.

Unions are currently hitting air traffic with a whole wave of industrial action, leading to sometimes more, sometimes fewer restrictions for passengers.

Lufthansa is being hit particularly hard.

The collective bargaining in aviation security concerns the working conditions of around 25,000 employees of private security service providers, who check passengers, staff and baggage at the entrances to the security area on behalf of Germany’s Federal Police.

Five rounds of negotiations have so far failed to produce a result. Verdi is demanding an hourly wage increase of €2.80 ($3.05), phased in over 12 months, with overtime bonuses starting more quickly from the first hour of overtime.

According to the Association of Aviation Security Companies (BDLS), they have offered 2.70 euros more per hour in three stages, a development that will increase monthly wages by €432 to €470.

The collective agreement is to run for 24 months.

A sixth round of negotiations with Verdi has been scheduled for March 20.

Vereinte

Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft (stylised Verdi in English) is a German trade union based in Berlin, Germany.

It was established on March 19, 2001, following the merger of five individual unions and is a member of the German Trade Union Confederation.

Over the weekend, Germans faced more travel upheaval after train drivers announced Sunday a new 24-hour stoppage, hot on the heels of a strike announcement by Lufthansa cabin crew.

(NAN)

Headline

Indian Court Denies Bail To Nigerian Man Over Drug Charges

Published

2 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

A court in India has denied bail to a 44-year-old Nigerian national, Cristian Soporuchukwu, who is currently facing drug trafficking charges in the country.

Cristian Soporuchukwu initially entered India on a business visa but was later arrested over allegations of involvement in the sale of hard drugs.

Reports indicated that after arriving in India, Soporuchukwu travelled through Goa, Delhi, and Mumbai, where he allegedly established links with suspected drug traffickers.

He was accused of purchasing MDMA crystals and distributing them to college students and information technology workers.

According to reports, operatives of the Beguru Police arrested Cristian Soporuchukwu in April 2025 for allegedly selling MDMA crystals around Begur Lake and the AECS Layout Road area.

The New Indian Express reported that the High Court of Karnataka subsequently dismissed the Nigerian’s bail application.

“The anti-narcotics wing seized about 1 kg of MDMA crystals, a pocket weighing machine, 10 zip-lock covers, a mobile phone and a scooter from him,” the report stated.

Justice V. Srishananda, while ruling on the bail application, reportedly held that errors relating to the grounds of arrest could not automatically justify bail in serious narcotics-related offences under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, NDPS, Act.

The court further noted that Cristian Soporuchukwu had allegedly overstayed his visa in India, according to the report.

Headline

Strait Of Hormuz: US Announces Sanctions Against Iran

Published

3 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The United States Treasury has announced sanctions against Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority.

Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, said this in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement extended the threat of sanctions to anyone paying the fees, saying they may be providing support to and receiving services from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and therefore may be exposed to sanctions risk.

“The Iranian military’s latest attempt to extort global maritime trade is proof that Economic Fury has left the regime desperate for cash.

“Treasury has deprived the Iranian regime of revenue for their weapons programs, terrorist proxies, and nuclear ambitions,” Bessent said.

Bessent added that the US has succeeded in disrupting tens of billions of dollars’ worth of revenue from being accessible to Tehran.

Headline

US Launches New Airstrikes On Iran

Published

3 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The United States has launched new airstrikes in southern Iran.

The strike shot down four one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz and then a ground control site.

A US official revealed that American forces struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.

The official described the strikes as purely defensive, saying the US intended to maintain the ceasefire.

Report says this is the second time in three days that the US has carried out self-defense strikes against Iranian military targets in southern Iran.

Recall that on Monday the US carried out airstrikes against Iranian missile locations and boats that US Central Command said were preparing to launch mines in the Strait of Hormuz.