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Hundreds of flights cancelled as strikes hit German airports

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Hundreds of flights have been cancelled across Germany as airport workers stage a nationwide strike over pay, posing a major disruption for air travellers.

The industrial action, led by the trade union Verdi, began unexpectedly on Sunday at Hamburg Airport, before expanding to a nationwide strike.

Passengers at Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin and other major hubs have been urged not to travel to airports, with operations severely disrupted. Frankfurt, Germany’s busiest airport, said passengers would be unable to board flights and transfer would “almost certainly” be affected.

Verdi, which represents public sector and transport workers, is in an ongoing dispute over wages and working conditions.

German media reports thousands of flights could be cancelled across the day, disrupting travel for more than 500,000 passengers.

The Lufthansa group, whose main hub is in Frankfurt, confirmed “delays and extensive cancellations” across all its airlines.

Meanwhile, Munich Airport warned of a “greatly reduced flight schedule”. This includes flights by Eurowings, Austrian Airlines and Swiss Air.

Katja Bromm, spokeswoman for Hamburg Airport, where all 143 departures scheduled on Monday have already been cancelled, said Verdi was “dishonourable” to call a strike without notice at the start of the holiday season.

She said that Sunday’s walkouts were “excessive and unfair to tens of thousands of travellers who have nothing to do with the disputes”.

A spokesman for Verdi accepted that the strike would affect many, but said the travel disruption was necessary to extracting a better pay offer.

Lars Stubbe, the union’s Hamburg representative, told the BBC: “The workers are aware that disruptions do happen, and they are uncomfortable with that, but in any case, it is the employer that caused these strikes because they haven’t put a negotiable offer on the table.”

Many of Frankfurt Airport’s 1,770 scheduled flights have already been cancelled, while the majority of Munich’s 820 flights are expected to be cancelled.

Hundreds more cancellations are anticipated across Stuttgart, Dusseldorf, Cologne and Berlin.

Many passengers had already checked in their luggage and were having problems getting it returned, according to public broadcaster NDR.

ADV, which represents major German airports, said the strike had “almost completely paralysed air traffic”.

Verdi’s demands include an 8% pay rise, or at least €350 (£294) more per month, for all workers – and three extra days of holiday, plus one additional day for union members.

Stubbe said that while airport wages range were above minimum wage, ranging from €13-€25 per hour, workers in different roles – particularly security staff – received less annual leave than others.

“There have been two rounds of negotiations in which the employers have not yet offered one penny,” he added.

“It is quite usual that we don’t get any offers in the first round, but now even in the second round, the employers have basically said, ‘No, we’re not going to give you an offer because we don’t have any money’.”

BDLS, the body which sets security workers’ pay, said in a statement: “The damage caused by this strike is almost exclusively to companies that are not at the negotiating table.”

It called on the government to outlaw short-notice strikes, adding that air transport was “essential for Germany as a business location” which “must not be exploited” in collective pay disputes.

Ralph Beisel, ADV’s general manager, said the strike was having an impact on European and global air traffic, leading to missed connections due to a “domino effect”.

He called for reforms to German strike laws concerning “critical” infrastructure.

The so-called “warning strike”, an established tactic in German wage negotiations, concerns two separate pay disputes: one relating to airport security workers, and a broader disagreement over pay for federal and municipal government employees.

Verdi has also called for strikes in waste collection across several German cities, including Berlin, Essen and Kiel, where bins have gone unemptied since last week.

Pay talks for government workers are set to restart on Friday in Potsdam, while the next round of talks for airport security staff is scheduled to begin on 26 March.

Niklas Benrath, of the VKA, which regulates pay and conditions for municipal workers, also criticised the strikes, saying Verdi’s demands would cost nearly €15bn.

“With a total municipal debt of around €160bn, these demands are not financially viable,” he added.

(BBC News)

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Deadly fire rips through shopping centre in Iraq

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A fire that tore through a shopping centre in the Iraqi city of Kut has left dozens dead and injured, state media has reported.

The blaze at the mall, which had reportedly opened five days ago, broke out on Wednesday night and has since been brought under control.

Medical officials quoted by news agency AFP said 55 people died in the fire, with rescuers still looking for missing people.

“A tragedy and a calamity has befallen us,” regional governor Mohammed al-Miyahi said, adding that legal action would be brought against the shopping centre’s owner.

Videos on INA’s news channel show flames ripping through several floors of a multi-storey building as firefighters try to douse them.

Other clips circulating on social media appear to show a small number of people on the roof during the fire, as well as the burned out insides of the centre.

A number of people were rescued from the building by firefighters, al-Miyahi told local media.

Ambulances were still taking casualties to hospitals in the city, which is about 160 km (100 miles) southeast of Baghdad, at 04:00 local time.

Firefighters are continuing to search for missing victims.

Nasir al-Quraishi, a doctor in his 50s, told AFP he lost five family members in the blaze.

“A disaster has befallen us,” he said. “We went to the mall to have some food, eat dinner and escape power cuts at home.

“An air conditioner exploded on the second floor and then the fire erupted and we couldn’t escape it.”

A medical source told the agency: “We have more than 50 martyrs, and many unidentified bodies”.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway, with preliminary findings expected within two days, al-Miyahi said.

“The tragedy is a major shock,” he said, adding that a “serious review of all safety measures” would take place.

The shopping had opened just five days ago, AFP reported.

It has been named as the Corniche Hypermarket Mall in the centre of Kut by local media.

(BBC News)

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Canada’s Safety Minister faces flak over support for ex-LTTE member

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Sri Lankan-born Gary Anandasangaree, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, is facing criticism over allegations of supporting an individual with links to the LTTE, to secure Canadian citizenship.

According to foreign media reports, Anandasangaree had written 02 letters in 2016 and 2023 to the Canada Border Services Agency, expressing support for Senthuran Selvakumar, a Sri Lankan national said to be linked to the LTTE, a banned terrorist organization in Canada.

At the time of sending the letters, Anandasangaree was serving as a Member of Parliament.

The Canadian immigration authorities had previously rejected Selvakumar’s citizenship application multiple times, citing his direct ties to the LTTE.

In his letters, Anandasangaree is said to have requested consideration on humanitarian grounds, highlighting concerns about Selvakuma being separated from his wife and child in Canada.

However, critics argue that any support for an individual affiliated with the LTTE amounts to support for terrorism, and have raised concerns over Anandasangaree’s role as Public Safety Minister.

In response, Anandasangaree’s office issued a statement saying it would be inappropriate to comment further as the matter is currently before the courts.

The Minister emphasized that he has not issued any such letters since taking office and maintained that his previous actions were based on humanitarian concerns, not political or ideological support.

He reiterated that he has “never supported any terrorist organization” and would never act in favor of one.

The matter has reportedly been brought to the attention of the Canadian Prime Minister, though an official comment is yet to be made.

(Source : Global News Canada)

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Thousands of Afghans moved to UK in secret scheme after data breach

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Thousands of Afghans have moved to the UK under a secret scheme which was set up after a British official inadvertently leaked their data, it can be revealed.

In February 2022, the personal details of nearly 19,000 people who had applied to move to the UK after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan were leaked.

The previous government learned of the breach in August 2023 when some of the details appeared on Facebook.

A new resettlement scheme for those on the leaked list was set up nine months later, and has seen 4,500 Afghans arrive in the UK so far.

But the existence of the leak and relocations were kept secret after the government obtained a super-injunction stopping it from becoming public.

Details of the major data breach, the response and the number of Afghans granted the right to live in the UK as a result only came to light on Tuesday after a High Court judge ruled the gagging order should be lifted.

The leak contained the names, contact details and some family information of people potentially at risk of harm from the Taliban.

Downing Street would not confirm whether the official responsible for the leak had faced disciplinary action, with a spokesman saying they would not comment on individuals.The government also revealed on Tuesday:

  • The MoD believes 600 Afghan soldiers included in the leak, plus 1,800 of their family members, are still in Afghanistan
  • The scheme is being closed down, but relocation offers already made to those who remain in Afghanistan will be honoured
  • The secret scheme – officially called the Afghan Relocation Route – has cost £400m so far, and is expected to cost a further £400m to £450m
  • The breach was committed mistakenly by an unnamed official at the MoD
  • People whose details were leaked were only informed on Tuesday

Speaking in the House of Commons, Defence Secretary John Healey offered a “sincere apology” to those whose details had been included in the leak, which came to light when some appeared on Facebook.

He said it was as a result of a spreadsheet being emailed “outside of authorised government systems”, which he described as a “serious departmental error” – though the Metropolitan Police decided a police investigation was not necessary.

Healey said the leak was “one of many data losses” related to the Afghanistan evacuation during that period, and contained the names of senior military officials, government officials and MPs.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch apologised on behalf of her party.

She told LBC: “Somebody made a terrible mistake and names were put out there… and we are sorry for that. That should not happen.”

In a 2024 High Court judgement made public on Tuesday, Mr Justice Chamberlain said it was “quite possible” that some of those who saw parts of the leaked document in a Facebook group “were Taliban infiltrators or spoke about it to Taliban-aligned individuals”.

It had earlier been feared the number of people at “risk of death or serious harm” because they appeared on the list, or because their family member did, could be as high as 100,000.

However, a review of the incident carried out on behalf of the MoD found it was “highly unlikely” an individual would have been targeted solely because of the leaked data, which “may not have spread nearly as widely as initially feared”.

The MoD has declined to say how many people may have been arrested or killed as a result of the data breach.

The same review judged the secret scheme to be an “extremely significant intervention” given the “potentially limited” risk posed by the leak.

An email has been sent to those impacted by the breach, urging them to “exercise caution”, and take steps like protecting their online activities and not responding to messages from unknown contacts.

Healey said those who have been relocated to the UK have already been counted in immigration figures.

(BBC News)

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