Massive strike paralyzes Greece

Athens, Greece (News Today) - Planes stood still and train services ground to a halt Wednesday as transport workers in Greece joined other public and private sector workers in a second day of demonstrations.

The unions that organized the general strike expected tens of thousands of workers -- teachers, bank employees and doctors, among them -- to amass in central Athens and then march to the parliament building.

Police deployed about 1,700 officers throughout the capital to maintain order.

The workers are protesting cuts in spending that the government says is needed to pull the country out of debt.

The country's parliament is expected to vote on the measures -- which include wage freezes and higher taxes -- by the end of Thursday.

On the first day of the strike, about 2,000 protesters representing teachers from the public sector marched past the finance ministry and parliament on Tuesday.

In central Athens, protesters threw plastic bottles and sticks at riot police.

At another demonstration, members of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) erected large banners near the Parthenon. "People of Europe Rise Up," said one.

A 110 billion euro ($145 billion) aid package for Greece was announced Sunday. Soon after, Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou announced the tough cost-cutting measures to meet European Union and International Monetary Fund conditions on the deal.

The package includes a promise by Greece to cut its budget deficit to 3 percent of gross domestic product, as required by European Union rules, by 2014, according to Papaconstantinou.

The measures, he said, were needed for Greece to secure its financial lifeline.

Greece has a choice between "destruction" and survival, and "we have chosen of course to save the country," Papaconstantinou said.

Source : CNN

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Tarmac delay rule to go into effect this week

Washington (News Terupdate) - Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is expected to discuss Tuesday the new tarmac delay rule that goes into effect before the end of the week.

The rule, set to take effect Thursday, is designed to prevent planes on domestic routes from sitting on the tarmac for more than three hours with passengers on board.

Airlines who violate the rule could face fines of up to $27,500 per passenger, the maximum allowed for violating any aviation consumer rule.

"Passengers on flights delayed on the tarmac have a right to know they will not be held aboard a plane indefinitely," LaHood said in a statement last week.

"This is an important consumer protection, and we believe it should take effect as planned."

On Thursday, the Department of Transportation denied requests from JetBlue, Delta, Continental, American and US Airways for exceptions to the rule, which were prompted by runway construction at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, one of the nation's most congested airports.

Delta and American Airlines also requested exemptions at JFK, and Continental Airlines followed with its own request that added neighboring LaGuardia and Newark Liberty International airports.

US Airways asked for a similar exemption at its hub at Philadelphia International Airport, arguing that "it shares the same airspace, is part of the same air traffic control center (New York Center), and has the same congestion challenges as JFK, LaGuardia and Newark."

In its ruling, the department indicated that it may take the construction at JFK into account "when deciding whether to pursue enforcement action for failing to comply with the rule and the amount of the fine, if any, to seek as a result of noncompliance."

Airlines could re-route or reschedule JFK flights to minimize congestion, the department said.

Airline passenger advocate Kate Hanni, founder of FlyersRights.org and a supporter of the tarmac delay rule, is pleased the exemptions were denied.

"We are both thrilled and gratified that DOT has taken a hard stand against long tarmac delays as a safety issue. We believe that 700 million travelers a year will benefit knowing they can reasonably predict the outcome of their flight knowing they cannot be held longer than 3 hours in a sealed metal tube!" Hanni said via e-mail last week.

Another passenger advocate, David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association, is opposed to the three-hour rule, stating that "placing time deadlines on safety-related activities should never occur."

The rule "creates not only safety concerns for passengers, but misery in the from of many more cancelled flights," he said.

Stempler and other opponents of the rule say airlines are likely to cancel more flights during the busy summer travel season to avoid penalties incurred by long delays.

Source : CNN

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U.S. calls for release of hikers detained in Iran

Washington (News Terupdate) - The United States is "deeply concerned" about the well-being of three American hikers who have been detained in Iran for nearly nine months, the White House said Friday, calling on Tehran "to release them immediately."

The statement comes a day after the Swiss ambassador to Iran met with the detainees.

Two of the three hikers are in poor health and have discussed staging a hunger strike, their families said Friday.

"We were deeply alarmed to learn from the families today of (the detainees') physical and emotional state of health," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said in a statement Friday. "We fear their well-being will suffer even more unless their case is resolved without delay. We strongly believe these urgent developments are additional reasons for the government of Iran to release them immediately."

The three hikers -- Shane Bauer, 27, Sarah Shourd, 31 and Josh Fattal, 27 --were arrested in July for illegally entering the country from Iraq's Kurdistan region, according to Iran's state-run media .They were sent to Evin prison in Tehran, Iran.

The families say that the three friends, who are all graduates of the University of California and seasoned travelers, accidentally strayed across an unmarked border into Iran while on a hiking trip. Iran has said they will be put on trial.

The three hikers have not been formally charged nor been given access to legal representation, Gibbs said.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a separate statement Friday expressing concern for the hikers' health and calling for their release. "These three Americans -- innocent tourists in Iraq's Kurdistan region when they were detained... have been unjustly held for almost nine months," Clinton said.

The United States has asked the Iranian government to grant visas to the detainees' families to allow them to visit, but the Iranians have declined, State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley said Friday.

"We continue to call for their release and request the families are granted visas to Iran to visit their children soon," Crowley said. "We are aware of the families' concerns about their children's physical and emotional state of health."

Bauer, the families' statement said, has a stomach ailment and Shourd is suffering from a condition that requires specialist care. She is also grappling with depression.

"We understand that they have spoken about starting a hunger strike because they are in such despair at the total lack of movement in their case," the statement said. "We are painfully aware of the tensions between the governments of the United States and Iran, but it is wrong to make innocent citizens pay the price."

The three Americans made a brief phone call home on March 9 and have access to a few letters and messages sent by relatives, friends and supporters, their families said. Other than that, they have had little contact with the outside world.

The two men are being held together while Shourd is alone in a cell. They are allowed to meet twice a day for brief periods but are isolated from other prisoners, the families' statement said.

Thursday marked the third Swiss consular visit to the American detainees, Crowley said. The last meeting was on October 29. The United States, which has not had diplomatic relations with Iran since 1979, has relied on Switzerland to appeal directly for the hikers' release.

The Swiss ambassador to Tehran is Livia Leu Agosti, according to Iran's semi-official Fars news agency.

Source : CNN

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Shuttle lands in Florida after weather delay

(News Terupdate) - After spending an extra day in orbit, the seven astronauts aboard the space shuttle Discovery landed Tuesday morning at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA officials had been closely monitoring weather conditions in the area of the space center, and passed on the first landing opportunity there.

Bad weather prompted mission managers to scrap two landing opportunities at Kennedy on Monday.

Officials had been mulling a landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. But earlier concerns about rain showers within 30 miles of the Kennedy runway were dispelled.

The astronauts were awakened Monday night to begin landing preparations, according to NASA, with mission control playing Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again" as their wake-up call.

On Monday, overcast clouds and a chance of showers in the Cape Canaveral, Florida, area forced the wave-off of an 8:48 a.m. ET opportunity. A scheduled landing at 10:23 a.m. ET also was canceled.

The volcanic ash from Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull glacier, which has caused widespread flight disruptions throughout the world, did not affect the landing plans, NASA said.

The shuttle's re-entry course was not near the ash cloud, the agency said.

The shuttle launched on April 5 and docked to the Space Station two days later.

It marked the first time four women have been in space at one time.

Three women -- mission specialists Stephanie Wilson, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger and Japanese astronaut Naoko Yamazaki -- are part of the Discovery's crew.

NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson was already at the space station.

The astronauts' trip included three spacewalks and delivery of more than seven tons of equipment and supplies.

There are only three shuttle missions remaining before the space shuttle fleet is retired.

Source : CNN

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Europe's transport system feels strain as disruption continues

London, England (News Terupdate) - Rail and ferry services across Europe have been swamped by thousands of frustrated passengers forced to seek alternate modes of transport, as a volcanic ash cloud continues to disrupt European air travel.

The plumes resulted in the closure of some of the world's busiest airports, including Charles de Gaulle in Paris and London's Heathrow, as national aviation authorities closed airspace across much of Britain, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Poland.

"We've not seen anything like this before," said Rochelle Turner of Which? Holiday magazine. "It's been pretty devastating. We've seen television pictures of people stranded and airports empty. It's been difficult to provide them with advice because the picture keeps changing.

"However I'm pleased to see that many of the airlines are providing clear updates and information on their Web sites. But the best thing for people to do is to make alternative arrangements, such as rebooking your flight or seeking a refund."

Under European regulations, passengers whose flights have been cancelled must be given a choice between rerouting to their final destination or a full refund.

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But the need to travel has forced many people to look at alternate modes of transport, which is putting strain on Europe's transport network.

Britain

Britain's air traffic authority, NATS, said airspace over much of the UK would be closed to all flights except emergencies at least until 1 a.m. Saturday (8 p.m. ET Friday), prompting many people to head for rail stations and ferry ports.

Eurostar, which provides Britain's only land link with Europe, urged people to stay away from its St. Pancras rail terminal in central London unless they held a confirmed reservation for travel. They reported a huge surge in demand for tickets.

Volcanic ash still causing chaos

Nicola Marinelli, from Mantiova in northern Italy, told CNN he arrived in London on Wednesday to watch some musicals and is now stuck. "I'm trying to get to Paris to get a train to Italy," he said.

Francis Kruyer, a London-based finance analyst, explained he was trying to buy a Eurostar ticket from Brussels to London for his boss, who is stuck in Frankfurt. "On the Web site the tickets were available," he said. "But when I put in my payment details it just went down."

P&O ferries, which operates many of the sea routes between Britain and Europe, said its Web site was struggling to cope with a huge increase in enquiries and urged customers to call its contact center with enquiries or to book a crossing on any route. It added that there was no space available on its busiest service between Dover in southern England and Calais in northern France.

Many travelers, however, had little option but to find hotel accommodation for the night, which is particularly difficult in London according to Visit London. A spokesperson for the city's official visitor organization told CNN that most hotels in the capital have an 80 percent occupancy rate at this time of year.

In addition to people trying to leave the UK, the continued disruption was likely to affect thousands of holidaymakers trying to return to Britain after the Easter break.

The Travel Association (ABTA), which represents hundreds of UK tour operators, told CNN that its members will be doing all they can to help passengers during this unprecedented crisis. But it said tour operators did not have a legal obligation to pay for extra accommodation for travelers stranded in holiday resorts.

Christian Cull of First Choice and Thomson Holidays told CNN that they are focused on helping people out in their resorts and customers at airports, while those who have booked holidays already that have been affected by cancellations will be offered alternative trips.

However, insurance cover is slightly more complicated, according to Rochelle Turner. She warned that travel insurance companies have been inconsistent with their advice to customers.

"It's difficult for many to know if they're covered," she said. "Some say you are, while other policies are calling it 'an act of God.' No-one has one clear policy so it's all about reading the small-print."

Republic of Ireland
Low-budget Irish carrier Ryanair said that based on current meteorological forecasts it expected fight cancellations to continue till at least 1300GMT Monday.

As a result, it said, it has decided to cancel all scheduled flights to and from the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Holland, Northern France, Northern Germany, Poland and the Baltic States until that time.

"This decision has been taken by Ryanair in order to allow passengers to apply for a full refund or rebook onto flights operating later next week," the statement continued, "when Ryanair hopes that improved weather conditions may allow normal flight services to resume."

Irish Ferries, which operates services between Ireland and the UK, said flight cancellations by carriers including Aer Lingus and Ryanair had a "huge impact" on business and that extra staff were brought in to deal with reservations.

According to the Irish Times, The Jonathan Swift sailings from Dublin to Holyhead on Friday were "sold to capacity," while a spokesman for Stena Line said it was "under siege," with one ship described as "packed to the gunwales."

France

Across the English Channel, a rail strike threatened to bring further chaos to an already busy weekend in France.

The strike by rail workers, in its tenth day, brought disruption to the high-speed TGV service, as well as regional trains in the south of the country.

"The roads will be very busy as thousands of school children from the Paris area are returning from their Easter break, while children from other regions start theirs," said CNN's Jim Bitterman.

More than 20 airports have been closed, while thousands of stranded passengers scrambled to find other options, such as renting cars and taking trains. France 24 reported that large crowds of disgruntled passengers converged on Paris's Gare du Nord station where Eurostar laid on three extra Paris-London trains.

Poland

At Warsaw's main train station, CNN's Frederik Pleitgen explained that people were queuing for up to four hours for tickets, but now most of Friday's services out of the the capital are fully booked.

One American family pored over a map as they surveyed their options for getting back to the United States. One option, the father explained, was to take a train to Vienna, Austria and then hopefully catch whatever flight was U.S.-bound.

"The second option is to take a ten-hour train journey to Frankfurt, via Berlin, then hope we can get a connection to America when we get there," he said.

Source : CNN

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