Lufthansa cancels half of its long-haul flights as pilots call all-day strikeSeptember 7, 2015 - 18:58 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Lufthansa has cancelled around half of its long-haul flights planned for Tuesday, September 8 after its pilots' union called an all-day strike, according to BBC News. The strike, the 13th in 18 months, will affect long-haul passenger and cargo flights out of Germany. However, Lufthansa said it would still be able to operate 90 out of about 170 planned long-haul flights. Lufthansa has published a special flight schedule to keep passengers up to date with cancellations. The pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) is in a long-running dispute over pay, retirement benefits and cost cuts. The union says it has offered concessions, including increasing the average retirement age to 60. But talks between VC and management broke down again last week. Lufthansa is trying to cut costs as it battles to maintain market share through its budget airline Eurowings against low-cost rivals such as Ryanair. VC wants to stop Lufthansa hiring pilots for Eurowings, which has an Austrian operating licence, on non-German contracts. Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. |