PORTUGAL: Workers shut down the Lisbon Metro for the second time in a month and the 11th time in a year yesterday in opposition to government public transport policy.
The Federation of Transport and Communications Unions accuses the government of reducing staff levels and infrastructure investment in the run-up to privatisation.
The government claims that it has no alternative but to cut subsidies to public services.

NETHERLANDS: Dutch Defence Ministry spokeswoman Marloes Visser confirmed yesterday that the government is advising military personnel not to wear their uniforms on public transport.
She said that the decision to send six F-16 fighter jets to launch air strikes on Islamic State positions raised fears that service personnel could be targeted by jihadis.
Announcing the deployment, Deputy Prime Minister Lodewijk Asscher said: “The Netherlands will gain a higher profile among jihadis. We are ready.”

GERMANY: Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen landed in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish entity yesterday for talks with regional president Masoud Barzani.
Her visit coincided with Berlin’s delivery of a shipment of 50 hand-held anti-tank weapons, 520 G3 rifles and 20 machine guns to Kurdish peshmerga fighters.
Germany is also sending 40 paratroopers to help train the peshmerga on the weapons.

ARGENTINA: Buenos Aires provincial tax authorities announced the deployment of drones on Wednesday to identify undeclared luxury properties.
The drones took images of 200 mansions and about 100 swimming pools situated on lots registered as being empty.
Owners of the properties have been told to get their papers in order and to pay fines on tax evasion estimated at more than £1 million.

GERMANY: Lufthansa pilots’ union announced a breakdown yesterday of talks aimed at resolving a dispute over early retirement benefits and is threatened further strikes.

The Vereinigung Cockpit union staged three strikes in recent weeks against Lufthansa and its German wings subsidiary, each of which lasted several hours.

It called off another strike planned for September 16 after receiving a new offer from the airline.

PALESTINE: An anonymous Hamas official said yesterday that partial agreement has been reached with the Fatah movement on governing the Gaza Strip.

However, he acknowledged that the problems of salaries for ex-Hamas employees and control over the security forces remain unresolved.

If these issues can be ironed out, it would put into practice the unity government Palestinian factions agreed in April.

CYPRUS: Hundreds of people in a small boat, apparently Syrian refugees, were rescued in Cypriot waters yesterday and taken to the port of Limassol.

The Defence Ministry said that the 345 people, including 53 children, had been located about 50 nautical miles off the south-western coastal town of Paphos.

They will be taken to a reception centre near the capital Nicosia where they will be given shelter and medical attention.