The World : Strike Hits British Airports

A 24-hour strike by air traffic control assistants disrupted Britain’s airports, forcing cancellation of more than 500 flights and creating lengthy delays for travelers. The walkout came three days before the nation’s general election and was part of a larger, two-day strike by more than 200,000 British civil servants seeking a 15% pay raise. The government has offered them 4%. The strike also disrupted services at welfare offices and at ports, where customs inspectors walked off the job and left hundreds of trucks on the docks uninspected.