France Air Traffic Controllers Plan Strike -AFP - French air traffic controllers have called for a strike after talks with aviation authorities over their plans to centralize operations broke down. The General Labour Confederation, or CGT, union called a strike at Paris-Orly airport Feb. 18-22, and said it would announce further action at the main Paris airport Charles de Gaulle and air controller offices at Athis-Mons, near Orly.

Vancouver dockworkers vote on three-year contract – JOC - Dockworkers at Vancouver Fraser Port terminals voted Thursday and Friday on a tentative three-year contract agreement reached with the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association, following work stoppages Wednesday to review the pact. Should the members reject the pact, there still would have to be a strike vote, meaning any strike by he longshoremen would still be some distance off.

Thousands stranded as snow returns to south China – Reuters - Almost 180,000 people have been stranded in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan by a return of snow and freezing weather which has blocked roads and caused blackouts, state media said on Sunday. More than 14,000 km (8,700 miles) of roads have been affected and 20,000 vehicles are stuck. Like much of southern and southwestern China, Yunnan had slowly been recovering from unseasonably cold, snowy weather which brought transport to a near standstill ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday and left millions without power.

Long Beach drops employee driver mandate for clean trucks – JOC - Trucking companies serving the Port of Long Beach will be able to operate with employee drivers or with independent contractors under the final version of the port's clean-trucks plan released Friday. The Long Beach Harbor Commission will vote on its final version of the anti-pollution program on Tuesday. The Long Beach plan is significant because it appears to settle the most controversial provision of the port's attempt to reduce emissions from trucks by 80 percent over the next five years. Also of significance, Long Beach will push back to Oct. 1 collection of a $35 per-TEU fee on older, dirtier trucks. The port had intended to begin collecting the fee on June 1, but delays in release of the final plan had made it impossible to meet that deadline.

Lines cite delays at Chennai terminal – JOC - Feeder operators serving India's Chennai Container Terminal are reporting delays to their vessels. "All vessels arriving on or after Feb. 18 will be berthing as per windows," terminal management assured feeder lines.

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