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Travelers are urged to use caution as well as prepare for travel delays in many parts of the world:

GLOBAL - Passengers travelling with Lufthansa face disruption after cabin crew threatened a week of strikes starting Friday (November 6). The UFO union said action will run until November 13 unless a fresh set of demands on retirement and pension benefits is met. Head of the union Nicoley Baublies said Lufthansa has until 1600 on Thursday to respond to a list of demands.He said he did not expect the German carrier to come around after two years of negotiations. "All passengers are advised to assume that their flights will not take off," the union head said. The dispute is over Lufthansa's plans to scrap an arrangement under which pilots can retire at 55 and receive up to 60 per cent of their pay until they reach the statutory retirement age of 65.

UNITED STATES / UNITED KINGDOM - The US has announced that Global Entry has been extended to UK citizens. Global Entry allows for quicker clearance of pre-approved, low-risk travellers. UK citizens can register to be eligible from December 3. To register travellers must apply through the UK Home Office website and pay a Ł42 processing fee. If it passes UK vetting the traveller will receive a UK Access Code, which will be entered when applying for Global Entry through the Global Online Enrolment System at https://goes-app.cbp.dhs.gov/main/goes The non-refundable application fee for a five-year membership is $100 and applications can only be made online. Once approved the travellers must then attend an interview with a US customs officer. Travellers will then be able to use special gates at US airports. The US claims the process cuts down passport control waiting times by around 70 per cent. The announcement was made by US Customs and Protection Commissioner R Gil Kerlikowske, US Ambassador Matthew Barzun and director general of the Border Force Charles Montgomery. Kerlikowske said the scheme - currently in use at 46 US airports - would enhance security as well as make travel between the two countries easier.

GERMANY(LUFTHANSA) - Unionised cabin crew employed by Lufthansa have called for strike action from 6 to 13 November in Germany. The action has been called following the failure of wage negotiation talks between the union and the airline; however, the union has given the airline until 17:00 local time on 5 November to make an acceptable wage offer. Accordingly, the strike may be suspended or cancelled late on 5 November. Clients scheduled to fly with Lufthansa on the affected dates are advised to contact the airline or their travel provider.

PAKISTAN(BENAZIR BHUTTO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT) - (Update) Benazir Bhutto International Airport, which serves Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, will remain closed between 13:00 and 18:00 local time daily until 10 November due to maintenance work. The initial closure was scheduled to take place from 18 to 28 October but has since been extended. The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), will continue to reschedule passenger flights over the affected period. Persons intending to travel via the airport during the affected period are advised to contact their travel provider or airline for an update on the status of their flight(s) prior to departure. Please note that due to a number of security concerns, clients are advised against all non-essential travel to the Islamabad Capital Territory.

INDONESIA(BALI & LOMBOK) - (Update) Flight disruptions continue to be reported at airports serving the Indonesian islands of Bali and Lombok on 4 November, amid ongoing ash emissions from Mount Rinjani. A number of Virgin Australia, Jetstar and Air Asia flights scheduled to transit through the Ngurah Rai International Airport and Lombok International Airport remain cancelled for a second day due to the resultant poor visibility. Further unconfirmed reports indicate that Indonesia's Ministry of Transportation ordered the temporary closure of all airports on these islands as of late 3 November. It is unclear how long flight disruptions are expected to continue. The eruption of Mount Raung and subsequent drifting ash cloud could result in further disruptions to air transport across the affected region over the near-term. It should be noted that, once the ash cloud has dissipated, flight disruptions are likely to continue due to the resultant backlog. Clients scheduled to transit through Ngurah Rai International Airport or Lombok International Airport in the near-term are advised to contact their travel provider or airline directly to confirm the status of their flight(s).

EGYPT(SHARM EL-SHEIKH) - Travelers should anticipate increased security measures at the Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport in Egypt's South Sinai governorate following a major aviation disaster on 31 October, in which a commercial aircraft was involved in a crash incident. The office of UK Prime Minister David Cameron issued a statement on 4 November stating that Cameron and Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, had 'agreed it would be prudent to ensure the tightest possible security arrangements at Sharm el-Sheikh airport as a precautionary measure'. Further details regarding the security measures are unavailable. The cause of the Metrojet commercial aircraft crash remains unknown. The aircraft had taken off from Sharm el-Sheikh and was en route to St Petersburg when it crashed in the central Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 passengers on-board. The Islamic State's (IS) Sinai Province later claimed the attack; however, investigators and the local authorities have disputed the claim. Following the incident a number of international airlines indicated that they would be rerouting planes away from the Sinai Peninsula as a precaution. Airport security at Sharm el-Sheikh, and possibly across the country, is likely to be increased in light of the incident. Additional checkpoints around airports and additional baggage checks on arrival should be anticipated. These measures could result in delays. Clients flying to and from Sharm el Sheikh International Airport should cater for possible delays and should check the status of their flight(s) prior to departure.

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES - Southwest Airlines is edging close to 100 daily departures from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport by adding flights to Des Moines, Iowa; Wichita, Kan.; and Pittsburgh. The airline said Tuesday the daily nonstop flights will begin service early next year. Flights to Pittsburgh will begin March 10, replacing service American Airlines plans to discontinue in December, Lambert officials said. Two daily flights will commence April 12 to Des Moines and Wichita. Both cities are new destinations for Southwest from St. Louis. Also on April 12, Southwest will begin year-round service to Seattle, an expansion from the summer-only flights offered the past two years. In addition, Southwest will add a second daily flight to Tulsa, Okla., and Minneapolis-St. Paul. "Southwest has continued to show its commitment to St. Louis with this announcement of new flights which really expands our connectivity across the U.S.," Lambert's director, Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge, said in a statement. "We quickly regain Pittsburgh service and we gain new and important Midwest markets in Des Moines and Wichita to allow travelers to fly direct or to connect through St. Louis to every major market in the Southwest system." Southwest, the dominant carrier at Lambert, said in June that nonstop service to Little Rock, Ark., will resume Jan. 6 after a two-year absence. A daily nonstop flight to John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif., is scheduled to begin Nov. 22. Lambert officials said that when the new flights begin April 12, Southwest will have service to 39 destinations from St. Louis for a total of 97 daily departures.

UBER/LYFT - Ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft will be able to pickup people at Chicago's airports, Navy Pier and McCormick Place beginning in 2016 under a plan approved Wednesday by the City Council. Although there was no debate, the amendment added to Mayor Emanuel's budget that will charge ride-hailing companies 52 cents per ride and give them access to new areas like the airport was approved by a 39-11 vote. Under the mayor's plan, instead of making chauffeur licenses a condition for making pickups at the airports, he agreed to charge 2 cents more per ride in the meantime, for a total fee of 52 cents. That's up from the 30 cents originally proposed.

INDONESIA/EAST TIMOR(SAVU SEA BETWEEN EAST TIMOR & PULAU ALOR ISLAND(INDONESIA)) - A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck between East Timor and Indonesia's Pulau Alor island in Indonesia earlier on 4 November. No tsunami warning has been issued. There have been no immediate reports of casualties. Media has reported minor damage in places. The area is prone to regular earthquakes of various magnitudes. The strength of the recent earthquake indicates that major damage is unlikely. Aftershocks remain a probability. Clients in the area should monitor local media for updates and advisories from the local authorities.

EGYPT(ALEXANDRIA, BEHEIRA & NORTH SINAI GOVERNORATES) - Heavy rain and strong winds have affected northern parts of Egypt on 4 November, including the Alexandria, Beheira and North Sinai governorates. In these areas, localised flooding and road travel disruptions have been reported. At least two storm-related fatalities have occurred in the northern Beheira governorate. The sea ports of Alexandria and Dekheila, which were closed on 3 November, remain closed on 4 November. Further adverse weather is forecast in the coming days. The threat of flooding in low-lying areas is likely to remain heightened across northern and north eastern Egypt over the next 48 hours. This may cause additional road travel delays in places. Further disruptions to sea ports along the northern coastline are also possible. Clients in northern Egypt should exercise caution near flooded roads and other affected areas, and should consider avoiding travel through these areas. Persons intending to travel via affected sea ports should contact their travel provider or the relevant transport authority for an update on the status of the facilities.

JORDAN - Adverse weather conditions, including rainfall and sandstorms, are expected to continue across Jordan on 4 November, leading to travel disruptions. On 3 November adverse weather, including sandstorms in multiple areas, resulted in flight disruptions and some road closures in the south of the country. Flights approaching the capital, Amman, were diverted to Aqaba and to Tel Aviv in Israel. Motorists have been urged to exercise caution on sand-affected and low-visibility roads. Conditions expected to improve from 5 November. Clients are advised to monitor local media for updates and advisories from the authorities. Travellers should contact their travel provider or the relevant transport authority prior to departure to check the status of their flight(s) or road routes.

SOMALIA - Following a periodic review, the kidnap risk rating for Somalia has decreased from extreme to high. The assessment is based on declining incidents of piracy-related abductions and an improved security environment in certain areas of the country. While there has been a decrease in abductions of foreign nationals in Somalia, a high threat exists across most parts of the country, including in the capital, Mogadishu. Indicative of the threat, on 13 January 2015, two Kenyan nationals, believed to be engineers working in the city, were abducted while travelling through a checkpoint near the Tarabuunka junction, in the Hodan district area of Mogadishu. This trend has also been reflected in the semi-autonomous regions of Galmudug and Puntland, where foreign nationals have been kidnapped and handed to pirates who, in turn, demand ransoms for their release. Most kidnappings targeting foreigners are financially motivated and are carried out by criminal groups and profit-seeking clans. However, there are also concerns that armed insurgent groups, particularly al-Shabaab, may also increasingly resort to kidnapping as both a financing and concession-garnering tool, as their positions continue to come under pressure from government-aligned forces in central and southern Somalia. It should be noted that the overall kidnap for ransom and extortion threat in the semi-autonomous regions of Somaliland and Puntland is assessed as medium due to the more stable security environments in these areas. Advises against all travel to Somalia, except Puntland and Somaliland, due the extreme threats posed by conflict, terrorism and kidnapping. All non-essential travel to the autonomous regions of Puntland and Somaliland is advised against due to the high threats of crime and terrorism, as well as medium threats of kidnapping and civil unrest. Persons in Somalia, irrespective of their area of travel, should coordinate all movements with a security escort, limit accommodation options to secure compounds and refrain from publicising itineraries.

YEMEN - Following a periodic review, the kidnapping risk rating for Yemen has increased from high to extreme. The rating change follows a periodic review and is in response to continuing insecurity due to the weakness of the state, ongoing conflict, as well as the pervasive presence of non-state armed groups. Kidnapping incidents have also increased over the past year. The kidnapping risk in Yemen is elevated. The abduction of both local and foreign nationals is regularly reported. Incidents are perpetrated by a wide variety of groupings, including tribes, Islamist extremists, criminal organisations and groupings linked to governing bodies. Motives vary but can include demands for the release of prisoners, financial demands and issues regarding local disputes with rival groupings or the local authority. Often a combination of demands is made. Given the ongoing insecurity in the country, general security risks are assessed to have increased, including the risk of kidnapping. Advises against all travel to Yemen. Persons operating in the country should ensure that crisis management plans are regularly reviewed and updated in conjunction with a security provider. Persons intending to travel in the country should do so with a security escort and should reside in secure accommodation.

EGYPT(EL-ARISH) - A suicide car bomber detonated his explosives near the Police Club in el-Arish, in Egypt's North Sinai governorate, on 4 November. The blast killed five people and wounded a number of others. Media sources have stated that Ansar Beit al-Maqdis (ABM) claimed the attack. Other sources have stated that the Islamic State's (IS) Sinai Province claimed the bombing. Members of ABM aligned with IS in 2014. The incident is typical for the region, where bombings targeting state facilities and personnel are regularly reported. This violence coincides with an ongoing low-level insurgency led by Islamist extremists against the Egyptian state. Insecurity in the region is expected to persist over the near-term. Clients are advised against all travel to the North Sinai governorate. Personnel intending to travel in the region should do so with a security escort. State facilities and personnel should be avoided as a standard precaution.

ARMENIA(VANADZOR) - Opposition group, New Armenia, has called for a mass protest against proposed constitutional reforms in Armenia's third largest city, Vanadzor, on 4 November. Participants are expected to gather at Artsakh Square from 13:00 local time on the day. The event is likely to be well attended; as such, localised travel disruptions should be anticipated in the vicinity of the demonstration. The upcoming agitation follows an earlier demonstration by the group and its supporters in Gyumri on 1 October. Both demonstrations form part of a month-long campaign by New Armenia against a draft constitution put forward by President Serzh Sargsyan. Although the protest action is expected to conclude without incident, the possibility of low-level clashes between protesters and police officials cannot be discounted. Due to the ongoing public discontent regarding the proposed constitutional reforms, further associated demonstrations are expected in the months leading up to the 1 December parliamentary vote on the amendments. Persons in Vanadzor on 4 November are advised to avoid the upcoming demonstration and any associated large street gatherings. Local media should be monitored for updates on the event, as well as any advisories from the local authorities. Clients are further advised to maintain flexible itineraries to make allowances for potential travel delays in the vicinity of any protest gatherings.

INDIA(AMRITSAR & MOGA, PUNJAB STATE) - Several farmers' unions have called on their members to stage sit-in demonstrations (known locally as dharnas) outside district administrative buildings in Amritsar and Moga, located in India's Punjab state, from 4 to 6 November. The agitations have reportedly been organised to bring attention to the perceived poor government pricing of rice in these areas, as well as to demand compensation for cotton crops recently destroyed by pests. The upcoming demonstrations are expected to conclude peacefully; however, localised business and travel disruptions are anticipated in the vicinity of any protest gatherings. It should be noted that the farmers have stated that they will escalate their protest campaign if their grievances are not addressed by 6 November. Persons in Amritsar or Moga during the aforementioned period are advised to avoid the demonstrations and any related large street gatherings as a standard precaution.

INDIA(JAMMU & KASHMIR STATE) - Security will be considerably heightened across India's northern Jammu and Kashmir state ahead of a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 7 November. Modi will first address a rally at the Sher-e-Kashmir stadium in the capital, Srinagar, before inaugurating a hydroelectric electricity project in the Baglihar area of Ramban district. In preparation for the visit, the Jammu-Srinagar highway, the primary thoroughfare in the state, will be closed on 7 November. In addition, there will be a considerably heightened security force presence in place, especially in Srinagar, while authorities have pre-emptively arrested over 300 separatist leaders and activists. In response to Modi's visit, a number of separatist organisations have called for protest action in Srinagar on 7 November. Despite the arrests, protest action is nonetheless expected on the day. Precedent indicates that demonstrations and gatherings associated with general strikes seldom conclude without incidents of violence between demonstrators and security forces, with the latter often using heavy-handed tactics in dealing with protests. Disruptions to business and travel should be expected on 7 November, particularly in Srinagar. Due to a number of ongoing security concerns, all non-essential travel to Jammu and Kashmir state (except the eastern Ladakh region) is advised against. Clients should avoid all protests, public gatherings and concentrations of security forces as a precaution. Travel disruptions as a result of the elevated levels of security should be expected.

HAITI - Post-election unrest in Haiti is likely amid increased political tensions as preliminary results from the presidential elections and a second round of parliamentary elections are expected to be announced on 5 November. Recent protests have been held in several areas of the capital, Port-au-Prince, following reports of voting irregularities. Previous incidents of violence have also been reported in the low-income area of Cite Soleil. There is a high risk of civil unrest in Haiti. Election-related protest action carries an elevated risk of violence, with clashes between police and protesters, and among opposing groups of protesters to be expected. As such, the possibility of violence occurring at any upcoming protests, particularly in the above-mentioned areas, cannot be discounted. Robust security measures are likely to remain in place over the near-term; these measures include security checkpoints, random identification checks, road closures and other movement-restrictive security measures. Furthermore, travel disruptions should also be expected in protest-affected areas. Clients are advised against all non-essential travel to Haiti due to a number of security concerns. Persons in the country, specifically Port-au-Prince, are advised to monitor local developments and to avoid all politically motivated gatherings and concentrations of security force personnel. Furthermore clients are advised to exercise heightened caution and to avoid political party offices.

ROMANIA(BUCHAREST) - Victor Ponta's resignation from the position of prime minister was confirmed on 4 November. The announcement was made following major anti-government and anti-corruption protests in the capital, Bucharest, as well as in Brasov and Ploiesti, on 3 November. The prime minister's resignation is expected to prompt the resignation of his cabinet. Despite the prime minister's resignation, activists continue to call for countrywide anti-corruption and anti-government protests. Although unconfirmed, precedent suggests that protests in Bucharest will take place at University or Victory squares in the late evening. The anti-government protests were organised to coincide with a new law aimed at improving security at local clubs, following a deadly fire at a nightclub on 30 October in which 32 people were killed; the club was reportedly operating under an illegal permit. The incident has generated widespread public sympathy and outrage; activists called for the resignation of Ponta and his cabinet as well as the mayor of the district where the concert took place. As per Romanian law, President Klaus Werner Iohannis will nominate Ponta's successor, likely from among members of the ruling coalition government. Iohannis has stated his intention to make an appointment late on 4 November following consultation with the political parties represented in the legislature. Clients in and intending on travelling to Romania in the near-term should monitor media broadcasts for updates on political developments and possible protests. All protests and related gatherings should be avoided as a precaution.

BANGLADESH(DHAKA) - Protest action by the Gornojagaran Mancha (National Awakening Platform) civic grouping is expected in Bangladesh's capital of Dhaka on 5 and 6 November. On 5 November participants are expected to march from the Shahbagh intersection to the ministry of home affairs. A second demonstration will be held in the city on 6 November; however, details for this gathering have yet to be confirmed. The demonstration has been called to pressure authorities to arrest those responsible for the murder of a secular blogger, allegedly at the hands of Islamist extremists, in Dhaka on 31 October. Although the demonstration is intended to be peaceful, as with all protest action in Bangladesh, the threat of violent clashes between demonstrators and police, or between demonstrators and counter-demonstrators, cannot be ruled out. In addition, localised travel disruptions should be expected given the presence of protesters and anticipated security force presence. It should be noted that additional protests over the death of the blogger are likely should the perpetrators not be apprehended. Clients in Dhaka on 5 and 6 November should avoid the gatherings points, all associated protest action and concentrations of security forces. Local developments should be monitored.

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