UNITED STATES (TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION/DHS) - The head of the Transportation Security Administration, facing fierce criticism over long lines at airport security checkpoints, said Wednesday that passengers would probably continue to experience longer than normal wait times because of an expected increase in summer travel. In an effort to ameliorate delays, Peter V. Neffenger, the T.S.A. administrator, told members of the House Homeland Security Committee that the agency was promoting screeners from part time to full time, reassigning hundreds of behavioral detection officers to help on security lines and shifting bomb-detection dog teams to larger airports. Mr. Neffenger's testimony comes just days before millions of Americans are expected to travel over the Memorial Day weekend. The agency has come under fire recently, with some passengers reporting hour's long waits to get through checkpoints. Many airlines say the delays have caused passengers to miss flights. Mr. Neffenger said the long lines were a product of higher-than-forecast passenger numbers, staffing shortages and changes in a program that allowed people who had not signed up for background checks to use expedited security lines. The agency tightened security procedures after federal auditors managed to get fake bombs and weapons past screeners, which has also contributed to the long lines. Congress has authorized the agency to hire 768 additional screeners to handle the expected increase in passengers, which is estimated at 740 million this year, up from 643 million in 2013. Lawmakers shifted $34 million in the T.S.A.'s budget to help the agency pay for the additional screeners, which the agency said would be in place next month. Mr. Neffenger continued to urge travelers to sign up for T.S.A.Precheck, an expedited screening process that allows passengers to keep their shoes on and keep their computers in their bags. Enrollment in the program has fallen short of expectations, exacerbating the longer lines. Mr. Neffenger said about 15,000 people a month were signing up for the program. Despite the changes at the agency, some airports are still considering switching to private companies to provide screeners. Under the T.S.A.'s Screening Partnership Program, 22 of the approximately 450 commercial airports in the country, including San Francisco International Airport, now use private screeners. Some airport executives and Republicans in Congress have proposed hiring private screeners to replace T.S.A. workers. "Congress and T.S.A. must resist Band-Aid fixes to complicated and well-understood aviation security challenges," Mr. Thompson said. "Patching and plugging holes are not answers."

SOUTH AFRICA (CAPE TOWN, WESTERN CAPE PROVINCE) - Localised disruptions to MyCiti bus services have been reported in Cape Town, located in South Africa's Western Cape province, on 26 May. According to reports, the disruptions are the result of an illegal strike action by bus drivers employed by Kidrogen, a vehicle operating company utilised by the MyCiti service. The strike, which was launched at approximately 05:00 local time, has affected scheduled routes between the Dunoon, Table View and Century City areas. The motivation behind the unsanctioned work stoppage is currently unclear. It should be noted that the strike will likely result in an increased demand for other modes of public transport, particularly taxi services, on 26 May. MyCiti officials are reportedly implementing a contingency plan in order to mitigate the impact of the wildcat strike; new busses are reportedly being added to the affected routes when drivers become available. Persons currently operating in Cape Town and intending to utilise MyCiti bus services are advised to contact their travel provider(s) to confirm the status of services. Clients are further advised to monitor local media for updates on the aforementioned strike action, as well as related advisories from the authorities.