Pilots at Lufthansa to stage two-day strike

Lufthansa pilots will launch a two-day strike starting early Thursday, escalating a long-running dispute over pensions.

The walkout, called by the VC pilots' union, affects Lufthansa passenger and cargo flights departing German airports from 00:01 on March 12 to 23:59 on March 13.

The union says talks have dragged on without progress, and no improved offer is on the table.

Flights to parts of the Middle East, including Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Qatar, and the UAE, will be exempt "in light of the current situation" in the region.

The strike follows earlier action last month that Lufthansa said hit passengers "extremely harshly."

Germany's ADAC motoring club reports continued increases in diesel and petroleum/gasoline prices at the pumps for drivers in the country, even as the oil price sharply dips from Monday's highs.

"The early-morning prices on Tuesday, March 10 do not demonstrate any downward trend," the ADAC wrote.

As of 7:15 in the morning (typically when prices are high as fuel stations try to cash in on commuters filling up) diesel was selling for €2.237 on average per liter. That equates to almost $8.50 per US gallon.

The budget brand of petroleum or gasoline, known as E10, was selling for €2.095 per liter. Those prices had passed the €2 mark for the first time in Monday's averages.

The cost of diesel has risen by around 40 cents per liter since the war broke out, and petrol prices by more than 20 cents. This exceeds the extent of the change in oil prices on the markets as the figures currently stand, although they're somewhat better calibrated to Monday's peaks.

The government in Berlin on Monday said it would ask the national cartel office to investigate potential price gouging or opportunistic price hikes amid the conflict in the Middle East.