SPAIN (AP) Spain's government has declared an unprecedented "state of alarm" over an air traffic controllers strike that has largely closed the country's air space. Deputy Prime Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said this means that the controllers are now under orders to go back to work and can be charged with a crime under the military penal code if they refuse. If convicted, they could face jail time. He said most Spanish airports were not up and running Saturday. Written into the Spanish Constitution, a 'state of alarm' also allows the government to take over certain key or strategic functions directly. In fact, the military already took over the air traffic controllers' jobs, though there have been reports all morning of a trickle back to work. Passengers at the airports are more directly impacted, but the strike is now having an effect on such things as sports fixtures, medical emeregencies, etc. But what exactly is it the controllers are asking for? (Read the rest of the article and a background of the strike on CampoPulse)
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