Channel tunnel to remain closed through the weekend

by Sean McLachlan on

The Channel Tunnel between France and England will remain closed throughout the weekend as unseasonably cold weather continues to cause travel headaches across northwestern Europe.

More than two thousand passengers were stranded in the Channel Tunnel for up to 16 hours on Friday when five Eurostar trains had electrical malfunctions. Thousands more were stuck on either side of the tunnel with no way to get across. The problem is being blamed on the temperature differences between the cold conditions outside and the warm air inside the tunnel.

A few Eurostar trains did go through the tunnel this weekend but two showed symptoms of the same problems as those on Friday. Eurostar says there is no guarantee that trains will be running on Monday since they have yet to determine the exact nature of the problem and how to fix it.

Passengers who suffered delays are being offered a refund, £150 compensation and a free return ticket.

Statue used to strike Berlusconi now a popular souvenir in Italy

by Aaron Hotfelder on

An incident in which Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was injured by a man wielding a statue has proven profitable for souvenir sellers in Italy.

According to Yahoo News, vendors say they’ve noticed a sharp uptick in sales of the Duomo statue, the same one a mentally disturbed man used to bloody Berlusconi’s face while he was signing authographs in Milan a week ago. Berlusconi suffered a broken nose, two chipped teeth, and cuts on his lip as a result of the attack.

“People are definitely buying it as a souvenir of the event,” said one vendor. “It seems to be one of the most popular Christmas gifts.”

The statue retails for anywhere between 5 and 10 euros.

For some pricier (but better!) gifts for travelers, check out Annie Scott’s recent post 10 Ways to Give the Gift of Travel.

Thousands trapped in Channel Tunnel

by Sean McLachlan on

More than two thousand passengers were trapped in the Channel Tunnel last night when unusually cold weather in northern France made four Eurostar trains break down at the same time.

Four trains coming from Brussels and Paris entered the tunnel between France and England and promptly broke down because of the temperature change between the cold air in France and the warm air inside the tunnel.

Some passengers were evacuated after a few hours, but others had to spend all night in the tunnel. The blockage caused a huge traffic jam of cars on either side of the tunnel.

Eurostar has warned that services will remain severely disrupted throughout the weekend and that passengers should seek alternative ways to get to their destination. Eurostar has apologized for the delays and has offered refunds. It’s also considering compensation.

But the trouble doesn’t stop there. Heavy snowfall and unseasonably cold temperatures have disrupted travel in many parts of England and Scotland. Drivers are being turned away from the Channel Tunnel and being warned not to drive on the M20 near Folkstone or Dover. The Port of Calais in France is also closed.

“Arbeit macht frei” Auschwitz sign stolen

by Sean McLachlan on

Poland’s grimmest monument has lost its most famous icon.

The sign at the entrance to the Auschwitz concentration camp, “Arbeit macht frei” (“Work will set you free”) was stolen in the early hours of this morning.

The Polish government and Jewish groups have condemned the theft. There are no known suspects at this time and the motive is also unknown. Some Jewish groups have blamed unnamed neo-Nazi groups but none have claimed responsibility. And while there is a large and lucrative black market for stolen historical objects, such a recognizable piece would be very difficult to sell, although thefts of famous artifacts have been commissioned before.

The sign stood at the entrance to Auschwitz, one of the most notorious concentration camps set up during the Nazi regime. Located in occupied Poland, its executions, forced labor, and gas chambers sent about one million people to their deaths. Most of the victims were Jews, but Gypsies, political prisoners, and others were also killed.

The main question at the moment is how the thieves managed to cut down a sixteen-foot long iron sign and haul it away without any of the patrols of security cameras noticing them.

Twitter reaches Ireland and Indonesia

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Twitter addicts don’t need to worry about hopping a flight to Indonesia or Ireland any more. The white-hot microblogging service has expanded its footprint to these two countries, with local mobile carriers making Twitter available by SMS without charging any extra fees. Twitter was worried about overseas expansion for a while, because texting costs outside the United States were likely to prevent user adoption.

If you’re in Indonesia and are a customer of 3 Indonesia, the local carrier, Twitter becomes even more valuable. TwitPic is incorporated via MMS, making it possible to tweet pictures easily.And, the folks over at Twitter say more countries are coming, but there’s already a pretty impressive list on board already.