Those of you who are planning to come to London should be aware that because of a firemen’s strike, some of London’s deeper tube stations are closed where safety officials feel that the use of lifts may cause safety issues. To find a list of the closed tube stations, take a look at the London Transport website:
LondonTransport
The Canadian Government has issued a travel advisory to its citizens about visiting the United States.
Because of tightened border controls in America, Canadians born in some Middle Eastern countries should now think carefully before entering the United States, Ottawa says.
American border regulations introduced last month require that people born in Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan or Syria be photographed and fingerprinted as they enter the US – even if they are now full citizens of other countries, including Canada.
That has prompted the travel warning from the Canadian Government.
This week it advised its citizens who were born in any of the five countries to “consider carefully whether they should attempt to enter the US for any reason, including transit to or from third countries”.
In the Canadian parliament on Wednesday, politicians accused Washington of harassing Arab-Canadians.
One Syrian-born member of parliament said the American rules make him a second-class Canadian.
Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham says he has already registered his strongest disapproval to US Secretary of State Colin Powell.
He added that he believes changes will be made to the American move when common sense prevails.
The American regulations come as a convenient target for Canadian politicians who sense growing unease amongst Canadians with US policy in the Middle East.
Many Canadians also worry about increased administration and delays at the border, which can be expensive for their export businesses.
Under 30? A member of Globetrotters Club? Interested in a £1,000 travel award?
Know someone who is? We have £1,000 to award each year for five years for the best submitted independent travel plan. Interested?
Then see our legacy page on our Website, where you can apply with your plans for a totally independent travel trip and we'll take a look at it. Get those plans in!!
Olympia London from January 30 – February 2
You'll find the largest range of holidays and ideas to be found under one roof – hundreds of tour operators, travel companies and tourist boards offering everything from adventure experiences to cultural weekend breaks. A limited number of complimentary tickets are available to telegraph.co.uk readers (maximum 2 per user) if booked in advance for Destinations 2003.
Visit www.destinationsshow.com, click on 'box office' and enter the code 'tcuk' when prompted.
The Beetle knows that a lot of readers are interested in tracing their ancestors, and come to the UK and Ireland to do just that, so this piece in BritainExpress.com caught her little Beetle eye.
Everyone from amateur historians, genealogists, students and teachers through to tourists and parents will be able to gain something a new website dedicated to British history, history.uk.com
History.uk.com has a dedicated editorial team ensuring that the site is updated daily and showcases regular online features.
Source: britainexpress.com
Airlines in Europe will have to pay increased compensation to passengers who are stranded by cancellations or overbooking on flights if new legislation is approved.
At present, passengers who are forced to take a later flight because of overbooking – a common practice among carriers – or find their flight has been cancelled get between EUR150 and EUR300.
The new levels of compensation are lower than figures first proposed by the European Commission that were proposed at between EUR750 and EUR1500 depending on length of flight. Travelers on short haul services that are “bumped” from a flight or are affected by a cancellation, can now claim EUR200 (USD$195).
Those on longer flights can be compensated by up to EUR600 (USD$586). Some low cost carriers have warned that the proposals, passed by the European Parliament on Thursday, could mean a rise in fares unless carriers are willing to accept lower profit. The low cost airlines are unhappy about this and believe that the level of compensation should be adjusted to the price of the passenger ticket, rather than a flat rate covering every airline.
Not covered by this new compensation are events outside the direct control of carriers, including poor weather, long running strikes and security matters.
Under 30? A member of Globetrotters Club? Interested in a £1,000 travel award?
Know someone who is? We have £1,000 to award each year for five years for the best submitted independent travel plan. Interested?
Then see our legacy page on our Website, where you can apply with your plans for a totally independent travel trip and we'll take a look at it. Get those plans in!!
There are a few to choose from, so we thought we'd tell prospective visitors to London about the top four, plus the Harrods coach.
The convenient thing about taking one of these tours is that you can get to see pretty much all of the major sites of historical importance in one day, and this can save a lot of shoe leather, tube journeys and strange bus journeys going in the wrong direction!
Once you've “done” the touristy thing, there are plenty of less famous sites of equal interest to keep all site seers happy. And this includes mastering the London bus by not going in the wrong direction….we drive on the left, you see!
Convenient places to board these tours include St Pauls Cathedral, St. Martins-in-the-Fields church in Trafalgar Square, Baker Street underground station, Haymarket Street just off Piccadilly Circus, and opposite Victoria Station at Grosvenor Gardens.
Coach and Bus Tours – Harrods in Knightsbridge offer a 90 minute coach tour around the city. Sign up at the store.
The following three companies offer double-decker bus tours that feature hop-off service. The Big Bus Co has an all-night service if you just can't wait to see the sights after you arrive (or you are suffering from jet-lag and your body hasn't caught up to local time).
The Big Bus Company
Adults £16, children £6
Email: info@bigbus.co.uk
London Pride
Adults £15
Children £7.50 londonpride.co.uk
The Original London SightseeingTour
Adults £15, children £7.50
A passenger on a Virgin Atlantic flight has won a GBP£13,000 (USD$20,000) award after being injured by an obese woman in the next seat.
Barbara Hewson, from Swansea in Wales, was travelling economy class from London to Los Angeles, 11 long hours when the incident happened. She suffered injuries to her chest, torn leg muscles and developed sciatica after being crushed by the oversized passenger.
The woman next to Ms Hewson, was so large she had to raise the armrest to fit into the seat and because the flight was full there was no alternative seat so the woman's arm rested on Hewson's chest for much of the journey. Ms Hewson is only 4 feet 11 inches tall. When the flight arrived in Los Angeles Hewson was admitted to hospital.
Source: airnews.com
Whilst walking her dog, a local hotelier on Staffin island, off Skye found a dinosaur footprint dating from the Jurassic period in rock on the beach.
Experts say huge meat-eating dinosaurs that left their prints in the sand 165 million years ago probably made the tracks. Scientists have described the discovery on the east coast of the Isle of Skye as significant.