The Carnival cruise line had informed authorities in St. Maarten prior to docking and the FBI are now investigating. The woman being questioned is believed to be the dead infant’s mother, so she has not being charged. She is a U.S. passenger but not a resident of Florida.

When the liner returned to Florida the FBI’s Evidence Response Team was activated according to Special Agent Dave Couvertier and that the FBI was working with port authorities to investigate.

He said: “We received preliminary information of a deceased newborn on the vessel and we are investigating the matter. We have been coordinating with Carnival Cruise Line which has been fully cooperative. No one has been charged as we are still working on obtaining facts and gathering any available evidence. As a result, no information is being released regarding suspects at this time. Due to the international and jurisdictional aspects we are still working on obtaining facts and specific details about the incident.”

Picture courtesy of maxmzd

Speaking about the decision to sever ties with Gills Cruises, Royal Caribbean associate vice president and general manager Jo Rzymowska said the decision to refuse new bookings via Gills was ‘the best thing to do for customers’. She stated to Travel Weekly: “We have pipeline monies outstanding that we are owed. We have been collecting money direct from customers for a couple of weeks as we didn’t want that debt to increase. Now the priority is our customers and to assure them our holidays are safe.”

Customers who have booked a holiday through Gills Cruises who are worried about the status of their trip are advised to contact the cruise company direct, however, travel industry trade body, ABTA,  insisted that people who have booked  with Gills can be guaranteed that their money and holidays are safe.

Gills Cruises have a statement posted on their website, stating: ‘Gill’s Cruise Centre regrets that it is currently unable to accept new booking enquiries.’

One of the reasons why Gills Cruises are facing financial problems is that to get a better share of the market the company were giving huge discounts on cruise holidays, undercutting completion and also the cruise operators themselves, leading the company into debt.

Currently the outlook for the company which was established as the first suburban travel agent in Wales in 1957 by Robert Gill does not look that good, especially with current market conditions. Only this week travel giant Thomas Cook issued a profits warning, many other holiday firms are also struggling as the economic downturn continues to affect people.

The Tatarstan division of Russia’s Emergency Ministry announced in a statement on its website earlier today that The Bulgaria may have been carrying 207 people when it sank. Luckily seventy-nine people were saved.

The ship sank 460 miles east from Moscow during the return journey back to Kazan.

A rescue woman stated: “It sank in two or three minutes. We found dead people wearing safety jackets, people who were simply unable to leave the ship.”

We are horrified to be informed by the rescue team that: “About 30 children were being entertained in one room, according to passenger reports. Divers are looking for this room now.”

The numbers of travellers missing is continuously changing as those found both safely and dead are being updated too. It is hard to track exactly how many people rescuers are looking for.

Despite The vessel, built in 1955, passing an inspection earlier this year, the Bulgaria sank three kilometres from shore yesterday at 1:58 p.m. local time. The weather was reportedly stormy.

Violations against Transportation Safety Regulations mean that a criminal investigation has been opened up to inquire into the unfortunate event.

Spectators witnessed an impressive show with fire boats showering water and police boats escorting the liners with their lights flashing as the Queen Mary led the processing along the Hudson River. The Statue of Liberty was flood lit in Cunard’s traditional red livery and as the ships lined up near the Statue a huge firework display was set off which featured plenty of red, white and blue the national colours of both the United States and the United Kingdom, the ships’ home country.

The marked event is special because it will be the only time all three ships will ever meet.

After the event the three vessels then headed under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and headed south on separate journeys, with the Queen Victoria staying around the Americas and Panama for the next few months and the Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth continuing on their 103-day world tours.

The last time Cunard assembled their fleet all together was in 2008 in the home harbour of Southampton, before the Queen Elizabeth 2 was decommissioned.

Picture courtesy of Cunard

Pictures showing the aftermath on board show that the ship was left devastated with the Christmas tree in the main atrium upended, rooms were left trashed and many windows were smashed by the impact of the waves. For many people enjoying what should be a relaxing 12 day cruise their holiday turned into a nightmare, the cruise went from Spain to Italy, then on to Greece and to finally finish in Egypt, however it was hit by the extreme weather when it was approaching its final destination and is currently making it way to Malta to find a port so the 2,110 passengers can get home.

the combination of 60kmh winds and heavy rain the Brilliance of the Seas encountered on its way to the port of Alexandria in Egypt caused the ship to list, however it is exceptionally rare for this to happen especially to a 90,000-ton vessel like the Brilliance of the Seas.

Passengers had taken many pictures of the chaos left in the wake of the storm which showed the extent of the damage, with hallways scattered with debris which had been tossed around as the ship was thrashed and battered. Also rooms were left looking ransacked and one picture showed the bed had been moved away from the wall and clothes were strewn everywhere. Facilities on board the ship were also affected including the hair salon and amusement arcade which were closed down, although some places did later re-open.

Many passengers who are members of the website Cruisecritic.com posted comments on there, detailing their accounts of what happened:

One female passenger called dirtgirl, who was in her cabin during the ordeal, wrote: “I was flying back and forth. My roomie managed to brace herself. The beds were sliding back and forth!! Broken glass everywhere as everything on it went flying. Gym is in shambles – Ellipticals looked like monkey bars; spin bikes everywhere. Only wine, beer, and soda available at the Centrum bar and Schooner bar. Casino closed, shops closed. No one allowed out on upper decks.”

Member jimbo5544 said his daughter and son-in-law were celebrating the honeymoon on the trip but that it was ruined. “They said all computers had smashed in Internet cafe and Grand piano smashed into wall. Much broken glass all over ship, Windjammer closed.”

Part of Royal Caribbean’s fleet of cruise ships the Brilliance of the Seas was launched in 2002 at a cost of £350million and has a crew of 859 and normally cruises around the Caribbean, Mexican Rivera and the Mediterranean. According to Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez the damage did not affect the vessel’s seaworthiness. She stated: “The damage was not concentrated in one area of the ship. Some areas remain closed but most public areas are open.”

Picture courtesy of HollywoodPimp

According to Francisco Alor, attorney general of Quintana Roo, the state where the resort is located, the floor of the building was hurled through the ceiling by the force of the explosion. Witnesses reported hearing aloud explosion, one witness James Gaade of St. Catharines, Ontario, was walking on the beach at the time when he heard a loud explosion and saw smoke coming from the resort’s premium platinum lounge. He said: “Everyone said their hotel room shook. The glass at neighbouring restaurants all cracked and blew out. The tiki hut that was in the area, that was on fire. There was a large crater in the area, debris.”

The explosion happened in a lounge on the ground floor of one of over a dozen buildings that make up the extensive hotel, and it  left a crater a yard deep. The area where it occurred, next to the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, was cordoned off and about 30 Mexican soldiers stood guard around the hotel.

Eight Mexicans, two Americans and two Canadians, were injured in the explosion which happened on Sunday, it’s thought that the injuries of the Americans and Mexicans appeared less serious, although attorney general Francisco Alor did not identify the victims. However Jesus Puc Playa del Carmen Civil Defence director said the Canadian fatalities included a nine-year-old boy.

Canada’s Foreign Affairs and International Trade department released a statement stating: one Canadian was confirmed killed, adding that ‘we have received unconfirmed reports that three Canadian citizens are missing and seven are injured. No further information is available at this time.’

The  5* resort which is popular with Canadian and American tourists as well as some British was hosting a large number of Canadians at the time of the blast with at least one wedding and a company holiday. Witness James Gaade estimated that 50 to 70 per cent of the guests at the resort were Canadians.

Alor said the initial investigations suggest the gas that exploded beneath the building was apparently not for cooking, but rather a mix of gases from a nearby swamp.
Investigations were under way to see if the hotel building, which sat on a concrete pad on a swampy area near the beach, had been properly constructed.

Picture courtesy of Esparta

However as light faded yesterday the man was still missing and the search was called off on Monday after it got dark.

Brixham Coastguard in Devon said the hunt was being led by authorities in France. A spokesman added: “We have been assisting the French, who have been co-ordinating the search. We launched a helicopter and a British warship. The boat was on a three-week cruise and was due to dock in Dover.”

The ship, with a capacity of 1,350 passengers and 510 crew, is the largest liner in the Fred Olsen fleet and it was from Cadiz, in Spain.

Picture courtesy of .curt.

A statement released by Public Affairs Specialist Shannan D. Marcak of Grand Canyon National Park stated: “Upon arriving at the scene, park rangers spotted the man, conscious but in need of medical assistance, approximately 75 feet below the rim about ¼ mile east of Mather Point. According to witnesses, the man slipped while taking pictures near the rim. Park ranger-paramedics rappelled down to the man’s location in order to assess his injuries, stabilize him and prepare him for transport out of the canyon.”

“At approximately 4:15 p.m., the park helicopter lifted the man out of the canyon via short-haul operation (suspended below the helicopter) and transported him to the park helibase. He was then transported by ambulance to Flagstaff Medical Center where he is being treated for wrist, ankle and neck injuries. The National Park Service would like to remind all Grand Canyon visitors that approaching the rim can be hazardous due to uneven terrain and loose rock. Visitors are strongly encouraged to stay on the paved Rim Trail which provides a safe vantage point from which to view and take pictures of the canyon,” the statement concluded.

Picture courtesy of Trodel

For those who have been stranded in Spain for nearly a week now this will be a welcome relief, especially travelling back in the 5* luxury of the Celebrity Eclipse cruise liner which can carry 2,850 passengers. The President and Chief Executive of Celebrity Cruises Dan Hanrahan, contacted tour operators Thomas Cook, TUI and Co-Op Travel Group to look at bringing back their stranded customers.

He said. “They responded favourably to our idea of bringing these passengers back and they knew where their guests were in Spain and they could give us a manifest of people. It seemed a better idea than having a two-day party and it’s all worked out and we’re happy to help.”

The Eclipse is due to arrive in Bilbao in the early hours of Thursday 22nd and pick up the stranded holiday makers before returning to Southampton.

Picture courtesy of eastleighbusman

The volcano that has caused all this disruption is the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland which erupted yesterday for the second time in a month, spewing massive clouds of ash thousands of feet into the sky. This ash in the atmosphere is what is causing the closures of UK airports, the Met Office has advised airlines not to fly, and the plume of ash which is currently moving towards the UK can affect aircraft flying between 5,000ft and 35,000ft. Volcanic ash is abrasive and dangerous for aircraft. It reduces visibility, causes damage to fuel and water systems and can clog engines causing them to fail. It can also affect landing gear.

Many travellers due to depart today have been advised to contact their airline for more information, its expected that some airports will not be open until tomorrow depending on the situation. This morning a Heathrow Airport spokesman said “150 flights, both arrivals and departures, had been cancelled – at the busiest time of the day – and more flights were expected to be affected as the cloud of ash moved south.”

Picture courtesy of U-g-g-B-o-y-(-Photograph-World-Sense-)

Mr Podolsky did not have his mobile phone on him when he became trapped 10m above ground he decided against jumping from the lift as the drop probably would have caused an injury and increased his chances of freezing to death. Because Mr Podolsky had, had military training in the past he was able to use his survival skills to fight off hypothermia however before for he was rescued his limbs began to go numb and he kept falling asleep.

After he was spotted by the cleaning crew he was taken to hospital and treated for hypothermia but was released later and able to go home. Mr Podolsky has stated he intends to sue the company that operates the ski lift however a spokesman for the company states it was not meant for downward trips and Mr Podolsky had apparently ignored signs warning against boarding it.

Picture courtesy of dani0010

In a statement Holiday Inn spokeswoman Jane Bednall said “The new Holiday Inn bed warmers service is a bit like having a giant hot water bottle in your bed,” the warmer would be fully dressed and leave the bed before the guest occupied it.

Apparently the bed-warmer is equipped with a thermometer to make sure the beds required temperature of 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit) is reached, sleep-expert Chris Idzikowski who is director of the Edinburgh Sleep Center stated the idea could help people sleep and said “There’s plenty of scientific evidence to show that sleep starts at the beginning of the night when body temperature starts to drop,” he said. “A warm bed — approximately 20 to 24 Celsius — is a good way to start this process whereas a cold bed would inhibit sleep.”

The bed warming service will be offered at two of the chain’s London hotels and one in the city of Manchester, in response to Britain’s recent cold weather.

Picture courtesy of jm3