Strike Closes Eiffel Tower Down on 100th Anniversary of Creator Death

This photograph taken on December 27, 2023 in Paris shows the reflection of tourists and the Eiffel Tower in a board informing visitors that the site is closed after staff went on strike. (AFP)
This photograph taken on December 27, 2023 in Paris shows the reflection of tourists and the Eiffel Tower in a board informing visitors that the site is closed after staff went on strike. (AFP)
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Strike Closes Eiffel Tower Down on 100th Anniversary of Creator Death

This photograph taken on December 27, 2023 in Paris shows the reflection of tourists and the Eiffel Tower in a board informing visitors that the site is closed after staff went on strike. (AFP)
This photograph taken on December 27, 2023 in Paris shows the reflection of tourists and the Eiffel Tower in a board informing visitors that the site is closed after staff went on strike. (AFP)

The Eiffel Tower was closed on Wednesday, the 100th anniversary of its creator's death, due to a strike, the company that oversees the tower, Societe d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), said on the website of Paris' most famous landmark.

"A symbolic action on a symbolic date," said the CGT union in a statement, adding that staff members wanted to call out the current financial management of SETE.

They said they feared poor decisions could lead to a cash shortage, due in part to a lack of visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to expensive repairs needed on the historical building.

The statement added that if the city did not revise its management, the tower could be closed during Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The wrought-iron 324-meter (1,063 ft) high tower, built by Gustave Eiffel in the late 19th century, is among the most visited tourist sites in the world, welcoming about six million visitors each year.



Centuries-old Monasteries Damaged in Greece Quake

(FILES) This general view shows the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery in Mount Athos on May 28, 2016. (Photo by SAKIS MITROLIDIS / AFP)
(FILES) This general view shows the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery in Mount Athos on May 28, 2016. (Photo by SAKIS MITROLIDIS / AFP)
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Centuries-old Monasteries Damaged in Greece Quake

(FILES) This general view shows the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery in Mount Athos on May 28, 2016. (Photo by SAKIS MITROLIDIS / AFP)
(FILES) This general view shows the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery in Mount Athos on May 28, 2016. (Photo by SAKIS MITROLIDIS / AFP)

At least three centuries-old Greek monasteries in the religious enclave of Mount Athos were damaged in an earthquake over the weekend, the culture ministry said Wednesday.

The ministry said the 5.3-magnitude undersea quake that struck Saturday in the northern Halkidiki peninsula had left structural and decorative damage at the 10th-century Xenophontos and Dochiari monasteries, and the 14th-century Simonos Petras monastery.

There were large cracks in church domes at Xenophontos, and further damage to frescoes that had been weakened by a February quake, AFP quoted the ministry as saying.

Similar damages were noted at Dochiari monastery, and more limited at Simonos Petras.

Culture Minister Lina Mendoni in the statement said a team of Greek archaeologists and conservators would remain in the area to complete a damage inspection.

The undersea quake had a depth of just 12.5 kilometers (7.7 miles) and struck northwest of the enclave's administrative capital of Karyes.

An Orthodox spiritual center since 1054, Mount Athos has enjoyed an autonomous statute since Byzantine times.

Known in Greece as the Holy Mountain, the community has around 20 inhabited monasteries, some of whom are over 1,000 years old.