In other news: AT&T will give $5 to customers hit by cellphone network outage; Eiffel Tower reopens to visitors

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, February 27, 2024

By The Associated Press

AT&T will give $5 to customers hit by cellphone network outage

AT&T says it will give affected customers $5 each to compensate for last week’s network outage. Many customers were left without cellphone service for hours on Thursday. The company now says on its website that customers will get a $5 credit on their account within two billing cycles. The credit doesn’t apply to AT&T Business, prepaid service or Cricket, its low-cost wireless service. AT&T said prepaid customers will have options available to them if they were impacted, although it did not elaborate on what those options might be. AT&T blamed the outage on an error in coding, without elaborating, and says it was not the result of a cyberattack.

The Eiffel Tower reopens to visitors after a 6-day closure due to an employee strike

The Eiffel Tower has reopened to visitors after a six-day closure because of striking employees demanding better maintenance of the historic landmark, showing traces of rust, and salary hikes. The operator of the nearly 1,083-foot tower said Sunday it reached an agreement with unions representing the workers after promising to allocate an almost $412 million investment by 2031 for renovation work. This week, it also launched salary negotiations, expected to be finalized next month, after employees on strike demanded an increase proportionate to revenue from ticket sales. The tower will feature prominently in the Olympics and Paralympics starting in July.

Dragons and dancers parade through Manhattan’s Chinatown for Lunar New Year

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Dragons took a starring role at the Lunar New Year parade in Manhattan’s historic Chinatown. After all, it’s the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac. Hundreds of revelers filled the cold clear air on Sunday with the sound of drums, cymbals and puffs of confetti. Lions and lanterns instruments were interspersed with a dozen groups carrying traditional dragon puppets, which stretched up to 65 feet long. Fireworks, parades and other Lunar New Year rituals are centered around removing bad luck and welcoming prosperity. While the symbolic new lunar cycle ended earlier this week with the full moon, Manhattan’s parade was scheduled for the weekend.