I know that this is not exactly travel/security related but it is in a remote way.

My friends here in Cyprus are reporting that the Post Offices are refusing to accept any mail to the US. First, the Post Office was requiring any package over 40g to be open so that it could be inspected (by the postal clerk, I assume) prior to posting it. Now they are refusing to accept any packages, letters, and postcards.

I contacted the US embassy in Nicosia to find out if this was another Cypriot quirk or a new rule in the USA. This is their response:

Unfortunately, it is true that the Post Office in Cyprus as well as many other European countries are not accepting packages over 40 grams until December 8, 2010 for security reasons. You can send a letter that weighs less than 40 grams or wait until December 9 to send your package.

They don't say why. And they also say that letters are ok but the Cypriot POs are saying no to letters too.

So, for some bizarre reason (out of an abundance of caution?) you have to wait until after 8 December to mail anything to the USA from certain places in Europe. What's with the magic date? I have found nothing anywhere that explains why this is being done and can only assume that DHS is the culprit.

I suspect that the real reason is that they don't want any foreign-origin mail on US-bound planes over Christmas.

But wait, it gets better. My friends were told to send the item they want to send to the US to someone in the UK and have that person send it to the US.

I wonder if DHL and other carriers are being prevented from sending anything to the US from overseas between now and 9 Dec.

I'm torn between being angry at the absudity to laughing hysterically.

This needs to make the news! US-bound mail from Europe ceased until 9 December