Dangerously cold temps continue across US as 2024 presidential race begins in Iowa
Reuters Much of the United States remained gripped by an Arctic blast on Monday, cutting power to tens of thousands of customers in northern states and Texas and potentially dampening turnout in Iowa, where voters will cast the first ballots for a Republican candidate in November’s presidential race. The dangerously frigid weather is expected to […]
China’s Shanghai endures worst cold snap in 40 years
Shanghai, China Reuters China’s financial hub Shanghai was set to record its chilliest period in December in four decades, spurring authorities to issue warnings for low temperatures and wind, while northern cities battled icy conditions forecast to ease only next week. The city’s lowest temperatures on Thursday will be minus four to minus six degrees […]
Pope nationalises Vatican assets, property in new reform
Rome, Italy AP Pope Francis has essentially nationalised all assets and property owned by Vatican departments and affiliated institutions, declaring them to be sovereign patrimony owned by the Holy See and not any individual or office. The action outlined in a new law published Thursday marks Francis’ latest initiative to centralise Vatican assets so they […]
Arctic blast grips US north-east, bringing frostbite-threatening temperatures
Worcester, Massachusetts, US Reuters A powerful arctic blast swept into the US north-east on Friday, pushing temperatures to perilously low levels across the region, including New Hampshire’s Mount Washington, where the wind chill dropped to -79 degrees Celsius, forecasters said. Wind-child warnings were posted for most of New York state and all six New England […]
Parents grieve for three-month old baby, a victim of Afghanistan’s deadly winter
Kabul, Afghanistan Reuters Shamila doesn’t have a photo of the baby son who died in her arms in freezing temperatures at their home in Kabul this month, but she remembers his face perfectly. “He had a white and bright face, big eyes, a small nose and black hair,” she said. The parents of Amrullah, a […]
More than 160 Afghans die in bitterly cold weather
Kabul, Afghanistan Reuters More than 160 people have died from the cold in Afghanistan this month in the worst winter in more than a decade, authorities said on Thursday, as residents described being unable to afford fuel to heat homes in temperatures well below freezing. “162 people have died due to cold weather since January […]
Syrians brace for long, cold winter as fuel crisis bites
Damascus/Hama, Syria Reuters Mohammed Abu Ramadan can’t afford to keep his children warm this winter so he and his sister’s family in Damascus take it in turn to look after them – heating their homes only for the weeks that the young ones are staying. Like millions of Syrians who are unable to afford – or […]
London church calls on people to donate cost of ‘Oyster’ cards for rough sleepers amid cold snap
A London church has launched a campaign asking people to buy ‘Oyster’ cards – used on public transport in the city – which are then distributed to “rough sleepers” amid a cold snap in the UK capital. Oasis Church Waterloo said it launched the appeal as “a last-ditch attempt to protect homeless people from the […]