WORLDProtesting Sikh removed from Trump's rally
PTI | Jan 25, 2016, 06.40 PM IST
01:25
WASHINGTON: A turbaned Sikh man was forced out of Donald Trump's rally in the US state of Iowa after he interrupted the Republican presidential frontrunner's speech by displaying a banner that read 'Stop Hate'.
The man, wearing a bright red turban, started his peaceful protest impromptu, when Trump was addressing an impressive campaign rally on Sunday with his signature anti-Muslim speech.
Displaying the banner "Stop Hate", the Sikh protester tried to interrupt the speech of the Republican presidential front runner. Soon he was escorted out of the rally.
The protest started when Trump was speaking about the twin-tower terrorist attack in New York.
"We have radical Islamic terror going on all over the place, all over the world, and we have a President that won't say it," he said.
"When planes fly into the World Trade Centre, and into the Pentagon, and wherever the third plane was going. When people are shooting their friends in California, when they're shooting their friends," Trump said.
As the Sikh raised his banner, he waved his hand and said 'Bye. Bye. Goodbye'.
"He wasn't wearing one of those hats was he? And he never will, and that's okay because we got to do something folks because it's not working," Trump said as the sole Sikh protester was taken out of the rally amidst chanting of 'USA, USA, USA' by his supporters.
Trump is campaigning in Iowa ahead of the next week's crucial caucus.
Latest polls showed that he has taken a lead over his nearest Republican rival Ted Cruz. Iowa Caucus on February 1 is considered crucial as it would set the trend for the rest of the presidential primaries over the next few months.
The man, wearing a bright red turban, started his peaceful protest impromptu, when Trump was addressing an impressive campaign rally on Sunday with his signature anti-Muslim speech.
Displaying the banner "Stop Hate", the Sikh protester tried to interrupt the speech of the Republican presidential front runner. Soon he was escorted out of the rally.
The protest started when Trump was speaking about the twin-tower terrorist attack in New York.
"We have radical Islamic terror going on all over the place, all over the world, and we have a President that won't say it," he said.
"When planes fly into the World Trade Centre, and into the Pentagon, and wherever the third plane was going. When people are shooting their friends in California, when they're shooting their friends," Trump said.
As the Sikh raised his banner, he waved his hand and said 'Bye. Bye. Goodbye'.
Top Comment
being a sikh I want next president of AMERICA should be DONALD TRUMP."He wasn't wearing one of those hats was he? And he never will, and that's okay because we got to do something folks because it's not working," Trump said as the sole Sikh protester was taken out of the rally amidst chanting of 'USA, USA, USA' by his supporters.
Trump is campaigning in Iowa ahead of the next week's crucial caucus.
Latest polls showed that he has taken a lead over his nearest Republican rival Ted Cruz. Iowa Caucus on February 1 is considered crucial as it would set the trend for the rest of the presidential primaries over the next few months.
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Casey Neistat goes snowboarding on New York's snow-covered streets
Doug Bolton | The Independent | Jan 25, 2016, 01.43 PM IST
Casey Neistat snowboards through Times Square in New York City Casey. (Courtesy: Neistat's YouTube channel)
Filmmaker Casey Neistat has taken advantage of the snow currently covering New York by snowboarding through the city streets while being towed by a Jeep.
A short video of the snowboarding expedition was uploaded to Neistat's hugely popular YouTube channel on 24 January, and by the end of the day had already been viewed over 1 million times.
Taking in typical New York sights like Central Park and Times Square, the snow-covered streets are completely abandoned, making conditions perfect for the viral video.
Zipping around the city in a red outfit and sunglasses (and occasionally carrying an American flag), Neistat manages to take jumps and make corners as bystanders cheer him on.
Neistat has snowboarded all over the world, but told the New York Times that the urban conditions of snowy New York were "on par" with the best he's ever experienced.
"When you're out West you've got trees to avoid and you've got rocks to jump off of," he said.
"Here, you have snow plows to avoid and snowbanks and sports cars to jump off of," he told the paper.
A second 'making of' YouTube video shows what it was like to make the original - the team who worked on it had to scramble to film after city officials announced a total ban on all driving would come in at 2:30PM on 23 January.
They managed to get started before the ban but continued even after it went into effect. The video ends with the team being pulled over by police, who appear to be happy to let them continue.
One officer, whose face is not shown, tells Neistat: "Someone complained about you, so we're just going to act like we're talking to you."
"You guys are awesome," Neistat replies.
New York City saw the second highest snowfall since records began in 1869 over the weekend, but the worst has passed - the travel ban was lifted the day after it went into effect, and New Yorkers have now begun the arduous task of clearing the snow that is still blocking the streets.
A short video of the snowboarding expedition was uploaded to Neistat's hugely popular YouTube channel on 24 January, and by the end of the day had already been viewed over 1 million times.
Taking in typical New York sights like Central Park and Times Square, the snow-covered streets are completely abandoned, making conditions perfect for the viral video.
Zipping around the city in a red outfit and sunglasses (and occasionally carrying an American flag), Neistat manages to take jumps and make corners as bystanders cheer him on.
Neistat has snowboarded all over the world, but told the New York Times that the urban conditions of snowy New York were "on par" with the best he's ever experienced.
"When you're out West you've got trees to avoid and you've got rocks to jump off of," he said.
"Here, you have snow plows to avoid and snowbanks and sports cars to jump off of," he told the paper.
A second 'making of' YouTube video shows what it was like to make the original - the team who worked on it had to scramble to film after city officials announced a total ban on all driving would come in at 2:30PM on 23 January.
They managed to get started before the ban but continued even after it went into effect. The video ends with the team being pulled over by police, who appear to be happy to let them continue.
One officer, whose face is not shown, tells Neistat: "Someone complained about you, so we're just going to act like we're talking to you."
"You guys are awesome," Neistat replies.
New York City saw the second highest snowfall since records began in 1869 over the weekend, but the worst has passed - the travel ban was lifted the day after it went into effect, and New Yorkers have now begun the arduous task of clearing the snow that is still blocking the streets.
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New York rebounds after blizzard, Washington shuts down government
Reuters | Jan 25, 2016, 12.25 PM IST
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON: New York City emerged on Sunday from a massive blizzard that paralyzed much of the US East Coast, while snowy gridlock gripped the nation's capital and surrounding areas, where federal, state and local offices and schools planned to remain closed on Monday.
Midtown Manhattan sprang back to life on a bright and sunny Sunday as residents and tourists rejoiced in the warming sunlight, digging out buried cars, heading to Broadway shows and cavorting in massive drifts left by New York City's second-biggest snowstorm in history.
In Washington, where a traffic ban was still in effect, the recovery got off to a slower start, with the entire transit system closed through Sunday. The Office of Personnel Management said federal government offices in the Washington area will be closed on Monday, along with state and local government offices and schools.
Even so, many people were out in the street. Some skied and snowboarded down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial until security officials moved them on.
The entire region seemed to breathe a sigh of relief after what was unofficially known as Winter Storm Jonas left at least 20 dead in several states.
"For us, snow is like a normal winter," said Viola Rogacka, 21, a fashion model from Poland, walking with a friend through New York's Times Square. "It's how it should look like."
Theater shows reopened on Broadway after the blizzard forced them to go dark on Saturday on the recommendation of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.
"We still have some areas that we have to do a lot more work on. But we've come through it pretty well," de Blasio said on ABC's "This Week." "I think tomorrow is going to be pretty good. We think we'll be broadly up and running again at the city tomorrow."
HISTORIC STORM
The blizzard was the second-biggest snowstorm in New York City history, with 26.8 inches (68 cm) of snow in Central Park by midnight on Saturday, just shy of the record 26.9 inches (68.3 cm) set in 2006, the National Weather Service said.
Thirteen people were killed in weather-related car crashes in Arkansas, North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia on Saturday. One person died in Maryland and three in New York while shoveling snow. Two died of hypothermia in Virginia, and one from carbon monoxide poisoning in Pennsylvania, officials said.
Reinsurer Munich Re said it was too early to estimate losses from the storm.
New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo lifted a travel ban on New York City-area roads and on Long Island at 7 a.m. ET on Sunday. A state of emergency declared by Cuomo was still in place.
Most bus and subway services operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority were up and running again by 9 a.m. ET, officials said. The agency was working on restoring full service on Sunday.
The Metro-North rail line, which serves suburbs north and east of New York City, was restored on Sunday afternoon and was operating on a Sunday schedule. Service remained suspended on the Long Island Rail Road.
Commuters who rely on the Long Island Rail Road to get to work on Monday may need to look for alternatives as the railroad works to restore service. Crews were working on Sunday to remove snow from an intersection near train tunnels to Manhattan.
A spokeswoman for the New York Stock Exchange said the market planned to open as usual on Monday. City schools also were set to open on Monday.
On the Upper West Side of Manhattan, grocery store shoppers picked their way through brown slush and over compressed snow and ice as they balanced their bags in their hands.
Drivers tried their best to free cars that were encased in snow, but often found themselves spinning their wheels as they tried to get on the road.
Outside the city, suburban New Jersey resembled Vermont.
"I'm not sure where I am right now because of all the snow," said Patty Orsini, 56, a marketing analyst from Maplewood, New Jersey, at the nearby South Mountain Reservation. "It's nice to be out today in the sun. Yesterday it was scary to be outside," she said as she clipped on her cross-country skis.
RECORDS SET
The National Weather Service said 22.4 inches (57 cm) fell in Washington at the National Zoo, and Baltimore-Washington International Airport notched a record 29.2 inches (74.2 cm). The deepest regional total was 42 inches (106.7 cm) at Glengarry, West Virginia.
Washington, which has a poor track record in dealing with snow, seemed unready for a return to its Monday routine after its largest snowstorm in decades, with major airports, public buses and subways completely shut down all Sunday. Metro trains will begin limited service starting at 7 a.m. on Monday.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser earlier issued a public apology for commuting headaches caused by the blizzard, which locals dubbed "Snowzilla." She said crews had worked all night and Sunday on plowing main roads and were just now getting to secondary roadways and neighborhoods.
Public schools were closed on Monday across much of the Washington and Baltimore region, with some shuttered through Tuesday. All federal government offices will be closed on Monday and the U.S. House of Representatives canceled its voting until Feb. 1 and the Pentagon canceled all its events.
Nevertheless, walkers, sledders, some cars and the occasional cross-country skier ventured into the dazzling white under a bright sun.
Paul Schaaf, a 49-year-old helicopter pilot for Children's Hospital in Washington, was biking 7-1/2 miles (12 km) to work for his overnight shift and planned to bike back to Arlington, Virginia, on Monday morning.
"I have to get into work no matter what. And the best way to do it is on my bicycle with steel-studded snow tires," he said. "Nothing stops me."
One Washington food store, Broad Branch Market, opened with a handful of employees, and was trying to organize volunteers to shovel the sidewalks of the elderly and others who needed help.
"I have a lot of people on the list but I have yet to have any kids sign up to work today," said owner Tracy Stannard.
At Dupont Circle, hundreds gathered to pelt each other with snowballs. Jomel Nichols, a tourist from Kansas City, Missouri, accompanying three exchange students and her daughter, was plastered with snow.
"They all turned on me, as teenagers will do," she told Reuters Television.
FLIGHTS CANCELED
More than 3,900 flights were canceled on Sunday, and some 900 were called off for Monday, according to aviation website FlightAware.com.
Among New York-area airports, John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia were open, with limited flight activity expected on Sunday, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said.
About 150,000 customers in North Carolina and 90,000 in New Jersey lost electricity during the storm but most service had been restored by Sunday afternoon.
On Sunday, moderate coastal flooding was still a concern in the Jersey Shore's Atlantic County, said Linda Gilmore, a county public information officer.
Midtown Manhattan sprang back to life on a bright and sunny Sunday as residents and tourists rejoiced in the warming sunlight, digging out buried cars, heading to Broadway shows and cavorting in massive drifts left by New York City's second-biggest snowstorm in history.
In Washington, where a traffic ban was still in effect, the recovery got off to a slower start, with the entire transit system closed through Sunday. The Office of Personnel Management said federal government offices in the Washington area will be closed on Monday, along with state and local government offices and schools.
Even so, many people were out in the street. Some skied and snowboarded down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial until security officials moved them on.
The entire region seemed to breathe a sigh of relief after what was unofficially known as Winter Storm Jonas left at least 20 dead in several states.
"For us, snow is like a normal winter," said Viola Rogacka, 21, a fashion model from Poland, walking with a friend through New York's Times Square. "It's how it should look like."
Theater shows reopened on Broadway after the blizzard forced them to go dark on Saturday on the recommendation of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.
"We still have some areas that we have to do a lot more work on. But we've come through it pretty well," de Blasio said on ABC's "This Week." "I think tomorrow is going to be pretty good. We think we'll be broadly up and running again at the city tomorrow."
HISTORIC STORM
The blizzard was the second-biggest snowstorm in New York City history, with 26.8 inches (68 cm) of snow in Central Park by midnight on Saturday, just shy of the record 26.9 inches (68.3 cm) set in 2006, the National Weather Service said.
Thirteen people were killed in weather-related car crashes in Arkansas, North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia on Saturday. One person died in Maryland and three in New York while shoveling snow. Two died of hypothermia in Virginia, and one from carbon monoxide poisoning in Pennsylvania, officials said.
Reinsurer Munich Re said it was too early to estimate losses from the storm.
New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo lifted a travel ban on New York City-area roads and on Long Island at 7 a.m. ET on Sunday. A state of emergency declared by Cuomo was still in place.
Most bus and subway services operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority were up and running again by 9 a.m. ET, officials said. The agency was working on restoring full service on Sunday.
The Metro-North rail line, which serves suburbs north and east of New York City, was restored on Sunday afternoon and was operating on a Sunday schedule. Service remained suspended on the Long Island Rail Road.
Commuters who rely on the Long Island Rail Road to get to work on Monday may need to look for alternatives as the railroad works to restore service. Crews were working on Sunday to remove snow from an intersection near train tunnels to Manhattan.
A spokeswoman for the New York Stock Exchange said the market planned to open as usual on Monday. City schools also were set to open on Monday.
On the Upper West Side of Manhattan, grocery store shoppers picked their way through brown slush and over compressed snow and ice as they balanced their bags in their hands.
Drivers tried their best to free cars that were encased in snow, but often found themselves spinning their wheels as they tried to get on the road.
Outside the city, suburban New Jersey resembled Vermont.
"I'm not sure where I am right now because of all the snow," said Patty Orsini, 56, a marketing analyst from Maplewood, New Jersey, at the nearby South Mountain Reservation. "It's nice to be out today in the sun. Yesterday it was scary to be outside," she said as she clipped on her cross-country skis.
RECORDS SET
The National Weather Service said 22.4 inches (57 cm) fell in Washington at the National Zoo, and Baltimore-Washington International Airport notched a record 29.2 inches (74.2 cm). The deepest regional total was 42 inches (106.7 cm) at Glengarry, West Virginia.
Washington, which has a poor track record in dealing with snow, seemed unready for a return to its Monday routine after its largest snowstorm in decades, with major airports, public buses and subways completely shut down all Sunday. Metro trains will begin limited service starting at 7 a.m. on Monday.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser earlier issued a public apology for commuting headaches caused by the blizzard, which locals dubbed "Snowzilla." She said crews had worked all night and Sunday on plowing main roads and were just now getting to secondary roadways and neighborhoods.
Public schools were closed on Monday across much of the Washington and Baltimore region, with some shuttered through Tuesday. All federal government offices will be closed on Monday and the U.S. House of Representatives canceled its voting until Feb. 1 and the Pentagon canceled all its events.
Nevertheless, walkers, sledders, some cars and the occasional cross-country skier ventured into the dazzling white under a bright sun.
Paul Schaaf, a 49-year-old helicopter pilot for Children's Hospital in Washington, was biking 7-1/2 miles (12 km) to work for his overnight shift and planned to bike back to Arlington, Virginia, on Monday morning.
"I have to get into work no matter what. And the best way to do it is on my bicycle with steel-studded snow tires," he said. "Nothing stops me."
One Washington food store, Broad Branch Market, opened with a handful of employees, and was trying to organize volunteers to shovel the sidewalks of the elderly and others who needed help.
"I have a lot of people on the list but I have yet to have any kids sign up to work today," said owner Tracy Stannard.
At Dupont Circle, hundreds gathered to pelt each other with snowballs. Jomel Nichols, a tourist from Kansas City, Missouri, accompanying three exchange students and her daughter, was plastered with snow.
"They all turned on me, as teenagers will do," she told Reuters Television.
FLIGHTS CANCELED
More than 3,900 flights were canceled on Sunday, and some 900 were called off for Monday, according to aviation website FlightAware.com.
Among New York-area airports, John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia were open, with limited flight activity expected on Sunday, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said.
About 150,000 customers in North Carolina and 90,000 in New Jersey lost electricity during the storm but most service had been restored by Sunday afternoon.
On Sunday, moderate coastal flooding was still a concern in the Jersey Shore's Atlantic County, said Linda Gilmore, a county public information officer.
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New York rebounds from blizzard, DC stuck in snowy gridlock
Reuters | Jan 25, 2016, 04.49 AM IST
01:04
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON: Following a day of hunkering down, New Yorkers and Washingtonians surged back into the streets on Sunday after a massive blizzard brought much of the US East Coast to a standstill, bringing a festive mood to both cities.
Midtown Manhattan came back to life as residents and tourists rejoiced in the warming sunlight, digging out buried cars, heading to Broadway shows and frolicking in massive drifts left by New York City's second-biggest snowstorm in history.
In Washington, where a traffic ban was still in effect, the recovery got off to a slower start, with the entire transit system closed through Sunday. Federal government offices in the Washington area will be closed on Monday, the Office of Personnel Management said.
Even so, many people were out in the street. Some skied and snowboarded down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial until security officials moved them on.
The entire region seemed to breathe a sigh of relief after the historic storm that left at least 20 dead in several states, even as transit systems in Washington and New York were still working on restoring full service in time for the Monday morning rush.
"For us, snow is like a normal winter," said Viola Rogacka, 21, a fashion model from Poland, walking with a friend through New York's Times Square. "It's how it should look like."
Theater shows reopened on Broadway after the blizzard forced them to go dark on Saturday on the recommendation of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.
"We still have some areas that we have to do a lot more work on. But we've come through it pretty well," de Blasio said on ABC's "This Week." "I think tomorrow is going to be pretty good.
We think we'll be broadly up and running again at the city tomorrow."
HISTORIC STORM
The blizzard was the second-biggest snowstorm in New York City history, with 26.8 inches (68 cm) of snow in Central Park by midnight on Saturday, just shy of the record 26.9 inches (68 cm) set in 2006, the National Weather Service said.
Thirteen people were killed in weather-related car crashes in Arkansas, North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia on Saturday. One person died in Maryland and three in New York while shoveling snow. Two died of hypothermia in Virginia, and one from carbon monoxide poisoning in Pennsylvania, officials said.
Reinsurer Munich Re said it was too early to estimate losses from the storm.
New York Mayor de Blasio said Sunday would be a major cleanup day. He urged residents to stay off streets so city crews could clear roads.
New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo lifted a travel ban on New York City-area roads and on Long Island at 7 a.m. (1200 GMT) on Sunday. A state of emergency declared by Cuomo was still in place.
Most bus and subway services operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority were up and running again by 9 a.m. (1400 GMT), officials said. The agency was working on restoring full service on Sunday.
The Metro-North rail line, which serves suburbs north and east of New York City, expected to have commuter train service running into and out of New York by 3 p.m. (2000 GMT) on Sunday.
Commuters who rely on the Long Island Rail Road to get to work on Monday may need to look for alternatives as the railroad works to restore service. Crews were working on Sunday to remove snow from an intersection near train tunnels to Manhattan.
A spokeswoman for the New York Stock Exchange said the market planned to open as usual on Monday. City schools also were set to open on Monday.
On the Upper West Side of Manhattan, grocery store shoppers picked their way through brown slush and over compressed snow and ice as they balanced their bags in their hands.
Drivers tried their best to free cars that were encased in snow, but often found themselves spinning their wheels as they tried to get on the road.
Outside the city, suburban New Jersey resembled Vermont.
"I'm not sure where I am right now because of all the snow," said Patty Orsini, 56, a marketing analyst from Maplewood, New Jersey, at the nearby South Mountain Reservation. "It's nice to be out today in the sun. Yesterday it was scary to be outside," she said as she clipped on her cross-country skis.
RECORDS SET
The National Weather Service said 17.8 inches (45.2 cm) fell in Washington, and Baltimore-Washington International Airport notched a record 29.2 inches (74.2 cm). The deepest regional total was 42 inches (106.7 cm) at Glengarry, West Virginia.
Washington seemed unready for a return to its Monday routine after its largest snowstorm in decades, with major airports, public buses and subways completely shut down all Sunday. Metro trains will begin limited service starting at 7 a.m. on Monday.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser issued a public apology for commuting headaches caused by the blizzard, which locals dubbed "Snowzilla." She said crews had worked all night and Sunday on plowing main roads and were just now getting to secondary roadways and neighborhoods.
Public schools were closed on Monday across much of the Washington and Baltimore region, with some shuttered through Tuesday. The US House of Representatives canceled its voting until Feb. 1.
Nevertheless, walkers, sledders, some cars and the occasional cross-country skier ventured into the dazzling white under a bright sun.
Paul Schaaf, a 49-year-old helicopter pilot for Children's Hospital in Washington, was biking seven and a half miles to work for his overnight shift and planned to bike back to Arlington, Virginia, on Monday morning.
"I have to get into work no matter what. And the best way to do it is on my bicycle with steel-studded snow tires," he said. "Nothing stops me."
One Washington food store, Broad Branch Market, opened with a handful of employees, and was trying to organize volunteers to shovel the sidewalks of the elderly and others who needed help.
"I have a lot of people on the list but I have yet to have any kids sign up to work today," said the owner, Tracy Stannard.
At Dupont Circle, hundreds gathered to pelt each other with snowballs. Jomel Nichols, a tourist from Kansas City, Missouri, accompanying three exchange students and her daughter, was plastered with snow.
"They all turned on me, as teenagers will do," she told Reuters Television.
FLIGHTS CANCELED
More than 3,900 flights were canceled on Sunday, and some 900 were called off for Monday, according to aviation website FlightAware.com.
Among New York-area airports, John F Kennedy International, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia were open, with limited flight activity expected on Sunday, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said.
About 150,000 customers in North Carolina and 90,000 in New Jersey lost electricity during the storm but most service had been restored by Sunday afternoon.
On Sunday, moderate coastal flooding was still a concern in the Jersey Shore's Atlantic County, said Linda Gilmore, a county public information officer.
Midtown Manhattan came back to life as residents and tourists rejoiced in the warming sunlight, digging out buried cars, heading to Broadway shows and frolicking in massive drifts left by New York City's second-biggest snowstorm in history.
In Washington, where a traffic ban was still in effect, the recovery got off to a slower start, with the entire transit system closed through Sunday. Federal government offices in the Washington area will be closed on Monday, the Office of Personnel Management said.
Even so, many people were out in the street. Some skied and snowboarded down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial until security officials moved them on.
The entire region seemed to breathe a sigh of relief after the historic storm that left at least 20 dead in several states, even as transit systems in Washington and New York were still working on restoring full service in time for the Monday morning rush.
"For us, snow is like a normal winter," said Viola Rogacka, 21, a fashion model from Poland, walking with a friend through New York's Times Square. "It's how it should look like."
Theater shows reopened on Broadway after the blizzard forced them to go dark on Saturday on the recommendation of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.
"We still have some areas that we have to do a lot more work on. But we've come through it pretty well," de Blasio said on ABC's "This Week." "I think tomorrow is going to be pretty good.
We think we'll be broadly up and running again at the city tomorrow."
HISTORIC STORM
The blizzard was the second-biggest snowstorm in New York City history, with 26.8 inches (68 cm) of snow in Central Park by midnight on Saturday, just shy of the record 26.9 inches (68 cm) set in 2006, the National Weather Service said.
Thirteen people were killed in weather-related car crashes in Arkansas, North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia on Saturday. One person died in Maryland and three in New York while shoveling snow. Two died of hypothermia in Virginia, and one from carbon monoxide poisoning in Pennsylvania, officials said.
Reinsurer Munich Re said it was too early to estimate losses from the storm.
New York Mayor de Blasio said Sunday would be a major cleanup day. He urged residents to stay off streets so city crews could clear roads.
New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo lifted a travel ban on New York City-area roads and on Long Island at 7 a.m. (1200 GMT) on Sunday. A state of emergency declared by Cuomo was still in place.
Most bus and subway services operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority were up and running again by 9 a.m. (1400 GMT), officials said. The agency was working on restoring full service on Sunday.
The Metro-North rail line, which serves suburbs north and east of New York City, expected to have commuter train service running into and out of New York by 3 p.m. (2000 GMT) on Sunday.
Commuters who rely on the Long Island Rail Road to get to work on Monday may need to look for alternatives as the railroad works to restore service. Crews were working on Sunday to remove snow from an intersection near train tunnels to Manhattan.
A spokeswoman for the New York Stock Exchange said the market planned to open as usual on Monday. City schools also were set to open on Monday.
On the Upper West Side of Manhattan, grocery store shoppers picked their way through brown slush and over compressed snow and ice as they balanced their bags in their hands.
Drivers tried their best to free cars that were encased in snow, but often found themselves spinning their wheels as they tried to get on the road.
Outside the city, suburban New Jersey resembled Vermont.
"I'm not sure where I am right now because of all the snow," said Patty Orsini, 56, a marketing analyst from Maplewood, New Jersey, at the nearby South Mountain Reservation. "It's nice to be out today in the sun. Yesterday it was scary to be outside," she said as she clipped on her cross-country skis.
RECORDS SET
The National Weather Service said 17.8 inches (45.2 cm) fell in Washington, and Baltimore-Washington International Airport notched a record 29.2 inches (74.2 cm). The deepest regional total was 42 inches (106.7 cm) at Glengarry, West Virginia.
Washington seemed unready for a return to its Monday routine after its largest snowstorm in decades, with major airports, public buses and subways completely shut down all Sunday. Metro trains will begin limited service starting at 7 a.m. on Monday.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser issued a public apology for commuting headaches caused by the blizzard, which locals dubbed "Snowzilla." She said crews had worked all night and Sunday on plowing main roads and were just now getting to secondary roadways and neighborhoods.
Public schools were closed on Monday across much of the Washington and Baltimore region, with some shuttered through Tuesday. The US House of Representatives canceled its voting until Feb. 1.
Nevertheless, walkers, sledders, some cars and the occasional cross-country skier ventured into the dazzling white under a bright sun.
Paul Schaaf, a 49-year-old helicopter pilot for Children's Hospital in Washington, was biking seven and a half miles to work for his overnight shift and planned to bike back to Arlington, Virginia, on Monday morning.
"I have to get into work no matter what. And the best way to do it is on my bicycle with steel-studded snow tires," he said. "Nothing stops me."
One Washington food store, Broad Branch Market, opened with a handful of employees, and was trying to organize volunteers to shovel the sidewalks of the elderly and others who needed help.
"I have a lot of people on the list but I have yet to have any kids sign up to work today," said the owner, Tracy Stannard.
At Dupont Circle, hundreds gathered to pelt each other with snowballs. Jomel Nichols, a tourist from Kansas City, Missouri, accompanying three exchange students and her daughter, was plastered with snow.
"They all turned on me, as teenagers will do," she told Reuters Television.
FLIGHTS CANCELED
More than 3,900 flights were canceled on Sunday, and some 900 were called off for Monday, according to aviation website FlightAware.com.
Among New York-area airports, John F Kennedy International, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia were open, with limited flight activity expected on Sunday, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said.
About 150,000 customers in North Carolina and 90,000 in New Jersey lost electricity during the storm but most service had been restored by Sunday afternoon.
On Sunday, moderate coastal flooding was still a concern in the Jersey Shore's Atlantic County, said Linda Gilmore, a county public information officer.
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India and France sign 16 agreements, PM Modi hails growing friendship
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NEXT STORY
Bloomberg could bring $1bn to US president race
TNN | Jan 25, 2016, 04.34 AM IST
Bloomberg is taking some early steps toward launching a potential independent campaign for president. (AP photo)
WASHINGTON: American plutocracy could soon be getting a leg up. As if the field for the 2016 US presidential election is not crowded enough and the race not expensive enough, another billionaire may be joining the electoral bash.
Michael Bloomberg, the 73-year-old former New York mayor and publishing tycoon, is said to have instructed his aides to do some polling and examine previous third-party bids to see if he has a realistic chance of making it to the White House. According to some media reports, the continued popularity of a fellow Newyorker billionaire Donald Trump, the troubled campaign of Hillary Clinton, and the rise of the socialist Bernie Sanders, has given Bloomberg the sense of an opening in the presidential race, which is typically a two-party affair in the US.
No third-party candidate has ever won a US presidential election. The strongest showing for a third-party candidate came in 1912 when former President Teddy Roosevelt left the Republican Party and ran as a Bull Moose Party candidate, coming in second with 27.4% of the popular vote and 88 electoral votes. Billionaire tech honcho Ross Perot polled 19% in 1992 but did not win any electoral votes.
Bloomberg has already taken come concrete steps towards a possible campaign, indicating to some friends and allies that he would be willing to spend as much as $ 1 billion of his fortune, the New York Times, among several outlets that was electrified by the development, reported.
He has to make a decision by early-March, the latest point at which he can still qualify to be on the ballot in all 50 states.
If Bloomberg decides to run, the 2016 race could turn out to be the most expensive election in human history given that two billionaires with enormous personal fortunes could end up duking it out.
Political pundits differ on what the impact of an independent candidate could be. If Trump wins the Republican nomination and draws Bloomberg into the race, Sanders could get a boost from the so-called plebs and the proletariat displeased about two billionaire plutocrats in the fray. On the other hand, Trump and Sanders at opposite ends of the ideological spectrum could make Bloomberg an attractive proposition.
In recent months, Bloomberg has become increasingly involved in India, visiting New Delhi and Mumbai last February in his capacity as the UN secretary-general's special envoy for cities and climate change, and meeting PM Modi to discuss environment and energy issues. He is a big supporter of India's solar energy programme.
Michael Bloomberg, the 73-year-old former New York mayor and publishing tycoon, is said to have instructed his aides to do some polling and examine previous third-party bids to see if he has a realistic chance of making it to the White House. According to some media reports, the continued popularity of a fellow Newyorker billionaire Donald Trump, the troubled campaign of Hillary Clinton, and the rise of the socialist Bernie Sanders, has given Bloomberg the sense of an opening in the presidential race, which is typically a two-party affair in the US.
No third-party candidate has ever won a US presidential election. The strongest showing for a third-party candidate came in 1912 when former President Teddy Roosevelt left the Republican Party and ran as a Bull Moose Party candidate, coming in second with 27.4% of the popular vote and 88 electoral votes. Billionaire tech honcho Ross Perot polled 19% in 1992 but did not win any electoral votes.
Bloomberg has already taken come concrete steps towards a possible campaign, indicating to some friends and allies that he would be willing to spend as much as $ 1 billion of his fortune, the New York Times, among several outlets that was electrified by the development, reported.
He has to make a decision by early-March, the latest point at which he can still qualify to be on the ballot in all 50 states.
If Bloomberg decides to run, the 2016 race could turn out to be the most expensive election in human history given that two billionaires with enormous personal fortunes could end up duking it out.
Political pundits differ on what the impact of an independent candidate could be. If Trump wins the Republican nomination and draws Bloomberg into the race, Sanders could get a boost from the so-called plebs and the proletariat displeased about two billionaire plutocrats in the fray. On the other hand, Trump and Sanders at opposite ends of the ideological spectrum could make Bloomberg an attractive proposition.
In recent months, Bloomberg has become increasingly involved in India, visiting New Delhi and Mumbai last February in his capacity as the UN secretary-general's special envoy for cities and climate change, and meeting PM Modi to discuss environment and energy issues. He is a big supporter of India's solar energy programme.
COMMENTS
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India and France sign 16 agreements, PM Modi hails growing friendship
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NEXT STORY
Swirling snowstorm draws white curtain over the United State's east coast
James Barron, RICK ROJAS & SARAH MASLIN NIR | NYT News Service | Jan 24, 2016, 08.18 PM IST
01:04
NEW YORK: Making up for a remarkably mild winter, the first major snowstorm of the season charged up the East Coast on Saturday, a blizzard propelled by tropical storm-force winds that brought much of the Northeast to a standstill as officials warned of more than 2 feet of snow in New York City, where Mayor Bill de Blasio called it "very likely one of the worst snowstorms in our history."
Officials imposed a travel ban in and around the city to keep drivers off streets. The mayor said Saturday night that the ban would be lifted at 7 a.m. Sunday. De Blasio, who urged businesses to close, said drivers who were caught during the ban would be "subject to arrest." Four Hudson River crossings - the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels and the George Washington and Tappan Zee Bridges - were shut down.
So were suburban commuter railroads in New York, as were the city's public bus service and elevated subway lines, which followed the lead of mass transit systems in Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia.
Visitors to New York's Central Park walk along a snow covered path Sunday. (AP photo)
From Tennessee to North Carolina and north along the Interstate 95 spine, those who persisted found the going slow and treacherous. In some places, long-haul trucks lined up behind snowplows. In others, cars mistook entrance ramps for exits. Officials throughout the Mid-Atlantic region warned that it could be days before residents finished digging out.
In New York, the National Weather Service said 25.1 inches of snow had fallen on Central Park by 7:30 p.m., making the storm the city's third biggest since 1869.
New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo declared a state of emergency and implored residents to stay home. Governors in at least nine other states did the same as road crews from Nashville, Tennessee, to New York did battle with what the National Weather Service called a "potentially crippling winter storm."
"It's clearly significant," said Faye Barthold, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's New York area office. "You don't typically get 3-inch-an-hour snowfall rates, but this system is so dynamic and has all that energy."
The storm - blustery in some places, blinding in others - was a swirling, sprawling mass with a reach of nearly 1,000 miles. It flooded low-lying beaches and brought down trees and power lines, leaving thousands without electricity. The storm also glazed roads and varnished trees as it walloped the Mid-Atlantic region with destructive force.
The ocean poured into shore towns in southern New Jersey: In Sea Isle City, floodwaters laden with chunks of ice surged down the streets, and in Wildwood the frigid, brackish water submerged cars halfway up to their windows. In Belmar, the wind drove a sailboat out of its marina and tangled its mast in overhead wires, knocking out power.
At least 18 people died in the storm, including a good Samaritan who was shot and killed on the side of a North Carolina highway when he stopped to help a stranded motorist who became belligerent, according to The Charlotte Observer.
But most of the storm's victims died while attempting to drive on icy highways or shovel snow in the punishing winds.
Three of those who died while shoveling were New Yorkers - men aged 67, 78 and 80 - in Queens and Staten Island, the authorities said. Two more were Long Island men, a 61-year-old in West Hempstead and a 94-year-old in Smithtown whose body was found next to a snow blower, the authorities said.
The storm slammed Washington on Friday and continued through the night amid reports of "thunder snow" - snow accompanied by thunder and lightning. As television newscasters predicted a "100 percent chance of snowball fights," Mayor Muriel Bowser repeated a solemn plea that echoed de Blasio's: Stay indoors, she said, warning that the storm was not over yet. With another 6 to 10 inches expected, streets needed to be clear for emergency vehicles, she said. But the mayor warned it was uncertain how long it would take the city to recover and services, including schools and public transit, to resume.
The storm prevented the scheduled return of Vice President Joe Biden, who had been in Istanbul for meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and other officials. The vice president had planned to fly home to Washington on Saturday, but White House officials said Air Force Two would be rerouted to Miami instead and Biden would go on to Washington once the weather cleared.
The storm also caused Gov. Chris Christie to go back to New Jersey, far from Republican voters in New Hampshire, where he had taken his presidential campaign. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, on his way home from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, was also diverted, in his case to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, where he checked in to a hotel.
Saturday had begun with subways and buses running in New York, but Cuomo said buses were "having significant issues" and that some commuter trains faced equipment problems. Even before he announced that bus service was being halted, some passengers reported long waits in the cold, and as the noon cutoff approached, they worried that they would be stranded.
Oscar Garcia, who lives in East Elmhurst, Queens, stood in the Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue station, waiting and watching. He did not like what he saw: As his bus pulled in, the driver changed the sign to "Not in Service."
That only added to Garcia's frustration. He had been on his way to his job at an Italian restaurant in Rego Park when his boss called to say the restaurant would be closed for the day.
The storm stranded airline passengers up and down the East Coast, with 4,993 flights canceled Saturday and 2,169 canceled for Sunday, according to Flightaware.com, a website that tracks such things. At La Guardia Airport, there were no lines at security checkpoints and no baggage carousels rumbling: With virtually no flights coming in, there was no baggage to unload and there were no passengers to claim it.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates La Guardia as well as Kennedy and Newark Liberty airports, did not say when flights would resume. The agency told passengers to check with their airlines. The agency that manages Reagan National and Dulles International airports in Washington said the runways would remain closed, and air travel was unlikely to resume on Sunday.
The mail did not go through in Manhattan on Saturday - the Postal Service suspended delivery, a spokeswoman said, and directed its letter carriers to return to their post offices at noon. And as the day went on, the list of cancellations grew longer. Broadway shows scheduled for Saturday were canceled as was a hockey game in Brooklyn between the Islanders and the Philadelphia Flyers. The Metropolitan Opera and City Opera canceled performances, as did the New York Philharmonic. Bruce Springsteen said on Twitter that his Sunday concert at Madison Square Garden would be postponed.
Chris Rudney, the general manager of Beacon Wines and Spirits, on Broadway at 74th Street, had an explanation for sparsely filled stores, his own included. Based on the blockbuster sales at his store Friday, it seemed, people were home, having a drink.
"I guess," he said, "staying inside is worthy of celebration."
Officials imposed a travel ban in and around the city to keep drivers off streets. The mayor said Saturday night that the ban would be lifted at 7 a.m. Sunday. De Blasio, who urged businesses to close, said drivers who were caught during the ban would be "subject to arrest." Four Hudson River crossings - the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels and the George Washington and Tappan Zee Bridges - were shut down.
So were suburban commuter railroads in New York, as were the city's public bus service and elevated subway lines, which followed the lead of mass transit systems in Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia.
Visitors to New York's Central Park walk along a snow covered path Sunday. (AP photo)
From Tennessee to North Carolina and north along the Interstate 95 spine, those who persisted found the going slow and treacherous. In some places, long-haul trucks lined up behind snowplows. In others, cars mistook entrance ramps for exits. Officials throughout the Mid-Atlantic region warned that it could be days before residents finished digging out.
In New York, the National Weather Service said 25.1 inches of snow had fallen on Central Park by 7:30 p.m., making the storm the city's third biggest since 1869.
New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo declared a state of emergency and implored residents to stay home. Governors in at least nine other states did the same as road crews from Nashville, Tennessee, to New York did battle with what the National Weather Service called a "potentially crippling winter storm."
"It's clearly significant," said Faye Barthold, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's New York area office. "You don't typically get 3-inch-an-hour snowfall rates, but this system is so dynamic and has all that energy."
The storm - blustery in some places, blinding in others - was a swirling, sprawling mass with a reach of nearly 1,000 miles. It flooded low-lying beaches and brought down trees and power lines, leaving thousands without electricity. The storm also glazed roads and varnished trees as it walloped the Mid-Atlantic region with destructive force.
The ocean poured into shore towns in southern New Jersey: In Sea Isle City, floodwaters laden with chunks of ice surged down the streets, and in Wildwood the frigid, brackish water submerged cars halfway up to their windows. In Belmar, the wind drove a sailboat out of its marina and tangled its mast in overhead wires, knocking out power.
At least 18 people died in the storm, including a good Samaritan who was shot and killed on the side of a North Carolina highway when he stopped to help a stranded motorist who became belligerent, according to The Charlotte Observer.
But most of the storm's victims died while attempting to drive on icy highways or shovel snow in the punishing winds.
Three of those who died while shoveling were New Yorkers - men aged 67, 78 and 80 - in Queens and Staten Island, the authorities said. Two more were Long Island men, a 61-year-old in West Hempstead and a 94-year-old in Smithtown whose body was found next to a snow blower, the authorities said.
The storm slammed Washington on Friday and continued through the night amid reports of "thunder snow" - snow accompanied by thunder and lightning. As television newscasters predicted a "100 percent chance of snowball fights," Mayor Muriel Bowser repeated a solemn plea that echoed de Blasio's: Stay indoors, she said, warning that the storm was not over yet. With another 6 to 10 inches expected, streets needed to be clear for emergency vehicles, she said. But the mayor warned it was uncertain how long it would take the city to recover and services, including schools and public transit, to resume.
The storm prevented the scheduled return of Vice President Joe Biden, who had been in Istanbul for meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and other officials. The vice president had planned to fly home to Washington on Saturday, but White House officials said Air Force Two would be rerouted to Miami instead and Biden would go on to Washington once the weather cleared.
The storm also caused Gov. Chris Christie to go back to New Jersey, far from Republican voters in New Hampshire, where he had taken his presidential campaign. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, on his way home from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, was also diverted, in his case to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, where he checked in to a hotel.
Saturday had begun with subways and buses running in New York, but Cuomo said buses were "having significant issues" and that some commuter trains faced equipment problems. Even before he announced that bus service was being halted, some passengers reported long waits in the cold, and as the noon cutoff approached, they worried that they would be stranded.
Oscar Garcia, who lives in East Elmhurst, Queens, stood in the Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue station, waiting and watching. He did not like what he saw: As his bus pulled in, the driver changed the sign to "Not in Service."
That only added to Garcia's frustration. He had been on his way to his job at an Italian restaurant in Rego Park when his boss called to say the restaurant would be closed for the day.
The storm stranded airline passengers up and down the East Coast, with 4,993 flights canceled Saturday and 2,169 canceled for Sunday, according to Flightaware.com, a website that tracks such things. At La Guardia Airport, there were no lines at security checkpoints and no baggage carousels rumbling: With virtually no flights coming in, there was no baggage to unload and there were no passengers to claim it.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates La Guardia as well as Kennedy and Newark Liberty airports, did not say when flights would resume. The agency told passengers to check with their airlines. The agency that manages Reagan National and Dulles International airports in Washington said the runways would remain closed, and air travel was unlikely to resume on Sunday.
The mail did not go through in Manhattan on Saturday - the Postal Service suspended delivery, a spokeswoman said, and directed its letter carriers to return to their post offices at noon. And as the day went on, the list of cancellations grew longer. Broadway shows scheduled for Saturday were canceled as was a hockey game in Brooklyn between the Islanders and the Philadelphia Flyers. The Metropolitan Opera and City Opera canceled performances, as did the New York Philharmonic. Bruce Springsteen said on Twitter that his Sunday concert at Madison Square Garden would be postponed.
Chris Rudney, the general manager of Beacon Wines and Spirits, on Broadway at 74th Street, had an explanation for sparsely filled stores, his own included. Based on the blockbuster sales at his store Friday, it seemed, people were home, having a drink.
"I guess," he said, "staying inside is worthy of celebration."
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NEXT STORY
Americans begin digging out as historic blizzard winds down
AFP | Jan 24, 2016, 04.09 PM IST
01:04
NEW YORK: A massive blizzard that claimed at least 16 lives in the eastern United States finally appeared to be winding down Sunday, giving snowbound residents the chance to begin digging out.
The near-record snowstorm clobbered the eastern United States Friday and Saturday, shutting down New York and Washington and affecting some 85 million residents.
More than 4,400 flights were canceled, airports in New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Baltimore ground to a halt, the US capital shut down transport and America's most populous city banned travel.
The 16 fatalities occurred in Arkansas, Kentucky, New York, North Carolina, Maryland and Virginia, while more than 200,000 people were left without power and 2,200 National Guard personnel were drafted in.
Forecasters said the storm -- dubbed "Snowzilla" -- dumped 22.2 inches (56 centimeters) in Washington. The 25.1 inches of snow that fell in New York's Central Park, was the third highest accumulation since records began in 1869.
With the storm tapering off overnight, officials in New York planned to lift a travel ban at 7:00 am Sunday (1200 GMT) -- restoring access to roads throughout the city, and in Long Island and New Jersey.
"You never like to disrupt transportation and commerce. However, the storm was fast and furious," said New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo. "This is a storm that is nothing to be trifled with."
Strong winds raised concerns of flooding for much of the east coast, the National Weather Service warned, with streets in some New Jersey coastal towns filled with water and ice.
In New York, bus services were suspended and overland commuter and subway trains were shut as Broadway canceled performances, museums closed, shops shuttered and the region's pro sports teams rescheduled matches.
Metro and bus networks were shut down in Washington for the entire weekend, and largely shut in Philadelphia and New Jersey. Thousands of motorists were stranded for hours on highways further south.
The vast majority of flights were canceled across much of the region, but authorities said they were working around the clock to restore operations Sunday, with the first arrivals and departures expected at midday in New York.
Plows struggled to clear streets, where parked cars were buried under the snow and visibility worsened Saturday as night fell and howling winds created massive snowdrifts.
Reagan National and Dulles International airports in the US capital were expected to remain closed through Sunday.
Officials said the storm, which forecasters predicted would end by early Sunday in the Washington area, could cause more than $1 billion in damage.
Amid the hardship there was a moment of levity provided by Tian Tian, the baby panda at the National Zoo in Washington. Footage of the panda rolling in the snow quickly went viral.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican presidential contender, left the campaign trail to oversee the emergency response in his snowbound state, where he said there were 90,000 power outages.
"For folks who lose power, please, given how cold the weather is, try to go and shelter in the home of a friend or family member if you can. Don't stay in the cold," he told a news conference.
Nearly 120,000 power outages were reported in North Carolina, emergency officials said.
In Washington the national monuments, Capitol building and Smithsonian museum were all closed.
Even a massive snowball fight in Washington's Dupont Circle, which 3,000 people said on Facebook they would attend, was postponed until Sunday due to the storm's ferocity.
"We just came back from some holidays in India so the weather is a difficult adjustment," said Justin Wilcox, 32, out taking selfies in the capital.
Snow and sleet also hit the southern states of Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia and Virginia -- unusual for the region.
The near-record snowstorm clobbered the eastern United States Friday and Saturday, shutting down New York and Washington and affecting some 85 million residents.
More than 4,400 flights were canceled, airports in New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Baltimore ground to a halt, the US capital shut down transport and America's most populous city banned travel.
The 16 fatalities occurred in Arkansas, Kentucky, New York, North Carolina, Maryland and Virginia, while more than 200,000 people were left without power and 2,200 National Guard personnel were drafted in.
Forecasters said the storm -- dubbed "Snowzilla" -- dumped 22.2 inches (56 centimeters) in Washington. The 25.1 inches of snow that fell in New York's Central Park, was the third highest accumulation since records began in 1869.
With the storm tapering off overnight, officials in New York planned to lift a travel ban at 7:00 am Sunday (1200 GMT) -- restoring access to roads throughout the city, and in Long Island and New Jersey.
"You never like to disrupt transportation and commerce. However, the storm was fast and furious," said New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo. "This is a storm that is nothing to be trifled with."
Strong winds raised concerns of flooding for much of the east coast, the National Weather Service warned, with streets in some New Jersey coastal towns filled with water and ice.
In New York, bus services were suspended and overland commuter and subway trains were shut as Broadway canceled performances, museums closed, shops shuttered and the region's pro sports teams rescheduled matches.
Metro and bus networks were shut down in Washington for the entire weekend, and largely shut in Philadelphia and New Jersey. Thousands of motorists were stranded for hours on highways further south.
The vast majority of flights were canceled across much of the region, but authorities said they were working around the clock to restore operations Sunday, with the first arrivals and departures expected at midday in New York.
Plows struggled to clear streets, where parked cars were buried under the snow and visibility worsened Saturday as night fell and howling winds created massive snowdrifts.
Reagan National and Dulles International airports in the US capital were expected to remain closed through Sunday.
Officials said the storm, which forecasters predicted would end by early Sunday in the Washington area, could cause more than $1 billion in damage.
Amid the hardship there was a moment of levity provided by Tian Tian, the baby panda at the National Zoo in Washington. Footage of the panda rolling in the snow quickly went viral.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican presidential contender, left the campaign trail to oversee the emergency response in his snowbound state, where he said there were 90,000 power outages.
"For folks who lose power, please, given how cold the weather is, try to go and shelter in the home of a friend or family member if you can. Don't stay in the cold," he told a news conference.
Nearly 120,000 power outages were reported in North Carolina, emergency officials said.
In Washington the national monuments, Capitol building and Smithsonian museum were all closed.
Even a massive snowball fight in Washington's Dupont Circle, which 3,000 people said on Facebook they would attend, was postponed until Sunday due to the storm's ferocity.
"We just came back from some holidays in India so the weather is a difficult adjustment," said Justin Wilcox, 32, out taking selfies in the capital.
Snow and sleet also hit the southern states of Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia and Virginia -- unusual for the region.
COMMENTS
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India and France sign 16 agreements, PM Modi hails growing friendship
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Pakistan 'can and must' dismantle all terror networks: Barack Obama
PTI | Jan 24, 2016, 03.32 PM IST
02:02
WASHINGTON: In a strong message, US president Barack Obama told Pakistan on Sunday that it "can and must" take more effective action against terrorist groups operating from its soil by "delegitimising, disrupting and dismantling" terror networks there.
Describing the terror attack on the IAF base in Pathankot as "another example of the inexcusable terrorism that India has endured for too long", Obama gave credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reaching out to his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif after the attack.
"Both leaders are advancing a dialogue on how to confront violent extremism and terrorism across the region," Obama told PTI in an interview here during which he answered a wide range of questions covering Indo-US ties, terrorism and outcome of the Paris climate change summit.
Voicing his belief that the Indo-US relationship can be one of the defining partnerships of the century, Obama said that Modi shared his enthusiasm for a strong partnership and "we have developed a friendship and close working relationship, including our conversations on the new secure lines between our offices".
Asked if the relationship has achieved its full potential, the US president replied, "Absolutely not."
On the Pathankot attack, Obama said, "We join India in condemning the attack, saluting the Indians who fought to prevent more loss of life and extending our condolences to the victims and their families.
"Tragedies like this also underscore why the US and India continue to be such close partners in fighting terrorism."
Obama was of the view that Sharif recognised that insecurity in Pakistan is a threat to its own stability and that of the region. After the December, 2014 school massacre in Peshawar he had vowed to target all militants, regardless of their agenda or affiliation.
"That is the right policy. Since then, we have seen Pakistan take action against several specific groups. We have also seen continued terrorism inside Pakistan such as the recent attack on the university in north west Pakistan."
The US president said that he still believed that "Pakistan can and must" take more effective action against terrorist groups that operate from its territory.
"Pakistan has an opportunity to show that it is serious about delegitimising, disrupting and dismantling terrorist networks. In the region and around the world, there must be zero tolerance for safe havens and terrorists must be brought to justice," he asserted in his third interview to PTI.
Referring to bilateral ties with India, Obama said his visit last year reflected how the ties between the two countries have been transformed.
"Since I took office, I have worked to deepen our cooperation with India across the board and I continue to believe that the relationship between India and the United States can be one of the defining partnerships of this century.
"However, common values--two democracies, two innovative economies, two diverse societies--make us natural partners. We are linked by the ties of family--millions of Indian Americans," the US President said.
He said his hope was that his visit could help spark a new era of cooperation between the two countries and "I believe it did".
"The past 12 months have been a year of progress across the three priorities that I identified in my speech to the Indian people at Siri Fort.
"We're deepening our partnerships to promote the development that lifts up our people, including rural Indians- helping farmers, boost their yields and working expanding access to electricity and clean water," Obama said.
He said both the countries continue to expand the economic partnerships that help reduce poverty and create opportunity, pushing bilateral trade to a record levels, expanding hi-tech collaborations and increasing students exchanges, including for girls and women who deserve the same education and opportunities and boys and men.
Obama said the two countries were doing even more as global partners including more military exercises, greater cooperation in the Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean region and working together to confront climate change.
"I continue to believe that America can be India's best partner. So I hope future generations can look back at this moment and see that this was the time when the world's largest democracy became true global partners.
"In my final year as President, continuing to deepen our ties will continue to be one of my foreign policy priorities," Obama said.
Describing the terror attack on the IAF base in Pathankot as "another example of the inexcusable terrorism that India has endured for too long", Obama gave credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reaching out to his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif after the attack.
"Both leaders are advancing a dialogue on how to confront violent extremism and terrorism across the region," Obama told PTI in an interview here during which he answered a wide range of questions covering Indo-US ties, terrorism and outcome of the Paris climate change summit.
Voicing his belief that the Indo-US relationship can be one of the defining partnerships of the century, Obama said that Modi shared his enthusiasm for a strong partnership and "we have developed a friendship and close working relationship, including our conversations on the new secure lines between our offices".
Asked if the relationship has achieved its full potential, the US president replied, "Absolutely not."
On the Pathankot attack, Obama said, "We join India in condemning the attack, saluting the Indians who fought to prevent more loss of life and extending our condolences to the victims and their families.
"Tragedies like this also underscore why the US and India continue to be such close partners in fighting terrorism."
Obama was of the view that Sharif recognised that insecurity in Pakistan is a threat to its own stability and that of the region. After the December, 2014 school massacre in Peshawar he had vowed to target all militants, regardless of their agenda or affiliation.
"That is the right policy. Since then, we have seen Pakistan take action against several specific groups. We have also seen continued terrorism inside Pakistan such as the recent attack on the university in north west Pakistan."
The US president said that he still believed that "Pakistan can and must" take more effective action against terrorist groups that operate from its territory.
"Pakistan has an opportunity to show that it is serious about delegitimising, disrupting and dismantling terrorist networks. In the region and around the world, there must be zero tolerance for safe havens and terrorists must be brought to justice," he asserted in his third interview to PTI.
Referring to bilateral ties with India, Obama said his visit last year reflected how the ties between the two countries have been transformed.
"Since I took office, I have worked to deepen our cooperation with India across the board and I continue to believe that the relationship between India and the United States can be one of the defining partnerships of this century.
"However, common values--two democracies, two innovative economies, two diverse societies--make us natural partners. We are linked by the ties of family--millions of Indian Americans," the US President said.
He said his hope was that his visit could help spark a new era of cooperation between the two countries and "I believe it did".
"The past 12 months have been a year of progress across the three priorities that I identified in my speech to the Indian people at Siri Fort.
"We're deepening our partnerships to promote the development that lifts up our people, including rural Indians- helping farmers, boost their yields and working expanding access to electricity and clean water," Obama said.
He said both the countries continue to expand the economic partnerships that help reduce poverty and create opportunity, pushing bilateral trade to a record levels, expanding hi-tech collaborations and increasing students exchanges, including for girls and women who deserve the same education and opportunities and boys and men.
Obama said the two countries were doing even more as global partners including more military exercises, greater cooperation in the Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean region and working together to confront climate change.
"I continue to believe that America can be India's best partner. So I hope future generations can look back at this moment and see that this was the time when the world's largest democracy became true global partners.
"In my final year as President, continuing to deepen our ties will continue to be one of my foreign policy priorities," Obama said.
COMMENTS
Most Popular
India and France sign 16 agreements, PM Modi hails growing friendship
Death of Netaji: Decoding an enigma
Terror crackdown: In countrywide swoop, NIA arrests 5 youths, detains 9
In a major swoop across the country, the NIA on Friday arrested five radicalized youths while detaining nine others for interrogation.
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Americans begin digging out as blizzard winds down
AFP | Jan 24, 2016, 01.00 PM IST
Representative image
NEW YORK: A massive blizzard that claimed at least 16 lives in the eastern United States finally appeared to be winding down on Sunday, giving snowbound residents the chance to begin digging out.
The near-record snowstorm clobbered the eastern United States on Friday and Saturday, shutting down New York and Washington and affecting some 85 million residents.
More than 4,400 flights were cancelled, airports in New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Baltimore ground to a halt, the US capital shut down transport and America's most populous city banned travel.
The 16 fatalities occurred in Arkansas, Kentucky, New York, North Carolina, Maryland and Virginia, while more than 200,000 people were left without power and 2,200 National Guard personnel were drafted in.
Forecasters said the storm -- dubbed "Snowzilla" -- dumped 22.2 inches (56 centimeters) in Washington. The 25.1 inches of snow that fell in New York's Central Park, was the third highest accumulation since records began in 1869.
With the storm tapering off overnight, officials in New York planned to lift a travel ban at 7:00 am Sunday (1200 GMT) -- restoring access to roads throughout the city, and in Long Island and New Jersey.
"You never like to disrupt transportation and commerce. However, the storm was fast and furious," said New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo. "This is a storm that is nothing to be trifled with."
Strong winds raised concerns of flooding for much of the east coast, the National Weather Service warned, with streets in some New Jersey coastal towns filled with water and ice.
In New York, bus services were suspended and overland commuter and subway trains were shut as Broadway canceled performances, museums closed, shops shuttered and the region's pro sports teams rescheduled matches.
Metro and bus networks were shut down in Washington for the entire weekend, and largely shut in Philadelphia and New Jersey. Thousands of motorists were stranded for hours on highways further south.
The vast majority of flights were canceled across much of the region, but authorities said they were working around the clock to restore operations Sunday, with the first arrivals and departures expected at midday in New York.
Plows struggled to clear streets, where parked cars were buried under the snow and visibility worsened on Saturday as night fell and howling winds created massive snowdrifts.
Reagan National and Dulles International airports in the US capital were expected to remain closed through Sunday.
Officials said the storm, which forecasters predicted would end by early Sunday in the Washington area, could cause more than $1 billion in damage.
Amid the hardship there was a moment of levity provided by Tian Tian, the baby panda at the National Zoo in Washington. Footage of the panda rolling in the snow quickly went viral.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican presidential contender, left the campaign trail to oversee the emergency response in his snowbound state, where he said there were 90,000 power outages.
"For folks who lose power, please, given how cold the weather is, try to go and shelter in the home of a friend or family member if you can. Don't stay in the cold," he told a news conference.
Nearly 120,000 power outages were reported in North Carolina, emergency officials said.
In Washington, the national monuments, Capitol building and Smithsonian museum were all closed.
Even a massive snowball fight in Washington's Dupont Circle, which 3,000 people said on Facebook they would attend, was postponed until Sunday due to the storm's ferocity.
"We just came back from some holidays in India so the weather is a difficult adjustment," said Justin Wilcox, 32, out taking selfies in the capital.
Snow and sleet also hit the southern states of Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia and Virginia -- unusual for the region.
The near-record snowstorm clobbered the eastern United States on Friday and Saturday, shutting down New York and Washington and affecting some 85 million residents.
More than 4,400 flights were cancelled, airports in New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Baltimore ground to a halt, the US capital shut down transport and America's most populous city banned travel.
The 16 fatalities occurred in Arkansas, Kentucky, New York, North Carolina, Maryland and Virginia, while more than 200,000 people were left without power and 2,200 National Guard personnel were drafted in.
Forecasters said the storm -- dubbed "Snowzilla" -- dumped 22.2 inches (56 centimeters) in Washington. The 25.1 inches of snow that fell in New York's Central Park, was the third highest accumulation since records began in 1869.
With the storm tapering off overnight, officials in New York planned to lift a travel ban at 7:00 am Sunday (1200 GMT) -- restoring access to roads throughout the city, and in Long Island and New Jersey.
"You never like to disrupt transportation and commerce. However, the storm was fast and furious," said New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo. "This is a storm that is nothing to be trifled with."
Strong winds raised concerns of flooding for much of the east coast, the National Weather Service warned, with streets in some New Jersey coastal towns filled with water and ice.
In New York, bus services were suspended and overland commuter and subway trains were shut as Broadway canceled performances, museums closed, shops shuttered and the region's pro sports teams rescheduled matches.
Metro and bus networks were shut down in Washington for the entire weekend, and largely shut in Philadelphia and New Jersey. Thousands of motorists were stranded for hours on highways further south.
The vast majority of flights were canceled across much of the region, but authorities said they were working around the clock to restore operations Sunday, with the first arrivals and departures expected at midday in New York.
Plows struggled to clear streets, where parked cars were buried under the snow and visibility worsened on Saturday as night fell and howling winds created massive snowdrifts.
Reagan National and Dulles International airports in the US capital were expected to remain closed through Sunday.
Officials said the storm, which forecasters predicted would end by early Sunday in the Washington area, could cause more than $1 billion in damage.
Amid the hardship there was a moment of levity provided by Tian Tian, the baby panda at the National Zoo in Washington. Footage of the panda rolling in the snow quickly went viral.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican presidential contender, left the campaign trail to oversee the emergency response in his snowbound state, where he said there were 90,000 power outages.
"For folks who lose power, please, given how cold the weather is, try to go and shelter in the home of a friend or family member if you can. Don't stay in the cold," he told a news conference.
Nearly 120,000 power outages were reported in North Carolina, emergency officials said.
In Washington, the national monuments, Capitol building and Smithsonian museum were all closed.
Even a massive snowball fight in Washington's Dupont Circle, which 3,000 people said on Facebook they would attend, was postponed until Sunday due to the storm's ferocity.
"We just came back from some holidays in India so the weather is a difficult adjustment," said Justin Wilcox, 32, out taking selfies in the capital.
Snow and sleet also hit the southern states of Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia and Virginia -- unusual for the region.
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India and France sign 16 agreements, PM Modi hails growing friendship
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US relies heavily on Saudi Arab money to support Syrian rebels
Mark Mazzetti & Matt Apuzzo | NYT News Service | Jan 24, 2016, 11.56 AM IST
Representational image.
WASHINGTON: When President Barack Obama secretly authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to begin arming Syria's embattled rebels in 2013, the spy agency knew it would have a willing partner to help pay for the covert operation. It was the same partner the CIA has relied on for decades for money and discretion in far-off conflicts: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Since then, the CIA and its Saudi counterpart have maintained an unusual arrangement for the rebel-training mission, which the Americans have code-named Timber Sycamore. Under the deal, current and former administration officials said, the Saudis contribute both weapons and large sums of money, and the CIA takes the lead in training the rebels on AK-47 assault rifles and tank-destroying missiles.
The support for the Syrian rebels is only the latest chapter in the decadeslong relationship between the spy services of Saudi Arabia and the United States, an alliance that has endured through the Iran-Contra scandal, support for the mujahedeen against the Soviets in Afghanistan and proxy fights in Africa. Sometimes, as in Syria, the two countries have worked in concert. In others, Saudi Arabia has simply written checks underwriting U.S. covert activities.
The joint arming and training program, which other Middle East nations contribute money to, continues as America's relations with Saudi Arabia — and the kingdom's place in the region — are in flux. The old ties of cheap oil and geopolitics that have long bound the countries together have loosened as America's dependence on foreign oil declines and the Obama administration tiptoes toward a diplomatic rapprochement with Iran.
And yet the alliance persists, kept afloat on a sea of Saudi money and a recognition of mutual self-interest. In addition to Saudi Arabia's vast oil reserves and role as the spiritual anchor of the Sunni Muslim world, the long intelligence relationship helps explain why the United States has been reluctant to openly criticize Saudi Arabia for its human rights abuses, its treatment of women and its support for the extreme strain of Islam, Wahhabism, that has inspired many of the very terrorist groups the United States is fighting. The Obama administration did not publicly condemn Saudi Arabia's public beheading this month of a dissident Shiite cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, who had challenged the royal family.
Although the Saudis have been public about their help arming rebel groups in Syria, the extent of their partnership with the CIA's covert action campaign and their direct financial support had not been disclosed. Details were pieced together in interviews with a half-dozen current and former U.S. officials and sources from several Persian Gulf countries. Most spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the program.
From the moment the CIA operation was started, Saudi money supported it.
"They understand that they have to have us, and we understand that we have to have them," said Mike Rogers, the former Republican congressman from Michigan who was chairman of the House Intelligence Committee when the CIA operation began. Rogers declined to discuss details of the classified program.
U.S. officials have not disclosed the amount of the Saudi contribution, which is by far the largest from another nation to the program to arm the rebels against President Bashar Assad's military. But estimates have put the total cost of the arming and training effort at several billion dollars.
The White House has embraced the covert financing from Saudi Arabia — and from Qatar, Jordan and Turkey — at a time when Obama has pushed gulf nations to take a greater security role in the region.
Spokesmen for both the CIA and the Saudi Embassy in Washington declined to comment.
When Obama signed off on arming the rebels in the spring of 2013, it was partly to try to gain control of the apparent free-for-all in the region. The Qataris and the Saudis had been funneling weapons into Syria for more than a year. The Qataris had even smuggled in shipments of Chinese-made FN-6 shoulder-fired missiles over the border from Turkey.
The Saudi efforts were led by the flamboyant Prince Bandar bin Sultan, at the time the intelligence chief, who directed Saudi spies to buy thousands of AK-47s and millions of rounds of ammunition in Eastern Europe for the Syrian rebels. The CIA helped arrange some of the arms purchases for the Saudis, including a large deal in Croatia in 2012.
By the summer of 2012, a freewheeling feel had taken hold along Turkey's border with Syria as the gulf nations funneled cash and weapons to rebel groups — even some that U.S. officials were concerned had ties to radical groups like al-Qaida.
The CIA was mostly on the sidelines during this period, authorized by the White House under the Timber Sycamore training program to deliver nonlethal aid to the rebels but not weapons. In late 2012, according to two former senior U.S. officials, David H. Petraeus, then the CIA director, delivered a stern lecture to intelligence officials of several gulf nations at a meeting near the Dead Sea in Jordan. He chastised them for sending arms into Syria without coordinating with one another or with CIA officers in Jordan and Turkey.
Months later, Obama gave his approval for the CIA to begin directly arming and training the rebels from a base in Jordan, amending the Timber Sycamore program to allow lethal assistance. Under the new arrangement, the CIA took the lead in training, while Saudi Arabia's intelligence agency, the General Intelligence Directorate, provided money and weapons, including TOW anti-tank missiles.
The Qataris have also helped finance the training and allowed a Qatari base to be used as an additional training location. But U.S. officials said Saudi Arabia was by far the largest contributor to the operation.
While the Saudis have financed previous CIA missions with no strings attached, the money for Syria comes with expectations, current and former officials said. "They want a seat at the table, and a say in what the agenda of the table is going to be," said Bruce Riedel, a former CIA analyst and now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Since then, the CIA and its Saudi counterpart have maintained an unusual arrangement for the rebel-training mission, which the Americans have code-named Timber Sycamore. Under the deal, current and former administration officials said, the Saudis contribute both weapons and large sums of money, and the CIA takes the lead in training the rebels on AK-47 assault rifles and tank-destroying missiles.
The support for the Syrian rebels is only the latest chapter in the decadeslong relationship between the spy services of Saudi Arabia and the United States, an alliance that has endured through the Iran-Contra scandal, support for the mujahedeen against the Soviets in Afghanistan and proxy fights in Africa. Sometimes, as in Syria, the two countries have worked in concert. In others, Saudi Arabia has simply written checks underwriting U.S. covert activities.
The joint arming and training program, which other Middle East nations contribute money to, continues as America's relations with Saudi Arabia — and the kingdom's place in the region — are in flux. The old ties of cheap oil and geopolitics that have long bound the countries together have loosened as America's dependence on foreign oil declines and the Obama administration tiptoes toward a diplomatic rapprochement with Iran.
And yet the alliance persists, kept afloat on a sea of Saudi money and a recognition of mutual self-interest. In addition to Saudi Arabia's vast oil reserves and role as the spiritual anchor of the Sunni Muslim world, the long intelligence relationship helps explain why the United States has been reluctant to openly criticize Saudi Arabia for its human rights abuses, its treatment of women and its support for the extreme strain of Islam, Wahhabism, that has inspired many of the very terrorist groups the United States is fighting. The Obama administration did not publicly condemn Saudi Arabia's public beheading this month of a dissident Shiite cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, who had challenged the royal family.
Although the Saudis have been public about their help arming rebel groups in Syria, the extent of their partnership with the CIA's covert action campaign and their direct financial support had not been disclosed. Details were pieced together in interviews with a half-dozen current and former U.S. officials and sources from several Persian Gulf countries. Most spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the program.
From the moment the CIA operation was started, Saudi money supported it.
"They understand that they have to have us, and we understand that we have to have them," said Mike Rogers, the former Republican congressman from Michigan who was chairman of the House Intelligence Committee when the CIA operation began. Rogers declined to discuss details of the classified program.
U.S. officials have not disclosed the amount of the Saudi contribution, which is by far the largest from another nation to the program to arm the rebels against President Bashar Assad's military. But estimates have put the total cost of the arming and training effort at several billion dollars.
The White House has embraced the covert financing from Saudi Arabia — and from Qatar, Jordan and Turkey — at a time when Obama has pushed gulf nations to take a greater security role in the region.
Spokesmen for both the CIA and the Saudi Embassy in Washington declined to comment.
When Obama signed off on arming the rebels in the spring of 2013, it was partly to try to gain control of the apparent free-for-all in the region. The Qataris and the Saudis had been funneling weapons into Syria for more than a year. The Qataris had even smuggled in shipments of Chinese-made FN-6 shoulder-fired missiles over the border from Turkey.
The Saudi efforts were led by the flamboyant Prince Bandar bin Sultan, at the time the intelligence chief, who directed Saudi spies to buy thousands of AK-47s and millions of rounds of ammunition in Eastern Europe for the Syrian rebels. The CIA helped arrange some of the arms purchases for the Saudis, including a large deal in Croatia in 2012.
By the summer of 2012, a freewheeling feel had taken hold along Turkey's border with Syria as the gulf nations funneled cash and weapons to rebel groups — even some that U.S. officials were concerned had ties to radical groups like al-Qaida.
The CIA was mostly on the sidelines during this period, authorized by the White House under the Timber Sycamore training program to deliver nonlethal aid to the rebels but not weapons. In late 2012, according to two former senior U.S. officials, David H. Petraeus, then the CIA director, delivered a stern lecture to intelligence officials of several gulf nations at a meeting near the Dead Sea in Jordan. He chastised them for sending arms into Syria without coordinating with one another or with CIA officers in Jordan and Turkey.
Months later, Obama gave his approval for the CIA to begin directly arming and training the rebels from a base in Jordan, amending the Timber Sycamore program to allow lethal assistance. Under the new arrangement, the CIA took the lead in training, while Saudi Arabia's intelligence agency, the General Intelligence Directorate, provided money and weapons, including TOW anti-tank missiles.
The Qataris have also helped finance the training and allowed a Qatari base to be used as an additional training location. But U.S. officials said Saudi Arabia was by far the largest contributor to the operation.
While the Saudis have financed previous CIA missions with no strings attached, the money for Syria comes with expectations, current and former officials said. "They want a seat at the table, and a say in what the agenda of the table is going to be," said Bruce Riedel, a former CIA analyst and now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
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Most Popular
India and France sign 16 agreements, PM Modi hails growing friendship
Death of Netaji: Decoding an enigma
Terror crackdown: In countrywide swoop, NIA arrests 5 youths, detains 9
In a major swoop across the country, the NIA on Friday arrested five radicalized youths while detaining nine others for interrogation.
195 COMMENTS