Month: December 2022

An arctic blast that gripped much of the United States on Saturday left more than 700,000 without power, at least 16 dead from weather-related car crashes and thousands stranded due to flight cancellations.

Plummeting temperatures were expected to bring the coldest Christmas Eve on record. Energy systems across the country were strained by rising demand for heat and storm-related damage to transmission lines.

The latest outage numbers are a sharp drop from the 1.8 million US homes and businesses left without power as of early Saturday morning, according to tracking site Poweroutage.us.

Many electric companies continued to ask customers to conserve energy by not running large appliances and turning off unneeded lights.

By late Saturday afternoon, Duke Energy told customers it had ended the 15-30-minute rolling blackouts across North and South Carolina that it had initiated earlier in the day until additional electricity was available.

Disruptions upended daily routines and holiday plans for millions of Americans during one of the year’s busiest travel periods.

More than 2,700 US flights were cancelled on Saturday, with total delays tallying more than 6,400, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware. More than 5,000 flights were cancelled on Friday, FlightAware said.

The American Automobile Association had estimated that 112.7 million people would venture 50 miles (80 km) or more from home between Dec 23 and Jan 2. But stormy weather heading into the weekend likely ended up keeping many people at home.

According to media reports, weather-related car accidents left at least 16 dead and hundreds stranded on the ice and snowbound roads.

In Erie County, upstate New York, about 500 motorists were stranded in their vehicles on Friday night into Saturday morning. The National Guard called in to help with rescues, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz told the media. At least one person was found dead in a car, he said.

“There’s no place for anyone to go; everything’s closed, so just stay home,” he told MSNBC.

Two motorists were killed and numerous others injured in a 50-vehicle pileup that shut down the Ohio Turnpike in both directions during a blizzard near Toledo, forcing an evacuation of stranded motorists by bus to keep them from freezing, officials said.

On Saturday, three deaths were reported in Kentucky, where Governor Andy Beshear warned residents, “Stay home, stay safe, stay alive.”

“I know it’s really hard because it’s Christmas Eve. But we’re having dozens and dozens of accidents,” he said in an online briefing. “It’s simply not safe.”

Blizzard conditions remained on Saturday for Buffalo, New York, and its surrounding county on the edge of Lake Erie in far western New York, where 4-to-6 feet of snow will fall by Sunday, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.

The city imposed a driving ban on Friday that remained in effect on Saturday, and all three Buffalo-area border-crossing bridges were closed to inbound traffic from Canada.

Temperatures were forecast to top out on Saturday at just 7 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-13 Celsius) in Pittsburgh, surpassing the city’s previous all-time coldest Christmas Eve high of 13 F, set in 1983, the NWS said.

Georgia and South Carolina cities — Athens and Charleston — were likewise expected to record their coldest daytime Christmas Eve high temperatures. Washington, DC, was forecast to experience its chilliest Dec 24 since 1989.

The flurry of yuletide temperature records was predicted as a deep freeze sharpened by dangerous wind chills enveloped much of the eastern two-thirds of the nation.

“The cold snap will persist through Christmas,” said meteorologist Ashton Robinson Cook at the NWS Weather Prediction Center.

Minneapolis was the coldest spot in America on Saturday at minus-6 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook said that on Christmas morning, the coldest spot would be Fargo, North Dakota, at minus 20.

It will start to moderate west-to-east across America, with the high plains and the Central US returning to normal by Tuesday, but it won’t warm up on the East Coast until Thursday or Friday, he said.

“For now, it’s staying cold,” he said.

The severe weather prompted authorities across the country to open warming centres in libraries and police stations while scrambling to expand temporary shelter for the homeless. The challenge was compounded by an influx of migrants crossing the US southern border by the thousands in recent weeks.

The National Weather Service said its map of existing or impending meteorological hazards “depicts one of the greatest extents of winter weather warnings and advisories ever.”

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that former chief of army staff General (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa had “struck” a deal with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.

Imran made the revelation in conversation with journalists on Saturday as he continued the tirade against the former army chief, whom he blames now for his government’s ouster.

The PTI chief recently admitted that granting an extension to Gen (retd) Bajwa was a “mistake” and had also accused the ex-army chief of “betraying” him. Also, in a conversation with journalists yesterday, he revealed that he was not in contact with the establishment “for now”.

As the PTI presses the government on holding snap polls across the country, Imran predicted that he sees elections taking place in either March or April.

He also added that PTI’s members of the National Assembly would appear before Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf to confirm their resignations on Monday (December 26).

The government, however, has repeatedly ruled out holding early elections citing several reasons, including floods, and said they might take place in October 2023.

“We will also remain allies with the Q-League (Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid) as they have stood by us,” the PTI chief said as the political turmoil in Punjab persists.

“I will not inflict pain on the masses for remaining in power. Once I form my government again, I will not compromise on anything,” the PTI chief said.

Taking a swipe at Minister for Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, he said that the Bhutto scion has gone on more visits abroad than he did during his three-and-a-half-years in tenure.

“Also, if he is claiming that he is paying for foreign trips through his pocket, then are these his private visits?” he wondered.

He berated the PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for getting “foreign funds” and “not having” receipts for them. “We have a database of 40,000 donors.”

ISLAMABAD: The nation is celebrating the 146th birthday of the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, today across the country with pledges to uphold his guiding principles of unity, faith, and discipline.

Pakistan is observing the birth anniversary of the father of the nation with traditional zeal and fervour by paying rich tributes to him for his untiring struggle, sagacity and leadership that led to the creation of a separate homeland for the Muslims of the sub-continent.

Public and private departments will hold a variety of events including seminars, conferences, competitions and discussion programs to highlight the messages and vision of Quaid-e-Azam.

The national flag will be hoisted on major government buildings throughout the country on the birth anniversary of the Quaid-e-Azam.

The day dawned with special prayers for the security, progress and prosperity of the country.

Special events have been arranged on this day to highlight and promote the ideals and views of the father of the nation, particularly with regard to the rule of law, the supremacy of the constitution, and the upholding of democracy.

A change of guard ceremony took place at the Mazar-e-Quaid during which Pakistan Military Academy Kakul cadets took over guard duties from the Pakistan Air Force.

Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a true and upright leader whose devotion and committed efforts resulted in the creation of a separate homeland for the Muslims of the Sub-continent.

A lawyer and politician, Jinnah served as leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until Pakistan’s independence on 14 August 1947, then as Pakistan’s first Governor-General until his death September 11, 1948.

President, PM pay homage to Quaid

President Dr Arif Alvi, on Quaid’s birth anniversary, reminded the country that due to his untiring efforts, we were blessed with a country where we can live and breathe as free men and can develop it according to our own wishes and culture and uphold the principles of Islamic social justice.

“On this day, we express our gratitude for carving out a separate homeland for the Muslims of the sub-continent where we are free to realize our dreams as envisioned by the Quaid,” said Dr Alvi.

The president also reiterated the nation’s commitment to always cherish and uphold Quaid’s vision for Pakistan where the country’s resources are utilised in a systematic and organised way.

“We also pledge ourselves to take the right decisions at the right time and ensure the continuation of policies to create stability in the country by embracing Quaid’s advice to ‘think a hundred times before you take a decision, but once that decision is taken, stand by it as one man’,” said the president.

In a separate message, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called on the nation to take guidance from the life of Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and follow his principles to ensure the progress and prosperity of Pakistan.

“The founder of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam valiantly fought the constitutional and political fight for the rights of Muslims of Indian subcontinent, as a result, today all Muslims were living independently in Pakistan,” he added.

The PM said the efforts of Quaid e Azam were directed not only for the creation of a separate and independent state for the Muslims but also wanted a state in which the minorities lived without any fear or danger and were given equal opportunities of development and complete religious freedom.

The prime minister pointed that because of the rising religious animosity and the thinking of extremist Hindutva, India as a state had failed to protect rights of the minorities.

This situation made evident the farsightedness of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and proved right his arguments for the two-nation theory, he stressed.

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir said Friday the military is determined to bring peace to the country and break the terrorist-facilitator nexus.

The army chief’s comments came during his visit to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Miranshah, North Waziristan, according to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The army chief, as he interacted with the troops stationed at the border, said the military remains focused on evolving security situations and is determined “to take the battle to the terrorists and break nexus with their facilitators”

“Pakistan Army will consolidate the hard-earned peace, made possible by the supreme sacrifices of resilient Pakistani nation and LEAs (law enforcement agencies),” the COAS said.

During the visit, field commanders briefed Gen Munir on the latest security situation in the area and response mechanisms to thwart the terrorist threat, according to the ISPR.

“COAS also visited frontline troops deployed along Pakistan-Afghanistan Border. While interacting with officers and men, COAS commended their professionalism, high morale and operational readiness,” the ISPR said.

Later, the army chief also visited the headquarters of the Special Services Group (SSG) in Terbela, where he met the elite “Zarrar Company” whose soldiers gallantly acted in the recent Bannu Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) complex operation as well as aviation.

The army chief praised their indomitable spirit, sacrifices, and commitment to duty in various operations and said that SSG is the pride of the nation and it had “proved its metal over the years”.

CTD operation

Militants overpowered a counterterrorism department centre in Bannu and took personnel hostage last Sunday. The situation continued for three days as the authorities tried to negotiate with the militants.

However, on Tuesday, the facility was later cleared by the Pakistan Army’s SSG and as a result, 25 terrorists were killed, two arrested, and seven surrendered.

Three soldiers — Subedar Major Khursheed Akram, Sepoy Saeed and Sepoy Babar — were martyred on the same day of the operation, and another soldier — Haleem Khan — embraced martyrdom a day earlier.

The law and order situation in KP has gone south over the last few weeks as an increase has been noticed in threats and attacks on security forces and high-profile political personalities after the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) announced ending the ceasefire with Islamabad.

But the government and the armed forces have made it clear that the terrorists would be dealt with “iron hands”.