- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
- Openda strike briefly sends Leipzig top of Bundesliga
- Goal-shy Man Utd have to 'step up', says Ten Hag
- India bowl out Bangladesh for 127 in T20 opener
- Madueke rescues Chelsea in draw with 10-man Forest
- Beckett's belief rewarded as Bluestocking storms to Arc glory
- Trump on the stump, Harris hits airwaves in razor-edge US election
- Flash flooding kills three in northern Thailand
- Kaur leads India to victory over Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup
- Juventus held by Cagliari after late penalty drama
- In France's Marseille, teen 'stabbed 50 times' then burned alive
- Ruthless Gauff beats Muchova in straight sets to win China Open
- India restrict Pakistan to 105-8 in Women's T20 World Cup
- England target repeat of Pakistan Test whitewash
- Penrith Panthers win fourth straight NRL title after downing Storm
- Weary Sinner happy for day off after battling into Shanghai last 16
- Pakistan's Masood warns England still a force without Stokes
- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- Israel pounds Lebanon ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
- Sabalenka targets world number one and Wuhan hat-trick
- Toddler among 4 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
- Bagnaia sets 'example' with Japan MotoGP win to cut gap on Martin
- Intense Israeli bombing rocks Beirut ahead of war anniversary
- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
Big freeze grips US, chilling Iowa caucus campaigning
A big freeze gripped swathes of the United States on Friday, jamming transport and dumping heavy snow across the north, including in Iowa where Republican Party presidential hopefuls are in the final stretches of caucus campaigning.
Forecasters warned "dangerously cold Arctic air" and blizzards would affect millions of people in the north, with temperatures to plunge as low as -40 Fahrenheit (-40 C), with windchill making it feel even colder in some places.
The extreme weather was making life difficult for White House hopeful Ron DeSantis and his rival Nikki Haley, who both canceled events just days before the Iowa caucus vote -- the first of the 2024 White House race.
"We want everyone to be safe," DeSantis told reporters outside his Des Moines headquarters.
"We’ve had to rearrange the schedule but we’re working hard."
Haley implored Iowans not to let the brutal cold prevent them from voting on Monday in the first statewide test of who will take on the party's presidential mantle.
"I know it’s going to be negative 15 on Monday. I don’t even know what that is. I literally can’t comprehend it... But I’m going to be out there and I want you to go out there," Haley said Thursday.
Despite a quickening competition between the two, both trail former president Donald Trump by a huge margin in the race for the Republican Party nomination.
Several inches (centimeters) of snow were expected across Iowa throughout Friday, with the National Weather Service warning of dangerous conditions on the roads.
"Travel may become impossible in rural areas by this afternoon. Hazardous travel to continue through Saturday across much of central Iowa," the NWS said.
"Dangerous cold temperatures will accompany this storm, adding an extra layer of risk to travel."
- Flight chaos -
Images posted on social media showed whiteout conditions in Nebraska and Iowa, as authorities warned accidents and low visibility were causing lengthy delays.
The NWS said parts of the Northern Plains would log record lows over the coming days approaching -40F with howling winds making it feel as low as -50F.
"Wind chills of this nature can lead to frostbite on exposed skin within minutes," the agency warned.
More than 2,700 flights were canceled across the country, including over 400 at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, according to flightaware.com, which maps travel misery. Tens of thousands of other passengers faced delays.
The winter weather was threatening key American Football games over the weekend, as the NFL enters its post-season.
The Kansas City Chiefs will host the Miami Dolphins on Saturday night at their Missouri home with conditions expected to be bitterly cold.
While the Chiefs and their star quarterback Patrick Mahomes are accustomed to extreme weather, his Dolphins opposite number, Tua Tagovailoa, is more used to the balmy weather of Florida.
Sub-zero temperatures were also expected to afflict the Pittsburgh Steelers' visit to Buffalo, where they take on the Bills in another win-or-go-home game.
The Western US was also expected to get hit with snow, as a storm system collides with freezing Arctic air.
Forecasters said there could be considerable accumulation over parts of Oregon, Idaho and Utah.
The storms come on the heels of severe cold weather that slammed much of the United States earlier in the week, causing several deaths and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses.
P.Silva--AMWN