- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
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- 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
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
'Intense' US blizzard blows Iowa caucus campaigning off course
Plunging temperatures, whipping wind and buckets of snow derailed the final stretch of caucus campaigning in the US state of Iowa Friday as Republican presidential hopefuls delivered their last pitches to voters.
Forecasters warned of "fairly intense blizzard conditions" throughout much of the Midwestern state, as the National Weather Service (NWS) said gusts of 50 to 55 miles (80 to 89 kilometers) per hour, paired with blowing snow, could reduce visibility down to a quarter of a mile.
The extreme weather was making life difficult for White House hopefuls Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, who both canceled events just days before Monday's caucus in Iowa -- the first vote of the 2024 White House race.
"We want everyone to be safe," DeSantis told reporters in the state capital Des Moines.
The storm will be followed by an "Arctic outbreak" of "bitter cold," according to the NWS, with wind chill falling below -30 degrees Fahrenheit (-34 Celsius) in Iowa and across the region over the weekend.
Another two or more inches of snow was also predicted for the state, for a total of up to 10 inches in some areas, creating whiteout conditions.
Dozens of cars and trucks were seen overturned in Des Moines, and the Iowa State Patrol said on social media they had performed 355 "motorists assists" Friday before 1:30 pm (1930 GMT).
"Treacherous driving is expected to continue through the rest of today and into tonight," the state's local NWS posted on social media. "Travel is highly discouraged!"
The weather raised serious concerns over caucus turnout as Haley and DeSantis seek to overtake former president Donald Trump, who is leading polls for the Republican presidential nomination by a wide margin nationally and in Iowa.
The state's Republican Governor Kim Reynolds promised, "We're going to get people to the polls on caucus night," regardless of the weather.
Former UN ambassador and South Carolina governor Haley moved all of Friday's events online, even as she had implored Iowans to not let the weather stop them from showing up Monday.
"I'll brave anything we need to," DeSantis told reporters standing outside in the snow.
"We want to win, we're here to get every vote we can," said the 40-year-old, hoping to face President Joe Biden in the general election later this year.
But Trump, whose campaign also announced a weather-adjusted schedule including several virtual rallies, is counting on a resounding win in Iowa to help him quickly seal up the nomination as his four criminal indictments loom.
- Flight chaos -
Flights carrying thousands of reporters and political observers to Iowa were canceled or rerouted to neighboring states, also facing fallout from the massive storm.
More than 2,000 flights were canceled across the country, including more than 400 at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, according to flightaware.com.
By Friday evening, the lights were back on for most customers in Illinois, where local media reported that more 100,000 had lost power earlier in the day as wind and snow pummeled the state.
Further west, the NWS said Montana and the Dakotas could see temperatures as low as -50 degrees Fahrenheit.
"These extreme apparent temperatures will pose a risk of frostbite on exposed skin and hypothermia," the agency warned.
The winter weather was also threatening key football games over the weekend, as the NFL enters its post-season.
While Missouri's Kansas City Chiefs are more accustomed to the cold predicted for Saturday's game, the opposing Miami Dolphins are used to the balmy weather of Florida.
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, while sleet and freezing rain were expected Friday and Saturday in the South and Northeast.
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.
D.Cunningha--AMWN