The US on Wednesday continued to battle the aftermath of a “once-in-a-generation” winter storm that has led to the deaths of dozens of people while knocking out power and disrupting holiday travel for millions.
The National Guard went door-to-door in parts of Buffalo, New York, on Wednesday checking on people who had lost power during the area’s deadliest winter storm in decades.
With at least 26 dead so far, authorities are facing the possibility of finding more victims as the snow melts.
Across New York state, more than 30 deaths have been reported due to the blizzard that raged on Friday and Saturday near Buffalo, an area prone to powerful winter storms.
Temperatures were expected to rise to about 10°C by Friday, the National Weather Service said.
With accumulated snow, abandoned vehicles and two-metre-high snowdrifts making the roads in Buffalo impassable, officials worked to clear storm drains while keeping an eye on a forecast calling for rain later in the week.
Erie County officials said they were preparing for the possibility of flooding and ice jams in local creeks.
Buffalo Niagara International Airport, closed for days due to the storm, reopened on Wednesday, though the airport’s website listed almost all scheduled flights had been cancelled or delayed.
US airlines have cancelled thousands of flights as the massive winter storm swept across much of the country during the Christmas holiday weekend.
Southwest, responsible for more than 80 per cent of the nation's flight cancellations, has been the most affected, while other airlines have largely recovered.
Meanwhile, dense fog plagued California’s Central Valley early on Wednesday as one winter storm left the state and another moved in.
The new storm is expected to move through Northern California late on Wednesday and overnight, followed by several rounds of precipitation through the rest of the week and into next week, the National Weather Service said.
The week’s first storm arrived late on Monday with howling winds, driving snow and drenching rain as it spread south.
By early on Wednesday, the trailing edge of that storm had largely slipped out of southern California, where the next big storm is predicted to hit on Saturday and into Sunday.
“New Year’s Eve celebrations planned for outdoors should include contingency plans,” the Los Angeles-area weather office wrote.
The long-term forecast for southern California indicates that Pasadena’s 138th Rose Parade will narrowly dodge stormy weather thanks to its tradition of holding the event on January 2 when New Year’s Day falls on a Sunday.
US winter storm — in pictures
News agencies contributed to this report
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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
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Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 13', Kroos 28')
Barcelona 1 (Mingueza 60')
Red card: Casemiro (Real Madrid)
Structural%20weaknesses%20facing%20Israel%20economy
%3Cp%3E1.%20Labour%20productivity%20is%20lower%20than%20the%20average%20of%20the%20developed%20economies%2C%20particularly%20in%20the%20non-tradable%20industries.%3Cbr%3E2.%20The%20low%20level%20of%20basic%20skills%20among%20workers%20and%20the%20high%20level%20of%20inequality%20between%20those%20with%20various%20skills.%3Cbr%3E3.%20Low%20employment%20rates%2C%20particularly%20among%20Arab%20women%20and%20Ultra-Othodox%20Jewish%20men.%3Cbr%3E4.%20A%20lack%20of%20basic%20knowledge%20required%20for%20integration%20into%20the%20labour%20force%2C%20due%20to%20the%20lack%20of%20core%20curriculum%20studies%20in%20schools%20for%20Ultra-Othodox%20Jews.%3Cbr%3E5.%20A%20need%20to%20upgrade%20and%20expand%20physical%20infrastructure%2C%20particularly%20mass%20transit%20infrastructure.%3Cbr%3E6.%20The%20poverty%20rate%20at%20more%20than%20double%20the%20OECD%20average.%3Cbr%3E7.%20Population%20growth%20of%20about%202%20per%20cent%20per%20year%2C%20compared%20to%200.6%20per%20cent%20OECD%20average%20posing%20challenge%20for%20fiscal%20policy%20and%20underpinning%20pressure%20on%20education%2C%20health%20care%2C%20welfare%20housing%20and%20physical%20infrastructure%2C%20which%20will%20increase%20in%20the%20coming%20years.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
