Major snowstorm slams northeastern US

Major snowstorm slams northeastern US

WASHINGTON: Snow blanketed much of the northeastern United States Tuesday, grounding thousands of flights and causing chaos on the roads as forecasters warned that a brutal cold spell was on its way.

Downtown Washington fell eerily silent after the federal government, seeing the swift-moving storm approaching, closed its doors and told civil servants -- who already had the day off Monday for the Martin Luther King holiday -- to stay home.

Many offices and schools followed suit, as 20 mile (32 kilometer) per hour winds whipped through the US capital´s unusually quiet streets.

Washington´s Metro public transit system reported half as many riders as on a typical weekday, and business was so slow that many restaurants used Twitter to woo customers with bargain-priced drinks while others offered customers 2-for-1 deals. The "storm system will strengthen overnight in the Atlantic waters off the East Coast, spreading heavy snow and strong wind into coastal sections of New England and the Northeast," the National Weather Service said.

"Blizzard conditions are possible in eastern Massachusetts," it added.

Meanwhile, temperatures across the eastern part of the country will be 10 to 25 degrees below average, amid "bitter wind chills," it warned.

FlightAware, a website that monitors air traffic in real time, said nearly 3,000 flights into, out of or within the United States had been canceled Tuesday.

The lion´s share of affected flights involved busy airports in the New York, Philadelphia and Washington areas.

Seven inches (18 centimeters) of snow had fallen at Washington´s Dulles International Airport while some 11 inches were reported at the Philadelphia International Airport, according to AccuWeather, a private forecasting service.

Accumulations of six to 12 inches were expected over the mid-Atlantic to southeastern New England, it said.

National rail company Amtrak said it would operate "a modified schedule" Wednesday on its Northeast Corridor line between Washington and Boston, as well as on two other routes in the hard-hit region.

In New York, a storm alert remained in effect until 6:00 am (1100 GMT) Wednesday with as much as a foot (30 centimeters) forecast for the metropolitan region.

States of emergency were declared there, as well as in New Jersey and Delaware, according to CNN.

More than 1,700 plows were to be mobilized in New York Tuesday night to clear up to 10 inches of snow, it reported.

"For your safety and the safety of emergency responders, motorists are strongly urged to avoid unnecessary travel at this time," the New York State Department of Transportation said.

Across the Hudson River, New Jersey went ahead with its mid-day inauguration ceremony for re-elected governor Chris Christie, who is battling allegations he used his office to bully political foes.

But an evening gala on historic Ellis Island in New York Harbor to mark the start of his new term in office was scrapped due to the storm.

Schools across the Northeast either closed for the day or told parents to expect their youngsters to be dismissed from class earlier than usual. Closures in many areas were extended through Wednesday. Meanwhile, courthouses called off proceedings in the afternoon.

What the National Weather Service called a "fast moving but potent" snowstorm had earlier dumped seven inches of snow on airports in the Chicago area, before temperatures fell to the freezing level.

Lyari gangster Behram killed in Karachi operation

Lyari gangster Behram killed in Karachi operation

KARACHI: Behram, a notorious gangster, affiliated with the a Lyari gang was killed in an operation jointly conducted by the paramilitary Rangers and the police, Media reported Wednesday.

 

Police said the accused was associated with Wasiullah Lakhu group, one of the gangs operating in Lyari.

 

The police said that the accused was involved in various crimes.

Three day polio campaign kicks off

Three day polio campaign kicks off

BAHAWALPUR: A three day national polio campaign started here today. According to the sources of Health Department, more than 545 000 children up to 5 years of age would be administered polio vaccine.

 

Some 1,284 teams have been constituted for this purpose in the district. Total 1,019 mobile teams will make door to door visits and 145 fixed teams would administer polio vaccine at hospitals’ basic health units, rural health centers, general bus stand, railway station and toll plazas.

Mukhtar Mai incident inspires New York opera

Mukhtar Mai incident inspires New York opera

NEW YORK: To those who complain that opera is an elitist indulgence served up to snobs in dinner jackets, New York´s latest world premiere may come as something of a shock.

 

Inspired by the horrific gang rape of illiterate Pakistani woman Mukhtar Mai on orders of a village council, "Thumbprint" is a $150,000 production currently having an eight-night run in a basement theater in Manhattan.

 

One of the most infamous sex crimes against women in South Asia, Mai´s 2002 rape, survival and metamorphosis into an international rights icon is as far removed from opera-house pomp as possible.It may have earned a less-than-glowing review from The New York Times -- "muted," "not quite enough" -- but the score is an alluring blend of South Asian and Western music, and the production starkly innovative.

 

With a simple backcloth doubling up as a film projection screen, a few chairs and charpoys, the simple but powerful staging evokes the heat, the dust and the traditions of a Pakistani village.

 

Mai, now in her 40s, was raped to avenge her 12-year-old brother´s alleged impropriety with a woman from a rival clan.Six men were sentenced to death for her rape in a landmark ruling. But five were later acquitted and the main culprit had his sentence reduced to life imprisonment: facts the opera omits.

 

Mai´s story has fresh resonance since the brutal gang rape of a student on a New Delhi bus and her death a little over a year ago sparked international outrage about the levels of violence against women in India."It´s inspiring," said the opera´s Indian-American composer Kamala Sankaram, who also sings the lead role.

 

"This is a person who was completely illiterate and knew nothing of her rights and the laws of her country and yet she had the courage to step out," she told AFP.

 

There is no staged recreation of the rape, which is instead portrayed by muffled shrieks of terror interspersed with a knife slashing open bags of sand.

 

Sankaram worked to recreate Mai´s world by combining Hindustani music, Western composition, qawwali and Bollywood."I am a sitar player as well as being a Western musician so I wanted to bring in elements of traditional culture but still keep it something acceptable to Western listeners," she said.

 

Pakistan may be thousands of miles from New York but playwright and novelist Susan Yankowitz, who wrote the libretto, says the opera is about courage and universal vulnerability of women.

 

"The main question that is repeated throughout the opera is where did you find your courage... In a dry season, someone must be the first drop of rain," Yankowitz told AFP.

 

"The courage is to be the first drop of rain and that´s what I hope people will take away from it and inspire people to take some action they would otherwise not have the courage to do."

 

Compared to the majesty of New York´s Metropolitan Opera House a couple of miles up the road, "Thumbprint" is a tiny production with a six-person chamber orchestra and cast of just six singers.Shown as part of a small chamber music opera festival in its second year, tickets cost just $25 for the 90-minute production, which organizers hope will eventually tour India and Pakistan.

 

Unable to find a suitable sarangi player, Sankaram´s score has been written for flute, violin, viola, piano (with harmonium on the side), and a brilliant double bass and percussionist.

 

Most of the singers perform more than one part and the Baruch Performing Arts Center seats just 170 people.The run ends Saturday, but it´s unclear what Mai makes of it all.

 

Since the attack, she has set up a school for girls and won prominence in the West for her outspoken stance on the oppression of women.Manu Narayan, the Broadway star who has won rave reviews as an all-too-realistic unrepentant rapist, welcomed the opera and the Prototype opera festival as a vital platform for young composers.Bankruptcy forced New York City Opera to close last year.

 

Some artists and musicians complain that original culture in New York City is being priced out of the metropolis by big business."I think the music´s spectacular," Narayan told AFP.

 

"This festival is so wonderful. It really creates a very focused platform for new works and great stories that need to be told, and the story of Mukhtar Mai is one of the prime examples." (AFP)

Oil prices down in Asian trade

Oil prices down in Asian trade

SINGAPORE: Crude prices dipped in Asian trade Tuesday on easing supply concerns as a landmark deal to curb oil-rich Iran´s disputed nuclear programme came into force.

 

The US benchmark contract, West Texas Intermediate for delivery in February, was down 48 cents to $93.89 a barrel in mid-morning Asian trade and Brent crude for March eased five cents to $106.30.

Pakistan players return home after leveling series against SL

Pakistan players return home after leveling series against SL

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket team players reached Lahore after leveling 3-match Test series against Sri Lanka in UAE on Tuesday, Media reported.

 

Those who returned include Misbahul Haq, Muhammad Hafeez, Muhammad Talha, Azhar Ali, Abudur Rehman, Ahmed Shehzad, Azhar Ali and Rahat Ali.

 

Speaking to media, Misbahul Haq said that he was happy to win the historic match against Sri Lanka as it was too crucial. He lauded team’s performance during the series.

 

He refused to comment when journalists asked about his views on Zaka Ashraf’s return as Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman.