A massive winter storm headed towards the northeast United States on Sunday after sweeping across much of the country, threatening tens of millions of Americans with blackouts, transportation chaos and bone-chilling cold.After battering the country’s southwest and central areas, the storm system began to hit the heavily populated mid-Atlantic and northeastern states with snow and freezing rain as a frigid air mass settled in across the nation.”The snow/sleet impacts will linger well into next week with rounds of re-freezing that keeps surfaces icy and dangerous to both drive and walk on for the foreseeable future,” the National Weather Service (NWS) said.Snowfall was reported across the central United States, including Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri, where some spots already recorded eight inches (20 centimeters) on the ground by Saturday night, the NWS said.Shoppers stripped supermarket shelves as the weather service forecast huge snowfall in some areas and possibly “catastrophic” ice accumulations.Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that up to 240 million Americans could be affected by the storm.At least 20 states and the US capital Washington have declared states of emergency.”Take this storm seriously, folks,” the NWS said on X, predicting an “astonishingly long swath” of snowfall from Colorado to Maine.About 14,000 flights in and out of the United States had been canceled over the weekend, with thousands more delayed, according to tracker FlightAware.In Dallas, which has typically mild temperatures in January, freezing rain pelted the Texas city and the mercury plummeted to 21F (-6C).State officials vowed that the Texas power grid was in better shape than five years ago, when it failed during a deadly winter storm and left millions without power.More than 180,000 US customers were without power as of early Sunday morning, according to tracking site poweroutage.us, with about 45,000 reported in Texas and about 67,000 in neighboring Louisiana.Speaking at the Washington headquarters of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem urged Americans impacted by the weather to “be smart, stay home if possible, take care of your family members, check on your neighbors and continue to work with your local officials.”US President Donald Trump, who was riding out the storm at the White House, said on his Truth Social platform: “We will continue to monitor, and stay in touch with all States in the path of this storm. Stay Safe, and Stay Warm!”- Polar vortex -The brutal storm system is the result of a stretched polar vortex, an Arctic region of cold, low-pressure air that normally forms a relatively compact, circular system but sometimes morphs into a more oval shape, sending cold air spilling across North America.Scientists say the increasing frequency of such disruptions of the polar vortex may be linked to climate change, though the debate is not settled and natural variability plays a role.But Trump — who scoffs at climate change science and has rolled back green energy policies — questioned how the cold front fit into broader climate shifts.”WHATEVER HAPPENED TO GLOBAL WARMING???” the Republican leader posted on Truth Social.The NWS warned that heavy ice could cause “long-duration power outages, extensive tree damage, and extremely dangerous or impassable travel conditions,” including in many states less accustomed to intense winter weather.- ‘Five or six minutes’ -New York Governor Kathy Hochul warned residents to stay inside amid frigid conditions: “Five or six minutes outside could literally be dangerous for your health.”She stressed precautions like protecting pipes, using heaters safely, and checking on vulnerable neighbors.Authorities warned of life-threatening cold that could last a week post-storm, especially in the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest, where wind chill lows were forecast to dip to extremes under -50F (-45C).Such temperatures can cause frostbite within minutes. 

In a coffee shop in Greenland’s capital Nuuk, Lykke Lynge looked fondly at her four kids as they sipped their hot chocolate, seemingly oblivious to the world’s convulsions.Since Donald Trump returned to the White House last year with a renewed ambition to seize Greenland, international politics has intruded into the Arctic island’s households. Dictated by the more or less threatening pronouncements of the US president, it has been an unsettling experience for some people here — but everyone is trying to reassure their children.Lynge, a 42-year-old lawyer, relied on her Christian faith. “There’s a lot of turmoil in the world,” she said. “But even if we love our country, we have even higher values that allow us to sleep soundly and not be afraid,” she said.As early as January 27, 2025, one week after Donald Trump’s inauguration, the Greenlandic authorities published a guide entitled “How to talk to children in times of uncertainty?””When somebody says they will come to take our country or they will bomb us or something, then of course children will get very scared because they cannot navigate for themselves in all this news,” said Tina Dam, chief programme officer for Unicef in the Danish territory.- Unanswerable questions -This guide — to which the UN agency for children contributed — recommends parents remain calm and open, listen to their children and be sensitive to their feelings, and limit their own news consumption. As in many parts of the world, social media, particularly TikTok, has become the primary source of information for young people.Today, children have access to a lot of information not meant for them, said Dam — “and definitely not appropriate for their age”, she added.”So that’s why we need to be aware of that as adults and be protective about our children and be able to talk with our children about the things they hear — because the rhetoric is quite aggressive.”But reassuring children is difficult when you do not have the answers to many of the questions yourself.Arnakkuluk Jo Kleist, a 41-year-old consultant, said she talked a lot with her 13-year-old daughter, Manumina. The teenager is also immersed in TikTok videos but “doesn’t seem very nervous, luckily, as much as maybe we are”, she added.”Sometimes there are questions she’s asking — about what if this happens — that I don’t have any answers to” — because no one actually has the answer to such questions, she said.- ‘Dear Donald Trump’ -The Arctic territory’s Inuit culture also helped, said Kleist.”We have a history and we have conditions in our country where sometimes things happen and we are used to being in situations that are out of our control,” said Kleist.”We try to adapt to it and say, well, what can I do in this situation?”Some Greenlandic children and teenagers are also using social media to get their message out to the world.Seven-year-old Marley and his 14-year-old sister Mila were behind a viral video viewed more than two million times on Instagram — the equivalent of 35 times the population of Greenland.Serious in subject but lighthearted in tone, the boy addresses the American president.”Dear Donald Trump, I have a message for you: you are making Greenlandic kids scared.”Accompanied by hard stares, some serious finger-wagging and mostly straight faces, he and his sister go on to tell Trump: “Greenland is not for sale.””It’s a way to cope,” his mother, Paninnguaq Heilmann-Sigurdsen, told AFP of the video. “It’s kid-friendly, but also serious.”I think it’s a balance between this is very serious, but also, this is with kids.”

An American climber took on Taiwan’s tallest building on Sunday, becoming the first person to scale Taipei 101 without a rope, harness or safety net.Hundreds of spectators gathered at the base of the 101-storey tower to watch Alex Honnold, 40, embark on his daredevil feat, which was also broadcast live on Netflix.After an hour and a half, he successfully made it up 1,667 feet (508 metres) before triumphantly rappelling down to reunite with his wife, Sanni McCandless Honnold. Speaking at a press briefing afterwards, Honnold said “time is finite”, and people should “use it in the best way”.”If you work really hard… you can do hard things,” Honnold added.Honnold has conquered some of the world’s most intimidating rock faces and rose to global fame in 2017 after he climbed Yosemite’s “El Capitan”, lauded among his peers as the pinnacle of technical difficulty on the massive granite monolith.It had always been a dream of Honnold’s to add scaling Taipei 101 to his list of achievements he told reporters, adding that his first request had been rejected. He did not offer more details about why this was the case.”For the project to come together more than a decade later… It’s so great. What an opportunity, it is such a pleasure,” he added.Honnold is the first person to free solo climb Taipei 101, without a rope, harness, or safety net, but not the first to reach its peak.In 2004, Alain Robert, dubbed “the French Spiderman,” was the first to take on the challenge, but used safety ropes because of the rainy conditions.Sunday’s spectacle drew crowds of hundreds, with onlooker Richard Bode, 34, calling the event a “once-in-a-lifetime experience.”Benson, 24, told AFP that Honnold was “incredibly brave”, while others, like Lin Chia-jou, 54, said it was “terrifying” to watch.Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te congratulated Honnold in a Facebook post on Sunday, branding the challenge “truly moving”.”The climb was tense, setting hearts racing,” he added in the post.- Daring feat -The event, titled “Skyscraper Live”, was scheduled to be broadcast on Netflix on Saturday (0100 GMT), but it was postponed due to bad weather.Dressed in a red T-shirt and yellow custom-made climbing shoes, Honnold moved up the southeast face of the glass and steel building swiftly on Sunday when better weather permitted the climb.At one point, he stepped onto a platform midway up to wave down at fans and onlookers who were taking photos.People watching from inside the building could be seen gawking and tapping at the glass, as Honnold moved past the enclosed observation deck on the 89th floor.Taipei 101 chairwoman Janet Chia said on Saturday on Threads that it was touching to hear that fans had travelled from Singapore, Hong Kong and southern Taiwan to watch the climb and apologised for the delay in the event.

The killing of a US citizen by federal immigration agents on Saturday — the second in Minneapolis this month — sparked new protests and impassioned demands by local leaders for the Trump administration to end its operation in the city.Federal agents shot dead Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, while scuffling with him on an icy roadway, less than three weeks after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and killed Renee Good, also 37, in her car.The Trump administration quickly claimed, as it did after Good’s death, that Pretti had intended to harm the federal agents, even as video of the incident appeared to contradict their account.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) pointed to a pistol and ammunition it said was discovered on Pretti.”He was there to perpetuate violence,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told a briefing, while White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller referred to Pretti as an “assassin,” in a post amplified on X by Vice President JD Vance.However, as with Good’s death, cell phone footage of the incident raised serious questions about the federal government’s description of the incident.Video aired widely by US media, which AFP has not verified, shows Pretti filming agents in the snow-lined street and directing traffic.After an agent shoves a woman protester to the ground on the sidewalk, Pretti steps in between them and is sprayed in the face by a chemical irritant.The agent then pulls Pretti to the ground and several officers struggle to detain him on the icy roadway.Seconds later, as an officer apparently discovers and pulls a gun from Pretti’s pants, agents open fire, also shooting his motionless body several times from a distance.Pretti’s parents in a statement circulated by US media called him a “kindhearted soul” and accused the Trump administration of telling “sickening lies” about their son.Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called the shooting “horrific” and demanded state authorities lead the investigation.”The federal government cannot be trusted to lead this investigation. The state will handle it, period,” Walz told a news conference.Federal authorities controversially blocked local investigators from jointly probing Good’s death.One Senate Republican on Saturday called for a joint investigation into the shooting.”The events in Minneapolis are incredibly disturbing. The credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake,” Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, wrote on X.”There must be a full joint federal and state investigation. We can trust the American people with the truth.”- ‘Insurrection’ -Republican President Donald Trump meanwhile ratcheted up his war of words with Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, accusing the Democratic leaders of “inciting insurrection” with their rhetoric.Trump had previously threatened to send troops to Minnesota by invoking the Insurrection Act.As the president presses a sweeping campaign to deport undocumented migrants, thousands of ICE agents have been deployed to the Democratic-led city.Public outrage was also rekindled earlier this week by the detention of a five-year-old boy as federal agents sought to arrest his father.Frey at a news conference urged Trump to end the federal immigration operation, which has sparked sometimes violent demonstrations.”This is a moment to act like a leader. Put Minneapolis, put America first in this moment — let’s achieve peace. Let’s end this operation.”Police Chief Brian O’Hara said an “incredibly volatile scene” erupted after the shooting as protesters arrived, with local officials unable to secure the scene for investigation.O’Hara told a later briefing that Minnesota National Guard troops would help secure a vehicle exclusion zone set up around the site.Local resident Maria, 56, told AFP the situation in the city was “escalating.””They’re attacking and terrorizing our communities right now.”Hundreds of protesters gathered in a park in Minneapolis Saturday evening, despite bitterly cold temperatures in the northern US city.The shooting comes a day after tens of thousands of people braved the cold to gather in downtown Minneapolis to voice opposition to the federal operation.- 2nd Amendment -O’Hara said police believed the victim did not have any serious criminal background and was a “lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.”Some gun rights advocates — often staunch supporters of the president — have raised concerns after the Trump administration quickly linked Pretti’s legal gun possession to an intent to do mass harm.The Gun Owners of America (GOA) condemned a statement by Bill Essayli, a federal prosecutor in California, who had said on X: “If you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you.””The Second Amendment protects Americans’ right to bear arms while protesting — a right the federal government must not infringe upon,” GOA said in a statement.