Hello, Today's newsletter focuses on the aftermath of the major storm that hit the United States over the weekend, with winter conditions not seen for decades and inch-thick ice bringing down trees and power lines. The storm was blamed for at least 18 deaths across multiple states. In Austin, Texas, a person died of apparent hypothermia while trying to shelter at an abandoned gas station, authorities said, while five people died in New York City from exposure to the cold, said Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who urged residents to call for help if they saw anyone in need. Before we get into more snowstorm-related news, here's a look at some top workers' rights stories that caught my eye: |
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People gather at a makeshift memorial at the site where Alex Pretti was fatally shot by federal immigration agents trying to detain him. Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. REUTERS/Tim Evans |
Almost 200 million Americans were under some form of extreme cold alert, from along the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico, forecasters said. Lubbock, Texas, had a low of minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees Celsius) on Monday, and New York City, Washington, D.C. and Boston all face single-digit temperatures through much of the week ahead. The winter storm left more than 780,000 homes and businesses without power early on Monday, from the Ohio Valley and mid-South to New England. The hardest-hit utilities included Nashville Electric Service (NES) in Tennessee, where 175,034 of 463,455 customers were without power, and Entergy, with more than 144,845 of 3.05 million U.S. customers affected, according to PowerOutage.us. The storm snarled air traffic, with more than 12,500 U.S. flights cancelled on Sunday - the most of any day since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Click here for a collection of Reuters photos showing the effects of the storm. In spite of freezing temperatures, residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota, still took to the streets to protest after American citizen Alex Pretti was fatally shot by federal immigration agents. Click here for a Reuters story on the protests. |
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It's not just America that's been affected by freezing weather. In Asia, record snow storms buried roads, blocked sidewalks and grounded flights in northern Japan's Hokkaido, leaving passengers stranded at one of its major airports. Click here for the Reuters video. Meanwhile in Europe, Storm Chandra hit Britain, bringing wet and windy conditions across southern England and Wales, while the Met Office issued a yellow warning for snow for Scotland and northern England. |
People cool off under a water mist at Circular Quay during hot weather, in Sydney, Australia. REUTERS/Flavio Brancaleone |
- Aussie heatwave: While the global north is experiencing freezing temperatures, Australia is battling a major heatwave across its southeast which stoked bushfires, forced hundreds of residents in rural towns to evacuate and brought record-breaking temperatures, with Melbourne recording its hottest day in nearly 17 years. There'll be more on this on Friday's Climate Focus. Click here for the full story.
- Aussie Invasion Day: Thousands marked Australia's national day on Monday by attending "Invasion Day" rallies in support of Indigenous Australians and calling for unity. Australia Day marks the day Britain established the state of New South Wales as a penal colony, with the arrival in Sydney of ships bringing colonists and convicts, but for many Indigenous Australians, the holiday is known as "Invasion Day" and marks the destruction of their cultures by European settlers.
- Minneapolis and activism: In keeping with the theme of activism, Reuters race correspondent Bianca Flowers interviewed Somali-American activists and volunteers fighting for their right to vote as the deployment of 3,000 federal agents — ordered by Republican President Donald Trump — has intensified accusations from Democrats and local leaders that he is targeting a politically influential community ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Click here for the full Reuters story.
- Immigration case: Boston-based District Judge Indira Talwani has blocked the Trump administration's push to terminate the legal status of more than 8,400 family members of U.S. citizens and green card holders who moved to the United States from seven Latin American countries.
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Morgan Haenchen, an associate at international law firm Haynes Boone, provides some advice for businesses to keep in mind during the U.S. winter storm: "Since Winter Storm Uri in 2021, Texas lawmakers have passed new legislation to better prepare and protect Texans from winter storms. "Authorities have confirmed that this storm will not have the same impact as Winter Storm Uri. "Any outages will likely not be due to the grid lacking in capacity or problems with generation—if there are outages, they will likely be due to ice on the lines, which will cause local outages. "Still, businesses should be prepared for possible property damage and business interruption. "Review your contracts and insurance policies to confirm what is covered and what notice is required. "Pay special attention to 'force majeure' or excuse provisions when considering what obligations are owed to your business partners. "Have a printed copy of your emergency action plan, follow those procedures, and stay in close communication with your employees. Remember: fail to plan, plan to fail." |
A 51-year-old gorilla Tony seats next to a wood stove, which heats his enclosure, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in a zoo in Kyiv, Ukraine. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich |
It's yet another spotlight on Ukraine as we shine a light on zookeepers in Kyiv who are struggling to keep animals warm while protecting them from Russian attacks. Five times a day, staff deliver firewood to a constantly burning stove to keep the gorillas' cage at 20 degrees Celsius. Russian air attacks on Ukraine's energy system in recent weeks have thrown millions of people in Kyiv and other cities into sometimes lengthy periods of darkness and cold. |
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Sustainable Switch was edited by Alexander Smith. |
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