From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Rescue crews in Istanbul and Athens dug through snow and ice Tuesday to clear paralyzed roads and rescue people stranded overnight in their cars after snowstorms and a massive cold front brought much of Turkey and Greece to a standstill. Two storm-related deaths were reported.
Highways and roads in Istanbul became clogged Monday after the storm pounded the city of 16 million that straddles Europe and Asia -- dropping more than 80 centimetres (31 inches) of snow in some areas. Stranded motorists spent the night in their cars, abandoned their vehicles to walk home or crowded subways and other limited public transportation.
All highways and main roads in Istanbul were reopened by Tuesday afternoon, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoglu announced on Twitter, while Istanbul Gov. Ali Yerlikaya said restrictions on vehicles travelling into Istanbul were lifted.
Authorities also cleared a runway at Istanbul Airport on Tuesday, allowing limited flights to resume. Flights were suspended on Monday for safety reasons at the airport, where the roof of a cargo facility collapsed from the weight of the snow. Istanbul's second airport, Sabiha Gokcen, was also operating limited services.
Hundreds of passengers stranded at Istanbul Airport -- a key travel hub -- shouted "We need (a) hotel!" to protest their ordeal, the Cumhuriyet newspaper reported, and airport police were called in.
Huand Mahperi, who posted a video of the protest on Twitter, said the outcry came Tuesday morning after passengers were given conflicting information and were told that Turkish Airlines flights had been cancelled until midnight.
In Athens, rescue crews freed up to 300 drivers trapped on a major highway that connects the Greek capital with the city's international airport.
Drivers there had abandoned their cars and walked home. Others had trekked to a nearby train station, jumping over barriers to reach the platform after spending the night in their cars. Train service had been suspended, but a train was sent Tuesday to pick stragglers up.
The army was sent out overnight to deliver food and water to those trapped and to help free as many as possible. Officials said each trapped driver would receive 2,000 euros (US$2,265) in compensation, which the highway administration accepted.
"It was a very difficult night and we faced unprecedented conditions," Civil Protection and Climate Change Minister Christos Stylianides said. "I want to again express an apology from the state for all the difficulties that the (stranded) drivers faced."
By Tuesday, the heavy snowfall had mostly stopped but many streets in Athens remained blocked by fallen trees and several northern neighbourhoods were without power. Authorities had ordered all but essential businesses shut on Tuesday, and have extended that for Wednesday in the wider Athens area and several other regions.
In the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, police said a homeless man who had been sleeping outdoors was found dead Tuesday. Local authorities said the 60-year-old had refused to relocate to a shelter.
In Turkey, authorities recovered the body of a 34-year-old who is believed to have died in heavy snowfall while trying to reach his village in Amasya province, 326 kilometres (202 miles) northwest of Ankara, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the snowfall around Istanbul would continue until Thursday and urged people not to venture out in private cars unless necessary. He said many of the stranded vehicles did not have snow tires.
"Nothing is moving. The snow plows can't even reach us," Ahmet Odabasi, 40, one of thousands who stranded overnight on a highway west of Istanbul, told The Associated Press.
The snowstorm, complete with thunder and lightning, hit the Athens area late Monday morning, the second year in a row that Greece has experienced a freak snowstorm.
The severe weather also brought rare snowfall to vacation resorts in Turkey's southwest region, including Bodrum and Datca, with snow and slippery conditions blocking a highway linking the provinces of Mugla and Denizli. Antalya city center, on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, saw its first snowfall in 29 years, the private NTV television reported.
Authorities in Istanbul suspended intercity bus services Monday and blocked travel to the city from Turkey's northwestern Thrace region. Civil servants were given leave until Thursday, except for those employed in security, health and transportation sectors. Schools across Turkey were already closed for a winter break and universities decided to close until Jan. 31.
The mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, said the city provided shelter to around 1,500 homeless people. He said he hoped the snow would fill dams and bring relief to the parched region.
The Balkans was also gripped by freezing weather, with temperatures dropping way below freezing in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Croatia.
Montenegrin authorities said a record national low temperature was confirmed in the northern village of Kosanica, which plunged to minus 33.2 C (minus 27.7 F). In Bosnia, ice formed on the Miljacka River after a minus 15 C (5 F) temperature was recorded in the capital of Sarajevo on Tuesday.
------
Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece. Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Derek Gatopoulos in Athens, Costas Kantouris in Thessaloniki, Nadia Ahmed in London and Jovana Gec in Belgrade, Serbia, contributed to this report
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Careful attention to government statements and legislation is required to get a handle on the level of risk British Columbians’ information is under, as investigators probe multiple breaches under a continued barrage of attacks.
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Hailey and Justin Bieber are going to be parents. The couple announced the news on Thursday on Instagram, both sharing a video that showcases Hailey Bieber's growing belly.
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
The Oscar-winning team behind the nearly US$6 billion blockbuster 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' trilogies is reuniting to produce two new films.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
A P.E.I. lighthouse and a New Brunswick river are being honoured in a Canada Post series.
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.