Cold wave in north India: J-K's Sonamarg freezes at minus 8.9 degrees, light snowfall in Himachal
New Delhi (PTI): Cold wave conditions prevailed in the northern parts of the country, with the minimum temperatures plunging across Kashmir and Punjab's Amritsar shivering at a low of 1.7 degrees Celsius on Sunday.
Two men, including a truck driver, were burned to death following a multi-vehicle pileup on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway in Haryana's Nuh on Sunday morning amid dense fog, police said. The accident caused a long traffic jam and severely disrupted traffic on the expressway, they said.
In Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district, a pile-up involving at least 20 vehicles on the Delhi-Lucknow National Highway amid dense fog on Sunday morning left a person dead and at least 24 injured, police said.
Sonamarg in Jammu and Kashmir was the coldest place in the valley, recording a low of minus 8.9 degrees Celsius, officials said on Sunday. Srinagar recorded a low of minus 4.7 degrees Celsius.
The meteorological department has forecast spells of wet weather, especially in the higher reaches of the valley over the next few days.
Shopian in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 6.7 degrees Celsius, while Pahalgam recorded a minimum temperature of minus 6 degrees Celsius.
The higher hills of Himachal Pradesh saw light snowfall at isolated places. The Shimla meteorological office stated that light snowfall occurred in Lahaul and Spiti district's Koksar and Hansa villages, while the weather remained dry in most parts of the state.
Cold wave was also witnessed in Hamirpur, Una and Mandi, which recorded 2.1, 2.7 and 3.9 degrees Celsius, respectively.
The weather office has also predicted that light snowfall will continue to occur in the higher reaches of the state till January 20, while the weather in the rest of the state will continue to remain dry.
Amritsar, which recorded the lowest temperature in Punjab, shivered at a low of 1.7 degrees Celsius as biting cold intensified in parts of the state and neighbouring Haryana.
In Hoshiarpur, the minimum temperature was recorded at 3.4 degrees Celsius.
Chandigarh, the common capital of Punjab and Haryana, also experienced a cold night at 5.5 degrees, two notches below normal.
Patiala and Faridkot in Punjab recorded identical minimum temperatures of 5.4 degrees Celsius. Ludhiana recorded a low of 6.4 degrees Celsius, Gurdaspur 5.8 degrees Celsius, while Bathinda registered a minimum of 7 degrees Celsius.
Delhi was enveloped by a dense fog on Sunday morning, with the minimum temperature settling at 5.3 degrees Celsius, 2.3 notches below the season's average.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) also placed the city under a 'yellow alert', warning of dense fog at many isolated places till forenoon.
Safdarjung recorded a minimum temperature of 5.3 degrees Celsius, Palam 8 degrees Celsius, Lodhi Road 6.8 degrees Celsius, the Ridge 7.2 degrees Celsius and Ayanagar 7 degrees Celsius, the IMD data showed.
In Haryana, Narnaul recorded a low of 5.2 degrees Celsius, while Gurugram's minimum temperature settled at 5.6 degrees Celsius. Ambala recorded a low of 6.8 degrees, while Rohtak saw its minimum temperature drop to 7 degrees Celsius.
Cold wave conditions also gripped parts of Jharkhand, as the mercury dipped below 10 degrees Celsius in 11 districts, the IMD said.
Gumla recorded the lowest temperature in the state at 3.1 degrees Celsius, followed by Khunti at 3.9 degrees Celsius, and Palamu at 4.7 degrees Celsius, it said.
State capital Ranchi registered a minimum temperature of 6.6 degrees Celsius, Chaibasa 8.2 degrees Celsius and Jamshedpur 9.6 degrees Celsius, the IMD said in a bulletin.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
US VP JD Vance says Lebanon not part of ceasefire, calls it ‘misunderstanding’
Budapest/Washington: US Vice President J D Vance has said that Lebanon was never included in the ceasefire understanding with Iran, describing the confusion as a “legitimate misunderstanding”.
Speaking to reporters before departing from Hungary, Vance said, “I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn’t. We never made that promise.”
He stressed that the United States had not included Lebanon in the scope of the ceasefire at any stage.
His remarks come amid continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon, where more than 200 people were reported killed, even as ceasefire talks between Iran and the US move forward.
Vance said Israel had “offered … to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful”.
He warned that if Iran allows the situation in Lebanon to affect the negotiations, it could derail the talks.
“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that’s ultimately their choice,” he said.
