The coldest, most dangerous blast of polar air in decades has gripped the US midwest and pushed toward the east and south and eastern Canada.

Five people are reported to have died of carbon monoxide poisoning in Canada, as thousands of homes are still without power following last weekend’s ice storm.

Meter mechanic in a slot of bother

Cobh-headquartered operational improvement consultancy the Leading Edge Group is anticipating revenue growth of 50% this year, to around €1 million, chiefly on the back of significant business growth in North America.

TOPLIGHT-AER LINGUS AGREE TO SKIING DEAL

The full measure of Hurricane Irene's fury came into focus as the death toll passed 44, while towns in the northern US region of New England battled epic floods and millions were still without electricity.

NEW YORK CITY was slowly getting back to business as usual after Hurricane Irene, but hundreds of thousands of people who normally travel in from the surrounding area faced a tortuous commute as flooding knocked out transit routes.

No longer a hurricane, Irene spent the last of its fury and sloshed its way into Canada early today, inflicting relatively little damage to New York but leaving a trail of treacherous flooding and millions without power along America’s east coast.

THE US north-east began yesterday to shake off the grip of one of the biggest blizzards in years, but beleaguered travellers faced another day of headaches in New York airports.

MILLIONS of Christmas travellers were caught in the wintry grip of a massive blizzard yesterday that brought chaos to air, road and train transit across the eastern United States.

Tropical storm Earl is heading for eastern Canada.

The US government’s star witness at former media mogul Conrad Black’s fraud trial testified that he consulted Black on every business deal he made on behalf of the Hollinger newspaper empire.

A businessman who steered Conrad Black’s Hollinger newspaper empire through a storm of lawsuits and investigations told a court that the former media mogul “was very knowledgeable” about the finances of the company he is accused of swindling out of £44m (€65m).

MOST of the leaves have now gone from the deciduous trees in the wood.

The Sinn Féin Mayor of Monaghan today said he hoped to visit Canada before his term in office ends, despite being refused entry to the country.

THOUSANDS of sealers armed with clubs, rifles and spears have descended on the ice floes off eastern Canada for the world’s largest seal hunt.

Thousands of sealers armed with clubs, rifles and spears have descended on the ice floes off eastern Canada for the world’s largest seal hunt.

America’s worst blackout should have been contained by operators at Ohio’s FirstEnergy firm, a three-month US and Canadian investigation has concluded.

A man who shoved a plate of whipped cream in the face of Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien has been jailed for 30 days .