The second major snowstorm in less than a week lashed the East Coast from Washington to New York today, forcing federal and local government agencies, the United Nations and schools to close.

Cities across the Northeast ground to a halt as the US National Weather Service predicted blizzard conditions up the coast with up to 41 centimetres in New York City, up to 56 cm in Philadelphia and 30.5 cm in Washington. Hundreds of flights were canceled in the three cities and airlines relaxed ticket policies to allow passengers to change their plans without penalty, moves that could cloud the outlook for an industry already hard hit by the battered economy.

The United Nations said its New York headquarters would be closed on Wednesday due to the storm.

While government offices in Washington were also closed for the third straight day — at a cost of some $100 million in lost productivity per day — President Barack Obama was trying to maintain his schedule with a meeting with black leaders to discuss the economy and jobs.

Violence in Mogadishu killed at least 24 people today, and thousands of Somalis fled the capital fearing a government offensive against rebels.

Hardline Islamist insurgents fired mortar shells at the Villa Somalia presidential palace, prompting African Union (AU) guards to respond with a deafening barrage of artillery.

At least 16 people died in the bombardment, medical officials said.

The failed Horn of Africa state has had no effective central government for 19 years and the UN-backed administration of President Sheikh Ahmed Sharif controls just parts of the city.

“The death toll may rise because we have not yet reached some of the districts where shells also landed,” Ali Muse, coordinator of the city’s ambulance service, told Reuters.

A nurse at Medina Hospital said at least 40 wounded people had been rushed there, five of whom died of their injuries.

Between police

Separately, a gunbattle after an argument between police and soldiers at the Mogadishu police academy killed eight people.

Witnesses said at least one civilian also died in the crossfire. Western security agencies say Somalia has become a safe haven for militants, including foreign jihadists, who use it to plot attacks across the region and beyond. Fighting there has killed at least 21,000 people since the start of 2007.

Witnesses said thousands of residents were leaving the bomb-shattered capital, fearing the start of a government offensive that has been threatened for weeks. Farhiya Ismael, a mother-of-six, fled north Mogadishu’s Livestock Market district for nearby Elasha two days ago.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko launched action today to call rival Viktor Yanukovich’s election into question, ignoring international endorsement of the poll and threatening a lengthy legal battle.

Her refusal to accept the result of Sunday’s presidential poll kept political tension high and could deny the former Soviet republic, battered by economic crisis, a swift return to stability.

Fiery premier

But there was no sign of people taking to the streets in support of the fiery premier, co-architect of the Orange Revolution that overturned Yanukovich’s victory in a rigged election in 2004.

Her supporters in parliament announced organized action to try to prove “cynical” fraud by the Yanukovich camp.

But there was also some unease among her supporters over the challenge, which flew in the face of international monitors. Some Tymoshenko loyalists privately expressed doubts they could prove a case of fraud against the Yanukovich camp.

Observers on Monday hailed the election as an “impressive display” of democracy and urged her to shake hands with Mr Yanukovich.
Russia and the United States added their weight to international recognition of the election.

Kremlin chief Dmitry Medvedev sent congratulations to Yanukovich and the US Embassy in Kiev endorsed the vote as a step “in the consolidation of Ukraine’s democracy.” Tymoshenko lawmaker Andriy Shkil said they would contest the  count. “Under question is the validity of votes at over 1,000 polling stations,” he said in parliament.