Spain shovels out of snow left by Filomena

MADRID Emergency crews in central Spain cleared 500 roads and rescued over 1,500 people stranded in their vehicles, allowing Madrid and other areas on Sunday to slowly shovel out of the country’s worst snowstorm in recent memory.

After recording 50 centimetres of snow in the Spanish capital between Friday night and Saturday, Madrid and a large swathe of the country remained impassable Sunday, with roads, rail lines and air travel disrupted by Storm Filomena. The blizzard has been blamed for four deaths.

Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos said by Sunday crews had cleared two runways at

Madrid’s Adolfo Suárez Madridbarajas International Airport and, weather permitting, service would slowly return sometime between Sunday evening and Monday.

Trains traversing the capital gradually came back online Sunday afternoon, but Ábalos said the important high-speed line linking Madrid with Barcelona remained out of operation.

More than 150 roads were still impassable Sunday. Authorities said all trips by car should be postponed and tire chains were obligatory for journeys that couldn’t be avoided. They said all people trapped in their cars by the snow had been rescued but hundreds of cars needed to be recovered after being abandoned by drivers.

SAN FRANCISCO: The Consumer Electronics Show, known for crowds, sensory-overload, and deal-making, is relying on technology it has long hawked to put pizzazz into its first virtual event, kicking off Monday.

The deadly pandemic that has derailed in-person conferences around the world during the past year forced the Consumer Technology Association to follow suit with an online version of the annual gathering in Las Vegas. “CES is one of the most experiential events in the world, where attendees can actually see and touch and experience the latest innovations,” CTA spokeswoman Jean Foster said during a