The UK saw its heaviest snowfall for 18 years yesterday - and the severe weather is expected to continue today. THousands of schools were closed yesterday, and there was travel chaos, affecting air, rail and road routes, says Matthew Weaver, who was live-blogging about the snow for guardian.co.uk. Benjamin Williamson, an economist at the Centre for Economics and Business Research thinktank, explains how the cold snap affects the recession-hit UK economy. And Martin Wainwright reports from Leeds on how families were enjoying the snow yesterday.
Foreign affairs columnist Simon Tisdall explains why Sri Lanka has imposed a news blackout as it tightens its grip on territory formerly controlled by Tamil Tiger rebels.
And a new compilation CD - Fly Girls! B-Boys Beware: Revenge of the Super Female Rappers - celebrates the achievements of women in hiphop. Nicki Giovanni, now an acclaimed poet and academic, is credited with pioneering a rap style back in the early 1970s. She explains why she carries a tattoo in tribute to the late Tupak Shakur.
