Radio România Internațional

Tag: cold snap

  • Another week of winter in Romania

    Another week of winter in Romania

    In mid March, Romania has again fallen prey to the whims of weather, as temperatures have dropped dramatically as of Saturday, by 10-15 degrees Celsius, way under the normal average this time of the year. Weather experts say that the bad weather will stay the whole week and have warned that, after the yellow warning for heavy rain, wind and low temperatures in place for the eastern half of Romania, rain will gradually turn into drizzle and snow.



    The freezing rain, which has affected Romania every winter in the past years, has produced glaze ice on roads and railways, hampering traffic. Several sectors of national road have been closed because of the glaze. Problems were also reported at the Henri Coanda National Airport, where the freezing rain didn’t allow planes to take off for more than three hours. Airplanes were kept on the ground as defrosting operations were hampered by the extremely aggressive freezing rain, which would cover the planes in ice again in a matter of minutes, making it impossible for them to take off.



    According to the Bucharest Airports Company, the runways were treated with anti-freezing substances, so landing was safe. Railway traffic has also been hampered and trains have been delayed for hours, especially in the south, because the contact wires were covered in glaze, and many electrical engines could not be used.



    The National Road Infrastructure Administration has announced that one thousand special vehicles have been used to spread non-slip substances in order to ensure normal traffic on the road sectors affected by the bad weather. Most problems have been reported in the north of the country, where it has been snowing heavily and the roads have been covered in a thick layer of snow, which could not be removed because of the wind.



    Glaze ice has also affected the capital Bucharest, covering cars, trees, sidewalks and the roads. Hydrologists have issued yellow and orange alerts for flooding, including on the Danube, and have warned that the situation will get even more complicated when temperatures start going up again.

  • Siberian cold snap sweeps Romania

    Siberian cold snap sweeps Romania

    From Russia to Great Britain, Europe is shivering. The cold snap that has taken the continent in its grip on the last days of winter, dubbed “Beast from the East”, does not seem to recede. Temperatures plunged to minus 18 degrees Celsius in France, where such low real feel temperatures haven’t been registered since 2005. In neighbouring Belgium, homeless people can be detained overnight if they refuse shelter, as extremely low temperatures grip the country, and in the Italian capital city, Rome, streets have been covered by a thin layer of snow for the first time over the past six years.



    Its also been reported that the Danube has frozen over along some stretches, a code red alert has been declared in Bulgaria, in two regions close to the border with Greece, and -quite surprisingly- it has snowed on the Adriatic Sea Coast, which is a rare phenomenon. Longer periods of snow have affected eastern parts of the UK and disrupted traffic in Sweden, where the car carrying Prime Minister Stefan Löfven himself was involved in a road accident in hazardous weather conditions. The Siberian cold snap sweeping Europe has already taken a toll of 10 lives, with Romania being included on this list.



    A code yellow or orange alert against heavy snowfall and blizzard was issued on Tuesday, for the second day in a row, for Bucharest as well as the counties in southern and eastern Romania. For most part of the Romanian territory, meteorologists have issued a code orange alert against frost, with daily maximum temperatures being expected to reach minus 8 degrees Celsius. This is the reason why schools are still closed in Bucharest and 10 other counties. Two motorways and tens of national and county roads have been closed because of blizzard, and tens of trains have been cancelled. Trains reported delays of up to 120 minutes at the North Railway Station in Bucharest (Gara de Nord). Ports on the Black Sea and the Danube have been closed. Ferry border crossings points between Romania and Bulgaria have been closed because of gale-force wind.



    Romanian meteorologists consider the possibility of extending frost alerts for the whole country until March 2, given that the cold snap does not recede, and temperatures are expected to plunge to minus 22 degrees Celsius on Thursday morning. That is why, the Romanian Health Ministry has recommended to the population these days to take the advice of medical doctors, to avoid going out in open spaces and prolonged exposure to frost, to respect hygiene regulations in order not to catch respiratory viruses, to eat high protein food, fruit and vegetables. Medical centres have been required to be ready to receive, triage (prioritise and stabilise) and admit large number of patients into hospitals, if need be, during the extreme weather conditions. (Tranlsated by D. Vijeu)

  • February 8, 2017 UPDATE

    February 8, 2017 UPDATE

    CENSURE MOTION – The first censure motion filed by the National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union, in opposition, against the sitting coalition Government made up of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE), was rejected by the Romanian Parliament in a plenary session held on Wednesday. 161 yeas and 8 nays were registered. At least 233 votes were needed for the motion to be adopted. PSD, ALDE and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania abstained from voting. The motion titled the Grindeanu Government-Government of national defiance. Do not legalise theft in Romania was tabled last week and read out on Monday, in a plenary session of Parliament. The initiators of the motion called on the Social Democratic Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu to assume responsibility for the error of adopting the emergency decree amending the Criminal Codes and of drawing up a pardon bill. Also, the signatories to the motion called on the cabinet to resign, accusing it of having committed institutional abuse. We recall that the adoption of the emergency decree amending the criminal law, later repealed, triggered wide-scale protests across Romania and among the Romanian communities living abroad.



    CONSTITUTIONAL COURT – Romanias Constitutional Court on Wednesday ruled there is no legal constitutional conflict between the state powers following the adoption by the Government of an emergency decree amending the Criminal Codes. The Court drew that conclusion after having discussed the requests made by the countrys president, Klaus Iohannis, and the head of the Higher Council of Magistracy, Mariana Ghena. Earlier, the Government had rescinded the emergency decree and had announced it temporarily abandoned the idea of amending the Criminal Codes. On Tuesday, President Iohannis attended a plenary session of Parliament, calling on the left wing Government to come up with solutions to the crisis it generated by adopting the emergency decree amending the Criminal Codes.



    PROTESTS – Protests against the Government continued in Bucharest and other cities across the country, for the ninth day in a row, against the backdrop of changes being brought to the criminal law. The protesters, who gathered in a lower number than in the previous days, called for the resignation of the left-wing Government. The largest number of protesters was registered on Sunday, when half a million people protested in Bucharest and other big cities across the country and abroad, against an emergency decree amending the Criminal Codes, even though the emergency decree had been rescinded earlier on that day. Also on Wednesday, President Klaus Iohannis tried to start a dialogue with the protesters calling for his resignation in front of the Cotroceni Palace. It is for the fourth day that people gather near the offices of the Presidential Administration to back the Grindeanu Government.



    EXCLUSION – The Department for Judges with the Higher Council of Magistracy, CSM, on Wednesday decided to exclude judge Camelia Bogdan from magistracy. Camelia Bogdan is the judge who, back in 2014, sentenced tycoon Dan Voiculescu to 10 years in prison in the case of the fraudulent privatisation of the Food Research Institute (ICA) in Bucharest. CSMs ruling is not final and can be appealed at the High Court of Cassation and Justice. Judge Camelia Bogdan is accused of committing the disciplinary offence of violating the legal provisions on incompatibilities and interdictions regarding judges and prosecutors. She was accused of attending a specialisation course in Romania, sponsored by the Agriculture Ministry, which was a damaged party in the ICA case, at the time.



    JOINT DRILLS – The 500 US ground troops to be deployed in Europe, who left Poland on Monday, heading for Romania, are being stationed these days at the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base in Constanta county, in the south-east of Romania, a communiqué issued by the Romanian Defence Ministry shows. The American soldiers of the Fighting Eagles Battalion 1 will participate in joint drills alongside Romanian soldiers, as part of the US commitment to ensure the security of NATOs eastern flank, a component of the Atlantic Resolve Operation.



    QUAKE – An earthquake measuring 5 degrees on Richters scale rocked Romania at 17:08:20 local time, on Wednesday, according to the National Institute for Earth Physics. The tremor, with the epicentre in Buzau County, eastern Romania, was felt in Bucharest, too. This is the second quake registered on the same day, after a first tremor measuring 4.2 degrees, with the epicentre in Vrancea County, in the east, rocked Romania at 11:52:06. The quake registered on Wednesday at 5.08 PM is the most powerful this year.



    WEATHER – It is getting colder in Romania, particularly in the south-eastern half of the country. It will snow lightly in the south, south-east and the mountains. Rain and sleet are reported in the west and the centre. Gale force wind is reported, in places, in the south and south-east and on mountain crests. The highs will range between minus 8 and plus 7 degrees Celsius. (Translated by D. Vijeu)

  • Harsh winter in Europe

    Harsh winter in Europe

    A glacial weather front coming down from Scandinavia struck Europe in recent days, causing the death of tens of people, including in Romania. Freezing weather conditions were reported in France, Italy, France and Germany, but it was central and eastern Europe that saw the lowest temperatures in the last 50 years.



    A number of countries have been confronted with disruptions of travel and the electricity supply. Poland has had the largest number of victims. Montenegro has issued a red code alert for cold. Kosovo has seen the lowest temperatures since 1963. In Albania, the authorities have used helicopters to distribute aid to areas cut off by the snow.



    Heavy snowfalls have also been reported in the Republic of Moldova, where schools have suspended classes and where several customs check points on the border with Ukraine have been closed. In northern and north-eastern Bulgaria, snow piles measure more than 1 and a half metres, many roads and motorways have been closed and more than 100 localities have been left without electricity.



    Moscow had its coldest Christmas in the last 120 years, with temperatures dropping to minus 30 degrees Celsius. Turkey has also had a harsh winter, with Istanbul being struck by the biggest snowstorm in the last 7 years. Hundreds of flights have been cancelled and the Bosphorus Strait has been closed to traffic.



    Thousands of migrants are in danger of dying of cold especially in Greece and Serbia, say humanitarian organisations which call on European governments to take measures to prevent the loss of life. Romania has also had its share of harsh winter, especially in the south and east. An orange code alert for cold has been in place for almost the entire country. In the centre, temperatures have dropped to minus 32 degrees Celsius, while the capital Bucharest has seen minus 21 degrees.



    Schools have been closed in Bucharest and other counties because of the cold and two waves of blizzards. Road, rail and air travel has been seriously disrupted. Hundreds of vehicles have been stuck in the snow and many trains and flights have been cancelled or delayed by as much as a few hours. A record high consumption of natural gas and electricity has been reported. The situation on the Danube is particularly worrying, as the river’s levels have dropped dramatically.



    The authorities in Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania, three of the countries crossed by the Danube, have temporarily banned shipping on certain segments of the river, because the Danube is freezing and the floating ice is considered a threat to the ships. According to weather forecasts for Romania, after a few days of above-zero temperatures, more blizzards are again expected next week.

  • January 10, 2017 UPDATE

    January 10, 2017 UPDATE

    WEATHER IN ROMANIA – 5 people died to the cold snap in Romania so far, Radio Romania quotes representatives of the Department for Emergency Situations as saying. Code yellow and orange alerts against extreme cold were in place for the whole country on Monday and Tuesday. Snowstorms and blizzard are again forecast for the south and the east, as of Tuesday night. A code orange alert comes into effect in 7 counties and a code yellow alert comes into effect in 11 other counties and the capital city Bucharest, valid until Wednesday evening. Late last week, snowstorms and gale force wind disrupted road, rail and air traffic and caused electricity blackouts. In another move, also on Tuesday, navigation on a segment of the river Danube was shut down indefinitely. School inspectorates in 22 counties and the capital city Bucharest have shut down schools and kindergartens, while nine counties only partially suspended classes. Classes will resume on Monday in Bucharest.



    WEATHER IN EUROPE– Hungary and Bulgaria on Tuesday banned shipping on the Danube, because the river is freezing. Over 60 people died to the cold snap in Europe, as low temperatures continue to hold Europe in their grip. Most victims were reported in Poland, where lows hit minus 30 degrees Celsius in certain regions. Five people died in the Republic of Moldova from carbon monoxide poisoning after the stoves they used to heat their homes caught fire. Hungary also reported record-high lows, both at national level and in the capital-city Budapest. In Serbia, low temperatures dropped to minus 20 degrees. The worst hit were the refugees sitting in makeshift camps. Turkey too is seeing a very harsh winter. The city of Istanbul was hit by the biggest blizzard in the last seven years. Scores of flights were cancelled while the Bosphorus Strait was closed to traffic. Low temperatures and heavy snowfalls were also reported in Greece. The Doctors without Borders Humanitarian Organization expressed concern regarding the thousands of people across Europe who are left vulnerable to the cold.



    TALKS – President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday is meeting Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu to discuss the Governments plans related to the 2017 state budget amidst concerns regarding the sustainability of certain measures announced by the Government and their impacts on the economy, the presidency reports. Attending the meeting will also be the Minister of Public Finance Viorel Stefan. The Government adopted, among other things, an increase of the minimum wage salary to 320 euros, as well as a 50% increase of the salaries of actors and other categories of artists. Besides, all pensions below 400 euros will become tax deductible, while pensioners will be exempt from paying health insurance contributions.



    CONDOLENCES – Romanias President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday sent a condolence message to his German counterpart, Joachim Gauck, for the death of Roman Herzog, former president of the Federal Republic of Germany. In his message, Klaus Iohannis says that Roman Herzog, the first elected president of reunified Germany, was a remarkable personality, a relentless advocate of economic reform during a stagnation period and a promoter of historical reconciliation. Klaus Iohannis also recalls that Roman Herzog was the first president of reunified Germany to visit post-communist Romania, in 1995, the year when he also became a member of the Romanian Academy.



    INVESTIGATION – The budget-finances committees of the two chambers of the Romanian Parliament will investigate the budget revisions made by the former government led by the technocrat Dacian Ciolos in the months of August and November 2016. The decision was made on Tuesday, by the leadership of the legislature, who endorsed a request made by the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Liviu Dragnea. The initiator of the move says the relevant authorities should find out why the former cabinet approved positive revisions, in the context in which budget revenues were lower than estimated. The setting up of a commission to investigate the issue has been supported by the ruling parties. The opposition voted against the move, deeming it as political revenge.



    JUSTICE – The Chair of the European Parliament Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee, Claude Moraes, stands for a strong and independent judiciary, which must be fair to all European citizens and one of the pillars of the European project. The British MEP, who is a member of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats says he is following the events in Romania with great interest and considers that an alleged involvement by the intelligence services and public actors in the activity of the judiciary can only undermine its credibility. Moraes underlines that the fight against corruption should not have a political bias and its direction should not be guided by various interests. In his opinion, corruption should be cracked down at all levels, based on democratic and fair trials, and observing the rights of those investigated.



    TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Monica Niculescu, WTA no. 40, has qualified to the quarter-finals of the WTA tennis tournament in Hobart, Australia, totalling over 225 thousand dollars in prize money. In the round of 16 she ousted Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium, 73 WTA, 6-3, 6-2. In the next round Niculescu will play the winner of the game pitting Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic against Risa Ozaki of Japan. Niculescu has also secured qualification in the quarterfinals of the doubles event, alongside Abigail Spears of the United States. The two are first-seeded in the Hobart competition and will play the winners in the match between Demi Schuurs of the Netherlands and Renata Voracova of the Czech Republic and Pauline Parmentier of France and Fracesca Schiavone of Italy. Also in the womens doubles, Raluca Olaru of Romania and Olga Savchuk of Ukraine, who played the Shenzhen finals this month, advanced to the quarterfinals after winning 6-4, 6-2 against the pair made up of Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands and Johanna Larsson of Sweden. Olaru and Savchuk will be playing Ukrainian twins Lyudmyla and Nadia Kichenok.(Translated by Diana Vijeu)

  • January 19, 2016 UPDATE

    January 19, 2016 UPDATE

    WEATHER– After snowstorms at the weekend, Romania is facing a cold snap until Thursday, meteorologists say. On Wednesday, temperatures will drop to minus 25 degrees Celsius, whereas the highs of the day will not exceed plus 2 degrees Celsius. In another move, railroad traffic is further disrupted in the south and southeast of the country, the areas the most affected by heavy snowfalls and blizzard at the weekend. Several villages have been left without electricity.



    DIPLOMACY – Romanian Prime Minister, Dacian Ciolos, will pay a two-day official visit to Paris, as of Wednesday. He is due to meet President Francois Hollande, Prime Minister Manuel Valls, and the speakers of the two Chambers of the French Parliament, Gérard Larcher and Claude Bartolone, respectively. The talks will focus on the privileged relations between Romania and France, on stepping up the projects in the roadmap of the bilateral strategic partnership, on improving economic relations and strengthening contacts between the business communities, as well as important topics on the European and international agenda, such as terrorism, migration and the EU security policy. Other focal points of the talks will include Romanias Schengen accession, the forthcoming report of the European Commission under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism, as well as cooperation as part of Bucharests preparations to take over the presidency of the EU Council. Ciolos will also meet with representatives of the Romanian community in France and with CEOs and managers of important French companies. France is the fifth largest foreign investor in Romania.



    SPECIAL PENSIONS – Romanias Constitutional Court on Wednesday will debate the notification submitted by the technocratic cabinet in Bucharest on the special pensions law for elected local officials. According to the government, the law adopted in December would run counter to several articles in the Constitution, by instating a special regime of privileges for certain elected local officials. Furthermore, the government contests the retroactive granting of special rights and draws attention to the lack of budget resources. Over 16,000 potential beneficiaries, mayors, deputy mayors, presidents and vice-presidents of County Councils, are to receive special pensions ranging from 350 to1,500 Euros.



    ECONOMY– Romania is the third EU member state to register, in November 2015, the most significant increase in the volume of construction works, as compared to the same period of 2014. According to the data released on Tuesday by the European Statistics Office, Eurostat, Romania registered an increase of 6.8%, being outclassed only by Slovakia and Sweden. In November 2015, the volume of construction works at EU level increased by 1.9%, on an average, Eurostat also shows.



    SPORTS – The Romanian player Alexandra Dulgheru (no. 61 WTA) has qualified to the second round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, after defeating the Australian Storm Sanders (no. 355 WTA) 6-4, 6-2. Three other Romanian players lost their games in the first round. World no. 2 Simona Halep was surprisingly defeated by Chinas Shuai Zhang (133 WTA), Irina Begu (31 WTA) was outperformed by the Swedish Johanna Larsson (50 WTA), and Andreea Mitu (96 WTA) was defeated by the German Julia Gorges (45 WTA). Another Romanian player, Monica Niculescu (no 40 WTA), qualified on Monday to the second round of the tournament, and is to play against the Russian Elizaveta Kulicikova (no 109 WTA).


    (Translated and edited by Diana Vijeu)

  • Blizzard hits Romania

    Blizzard hits Romania

    The latest snowfalls in Romania have again disrupted road, air, railway and naval traffic. The worst-hit regions were the country’s south and east, including the capital city Bucharest. Tens of villages have been cut off from the power grid, while traffic on numerous national and county roads was closed down, including the motorway to the seacoast. Railway traffic was also severely affected. Dozens of trains were cancelled while numerous others reported delays that in some cases exceeded two hours.



    Due to the strong wind, all operations on the Romanian Black Sea Coast, as well as traffic on the Danube-Black Sea canal have been temporarily put on hold. In Bucharest, over 130 cars were damaged by trees that snapped under the weight of the snow and ice. Additionally, several flights have been cancelled, while others took off with great delays. Several people in need of medical care were transferred to hospitals using dual track snowmobiles, as emergency vehicles could not reach certain areas due to the snow.



    Police authorities have fined several road administrators for failing to properly manage the roads. Equally, all snow-clearing services in Bucharest were fined for their faulty intervention. Over 6,000 firefighters, police officers and gendarmes were called up to help the population and clear the snow off the roads. The Interior Ministry has announced there are no stranded areas at present or people snowed in.



    After the heavy snow, meteorologists expect a cold snap to take hold of the entire country. Temperatures will drop to minus 15 and even minus 20 degrees Celsius during the night in some areas. Other countries in Eastern Europe too, including Serbia, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria Croatia or Poland were confronted with heavy snowfalls, blizzards and cold weather.



    (Translated by Vlad Palcu)

  • January 18, 2016

    January 18, 2016

    DIPLOMACY – Romanias president, Klaus Iohannis, is today receiving in Bucharest, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Victoria Nuland. Also today, the American official is due to meet representatives of the new cabinet in Bucharest. Victoria Nuland will approach, together with defence minister, Mihnea Motoc, issues referring to bilateral military cooperation within the framework of the Romanian-US Strategic Partnership and the security situation in the region. On Sunday, the US official had an informal meeting with prime minister, Dacian Ciolos, who briefed her on the priorities of the technocratic government in Bucharest. The agenda of the talks also covers such issues as ways to improve the investment climate in Romania, the situation in the region, particularly that in the Republic of Moldova (with a predominantly Romanian speaking population), as well as Bucharests relations with Ukraine and Russia.



    FOREIGN AFFAIRS COUNCIL– Romanian foreign minister, Lazar Comanescu, is today attending, alongside counterparts from the EU member states, the Foreign Affairs Council, hosted by Brussels. The agenda of the talks covers such issues as the Syrian file, the situation in Iraq, the stage of reforms enforced in Ukraine. Also in Brussels, the Romanian minister of agriculture and rural development, Achim Irimescu, is today meeting with the EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Development, Phil Hogan, and with the EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis. The National Rural Development Program and the African swine fever are among the topics to be approached during the talks.



    VISIT– Romanian prime minister, Dacian Ciolos, is paying a two-day official visit to Paris, as of Wednesday. He will be accompanied by economy minister and deputy prime minister Costin Borc, and by foreign minister, Lazar Comanescu. On the first day of the visit, Ciolos is due to meet French president, François Hollande, prime minister, Manuel Valls, and the speakers of the two Chambers of the National Assembly, Gérard Larcher and Claude Bartolone. Talks will focus mainly on economic issues. Ciolos will also meet with representatives of the Romanian community living in France. On the second day of the visit, the Romanian prime minister is due to meet CEOs and managers of big French companies. We recall that France is the fifth largest foreign investor in Romania.



    MOLDOVA– Negotiations for the formation of a new government are started today in Chishinau, after on Friday, the president of the Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet state with a predominantly Romanian speaking population, Nicolae Timofti, designated a new candidate for the position of prime minister, Pavel Filip. The Liberal Democratic Party announced it goes into opposition and does not back Filips candidacy, whereas the Democratic Party, the Liberal Party and the 14 MPs who left the Communist Party, will participate in the formation of the new government. If a new government does not get endorsement by Parliament until January 29, the president will have to dissolve Parliament and call for snap elections. Protest movements against the corruption and inefficiency of the political class and also in favour of early elections were held in Chishinau on Saturday.



    CAR INDUSTRY– The largest car manufacturer in Romania, Dacia, a brand owned by the French group Renault, registered record high sales in 2015. Some 551,000 units were sold worldwide last year, registering a 7.7% increase, as compared to 2014. Ranking first in the classification of best selling makes of the Dacia brand, at global level, is Sandero, followed by Duster and Logan. Most sold units were cars, being followed by light commercial vehicles. We recall that in 1999, Renault bought 73% of the shares in Dacia. Re-launched in 2004, with the Logan make, Dacia became a prominent player on the European car market.



    TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Monica Niculescu has today qualified for the second round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. In the debut match, Niculescu defeated Brazilian Teliana Pereira, 6-2, 6-1. Romanias four other representatives, Simona Halep, WTAs no.2, Irina Begu, Alexandra Dulgheru and Andreea Mitu on Tuesday will play matches to qualify for the second round of the tournament. In the mens double, the pair made up of Romanian Horia Tecau and Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer is first seeded in the competition, and the Romanian –Indian pair Florin Mergea / Rohan Bopanna is fourth seeded.



    WATER POLO– Romanias national water polo team has today defeated Malta 12-7, in a qualification match for the 9-16 positions, at the European Championships hosted by Serbia. On Sunday, Romania failed to qualify for the quarterfinals, after sustaining a defeat from Greece, 15-9. With two wins, to Georgia and Germany, and one defeat, to Italy, Romania had completed the Group C on the second position.



    COLD SNAP– It is snowing on limited areas in Romania, with only 12 counties in the south-east being still placed under code yellow alert. Meteorologists have issued a warning against extremely cold weather and gusty wind in most regions, valid from Sunday evening until Thursday morning. The lowest temperatures will drop to minus 20 degrees Celsius, in places, in the south and the centre. The highs of the day range from minus 8 degrees Centigrade to plus one degree. The south and east of the country, including the capital city, have been affected by heavy snow falls and blizzard. Tens of localities have been left without electricity and many roads have been closed. Air and sea traffic have also been disrupted.


    (Translated and edited by Diana Vijeu)