European Salon de News, Discussion et Klatsch - 7 February | 94 comments (94 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

BBC News - Deep freeze tightens grip across Europe

The Arctic conditions sweeping Europe have tightened their grip, with more deaths reported in Poland and Ukraine, taking the toll to well over 200.
Polish authorities said nine people had died in the last 24 hours.
An EU official denied there was an emergency as a result of a drop in Russian gas supplies to member states.
But Italy's economic development minister described the situation in the country - where some 60,000 households are without power - as "critical".
Overnight in Poland temperatures reportedly dropped to beneath -30C.
Ukraine's government has said that the country's death toll stands at least 130.
Many of those who died from hypothermia there were homeless people living on the streets, officials said.
In parts of Italy, temperatures dropped to their lowest levels for years, with -10C recorded in Milan and heavy snow closing Rome's Colosseum and the Roman Forum.
A total of 17 people have died since the plunging temperatures began in Italy, with eight dead on Sunday alone.
Economic Development Minister Corrado Passera said gas flows were being closely monitored after demand in the country reached all-time highs following a sixth straight day of limited gas supplies from Russia.

by Nomad (Bjinse) on Mon Feb 6th, 2012 at 02:56:53 PM EST
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Eight killed in Bulgarian floods as European cold snap continues | World news | The Guardian

Europe's bitterly cold weather has killed another 33 people, and melting snow caused a dam wall to break and flood a village in Bulgaria.
Four people drowned when the dam flooded the village of Bisser, in southern Bulgaria, after heavy rain and snow melting. Four more people died in Bulgarian floods when their cars were swept away by high waters.
"There are demolished houses and people in distress," the interior ministry said. Bulgaria warned neighbouring Greece and Turkey that two other dams were expected to overflow later on Monday.
Gas supplies to the European Union from Russia improved at the weekend but had not fully recovered, the European commission said, as Italy convened a crisis committee to handle what it called critical shortages of Russian gas.
Nine more people died in Poland, bringing the total to 62 since the end of January. Temperatures fell to -24C at night in north-eastern parts of the country.
In Croatia's Dalmatia region, more than 100 villages were cut off by snow, but rescuers reached some people on Sunday. In one village, a woman gave birth in her house with the help of a neighbour while a midwife from a nearby town gave them instructions by telephone. "The baby girl is fine and beautiful and I'll probably name her Snow White, given the circumstances," the mother, Marta Glavota, told the 24sata news website.

by Nomad (Bjinse) on Mon Feb 6th, 2012 at 02:57:21 PM EST
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BBC News - Gas price rises as freezing weather bites across Europe

The price of gas around Europe has risen sharply due to increased demand as a result of the cold weather.
UK gas for next day delivery reached 93 pence per therm, the highest for more than six years.
It marks a rise of 24% in the UK price since Friday.
In addition, Italy has decided to ration the supply of gas to industrial customers after receiving insufficient gas from Russia to meet high levels of demand.
Prices have soared even higher in France, which is struggling to meet demand, reaching the equivalent of almost £1.02 per therm.
Companies supplying residential customers rarely buy gas on the next day market. But it is relied upon by some big commercial users.

by Nomad (Bjinse) on Mon Feb 6th, 2012 at 03:02:04 PM EST
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DutchNews.nl - 'Cautious' optimism about 11-city skating race, but will it thaw?

There is a `cautious chance' that the famous Frisian 11-city skating race or Elfstedentocht will be held in the current cold snap, Wiebe Wieling, chairman of the race association, told a news conference on Monday morning.
The ice in the north of the province is `fantastic' but still not good enough in the south, Wieling said. 'That gives us cause for concern,' Wieling said.
The association is now looking at possible alternative routes. `But at the moment we are far from the necessary 15 cm of ice. In some places it is far too thin,' Wieling is reported as saying by news agency ANP.
Ice-clearing
According to the Telegraaf, hundreds of volunteers have been roped in to clear snow from the surface of the ice in an effort to promote thicker ice. Up to one third of the route will have to be cleared by hand, the paper says.
The ice needs to be at least eight centimetres thick to support machine-driven ice clearing equipment.
The 22 local ice association chiefs met on Sunday evening to discuss the prospects. There have been 15 of the grueling 200 kilometre races since the event first took place in 1909.