Zee Beam News

01-20-2006 Kommersant - Moscow weather was just 2 degrees above than in Antarctica this morning, Echo of Moscow reports, recalling for the sake of justice, that it's summer in Antarctica now. As to Moscow, the frost will yield one or two decrees today with the temperature climbing to from minus 27 degrees Celsius to minus 25 degrees Celsius. Cold weather will survive tomorrow, unwillingly stepping back only from summer. Five people froze to death and 22 were taken to hospitals with cold injuries yesterday. Any failure of Moscow power grid must be prevented as it would cause the knock-on effect all over the country, Emergency Minister Sergey Shoigu told the cabinet yesterday. Operational emergency teams are on call in each part of Russia with abnormally low temperatures, the minister said. Nevertheless, a string of serious breakdowns was reported in Russia's Ordzhonikidze District of Ufa, Penza and Chita Regions, in Yeletsky-village of Komi, Vyborg, Karelia, Tomsk, Omsk and Sakhalin. The government's commissions are working in close bond with Gazprom and RAO UES of Russia, Vladimir Yakovlev, who heads the Regional Development Ministry, said some time earlier. In case of need, local authorities order to shift to reserve types of fuel – black oil and coal, the minister specified. The spell of cold weather that has covered nearly all Russia is a certain check of capacity for power engineering, municipal economy and rescuers' readiness to respond to emergency, Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov said, finding comfort whenever he can.