Eastern and central Europe continue to shiver under a blanket of heavy snow Friday, with more deaths reported after bitter cold overnight temperatures. Ukraine is probably the worst affected, with Poland, Romania, Serbia and Belarus also suffering much more severe winter conditions than usual. Thirty-eight people have died of hypothermia in Ukraine over the past 24 hours, the state-run news agency Ukrinform reported Friday morning, citing government ministries. The latest deaths take the total number killed in Ukraine in the cold spell that started January 27 to 101, the news agency said. Meanwhile, temperatures in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, continue to plummet. Friday morning's lows dipped to 27 degrees below zero Celsius (17 degrees below zero Fahrenheit), and it was the ninth day in a row that temperatures had dropped below minus 15 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit).
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The Red Cross releases $141,000 in emergency funds to help those in need
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Rare snow is forecast in parts of the Sahara Desert in Algeria and Morocco
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Serbia declares a state of emergency in 23 municipalities due to the weather
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38 people have died of hypothermia in Ukraine over the past 24 hours -- state media
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