Olympics: Russia fetes one year to Sochi as official fired
President Vladimir Putin vowed Russia would justify expectations when it hosts the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi in one year, after ruthlessly firing an official blamed for delays in building infrastructure.
Russia's brutal early winter claims 123 lives
A bitter cold snap in Russia has claimed 123 lives in the past 10 days, an official said Tuesday, with the early freeze testing authorities in a country used to notoriously tough winters.
Winter weather claims second victim in the Balkans
Freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall in the Balkans, that seriously affected traffic throughout the region, claimed a second victim on Sunday as a man died from cold in northern Serbia.