Frozen Tajikistan appeals for aid

Tajikistan, paralysed by the coldest winter in decades, asked for emergency international aid yesterday to help it survive an energy crisis which has left millions of people without power and heating.

The bitter cold - with temperatures plunging to -20 °C across the impoverished nation - caught the authorities off guard this year, forcing the government to ration electricity, water and gas.

"Over the next few days the government will submit a list of basic emergency items to international organisations and donor countries as well as a plan for their use and allocation," the central bank said in a statement.