With temperatures remaining well below freezing, the authorities in New York City have declared an emergency to allow officials to take hundreds of homeless people off the streets.

The order means city workers and police officers can bring people to shelters without asking their permission.

The mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, said the measure was needed given the extreme cold.

Temperatures of minus one to minus ten degrees Celsius are expected over the next few days, but strong winds will make it feel as cold as minus twenty-six degrees.

According to unofficial estimates, more than than ten thousand people live on the streets, but correspondents say despite the freezing weather, not all will be willing to go indoors.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service