Ukraine war: Russia uses winter as a weapon of war and could even contemplate using chemical weapons

Biden administration officials have assessed that Russian President Vladimir Putin may use chemical weapons in Ukraine first before resorting to a nuclear confrontation with NATO if his troops continue to lose ground..

Read more at:https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/23/russia-chemical-weapons-ukraine-00070743

COVID: EU warns ′completely new′ strains possible this winter

European Union officials and health experts urged governments on Friday to step up measures to curb an expected spike in COVID-19 infections this winter.

The urging comes after the EU's medicines agency approved vaccines from Moderna and BioNTech-Pfizer that have been updated to tackle the omicron subvariant.

The European Commission published a set of concrete measures and strategies for national governments to adopt as the 27-member bloc heads into autumn and winter. 

Read more at:COVID: EU warns ′completely new′ strains possible this winter | News | DW | 02.09.2022

Covid-19: The best- and worst-case scenarios for Covid-19 this winter

Last December and January, the United States and much of the world experienced the deadliest surges of the pandemic. At one point, more than 3,000 Americans were dying every day of Covid-19. Nearly 250,000 people died in the United States over December, January, and February.

But this winter may be different, at least in America. Last year, almost nobody was vaccinated against Covid-19. As of October 7, 56 percent of the US population is fully vaccinated, according to the New York Times’s tracker. That includes 84 percent of people over 65, who are generally the most vulnerable to dying from the virus. The Food and Drug Administration will soon consider whether to authorize a vaccine for children as young as 5, which would push vaccination rates higher.

Read more at: The best- and worst-case scenarios for Covid-19 this winter

Excercise: Why winter exercise can be especially hard on the lungs - by Laura Glowacki

Canadian Olympic hopeful Katherine Stewart-Jones can't remember when she first started experiencing a cough she and other cross-country skiers call "race hack," but she said it was probably when she started competing in her early teen years.

"Sometimes, it goes like all the way into your back ... it's just this burning sensation," she said. "I'll lean over and just don't want to get up for a while because it hurts.

Read more at: Why winter exercise can be especially hard on the lungs | CBC News

Long Winter Forecast: A gloomy Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney Phil says more winter - by S. Marsh and B.Reeger

There will be six more weeks of winter, Punxsutawney Phil predicted as he emerged from his burrow on a snowy Tuesday morning to perform his Groundhog Day duties.

Members of Phil’s “inner circle” woke up the furry critter at 7:25 a.m. at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to see whether he would see his shadow or not.

Shortly after this year’s prediction was revealed, one of the members of the circle shared a message he said Phil had told him earlier in the day: “After winter, you’re looking forward to one of the most beautiful and brightest springs you’ve ever seen.”

Read more at: A gloomy Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney Phil says more winter

EU: European MPs vote to end summer time clock change

European MPs vote to end summer time clock changes

Read more at :  

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-47704345

EU Winter Time: Don't forget! Clocks go back 1 hour on Sunday in most of Europe

It's that time of year again – as autumn has hit the EU and winter is approaching, clocks go back one hour in the night between Saturday and Sunday this weekend.

As a result of the change, it will be light earlier in the morning – a welcome change for early risers – but darkness will also fall earlier in the evening.

Within the EU, clocks always go forward for daylight saving time on the last Sunday in March, to go back on the last Sunday in October. Elsewhere in the world, other daylight saving time regimes apply, while many countries do no use this practice at all.

Discussions have also frequently arisen in Europe over the usefulness of changing the clocks with the seasons. While some argue that this enables to save electricity, especially during daylight saving time, this has not been proven true by independent studies.

So who knows, the practice might also be abolished in the EU one day?

EU-Digest

Weather - Germany: Cold German Winter Refuses to Warm Up for Easter

The poor Easter Bunny deserves our sympathy. Whereas in recent years he has grown used to dodging daffodils, lilies and tulips as he carries his cargo of eggs and chocolate to homes across northern Europe, this year the rabbit will find himself confronted with ice slicks, snow drifts and bundled up humans in foul moods.

Easter, after all, may be upon us. But spring weather most definitely is not. Biologists are warning that the Easter Bunny's wild brethren, European hares, are having trouble keeping their broods warm and healthy in the unseasonable chill. Meteorologists are keeping close tabs on thermometers to determine whether this March will go down as the coldest ever -- since records began in the 1880s. And wiseacres on the streets of Berlin have not yet tired of noting that Easter promises to be colder than last Christmas.

And it's not just the northern regions of Continental Europe where the Easter Bunny will encounter problems. Great Britain and Ireland are likewise suffering through unseasonable weather, with power outages threatening the roast lamb and snow drifts making hopping difficult. Russia and Ukraine are also suffering.

Read more: Cold German Winter Refuses to Warm Up for Easter - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Europe freeze: More deaths in Ukraine and Poland

Europe's current cold snap has claimed more than 110 lives so far, including 63 in Ukraine and 29 in Poland.

The Serbian authorities say about 11,000 villagers have been cut off by snow and blizzards in remote areas.

Emergency services have described the situation, close to Serbia's south-western borders with Kosovo and Montenegro, as very serious.

For more: BBC News - Europe freeze: More deaths in Ukraine and Poland

Telegraph: Europe - Winter arrives and temperatures plunge below freezing - by Caroline Gammell

"A snowy scene in the Netherlands"

For the complete report from the Telegraphclick on this link

Winter arrives and temperatures plunge below freezing - by Caroline Gammell

"The big change will be caused by these winds coming straight down from the Arctic that will bring with them the chance of some of the white stuff. "If people are watching sporting events outside, it is definitely worth putting on an extra layer - winter is on its way." Snow fell all over Europe this weekend.