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7 Things To Know About Daylight Saving Time As It Ends Sunday

Published

10 months ago

November 3, 2024

At 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3, it’s time to set clocks back one hour as daylight saving time (DST) comes to an end.

This yearly time change has an interesting history, and we’ve gathered some fascinating details about its origins and unique practices worldwide.

1. A Bug Hunter’s Idea Sparked Daylight Saving Time

In 1895, George Hudson, a New Zealand entomologist, conceptualized the modern idea of DST. His motivation was simple yet unusual: Hudson wanted more sunlight after work during summer so he could go bug hunting. He proposed a two-hour time shift to the Wellington Philosophical Society, though the idea gained little traction at first. In 1905, British builder William Willett suggested a similar concept, advocating for seasonal time changes to maximize daylight. Willett’s idea reached British Parliament in 1909, and by 1916, the United Kingdom officially adopted DST.

2. Germany Led the Way in Observing Daylight Saving Time

Germany became the first country to officially implement DST on April 30, 1916, as a wartime measure to conserve electricity. This change was quickly followed by the United Kingdom, which introduced “summer time” soon after.

3. It’s Daylight ‘Saving’ – Not ‘Savings’

While it’s often called “daylight savings time,” the correct term is “daylight saving time” – without the extra “s.”

4. The United States Standardized DST in 1966

In the United States, Congress first passed a national law for DST during World War I in 1918, allowing states to decide whether they’d continue the practice after the war ended. The idea resurfaced during World War II, again as a fuel-saving measure. But it wasn’t until the Uniform Time Act of 1966 that DST became widely recognized across the country. Congress later set DST to start in March and end in November beginning in 2007.

5. Some States Don’t Observe Daylight Saving Time

While DST is a widespread practice in the U.S., it’s not universal. Hawaii and parts of Arizona, among a few other areas, do not observe DST due to their unique daylight needs and climate.

6. DST Affects More Than Just Clocks

Daylight Saving Time impacts more than just our clocks—it affects various sectors and activities. Public transportation, broadcasting, medical schedules, and even agriculture are all influenced by the time shift. Airlines and train schedules can become complicated, with some regions observing DST and others not. Farmers also face challenges since their routines are closely tied to sunrise and sunset, which do not change with the clock.

7. DST Can Impact Health and Productivity

The time change disrupts the body’s natural circadian rhythm, which regulates sleep and wake cycles. Studies have shown that adjusting clocks can lead to sleep deprivation, resulting in reduced productivity, impaired cognitive function, and even increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. On the Monday following the “spring forward” time change, there is often a noticeable spike in workplace accidents and injuries, as people struggle to adapt to the lost hour.

Source: Vanguard

Headline

42 Killed In Israeli Attacks, Says Gaza’s Civil Defense

Published

4 hours ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

Gaza’s civil defence agency reported at least 42 people killed in Israeli attacks on Sunday, as the Israeli army prepared for a new assault on the Palestinian territory’s largest city.

Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said there had been several air strikes around Gaza City — which the military is gearing up to capture — including one in the Al-Sabra neighbourhood that killed eight people.

Attacks were also reported elsewhere across the territory, he said, with the “total tally currently rising to 42 dead”.

The army did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the figure.

“The situation is extremely dangerous… Each day, each minute, there are bombings, martyrs, death and blood — we can’t take it anymore,” Al-Sabra resident Ibrahim Al-Shurafa told AFP, explaining strikes and shelling were ongoing.

“We don’t know where to go. Death follows us everywhere,” he added.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military.

The October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Israel’s offensive has killed at least 62,686 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.

AFP

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Venezuela Frees Eight Opposition Leaders

Published

4 hours ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

Venezuelan authorities released eight opposition leaders from jail early Sunday, including a former congressman and two Italian citizens, and granted house arrest to five others, an opposition politician said.

Most of those released had been charged with corruption in opposition-run mayoral offices.

Also set free was Congressman, Amirico de Grazia, detained amid protests that erupted during President Nicolas Maduro’s reelection in 2024.

“Today, several families are once again embracing their loved ones. We know there are many left, and we have not forgotten them; we continue to fight for everyone,” two-time former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles said on X.

Opposition leaders Victor Jurado, Simon Vargas, Arelis Ojeda Escalante, Mayra Castro, Diana Berrio, Gorka Carnevalli, as well as Italian nationals Margarita Assenzo and de Grazia were released, Capriles said.

Nabil Maalouf, Valentin Gutierrez Pineda, Rafael Ramirez, Pedro Guanipa, and David Barroso were placed under house arrest.

The Italian government confirmed the release of de Grazia and Assenzo, who must appear in court to clarify the conditions of their release. It also vowed to continue working on securing the release of other detained Italians.

“We have always said, and we maintain it: we will talk to whomever we need to talk to so that there is not a single political prisoner in our Venezuela!” Capriles added.

AFP

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Russia, Ukraine Exchange Prisoners Of War, Civilians

Published

5 hours ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

Russia and Ukraine each sent back more prisoners of war on Sunday in the latest in a series of exchanges that have seen hundreds of POWs released this year, the two sides said.

Large-scale prisoner exchanges were the only tangible result of three rounds of talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul between May and July.

They remain one of the few areas of cooperation between the two countries since Russia’s offensive began in 2022.

“On August 24, 146 Russian servicemen were returned from the territory controlled” by Kyiv, the Russian defence ministry said on Telegram.

“In exchange, 146 prisoners of war of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were transferred” to Ukraine, it added. Ukraine did not confirm any figures for the release.

Russia also said that “eight citizens of the Russian Federation—residents of the Kursk region, illegally detained” by Kyiv were also returned.

Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in August last year, seizing hundreds of square kilometres (miles) of territory in a major setback for the Kremlin.

Russia deployed thousands of troops from its ally North Korea as part of a counterattack but did not fully reclaim the region until April.

Among the Ukrainians released on Sunday was journalist Dmytro Khyliuk, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Khyliuk was kidnapped in the Kyiv region in March 2022. He is finally home in Ukraine,” Zelensky said on social media.

Also freed was former Kherson mayor Volodymyr Mykolayenko, “who spent more than three years in captivity,” Zelensky’s aide Andriy Yermak wrote on X.

“In 2022, he was on the list for return, but Volodymyr voluntarily refused to be exchanged in favour of a seriously ill prisoner with whom he was sharing a cell in a Russian prison,” Yermak said.

AFP