No snow
The week's news at a glance.
Moscow
Russian health authorities fear that a rare lack of snowfall could cause a wave of depression across the country. This has been the warmest December in Russia since 1870, and much of the country hasn’t seen a single flake of snow. Winter days are extremely short in Russia, as it’s so far north, and people depend on snow to reflect sunlight and brighten moods. “The psychological state depends directly on the light,” Russian psychologist Baleria Mikulina told the London Daily Telegraph. Officials have installed extra street lamps and urged citizens to turn on all their lights, hang up yellow curtains, and wear colorful clothes.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
All in the family: Honoring Norman Lear, the godfather of the American sitcom
the explainer Lear revolutionized television and brought us memorable characters like Archie Bunker and George Jefferson
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Patricia Cornwell's 6 favorite books to read over and over again
Feature The crime novelist recommends works by Thomas Harris, L. Frank Baum and more
By The Week US Published
-
Doomsday group offers 'epic' survival opportunity
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published