Russia turns back the clock to end daylight saving time

Moscow, Oct 25 (UNI) Russia ends the daylight saving time in the country in the early hours tomorrow, when the country will put clocks back by one hour, giving people an extra hour in bed.

Russian clocks will be turned back one hour at 0300 hrs (Moscow time) tomorrow. Kuranty, the tower clock that dominates Red Square, will be put back manually, the Kremlin press service said.

At first the chimes and the controls will be stopped and then the hands of the clock will be put back with the help of a special key, it said.

The changeover will begin with Russia's easternmost territory of Chukotka and move westward through eleven time zones to the Kaliningrad region on the Baltic Sea.

Most of Europe will also change their clocks, although North America will wait another week.

With the shift back, it will get light earlier in the morning and darker earlier in the evening, as the onset of winter makes for short, dark days.

Most computers will automatically adjust to the time change, but clocks and household appliances that show the time will have to be adjusted manually.

Medical opinion is mixed on how harmful or beneficial the change can be.

However, Russian Mission Control said yesterday, there will be no change of the clock for astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS).

The ISS will continue to operate on Greenwich Mean Time, while Russian Mission Control will remain on Moscow Standard Time, which is three hours ahead of GMT and does not change for the summer.

Moscow Standard Time is used on all Russian piloted and unmanned spacecraft, and for ground-based tracking facilities.

Russia's Space Forces, responsible for the country's missile defence, also operate on the fixed time.

UNI XC RJ CS1910