International

Winter has certainly taken hold over much of eastern Europe as biting cold continues its grip and sadly claiming a number of lives.

Rescue helicopters evacuated dozens of people from snow-blocked villages in Serbia and Bosnia and airlifted in emergency food and medicine as a severe cold spell kept eastern Europe in an icy grip.

"6 more weeks of winter it must be..." --- If Americans were hoping to be done with winter, Punxsutawney Phil had some bad news for them today.

New Zealand's most prominent group of global warming sceptics has received at least $84,000 from an American think-tank which has been backed by fossil fuel interests and accused of "climate change denialism".

The Chicago-based Heartland Institute paid the New Zealand Climate Science Coalition grants of US$25,000 ($30,800) and US$45,000 in in 2007.

U.N. nuclear experts gave a thumbs-up to Japan's planned "stress tests" for its remaining nuclear power plants Tuesday but left Japanese authorities to decide whether the plants themselves are safe.

Severe nor' west wind gusts were recorded in Middlemarch, Otago late yesterday and resulted in some reports of damage.

Iron from several buildings were lifted as the winds roared through the town, most notably the Hyde Community Hall.

Fourteen people were killed and another 60 were injured in Indonesia over a four-day period as a result of Cyclone Iggy, according to the country's National Disaster Management Agency.

If you think we've had a rough season here in New Zealand, it's nothing compared to what the state of Alaska has seen.

After record snows, they now have record or near record cold.

At last report, Fairbanks was at -51 F (-46 C).  Thankfully, their winds are calm.  That means that there is no wind chill to speak of.

A massive solar flare — the strongest one so far this year — erupted Saturday from the same active region of the sun that triggered a raging solar tempest earlier this week.

A family of four has died under a landslide in Fiji, as forecasters predict lingering torrential rain in the flood-battered region.

Police told FBC News a 35-year-old father, 30-year-old mother and their two daughters, aged three and one, were buried alive under the landslide in Ba on the island of Viti Levu yesterday morning.

2011 was a wild weather year around the world.

Kiwis and Americans know this well.  From the massive tornado outbreaks in the US to the heavy rain and tornado outbreaks in New Zealand, last year was a rough one.

This year isn't starting much better.