The world clock

The Brighter Evenings Bill was proposed by Dublin politician Thomas Broughan

According to Broughan: 8220;Moving the clocks forward would make evenings in the winter brighter for longer8221;

He said it could help the economy,as brighter evenings would boost tourism and create more jobs in the leisure industry,reduce crime and fear of crime

However,the bill was rejected

SAMOA,DECEMBER 2011

Samoa,which became independent from New Zealand in 1962,transferred to the east side of the international date line to aid trade with the US and Europe in December 2011 Samoa,which sits the middle of the Pacific Ocean,is 32 km east of the international dateline

On Samoa8217;s side of the imaginary line that runs from pole to pole,it is Tuesday. On the other side,it is Wednesday,which made it tricky to communicate with neighbours Australia and New Zealand,who are a day ahead on the other side

Samoa reset its clocks and calendars and jumped from Thursday to Saturday

The island nation expects its economy to get a boost

VENEZUELA,2007

Venezuela created its own time zone in 2007 by putting clocks back half-an-hour on a permanent basis

President Hugo Chavez said that an earlier dawn meant the performance of the country will improve

Critics said the move was simply to be in a different time zone from Chavez8217;s arch-rival,the United States

The new measure put Venezuela four-and-a-half hours behind GMT and out of step with all its neighbours

The move,first announced in August 2007,was delayed twice because international bodies and Venezuela itself were not ready for the change

Debating Daylight Saving

Studies have shown that the extra daylight in the evenings reduced the number of fatalities from traffic accidents

It has been reported that during DST months,people used less energy

DST allows people to shop more and participate in more sporting activities

DST also allows tourists to stay out later and spend more money

Studies have also shown that there is a reduction in crime

FLIPSIDE

The rules and dates have been changed several times and for many people this may hard to keep up with

Many countries especially in Africa and Asia do not observe DST and people who work across time zones may find it hard to accommodate the time changes

People involved in agriculture have complained that less sunlight in the mornings is disadvantageous to their work. Cattle and poultry are largely affected because animals find it difficult to adjust

The shift in time causes sleep deprivation

Medical devices such as pacemakers or defibrillators and glucose monitors have to be adjusted; serious consequences may result if this is ignored

Some studies have also found that more heart attacks tend to occur after DST is begun and suicide rates also increase

Daylight Saving Time DST

Daylight saving time is the practice of changing standard time with the purpose of getting better use of the daylight by having sunrise one hour later in the morning and set one hour later in the evening.

As many as 82 countries across the world follow the system which was first proposed by George Vernon Hudson from New Zealand more than 100 years ago

During World War I,Germany and its allies used DST to conserve coal,starting in 1916

Other countries soon followed suit with Russia adopting it in 1917 and the US in 1918

159 countries still do not follow it

The only industrialised countries that do not follow this are India,China and Japan

Tropical countries do not have the need to save daylight as the length of their days remains almost the same year round

The US

DST in the US ended November 3 this year,as part of an annual ritual where Americans except in Arizona or Hawaii and residents of 78 countries including Canada excluding Saskatchewan,most of Europe,Australia and New Zealand turn their clocks back by one hour

Compiled by Aslesha