Gates of Vienna News Feed 12/18/2010

A mass of frigid Siberian air has moved south over Europe, causing heavy snow and breaking low-temperature records as far south as Tunisia. The UK has had the coldest December on record, and Sweden hasn’t been this cold for a century. Much of Italy is covered with snow, and one enterprising skier practiced his cross-country skills along a beach on Italy’s west coast.

In other news, the Russian government has cracked down on nationalist demonstrators, arresting hundreds of them before they can stage new demonstrations. Reports say that 1,300 have been preventively detained. Vladimir Putin has deplored the outbreak of violent nationalism among teenagers, and says the government must work with the youths to help them overcome their antisocial tendencies.

To see the headlines and the articles, open the full news post.

Thanks to bewick, C. Cantoni, DF, Gaia, Insubria, JD, STT, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

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Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.