Contents

The United States declared a state of emergency on March 13 as many European countries went on a war footing amid mounting deaths as the world mobilized to fight the widening coronavirus pandemic.

A federal judge on March 12 ordered the release of former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning from custody amid reports that the notorious WikiLeaks whistleblower had attempted suicide while in detention.

Both the Arctic and Antarctica saw below mean sea ice cover in the last month compared to the 1981-2010 average, the European Union's climate change body said on March 10.

The food service sector is recording the first signs of a drop in activity due to the spread of the coronavirus in Greece, with the hardest hit sector being catering, which is under serious threat.

On March 11, with an order of the Mayor of Sofia Municipality, the access and visits to the Sofia Zoo are terminated, the zoo reported.

Today, before noon, it will rain throughout the country, with significant amounts expected in places in the northwest. In the evening the rain will gradually stop. A moderate to strong wind will blow from the west-northwest. Maximum temperatures will range from 5-7C in western Bulgaria to 11- 13C to the east.

This morning, clouds over far eastern and southern areas will also break and decrease.

Turkey recycled some 2 million tons of waste, including plastics, glass and tires last year, according to data state-run Anadolu Agency compiled.

Data showed that 730 tons of waste batteries, some 178,00 tons of waste tires and 484, 000 tons of plastic were recycled in 2019.

The recycled materials also included some 234,000 tons of glass and 821,000 tons of packaging waste.

Today, moderate, occasionally strong southwestern winds, will continue to bring warm air. Variable cloudiness, considerable before noon in western Bulgaria, where patchy light rain is forecast. Maximum temperatures between 16C and 21C. Atmospheric pressure will drop and be slightly lower than the March average.

The climate crisis is a "systematic shock to civilization" rather than a social, environmental or economic issue, a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) official said on Feb. 26.

"It's a tremendous challenge for our planets and residents," Sukhrob Khojimatov, the UNDP's deputy resident representative, said at an event in the Turkish capital Ankara.