Iceland volcano erupts near town after weeks of quake activity
Updated: 2:55pm (AEST)Oslo, Norway Reuters A volcano erupted late on Monday in south-west Iceland, spewing lava and smoke across a wide area after weeks of intense earthquake activity, the country’s Meteorological Office said, threatening a nearby town. Fearing a significant eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula, authorities last month evacuated the nearly 4,000 inhabitants of the […]
Iceland prepares to shield geothermal plant from risk of volcanic eruption
Grindavik, Iceland Reuters Icelandic authorities were on Tuesday preparing to build defence walls around a geothermal power plant in the south-western part of the country that they hope will protect it from lava flows amid concerns about an imminent volcanic eruption. Seismic activity and underground lava flows intensified on the Reykjanes peninsula near the capital […]
Risk of volcanic eruption in Iceland remains high
Copenhagen, DenmarkReuters Seismic activity in south-western Iceland decreased in size and intensity on Monday, but the risk of a volcanic eruption remained significant, authorities said, after earthquakes and evidence of magma spreading underground in recent weeks. Almost 4,000 people were evacuated over the weekend as authorities feared that molten rock would rise to the surface […]
European leaders meet in Iceland to reaffirm values as Ukraine war rages on
Reykjavik, IcelandReuters European leaders will travel to Iceland on Tuesday for a two-day summit meant to show their support for Ukraine but also send a powerful message on core democratic values many feel are under threat in and outside Europe. In only the fourth summit of the Council of Europe since it was founded after […]
Essay: Who is at the manger? Nativity sets around the world show each culture’s take on the Christmas story
In an article first published on The Conversation, KAYLA HARRIS and NEOMI DE ANDA, both of the University of Dayton in the US, look at how nativity scenes are adapted around the world…
US, allies push for UN rights body debate on Xinjiang abuses
Geneva, SwitzerlandAP The United States and several Western allies presented a proposal Monday for the UN’s main human rights body to hold a special debate over reported rights abuses against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in China’s western Xinjiang region. The US and Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden were behind a draft […]
Arctic Council in upheaval over Russia as climate change transforms region
London, UK/Washington DC, US Reuters Countries of the Arctic Council said on Thursday they would boycott future talks in Russia over its Ukraine invasion, throwing international cooperation in the region into upheaval at a time when climate change is opening it up to resource exploitation. The Arctic Council brings together countries with Arctic territories to […]
In Iceland election, political stability again at stake
Copenhagen, DenmarkReuters Icelanders vote on Saturday in an election that could have a messy outcome with a record nine parties likely to enter parliament, making it difficult to find common ground on topics like climate change and healthcare. The North Atlantic island of 371,000 citizens has seen a period of stability since 2017 under the […]
Climate change: Scared by global warming? In Iceland, one solution is petrifying
ALISTER DOYLE, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on an unusual – and controversial – solution being employed in Iceland to tackle global warming…
Snapshot: Northern lights, Thórsmörk, Iceland
See JONATAN PIE’s image…