Iceland Volcano Erupts Near Village | BBC News

Jan 14, 2024 | A volcano has erupted in south-west Iceland near the fishing town of Grindavik, which has been evacuated. The eruption started at about 03:00 GMT on Sunday. Iceland's public broadcaster RUV says it is not clear which direction the lava is flowing. "A crack has opened up on both sides of the dikes that have begun to be built north of Grindavik," the country's met office said. Grindavik was evacuated in November after another eruption, but residents had been allowed home for periods of time.

Iceland: Experts Predict Feared Volcanic Eruption Could Destroy Town near Reykjavik

THE GUARDIAN: Town of Grindavik could be heavily damaged by volcano expected to erupt within hours or days, experts say

An Icelandic town home to about 4,000 people near the capital Reykjavik could be heavily damaged by a volcano expected to erupt within hours or days, according to experts.

The town of Grindavik on the south-western coast was evacuated in the early hours of Saturday after magma shifting under the Earth’s crust caused hundreds of earthquakes in what is believed to be a precursor to an eruption.

“We are really concerned about all the houses and the infrastructure in the area,” Vidir Reynisson, head of Iceland’s Civil Protection and Emergency Management said on Saturday. » | Agence France-Presse | Sunday, November 12, 2023

Iceland Boss Richard Walker Quits ‘Out of Touch’ Tories

THE TELEGRAPH: Supermarket chief says he can’t support a party that has lost its way on net zero

The boss of supermarket chain Iceland has quit the Conservative Party, criticising it for being “badly out of touch”.

Richard Walker, who had been trying to stand as a Conservative MP, announced that he had “now reached the end of the road” with the Tories, citing the party’s approach to net zero.

Mr Walker had been on the approved candidate list for the Conservatives, but said he was “never prepared to wear a gag to bag a seat”.

Writing for The Guardian, the businessman said: “It has become increasingly difficult to avoid the conclusion that the Conservative Party has drifted badly out of touch.

“I am certainly not willing to make compromises with a party which has clearly lost its way on its approach to net zero and the environment in particular. » | Genevieve Holl-Allen | Sunday, October 1, 2023

Iceland Makes Blasphemy Legal

BBC AMERICA: Iceland's parliament has abolished its blasphemy laws, despite opposition from some of the country's churches.

A bill was put forward by the minority Pirate Party, which campaigns for internet and data freedom.

It came after the deadly attack the same month against French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris.

The bill said it was "essential in a free society that the public can express themselves without fear of punishment". » | Friday, July 3, 2015

Iceland to Build First Temple to Norse Gods in 1,000 Years

The high priest of the Asatru Association Hilmarsson leads
a procession of Asatru Association at Pingblot

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Modern version of Norse paganism has been gaining popularity in Iceland

Icelanders will soon be able to publicly worship at a shrine to Thor, Odin and Frigg with construction starting this month on the island's first major temple to the Norse gods since the Viking age.

Worship of the gods in Scandinavia gave way to Christianity around 1,000 years ago but a modern version of Norse paganism has been gaining popularity in Iceland.

"I don't believe anyone believes in a one-eyed man who is riding about on a horse with eight feet," said Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson, high priest of 'Asatruarfelagid', an association that promotes faith in the Norse gods.

"We see the stories as poetic metaphors and a manifestation of the forces of nature and human psychology." » | Reuters | Monday, February 02, 2015

'Iceland Model: How to Deal with Bankers Should Be Standard for Whole World'

In Iceland four former bank chiefs have been jailed for fraud - the sentences go as far as five years behind bars. They're accused of concealing that a Qatari investor bought a stake in their firm, using cash lent from the bank itself - illegally. The deal took place just ahead of the collapse of the bank due to huge debts. RT talks to economic expert Charlie McGrath, founder of news website Wide Awake News about Iceland's economy.

Iceland to Get its First Mosque

GATESTONE INSTITUTE: The Muslim Association of Iceland now admits that foreign donors will be paying for the mosque's construction costs. The former mayor of Reykjavik says he believes it is outrageous for the city to give Muslims a site at no cost at a great location in the center of the city, and asks why political and feminist groups are so tolerant of a religion that he says degrades women.

The Reykjavík City Council has approved a building permit for the construction of the first mosque in Iceland.

The mosque will be built in Sogamýri, an upscale district near downtown Reykjavík on a highly desirable plot of land that was granted to Muslims free of charge, courtesy of Icelandic taxpayers.

Members of the city council -- which is led by Reykjavík Mayor Jón Gnarr, who identifies himself as an anarchist -- say they hope the prime location will make the mosque a prominent landmark in the city.

Critics of the mosque, however, say the project is being financed by donors in the Middle East who are seeking to exert control over -- and radicalize -- the growing Muslim community in Iceland.

Although reliable statistics do not exist, the Muslim population of Iceland is estimated to be approximately 1,200, or 0.4% of the total Icelandic population of 320,000. Most Muslims in Iceland live in the capital Reykjavík, where they make up about 1% of the total population of 120,000.

The Muslim community in Iceland may be small in comparison to other European countries, but its rate of growth has been exponential: Since 1990, when there were fewer than a dozen Muslims in the country, their number has increased by nearly 10,000%. Much of this growth has been due to immigration, but in recent years native Icelanders have also been converting to Islam in increasing numbers. » | Soeren Kern | Friday, September 27, 2013

'We Chose Democracy & Human Rights over Banks' – Iceland President to RT

As Iceland's banking system went into meltdown at the start of the global financial crisis, it came under enormous pressure from the rest of Europe to accept crippling austerity measures that would have burdened its people for generations to come. And yet the tiny island nation stood up to the European Goliath, defiantly opting for democracy even as it stood on the brink of bankruptcy. What can Iceland teach the world about the power of the people and the rule of law? To discuss these issues, Oksana is joined by the President of Iceland, Olafur Grimsson.

Brushing Brussels Off: Iceland May Drop Bid for EU Membership

Iceland is thinking of dropping its bid for membership of the EU. The country's foreign ministry will consider dissolving the special committee which is working on the negotiations. Iceland suspended talks ahead of parliamentary elections in January, and the eurosceptic coalition which took power has never restarted them. For more, RT talks to to Arsaell Valfells, economics professor at the University of Iceland.

Iceland's Voters Oust Austerity Government
Poll count shows voters have rejected austerity government to return centre-right parties that ruled over financial collapse five years ago.

Verwandt »

Iceland Votes to Recognize Palestine
YNET NEWS: Iceland 'first Western European country to take this step,' FM boasts; Abbas reaffirms statehood bid

Iceland's parliament voted on Tuesday in favor of recognizing the Palestinian territories as an independent state, the first Western European country to do so according Iceland's foreign minister.

The vote paves the way for formal recognition by the small north Atlantic island, which led the way in recognizing the independence of the three Baltic States after the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1991.

"Iceland is the first Western European country to take this step," Foreign Minister Ossur Skarphedinsson told Icelandic state broadcaster RUV. "I now have the formal authority to declare our recognition of Palestine." » | News agencies | Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Iceland: Volcanic Eruption
Volcanic ash approaches UK; threat of aviation chaos

Iceland Volcano Prompts Airport Closure
Iceland's most active volcano has started erupting, prompting the closure of the country's main international airport.

But experts say the eruption of the Grimsvotn volcano is unlikely to cause a repeat of the disturbance to European air traffic caused by another Icelandic volcano last year.

Last year, another eruption led to a major air travel chaos for days, affecting some 10 million travellers.

Al Jazeera's Catherine Stancl reports.


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Eruption volcanique: fermeture de l’espace aérien islandais

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le volcan Grimsvoetn est entré samedi en éruption sous le plus grand glacier d’Islande. Le principal aéroport international ferme ses portes.

L’espace aérien islandais a été temporairement fermé dimanche matin en raison de l’éruption du volcan le plus actif du pays, qui a déclenché un immense panache de fumée, ont annoncé les autorités aéroportuaires (Isavia).

"L’aéroport de Keflavik, notre principal aéroport international ferme. L’espace aérien ferme", a déclaré la porte-parole d’Isavia, Hjordis Gudmundsdottir, peu avant 11 heures suisses.

Cette fermeture devrait durer "au moins pour les prochaines heures", selon la porte-parole, indiquant qu’un nouveau point serait fait à 13 heures. » | AFP | Samedi 22 Mai 2011

L'UE ouvre les négociations d'adhésion avec l'Islande
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: BRUXELLES | L'Union européenne a décidé lundi d'ouvrir dès mardi des négociations en vue de l'adhésion de l'Islande, mais nombre de gouvernements doutent de la volonté réelle d'intégration de l'île et les obstacles restent multiples.

La décision a été prise lors d'une réunion des secrétaires d'Etat chargés des Affaires européennes à Bruxelles.

Ils ont adopté un "cadre de négociation en vue de l'ouverture des négociations d’adhésion avec l’Islande" et décidé "de la tenue de la séance d'ouverture" mardi, selon un communiqué de l'UE.

L'Islande a déposé sa candidature pour l'entrée dans l'UE le 16 juilllet 2009, dans le sillage d'une crise financière qui avait poussé son opinion à souhaiter bénéficier du parapluie de l'euro. Depuis, l'enthousiasme de la population a nettement reculé.

"Il faut avoir envie d'entrer en Europe", a souligné lundi devant la presse le secrétaire d'Etat français aux Affaires européennes Pierre Lellouche.

"Je n'ai pas tout à fait l'impression au niveau des sondages que les Islandais eux mêmes soient très favorables. C'est tout le problème", a-t-il commenté.

"Nous sommes très favorables à l'adhésion de l'Islande, naturellement. Mais au même niveau que les autres, sans raccourci, et à la condition que les Islandais soient interressés. On ne va forcer personne", a conclu M. Lellouche. >>> AFP | Lundi 26 Juillet 2010

Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (L), the prime minister of Iceland has married her long time partner, Jónína Leósdóttir (R). Photos: Google Images
Iceland PM Weds as Gay Marriage Legalised
THE TELEGRAPH: Johanna Sigurdardottir, Iceland prime minister, married her long-time partner on Sunday as a new law legalising homosexual marriages came into force.

Miss Sigurdardottir, 68, formally married Jonina Leosdottir, a writer, after the couple submitted a demand for their civil union to be transformed into a marriage, the RUV broadcaster said.

Iceland's parliament on June 12 unanimously adopted legislation allowing gay marriage, in a law that came into force on Sunday. >>> | Monday, June 28, 2010

Le mariage gay autorisé en islande [sic]
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le texte a été approuvé à l'unanimité.

L'Islande, seul pays au monde dont le chef de gouvernement soit ouvertement homosexuel, a adopté vendredi une loi autorisant les personnes de même sexe à se marier. Le texte a été approuvé à l'unanimité.

Les 49 membres de l'Althing (parlement) se sont prononcés en faveur d'un texte de loi qui étend le champ d'application du mariage aux unions entre «homme et homme, femme et femme». Pays insulaire de 320.000 habitants où prévaut une grande tolérance sociale, l'Islande a élu Premier ministre en 2009 la social-démocrate Johanna Sigurdadottir, homosexuelle déclarée. >>> ATS | Vendredi 11 Juin 2010

”They Promised Us Cash, But They’ve Given Us Ash!”*
THE TELEGRAPH: The ban on flights over most of Britain caused by a cloud of volcanic ash drifting from Iceland has been extended until tomorrow morning as Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, expressed fear the restrictions could be "indefinite".

Lighting could be seen amid the erupting lava and ash. Photo: The Telegraph
Mr Johnson questioned the Government's handling of the volcanic ash cloud crisis and said the public needed to know the risks of flying against the reality of the country being without air travel.

He said experts within the aviation industry had told him they were used to operating in countries with volcanos and understood the risks, implying they did not agree with the current flight ban.

But Mr Johnson said if it was "genuinely impossible" to fly, then plans had to be made for the long-term, as the economy of the nation was being affected.

He said: "My anxiety clearly, given the damage that this is going to do to the UK economy, is that this no-fly zone, this closure of the airspace over the country, could just go on for an indefinite period of time at this level of risk to aviation." Iceland volcano: Boris Johnson voices fears of 'indefinite' flight ban >>> Lucy Cockcroft and Gordon Rayner | Tuesday, April 20, 2010

*Source unknown

Iceland Volcano: First Came the Floods, Then the Smell of Rotten Eggs
THE GUARDIAN: Locals describe volcano's eruption, leaving them evacuated and homeless

Smoke and ash billows from a volcano in Eyjafjallajokull, Iceland. Photograph: The Guardian
A phonecall in the dead of night was the first inkling the people living on the Thorvaldseyri farm had that Iceland's glacier-covered Eyjafjallajokull volcano was about to erupt.

Hanna Lara Andrews, a half-English, half-Icelandic farmer who lives at the foot of the mountain which exploded on Wednesday morning with ferocious power, picked up the phone at 2am to be told by a civil protection official that she had only 20 minutes to evacuate her family, including her one-year-old son.

The warning was clear: if they stayed on their dairy farm they risked being washed away by torrents of meltwater unleashed by the release of energy that had just begun inside the volcano, no more than four miles above them. >>> Robert Booth and Severin Carrell | Thursday, April 15, 2010

Volcanic Ash Cloud Leaves Shops Facing Shortages of Fruit, Vegetables and Medicine
THE TELEGRAPH: UK retailers face significant disruption to their supply chains due to a ban on air freight following the volcanic ash crisis.

Store groups face potential shortages of medicine, cut flowers and exotic fruit and vegetables due to the closure of British airspace, that was expected to have ended in England and Wales by 7am on Saturday.

Clothing retailers also face a backlog as their stock sits in holding pens around the world waiting to be flown from manufacturing hubs to the UK.

The ban on air freight has meant that fruits such as figs, papaya and coconuts, fresh flowers and pharmaceutical products – all of which are delivered by air – are not reaching their destinations in the UK. Air freight accounts for 25pc of the UK's international goods movements by value.

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) said yesterday that it fears the cost to business – and consumers – will escalate as the volcanic cloud casts its shadow further. >>> James Hall Retail Editor | Friday, April 16, 2010

THE TELEGRAPH: Volcanic ash cloud: dust falls across Britain – Volcanic ash from the Icelandic eruption has begun to fall across the country, coating surfaces with a fine layer of dust and raising fears over the danger posed to people with breathing difficulties. >>> Patrick Sawer | Saturday, April 17, 2010